It's Beginning to Look a Lot...

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

*Author's note: My thanks to everyone for the many kind emails letting me know you enjoy my work. I've really enjoyed writing again, so let's hope the feeling lasts.

I started this one in December of 2021, and it sat there idling ever since. It's August, but it's still beginning to look a lot like Christmas! I hope you enjoy it.

*****

"Mommy look!" her four-year old daughter called out. "Get this one. It's so boo-tee-ful!"

Her mother, Raquel, had let Tabitha 'off the leash' while they looked for a Christmas tree, but she was never out of sight for even a second.

"Wow. That is a nice one," her mother agreed. "Do you think it'll fit in our house?"

"Uh-huh. It will," her daughter assured her even though she had no idea whether or not it would.

"In that case, how about we get the nice man over there to put it on top of our car so we can take it home and find out?"

"Yay!" the little girl said as she clapped her mitten-clad hands together.

After paying for the tree which set her back $85, she, and mostly the older gentleman running the lot, got it up and onto the top of the car. He then tied it down through the front and back windows before giving it a shake.

"That should get you home!" the man assured the very attractive, younger woman with the little girl who was cute as a button.

He looked down at her and said, "What's your name, sweetie?"

"Tabitha," she told him. "Like the little girl on Bee Which."

Her mom had explained where her name came from, but having no idea what the old TV show "Bewitched" was, Bee Which was the best she could do.

"Ah, okay," the man said as he touched her nose. "Can you twinkle your nose like Samatha?"

"What?" she asked, having no idea what that meant, either. Her mom laughed and told him why her daughter didn't understand.

"Ah, okay. Well, you two have a wonderful Christmas, okay?"

"Merry Christmas and ho, ho, ho!" the little girl said as her mom helped her into the her carseat.

Raquel thanked the man who again thanked her as she got ready to get in the car, too. She'd taken her gloves off to get cash out of her purse, and the man had seen the huge diamond solitaire ring on her hand.

"You're husband's gonna love this one!" the man said as he opened the front door for his customer.

She hesitated then decided not explain yet again to someone she didn't even know that she'd been alone for over three years. She hated the word 'widow' but like it or not that's what she was since her husband's untimely death nearly 40 months earlier.

Tabitha was just a few months old when it happened and too young to understand something as final as death. Raquel knew that even if she'd been four or five at the time, she couldn't possibly have understood the reasons why people took their own lives.

Raquel knew his death wasn't her fault, but she'd blamed herself nonetheless for the first two years. At some point, she went through a period of anger where she blamed him. That didn't last long, and now all she felt was numb because he was gone forever and she was alone. It did occasionally bother her knowing her sweet little girl would never know what a wonderful man her father had been before his demons got the best of him, but that too, was beyond her ability to control.

So rather than say anything, she only thanked him for opening her door then got in and headed home.

"Be careful," the man said before shutting her door. "It's supposed to start snowin', and it looks like it'll be startin' here real soon."

That was all Raquel needed and hoped she could make it the five miles she had to go to get home.

******

"Dad? Hey, tell Mom on I'm on way."

"Did you pick up the tinsel?" his father asked knowing he had.

"Yep. Just got it. I should be there in about ten minutes or so."

"Great. I'll let your mother know."

"Thanks, Dad. See you soon."

He hung up the phone and started the truck. It was dark and gray and he could tell by the low clouds that snow was on the way. When he passed by the bank the sign showed 30 degrees which confirmed the F-150's thermometer reading.

That wasn't unusual at all for northeastern Washington where he'd lived all of his life except for the four years he'd been on active duty in the US Air Force. He'd been a jet mechanic, and while he enjoyed his time away from the Spokane area, he was glad to be home. More importantly, he was looking for someone to spend the rest of his life with in spite of the fact that he was just shy of turning 24.

After watching his parents, who'd been married for 27 years, set the example for what married life should be like, he found himself itching to find someone he could love the way his father loved his mom. He'd never once heard them argue let alone get physical. On the contrary, his parents still held hands pretty much anytime they were together walking somewhere, and he suspected things were going just fine in an area of their lives he didn't want to know a single thing about. He just wanted to have that in his life, too.

