Carol's Christmas

"Ma'am, I can't repay you for this," the man said as he took the money.

"Don't worry about it," Carol said. "You take care of this lovely family and maybe one day you can pay it forward." The young woman looked at Carol with tears in her eyes.

"Thank you so much," she said. "We've had a really hard year. God bless you." Carol felt the tears welling in her eyes as she recalled what she saw when she was with Justice.

"He already has," Carol told the woman.

"Merry Christmas," the woman said. The man echoed the sentiment.

"And a very Merry Christmas to you as well," Carol said. She left and walked back to her car, fighting tears the whole way. When she got inside her car, she looked up and saw Justice, Dr. A and Cameron looking at her with smiles on their faces. Cam gave a thumbs up.

She smiled back at them and nodded her head. She put her key in the ignition and looked back up, but they were already gone. She looked around, but didn't see any sign of them anywhere. That's odd, she thought. She pulled out and headed for home.

By the time she reached the street where she lived, she felt like a whole new person. She saw Alice's car parked out front and knew her in-laws had probably brought Timmy back home. She pulled into the garage and went inside.

"Mommy!" Timmy exclaimed when she walked in. The boy threw his arms around her and kissed her on the cheek. She held him tight and looked up to see Alice and George.

"Thank you for looking after him," she said.

"It's our pleasure," Alice said. "Are you alright? You seem a bit... different this morning."

"Actually, I feel better than I have in a very long time," Carol said. She looked around the house, taking in the lack of decorations. There wasn't even a tree in the front room. Something about that just seemed wrong to her. She looked back at Timmy.

"Sweetheart, do you know where your daddy keeps the Christmas decorations?" she asked. George and Alice looked at each other, surprised as Timmy looked at his mother with shock. They hadn't used the decorations for some time now.

"Yeah, I do," he said.

"Would you like to put them up?" Carol asked. Timmy's face lit up as he smiled.

"Yes, I would," he said.

"Dad, would you mind helping Timmy with that? And maybe some outside lights as well?" Carol asked.

"Uh, yeah, I'd be delighted to," he said.

"Timmy, do you know which Christmas CD your dad likes the best?" Carol asked.

"Yeah, I do," he said, walking to the music cabinet. He looked through the CDs and pulled out one of the Mannheim Steamroller disks Ray had bought years earlier. He handed it to Carol. "He really likes this one. Are you going to let us listen to it?"

"Of course, sweetheart. It's Christmas, isn't it?"

"YAY!" Timmy shouted. George and Alice looked at them and at each other, more surprised than ever as Carol put the CD in the player. She hit play and soon music filled the room. Carol smiled wide as the music played.

"Are you sure you're alright dear?" Alice asked.

"Oh yes, Mom, I'm sure," Carol said. "Now Timmy, go with your Grandpa and do as he says, okay?"

"I will, Mommy," he said, grabbing George's hand. Carol heard her phone buzzing and looked to see that Ray had sent her a text message.

"Got a seat a bit early. Leaving Seattle in a half hour. See you soon. Love you!"

"That's wonderful. Love you too," she wrote back.

"Ray got an early flight out of Seattle," she told Alice. "Would you mind helping me make some cookies and hot chocolate, please? I'm afraid my cooking skills have taken a hit lately and I could use the help."

"Uh, yeah. What's going on, Carol? I've never seen you so... happy and bubbly."

"I'll tell you later," she said. "It's... unbelievable."

"Okay. This I gotta hear," Alice said as they went into the kitchen.

...

Ray was glad that he was able to leave Seattle early. As it turned out, a storm was building up over Denver and they missed it by about a half hour. He got into DFW, loaded up his truck and headed home. He pulled onto his street and was surprised to see Christmas lights on his house.

He saw his father and Timmy standing outside with a few of the neighbors and wondered what was going on. He pulled into his garage and went out to see what the fuss was all about. He was also surprised to hear the Christmas music coming from his front room.

"Daddy!" Timmy screamed as he ran to meet his father. Ray picked the boy up and held him tight as he walked to the front yard. He looked at the lights and decorations on his house in shock.

"Dad," he said. "What's going on? Carol is going to have a fit when she sees all this." George looked at his son and laughed.

"Whose idea do you think this was, son?" George asked. Ray looked at him, not knowing what to say. Carol opened the front door and ran out to meet her husband.

"Sweetheart, I'm so glad you made it okay," Carol said. "I've missed you so much!"

"I've missed you too," he said. "What's all this? And the music. I thought you hated Christmas. Okay, who are you, really, and what have you done with my wife?"

