friends, you have everything you’ll
ever need.”
He motioned to the photographer to take the
photo. As he handed the baby back to his uncle, there were tears in
Cap’s eyes. He’d heard everything Mike had said. “Thank you, Mike,”
he whispered.
Mike looked at him. “Merry Christmas,
Cap.”
* * * * * * * *
The Festival was over. Back at Swensen’s
Café, the dessert auction was underway. Mike had changed back into
his street clothes. He left the red velvet suit on a hanger in the
office; the Widow Missus would pick it up later so none of the
children would see him carrying it.
By all accounts, he had done very well. When
he’d arrived at the Café, several people had stopped by to
congratulate him. The Widow Missus had given him a hug and called
him “a fitting successor” to both Al and her husband. Cliff
Magnuson said that if Al wanted to leave town next Christmas as
well, he would have absolutely no problem with Mike taking over the
part again. Even Big Tom Wallace had stopped in to tell him that
he’d done a great job.
Janet had been strangely silent. While she
thanked him again for filling in before Gene Young had driven him
back to the Café, she had seemed a bit distracted. Perhaps it was
just that she was going over everything in her mind, making sure
that all of the arrangements had been made to have the Workshop
dismantled, the chair returned to boarding house, and so on.
Mike stepped out onto the front porch of the
Café, quietly closing the door behind him. It was an unseasonably
cool night for December in Newtonberg. The colder weather usually
didn’t show up until January and even then, it usually only lasted
six weeks or so. He took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled. It felt
good not to be strapped into the red velvet suit anymore; not to
have a pillow strapped against his stomach limiting his ability to
breathe. Still, it was a small sacrifice to make for the Widow
Missus.
He reached into his pocket for his car keys
and was startled by a voice to his left, where a bench sat in the
shadows up against the porch railing. It was Janet.
“Mike?”
He looked over. “Janet. I’m glad to see you.
I was starting to wonder where you were.”
“Oh, I’m fine,” she said. “Just a million
little loose ends to tie up. You know.”
“Of course. It was a big job. You pulled it
off flawlessly.”
“Thanks.” She smiled at him and motioned to
the empty spot beside her on the bench. “Have a seat.”
Once he had sat down, she spoke softly. “I
heard what you said to Little Philip.”
He blushed. “Oh.”
“Don’t be embarrassed. It was sweet. Is that
how you really feel about us? About Newtonberg?”
“Of course. Janet, this is my home now. The
people here really are like family. Missus Johnson and Cliff
Magnuson might as well be my parents. They’ve both treated me like
a son since the day I arrived.” He swallowed.
“And me? How do you feel about me?”
He took a deep breath and looked into her
eyes. “You? Well, it’s…complicated.”
She searched his face. “How complicated can
it be? I thought we’d made a lot of progress over the past few
weeks. There was a time when you wouldn’t even talk to me. Now it’s
different.”
“It’s not that I wouldn’t talk to you. I
couldn’t. I was too nervous. Too scared.” He looked away.
“Scared of what?”
“I don’t know. Rejection? That you wouldn’t
feel the same way?”
“And how is that? How do you feel?”
“I don’t know. I can’t say. I can’t say I
love you. I barely know you. But I’d like to. I’d really like to
get to know you better.”
She reached up and touched his face. “Mike,
that’s all I’ve wanted.”
He looked into her eyes again. “Really?”
“Really,” she whispered. She pulled his head
down and gently kissed his cheek. “Let’s just start with that and
see what happens.”
He pulled her into a hug. They stayed that
way for several minutes, neither one able to
ever need.”
He motioned to the photographer to take the
photo. As he handed the baby back to his uncle, there were tears in
Cap’s eyes. He’d heard everything Mike had said. “Thank you, Mike,”
he whispered.
Mike looked at him. “Merry Christmas,
Cap.”
* * * * * * * *
The Festival was over. Back at Swensen’s
Café, the dessert auction was underway. Mike had changed back into
his street clothes. He left the red velvet suit on a hanger in the
office; the Widow Missus would pick it up later so none of the
children would see him carrying it.
By all accounts, he had done very well. When
he’d arrived at the Café, several people had stopped by to
congratulate him. The Widow Missus had given him a hug and called
him “a fitting successor” to both Al and her husband. Cliff
Magnuson said that if Al wanted to leave town next Christmas as
well, he would have absolutely no problem with Mike taking over the
part again. Even Big Tom Wallace had stopped in to tell him that
he’d done a great job.
Janet had been strangely silent. While she
thanked him again for filling in before Gene Young had driven him
back to the Café, she had seemed a bit distracted. Perhaps it was
just that she was going over everything in her mind, making sure
that all of the arrangements had been made to have the Workshop
dismantled, the chair returned to boarding house, and so on.
Mike stepped out onto the front porch of the
Café, quietly closing the door behind him. It was an unseasonably
cool night for December in Newtonberg. The colder weather usually
didn’t show up until January and even then, it usually only lasted
six weeks or so. He took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled. It felt
good not to be strapped into the red velvet suit anymore; not to
have a pillow strapped against his stomach limiting his ability to
breathe. Still, it was a small sacrifice to make for the Widow
Missus.
He reached into his pocket for his car keys
and was startled by a voice to his left, where a bench sat in the
shadows up against the porch railing. It was Janet.
“Mike?”
He looked over. “Janet. I’m glad to see you.
I was starting to wonder where you were.”
“Oh, I’m fine,” she said. “Just a million
little loose ends to tie up. You know.”
“Of course. It was a big job. You pulled it
off flawlessly.”
“Thanks.” She smiled at him and motioned to
the empty spot beside her on the bench. “Have a seat.”
Once he had sat down, she spoke softly. “I
heard what you said to Little Philip.”
He blushed. “Oh.”
“Don’t be embarrassed. It was sweet. Is that
how you really feel about us? About Newtonberg?”
“Of course. Janet, this is my home now. The
people here really are like family. Missus Johnson and Cliff
Magnuson might as well be my parents. They’ve both treated me like
a son since the day I arrived.” He swallowed.
“And me? How do you feel about me?”
He took a deep breath and looked into her
eyes. “You? Well, it’s…complicated.”
She searched his face. “How complicated can
it be? I thought we’d made a lot of progress over the past few
weeks. There was a time when you wouldn’t even talk to me. Now it’s
different.”
“It’s not that I wouldn’t talk to you. I
couldn’t. I was too nervous. Too scared.” He looked away.
“Scared of what?”
“I don’t know. Rejection? That you wouldn’t
feel the same way?”
“And how is that? How do you feel?”
“I don’t know. I can’t say. I can’t say I
love you. I barely know you. But I’d like to. I’d really like to
get to know you better.”
She reached up and touched his face. “Mike,
that’s all I’ve wanted.”
He looked into her eyes again. “Really?”
“Really,” she whispered. She pulled his head
down and gently kissed his cheek. “Let’s just start with that and
see what happens.”
He pulled her into a hug. They stayed that
way for several minutes, neither one able to
Similar Books