It wasn't that he'd never been with a woman and was desperate. Jason Burns was a good looking guy who'd never had much trouble meeting nice looking girls and women willing to warm his bed--and his body--for a few hours. Even on active duty when most of his buddies struggled to find female companionship, Jason rarely had that problem even as far away as Okinawa, Japan, where'd he spent nearly three years at Kadena Air Force Base.

As it turned out the local girls could be quite friendly, and once he learned a couple of hundred words of Japanese and some key phrases, he had no trouble convincing them to spend a few hours with him in a local 'love motel' of which there were many. It sounded sordid, but it was actually quite nice. You pulled into a private stall, put a few thousand yen into a tube and in turn, you got access to the room of your choice for a few hours. The most fun he'd ever had was one that had a water slide in it, and he smiled when he thought about the beautiful Japanese girl waiting for him as he came down it.

Now that he was back home and gainfully employed as an aircraft mechanic and making decent money, he was ready for something more personal and even permanent as the hooks ups just left him feeling more lonely than he had before the casual encounter.

He carefully pulled into traffic and accelerated then put on his signal and moved into the center lane. As he approached the first light on his way to his parents' home the first small flakes of snow fell. By the time he got to the third light the flakes were fatter and the snowfall was heavier.

He loved his new truck for many reasons, and being able to safely get around in the snow was just one of them. The only thing he didn't like was the huge monthly payment as he'd bought it at the time when new vehicle prices were at their highest-ever point. His monthly payment was almost half of what he paid for the very nice, one-bedroom apartment he'd just rented, but the Chevy Malibu he'd driven since he was 16 had reached the end of the road. Even with 147,000 miles on it he still got nearly $15,000 for it on the trade in as used car prices were also through the roof.

He'd thought about buying a used vehicle, but the prices on them were even more ridiculous than on a new one, and that was proven when a car that was really worth about $5,500 went for more than twice that much and would fetch even more when resold. The market was returning to normal but still wasn't there yet. Regardless, he would be seriously underwater when he went to trade in the new F-150 Lightning unless he kept it for eight years and paid it off. Knowing he'd be underwater unless he did that was his plan.

He didn't want to think about that so he put some Christmas music on. Something else he loved was the Bose stereo that came with the vehicle. The sound was crisp and clear, the snow was falling, and he was heading home to help his mom put up their tree, something he'd done every year except the one he'd spent in Okinawa when he was unable to get home for the holidays.

At the fourth light Jason made a left turn and pulled up behind an older sedan that had a tree on top, and that made him smile. Just the thought of the smell of a pine tree made him happy. The western half of his home state had pine trees everywhere, but they were a rarity on the eastern side.

Add to that the hot chocolate and whatever his mom was baking, and it was almost as good as being there. And in a few minutes that's exactly where he'd be.

He wasn't daydreaming, but he wasn't really paying close attention, either, when the tree on the car began moving. He sort of noticed it but it didn't register until the trunk of the tree slid below the trunk of the car. Just a second or two later it fell completely off and into the street in front of him. He tried to brake, but the tree came off the car just 40 or 50 feet ahead of him, and by the time he came to a stop, his truck was on top of it.

"No!" he said out loud as someone behind him laid on the horn.

Jason checked his mirror and realized he couldn't get out to assess the situation. Cars were whizzing around him with a couple of drivers giving him a dirty look. He saw the car ahead of him pull over and into a parking lot, so he carefully followed it as the heavy truck finished running over the tree with both a front and rear tire.

By the time he pulled into the lot next to the car an older woman had gotten out, a frantic look on her face. Jason lowered his window as he parked and said, "I'm really sorry, ma'am. I couldn't help hitting it."

As he opened his door he heard her say, "What? No. I was worried about you. Are you okay?"

He managed not to smile or mention that his truck was a lot bigger than the tree, which traffic was now going around. With that lane now blocked off there was a lot of frustration, and Jason knew he needed to get it out of the road--quick.

"I'm fine, but that tree has to be moved."

"Do you need some help?" the woman asked.

Jason was already a good ten feet away from her and called back, "No thanks. I'm good."