"That was the old me," Carol said. "The old Scrooge-wannabe ice queen is gone. Forever. Meet the new, improved me." Ray looked at her closely. Yes, she sounded like Carol. Even looked like Carol. But this woman was... happy. Cheerful. Bubbly, even. And he had to admit, more beautiful and sexy than he ever remembered.

"Alright," Carol announced to everyone. "Cookies and hot chocolate for everyone. Please come in." Ray looked at his father, stunned, before welcoming everyone inside. Alice and Carol handed out the cookies and mugs of hot chocolate.

"You made all this?" Ray asked.

"Well, with your mother's help," Carol said. Ray took a bite of a soft chocolate chip cookie and his face lit up.

"This is delicious," he said.

"Yes, it is," Timmy said, sitting at Ray's feet.

"Could I have your attention please? I have an announcement," Carol said from the middle of the room. Everyone looked at her, wondering what she had to say.

"I have an interview Monday morning for a new job. I'm resigning from Callahan and Son after the first of the year," she said.

"When did this happen?" Ray asked, surprised. "And why?"

"Today," she said. "As for the why, let me just say, I felt like it was time for a change. We'll talk more about it later," she told Ray.

"Well, in that case, I have an announcement as well," Ray said. Everyone turned to hear what he had to say. "We finished the job in Seattle, ahead of schedule and below budget. The client is thrilled with our work and so is my boss. He was so thrilled that he gave me a promotion. Starting January 3^rd, I'm the new manager of the local Technical Operations Center. What that means is a nice big raise and better yet, almost no travel whatsoever."

"Are you serious, Ray?" Carol asked. "No more travel? Really?"

"That's right, sweetheart. Think you can handle having me home every day?"

"Oh sweetheart, that is wonderful news," she said, throwing her arms around Ray. "I'd love to have you home every day." Ray hugged his wife, then hugged his son.

"Congratulations, Ray, that's terrific news," George said, slapping Ray on the back. A couple hours later, everyone drifted back to their homes. George and Alice said their goodbyes but not before making sure Carol, Ray and Timmy would be over the next day to celebrate Christmas.

Ray put Timmy to bed and read him a story, then went into the master bedroom. After making sweet love to his wife, he held her close to him.

"You want to explain all this to me?" he asked. "What happened? Really?"

"You want to know the truth? Alright, here it is. The truth is, I realized that I've been an ungrateful bitch to you for months. I came this close to destroying the best thing in my life last night," Carol said, holding her thumb and forefinger very close together. Ray looked at her, shocked.

"Nothing happened. At all. But it almost did," she said. "And I'm so terribly sorry for that."

"Jake Callahan?" he asked.

"Yes," she said.

"What happened?"

"I guess you could say a guardian angel stepped in," she said. "I got the worse migraine headache ever, and ended up going to bed. Alone. Then I got the mother of all wake-up calls. I realized what was going on, and I saw Jake for what he really is. All those years he acted like my friend. In reality, all he wanted was to fuck me and ruin our marriage.

"I also learned the possible consequences to our family, and I just couldn't handle it. That's when I decided to make a change. I told Jake this morning I was leaving the company," she said.

"That explains the strange text I got from him earlier," Ray said.

"What text?" Ray grabbed his phone off the nightstand and showed it to her: "The best man won. Congratulations -- JC." Carol laughed as she read the text.

"I wondered what the hell he meant by that," Ray said. "Tell me, woman, do I need to go kick his ass?"

"No dear, I have a feeling he's going to end up hoisted on his own petard soon enough," Carol said.

"So, what's up with this new job?" Ray asked.

"I remembered seeing something about a nationwide non-profit that was looking for a new CFO. I verified the ad this morning and sent an email expressing interest. I got a response saying they know of me and would love to see me Monday morning," she said.

"Yeah, but you could be just one of many who applied for the job," he said.

"No, not really. Turns out one of the board members of the group is married to Callahan's COO so she knows me already. I got an email saying they got responses from a couple of people, but they weren't impressed with them. The interview Monday is pretty much a formality."

"What kind of non-profit is this?" Ray asked.

"They work to help homeless families get back on their feet," she said.

"You? Working with the homeless? That's different," he said.

"Like I said, Ray, I had a major wake-up call this morning," she said. "Until now, all I really cared about was myself. I never really took time to look around me or consider other people. This morning, for example, I came across a couple making their way to Wichita Falls. Their car broke down and they were stranded. Stranded, hungry and cold. And no one stopped to help them. So I did."

