The Christmas Promise(30)

Miriam clacked her tongue, thinking. She watched Donovan make a batter mess on the countertop and then wipe it on his pants. “I’ll opt for the errands.”

Miriam hadn’t thought much about what I did throughout the day, but when she pulled into the driveway of Lila Hofstetter’s place to drop off a bag of children’s clothes she felt unsettled. Who was this woman and what was she supposed to say to her? Lila threw open the door and launched into a series of doctor appointment stories, each one longer and more meandering than the last. Miriam hung on to the storm door by her fingertips, letting it close farther after each story, but Lila rambled on. As it inched closed Miriam declined Lila’s offer to come in for coffee and bolted for the car. “I should have stayed with the kid,” Miriam said out loud, searching the map for the next street.

She took a box filled with plates, towels, and sheets to an elderly woman named Carol, who lived near the River Road housing development. Miriam sat slumped in her seat, certain the car would come under gunfire, hooligans pouring out from all sides around her. Her eyes scanned front, back, side to side, front, back, side to side. She snatched up her purse and threw it into the trunk, then slammed it shut. Carol answered her door and Miriam screamed as a small wiry dog named Bennie sprang past her. Carol squealed, imploring Miriam to bring him back. Miriam darted across the parking lot in chase, but the dog ran beneath a car and began to shake. Miriam bent over and made kissing noises in his direction. “Here, dog,” she purred. “Come to Auntie Miriam.” He lifted a paw and ran his tongue from top to bottom. “Oh, you insolent cur,” she said, breathless. Miriam squatted and snapped her fingers. She sighed, watching him, then dug through her coat pocket, pulling out a stick of gum. “Lookie here!” Bennie sniffed the air and crawled toward her. She crept backward, holding the gum close to the ground, and snagged Bennie when he took the prize. She ran with the dog at arm’s length, as if he were a bomb, and deposited him back inside Carol’s door. Miriam declined Carol’s offer for a cup of coffee and a bite of banana bread and ran back to the car. She looked at herself in the rearview mirror and groaned, fixing her hair. “This is crude and uncivil,” she grumbled.

She hung her head out of the window on more than one occasion for directions. “Just like a dog,” she said. Art Lender gave her a hug when she handed him a bag of work clothes and groceries, and she stumbled backward. She also declined his offer for something to drink, choosing to get behind the wheel with as few words exchanged as possible. He watched as she hurried to the car and hung his head out the door, shouting, “Thank you, Miss Mary!”

She spun on her heels. “Am,” she said, yelling. “Miriam.”

By early afternoon she was exhausted, but still needed to pick up the bags at Wilson’s.





Chaz was called in to work two hours early. There were more and more customers every day, which meant longer hours for employees. He kicked the salt and slush off his shoes and held the door open for an older woman whom he considered to be attractive. She thanked him and made her way to Marshall Wilson at the jewelry counter. “Marshall, I’m here to pick up the hats and gloves for Gloria,” Miriam said.

“She said you were coming and they’re ready to go. Chaz!” Chaz stopped at the top of the stairs and turned toward Mr. Wilson. “We’ve set aside a few bags for Miss Glory in Customer Service. Would you help get those?”

Chaz watched as she walked toward him; she didn’t act like the woman he had pictured in his mind at all. She looked kind of uppity. “Is Donovan at your house?” he asked, leading her to Customer Service.

She made a high-pitched sigh. “Yes! Do you know him?”

Chaz picked up the bags with Miss Glory’s name on them. “He comes in a lot when his mom’s working.”

“He thinks I’m a nutter,” she said. “This morning he told me that my hair looked like a cat had played in it.”

He led her through the store. “That sounds like him.”

“Are you new here?” she said.

He opened the front door for her. “Yeah.”

“I think you’ll love it.” Chaz always hated it when people told him he’d love something. “This is a wonderful place to live. The longer I live here, the more I appreciate it.” He loaded the bags in her trunk and closed the lid. “Thank you so much.” She looked down at his name tag, “Chad.” People always got his name wrong but it didn’t matter.

He walked across the parking lot and noticed the pretty blonde he had seen in Wilson’s driving out of the alley between the law office and the store. She didn’t notice him on the sidewalk, but he stopped and watched as she drove past before clocking in for the day.