He kind of gingerly held up a hand to stop traffic, and once the first vehicle stopped, he walked over to the tree, grabbed the trunk end, and dragged it over to the sidewalk. Traffic resumed, and when he looked around the woman was standing next to him.

He looked down and noticed someone else standing next to her and smiled.

"Hey there," he said.

"You broke our tree," the little girl said, pointing to the branches that had either been broken, sheered off, or just flattened.

"Yeah. I guess I did. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to," Jason told her as he bent down, his hands on his knees.

"That's okay. It was a axe a dent," she assured him. "Right, Mommy?"

"Are you sure you're okay?" the woman asked again. "And what about your...."

She turned to make sure then said, "Truck? Was it damaged? I mean, this was clearly my fault, and if anything...."

Jason smiled at her and gently cut her off.

"Ma'am? It's fine. I'm fine. Everything is...fine. Really."

His kind, gentle tone of voice helped Raquel calm herself down. Her late husband had been a police officer, and she knew or at least she assumed, that she would be liable for any damages the tree may have caused. Yes, the man at the lot tied it down, but she drove off with it and, in her mind, she'd assumed responsibility, and that was something she never shirked.

"You're sure?" the woman asked, the concerned look on her facing changing to something less worrisome.

"I am. But I'm afraid your tree isn't."

"Mommy? Can we buy another one?" her daughter asked.

The worried look returned as she glanced down at Tabitha.

"I...I'm not sure, honey."

She couldn't tell her daughter that she'd barely had enough to pay for the one they had after putting a little way each payday the last two months. How could she possibly let her know she only had enough left to pay for gas and groceries until the end of the month when she'd get paid again? Her only consolation was that she'd already bought all of her daughter's Christmas presents, so tree or no tree, that couldn't be taken away from them. And with just two days left until Christmas, that was a good thing.

"We'll see," she told her little girl.

She looked at the younger man then said, "I'm just so relieved you're okay."

"I'm Jason, by the way," he said, waiting to see if she held out her hand.

"Sorry. I'm Raquel. Wells."

She did and Jason shook it.

"Did you say Raquel Welch?" he asked, not sure what he'd just heard.

She finally smiled then shook her head.

"No. It's Wells not Welch."

Raquel had either heard that or been teased about her since marrying Tommy Wells, a Spokane police officer who pulled her over for speeding. She sweet talked her way out of it, and just before the handsome officer walked away he asked her if she'd like to have a drink sometime.

She wasn't sure if she agreed out of relief for not getting a ticket or because he was so handsome, but whatever the reason was, she soon fell in love with him and a year later they were married.

"Well, Mrs. Wells, may I say that you are every bit as attractive as the late Raquel Welch was."

He thought for a moment then smiled.

"When she was your age."

Raquel was surprised, taken aback, and flattered all at once.

"Oh, please. She was a one of a kind. Even at 70 she was still beautiful."

He looked at the little girl then said to her, "Your mom is trying to get me think she's isn't beautiful. Can you believe that?"

"My mommy is boo-tee-full," the girl told him. "Right, Mommy?"

"Honey!" her semi-exasperated mother said.

The young man ignored the mom's concern and bent down a bit.

"And who might you be?" he asked as the snow continued falling.

"I'm Tabitha."

"Tabitha. What a pretty name."

"Thank you," the girl said as she tried to catch a snowflake in her mouth.

"We should probably get going," Raquel announced, not sure what else there was to be said. "Oh. Should we exchange information? Just in case you find out something was damaged?"

"No, that's not...." Jason began when he suddenly changed his mind.

"On second thought, that might not be a bad idea."

"Come on. I'll give you my insurance info, and I need to get my daughter out of the snow."

"But I like the snow, Mommy!"

Raquel took her hand, and as they headed back to their car, she said rather quietly, "That makes one of us."

Jason heard and quietly asked, "Not a fan of the white stuff?"

She didn't think she'd said it loud enough to be heard and smiled.

"I used to love it. But now, I have four bald tires and...."

"You shouldn't be on the road," Jason told her as he took a quick look at the two on the driver's side.

His tone was serious, but he tried not to sound like he was giving orders. It only took a quick glance to confirm her concern, and he could see through the rubber in at least two places.

"I...I don't really have much choice right now," she said.

