A Christmas Carol: Bob's Perspective

Stave 2

I had gotten through that terrible time, and now it was Christmas Day. It was a very joyful day, compared to all the previous days of that year. Tiny Tim and I were out for a walk. A horrible dream had occurred last night. The nightmare was about Mr. Scrooge dying and myself without a job. Tiny Tim's illness was at its worst, and there was nothing I could do to help my boy. I felt useless. All I wanted was for Tim to be better. A tear slipped from my eye at the thought of the nightmare. I wiped it away as our tiny home came into view. With Tiny Tim upon my shoulder I walked inside, and set him down. "Why, where's our Martha?"

"Not coming." My wife replied. My heart dropped at those words.

"Not coming! Not coming upon Christmas Day!" Then Martha appeared before me. I wrapped her in a hug.

"And how did little Tim behave?" My wife spoke.

"As good as gold! And better. Somehow he gets thoughtful, sitting by himself so much, and thinks the strangest things you ever heard. He told me, coming home, that he hoped the people saw him in the church, because he was a cripple, and it might be pleasant to them to remember upon Christmas Day, who made lame beggars walk, and blind men see" I trembled when I mentioned that Tiny Tim was growing, and hearty.

Right on cue, Tiny Tim came into the room, along with his siblings. Dinner was served. It was a small, yet delicious feast. "A Merry Christmas to us all, my dears. God bless us." I cheered.

"God bless us everyone!" Tiny Tim finished.

"Mr. Scrooge! I'll give you Mr. Scrooge, the Founder of the Feast!"

"The Founder of the Feast indeed!" My wife burst. "I wish I had him here. I'd give him a piece of my mind to feast upon, and I hope he'd have a good appetite for it."

"My dear, the children! Christmas Day."

"It should be Christmas Day, I am sure on which one drinks the health of such an odious, stingy, hard unfeeling man as Mr. Scrooge. You know he is Robert! Nobody knows it better than you do, poor fellow!"

"My dear, Christmas Day."

"I'll drink his health for your sake and the Day's, not for his. Long life to him! A merry Christmas and a happy new year! He'll be very happy, I have no doubt!" She toasted and we all drank, following her lead. For the remainder of the night, we laughed, talked, and sung songs together. We spent family time together, where we couldn't do so for a long time.