"You did?"

"Yes," Carol said, wiping tears from her eyes. "I paid to have their car fixed and bought them breakfast."

"Wow. That is different," Ray said.

"That was the first time I have ever helped anyone, Ray. And you know something? I liked doing it. It made me feel... good to know that I actually made a difference in someone's life. That's the kind of person I want to be from now on.

"I want to be the best wife and mother you could ever want. So from now on, the old, bitchy Scrooge Carol is gone. I'm so terribly sorry for any hurt I've ever caused you. You didn't deserve any of that. You're the best man I know. And I promise I'll never, ever forget that. I'm so grateful for what I have and I'll never forget that." She got on top of Ray and looked him in the eye.

"I love you with all my heart, Raymond Beck. And I intend to be with you until the day I die," she said. "You understand me?"

"Yes, I do," Ray said, wrapping his arms around her. "And I accept your apologies. I am curious to know something, though. What made all this happen?" He listened quietly as she told him the Reader's Digest version of what she experienced.

"That's quite a story," he said. "I'd like to meet these guardian angels of yours one of these days."

"Who knows. Maybe you will. One day," she said.

...

They got up early the next morning, opened their presents and went to spend the day with George and Alice. Ray couldn't believe the changes he saw in his wife. She seemed happier now than she had in the last several years. Both George and Alice also saw the changes in her.

Full of turkey, dressing and pie, they finally got home about 5:00 that evening. As they pulled into their driveway, Ray spotted a basket on their front porch. He pulled into the garage and the three of them went to investigate the basket.

Inside was a red blanket and inside the blanket was the cutest puppy any of them had ever seen. As soon as the pup spotted Timmy, he smiled and raised a paw. Timmy petted the dog and saw a card in the basket. He handed the card to Ray, who opened it and read it with Carol.

"Merry Christmas," the card read. It was signed, "Cam." Underneath was a post-script: "He's already been fixed and he has all his shots." Ray knew that "Cam" was one of Carol's "guardian angels."

"Can I keep him, Mommy?" Timmy asked. "Please? I'll take really good care of him, I promise."

"You'll feed and water him? You'll take him out for walks every day?" Carol asked.

"Yes, Mommy, I will," the boy said. "He can even sleep with me if he wants to." Carol considered the pup as she thought about it.

"Every boy needs a puppy, don't you agree?" Ray asked Carol.

"Alright, you can keep him," Carol said.

"Yippee! Thank you, Mom! You're the best Mom ever! I love you so much," he squealed, throwing his arms around her. They gathered up the basket with the dog and went inside. Carol made them some hot chocolate and they sat on the couch to watch some television and relax.

"Ray, do you think a piano would look good over there in that corner?" Carol asked.

"A piano?" he asked. "What, are you planning to take lessons or something?"

"I used to play when I was a little girl. I've been thinking about getting back into music," she said.

"What would you like to learn?" he asked.

"I was thinking that maybe I could learn to play 'Silent Night.' It's a beautiful song. Maybe if I get good enough by next Christmas, we could sing it. Together. As a family," she said.

"Interesting idea," he said quietly. "I think we can swing that."

"Thank you, sweetheart," she said. "That means so much to me." A movie began to play on the television -- "A Christmas Carol." It was one of Ray's favorites. After the movie ended, Timmy turned to them with a smile on his face.

"God bless us all, Mommy," he said. "Everyone." Carol looked at her son's face and for a moment, thought she saw her father's face superimposed on Timmy's. The face smiled and winked at her before disappearing. Carol felt a tear form in her eye.

"God bless us, my precious son," she said as she wrapped her arms around him.

...

Fade to black...

Notes:

Justice O. Peace first appeared in my story, "Justice Ch. 01: Amos and Andrea." He has appeared in several other stories as well.

Adrestia Rhamnousia first appeared in "The Cheating Zone 03: Lori," and has appeared in several other stories, including her own series, "The Cheater's Gallery."

Cameron Drake first appeared in "Flash 01: Out of the Blue," and is the main character in that series.

To my knowledge, there is no such town as Hard Rock, Texas, so please don't waste any time Googling it...

To the nitpickers, I exercised a bit of artistic license in the divorce court scene, so please take that into account before you say this or that wouldn't happen. This IS my universe, after all.

Finally, this will be my last submission for 2021. I intend to take a few days off to be with family and friends, but will be back in January for more fun and madness. In the meantime, Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it, Happy Holidays to those who don't, and to everyone, a good night.

ST