She opened the rear door for Tabitha, and as she did, Jason opened hers.

"Oh. Thank you. I'll just be a sec."

He saw her reach into the glove compartment and pull out an envelop.

"Okay. Here we are."

Jason had his phone out and took a picture then checked the quality.

"Perfect," he told her. "And my name's Jason. Jason Burns."

Feeling slightly better Raquel said, "Jason Bourne?"

Jason laughed and said, "I like you! And well played."

She looked at him for a bit then turned away. Whatever she was briefly thinking was somewhere between silly and absurd.

"So...I guess we'll see you around then?" Raquel suggested, not sure what else to say.

"Um...maybe we should exchange numbers, too. Just in case."

"Oh. Duh. Yes. Good idea," she said with a laugh, revealing an amazing set of beautiful, white teeth framed by two soft, full lips. He noticed her eyes were blue and that her hair was blonde, all why trying not to stare.

She handed her phone to him and he entered his name and number then he gave his to her.

"Listen. I know your tree got pretty banged up, but I could throw it in my truck and follow you home. I've got tools in the back, and if we trim up a few branches, I believe it can be salvaged."

He looked down at her left, front tire again then said, "I really am worried about you and your daughter driving in snow with your tires...."

He didn't need to finish as the woman was all too familiar with how bad they were.

As to the tree, it had been mangled a little, but Raquel thought he might be right. If they did remove the most damaged branches she might be able to turn the worst side toward a corner of the living room and make due. But asking a total stranger to do something like that for her was out of the question.

"That's very kind of you, but it's snowing hard now, and you have better things to do with your time."

He smiled again, then said, "No. Actually I don't have anything more important than this."

Once more she asked him, "Are you sure? The tree is really big and...."

"No problem," he told her.

She went to get up, but Jason stopped her.

"Let me take care of it, okay?"

She looked up at him, her face filled with gratitude and relief.

"You're very kind," she told him.

"I'll be right back," Jason said before standing up then closing her door.

The tree was fairly heavy, but he was in very good shape and drug it to the truck then raised the light end up first before getting under the trunck the best he could and shoving it over the side.

"Thank you!" Raquel called out.

"Oh, sure!"

He went to get in, but as he did he saw there was already close to a half inch of snow on the ground, and it was piling up fast.

"Listen," Jason said. "It's really coming down now. Why don't you let me drive you home? I'll bring you back to get your car once they get the roads cleared."

"That's very kind, but we don't live that far away," she told him, although she knew how dangerous it could be driving those two long miles to their house with slick tires and an icy road. She just couldn't stand the thought of inconveniencing someone for a problem she'd caused. Or...let happen, as it were.

"Until a plow comes through and they get some sand down, you just can't drive on this. It's not safe. And you have your daughter with you."

"I don't even have a spare, and I have to get to work each day, so...." she said, a hint of sadness now visible in her eyes.

He opened her door then told her, "Okay. Listen. You're riding with me. Period. We'll get the tree inside your house, and then I'll call my dad and we'll go get your car."

"But it'll be just as dangerous for him or you, won't it?"

"We'll tow it. My dad is incredibly careful and we'll have the blinkers going plus we'll take it as slow as the conditions dictate."

Feeling like a broken record, Raquel asked him yet again, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. 100%. Now cmon!" he said as he held out a hand, a warm smile on his handsome face.

She turned the car off then told Tabitha, "Honey? We're going to ride in the nice man's truck, okay?"

"Really? In that big truck?" she asked, her little eyes wide open. She could still just barely see it through the snow that had stuck to her window, but she was very excited to ride in it.

Jason helped Raquel get out who then lifted her daughter out of the carseat before grabbing her purse and locking the doors.

It was coming down hard and fast now, and Raquel thanked him sincerely.

"My pleasure," he told her as they went around to the passenger's side.

"The car seat!" she said, feeling foolish for having forgotten.

"You two get in out of the weather, and I'll go get it," Jason told her.

The urge to insist she be the one to take care of it was overcome by the weather, and maybe a little bit was that she liked men who were decisive. Not pushy, just confident, and Jason seemed very confident. He helped them get up into the cab of the truck then took her keys, unbuckled the seat, and put it in the truck.