Merry's Christmas: A Love Story (18 page)

BOOK: Merry's Christmas: A Love Story

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Daniel scratched his head, adorably
nervous. “You should know, I... I’ll be returning that little trifle I’d bought
for Catherine.”

Merry’s eyes widened. “You will?”

Daniel shrugged nonchalantly. “It caught
my eye at first. But then, I realized it wouldn’t have fit.”

Merry gulped, hoping against hope that
what seemed to be happening really was. “No?” Quietly, she thrilled as Daniel
took her hand gently in his.

“I didn’t see it at first,” Daniel
confessed, “But you were right. Because, when I look at your hand in mine, now,
I find there’s no comparison.”

Tears welled in Merry’s eyes as she found
herself in Daniel’s. “You see me, now.”

Daniel nodded softly, never breaking her
gaze. “I see you.” He reached up to brush a tear off her cheek. “Don’t cry,” he
whispered.

Merry smiled through her tears. “Sorry.
I’m just so happy.”

“Really?” he teased. “This is happy?”

Merry caught her breath. “I’m new at
this,” she admitted. “But yeah. I think so.”

“There is one more thing,” Daniel said.
“All of the gifts and decorations you coordinated, they were great, all the
ornaments you hung on the tree. But I realized just this afternoon that you
seemed to have forgotten to hang one very special thing.”

Daniel reached into his pocket and pulled
out a small sprig of mistletoe, tied with a red satin ribbon. “Merry Christmas,
Merry,” he said.

Time didn’t stand still at that moment,
but somehow it seemed to slow for Merry. It was as if everyone and everything
else faded into the sheer bliss of the night. Gone was the noise of the El,
rumbling by on the track above them. There was no Mr. Grabinski grumbling about
snow on the walk. There were only two people, discovering each other in a whole
new way with all of heaven shining on them.

Merry savored every instant as Daniel
raised the mistletoe above her head and drew her close. She melted his kiss,
drinking in what she’d always wanted most of all. This was no quick act of
fondness, she realized. This was the beginning of a whole new life. It was the
tender expression of awakening love.

Suddenly, Daniel and Merry found
themselves being pelted with snowballs. Breaking away, Daniel stooped to grab a
handful of snow. “You don’t know what you’ve started,” he warned his kids.

“Do you?” Merry countered, packing a
snowball of her own.

“I’ll take my chances,” Daniel grinned.

Jauntily, Merry took aim and hurled a
snowball smack into Ollie’s chest. The twins quickly retaliated. Even Joan
gamely took up the charge. With four against two, Daniel and Merry quickly
found themselves completely outnumbered. It wasn’t long before they playfully
surrendered, overwhelmed with the wonder of it all. Christmas had come back to
the Bell family, in all its hope and splendor, and it was a miracle to behold.

Twelve days later, Merry reflected on all
that had transpired. In a way, it had been just as Arthur had said it would be.
The baubles and boughs Merry had put up had indeed come down. The ribbons and
music of the season had been stored for another year. The potted Christmas
tree, stripped of its ornaments, was out back in the Bell yard, awaiting a
place to grow.

The whole family gathered around as
Daniel pitched a last shovel of earth out of a large hole he’d dug outside the
study.

“That should do her,” Daniel said. “See
there, Mom? Right by your new window.”

Joan looked puzzled as Daniel pointed to
his study. “My new... You mean your office?”

“I mean your room,” Daniel clarified. “If
you’ll have it.”

Finally understanding, Joan lit up.
“Well...let’s get this thing planted,” she enthused. “Sounds like I’ve got
packing to do!”

Merry and Joan lifted the balsam fir from
its pot and settled it into its new place in the ground. Tara, Hayden, and
Ollie scooped dirt around the base to cover the roots.

Hayden looked up at her father as she
patted the dirt down. “Mom would have liked this, you know.”

Daniel smiled in return. “Oh, yes,” he
said. “I think she would.”

Ollie shielded his eyes, peering up at
the top of the tree. “How big do you think she’ll get, Dad?”

Daniel put an arm around Merry. “We’ll just
take care of her. See how she grows.”

Merry took Daniel’s hand in hers, content
in his warm embrace. Bits of happy chatter wafted from the yard, carried by the
crisp winter air, hinting at the promise of the future.

“Hey, remember the time I busted all the
good family china?” Ollie chortled.

“Smithereens!” Tara shouted, her giggles
infecting them all.

“Or when Merry fell off the Christmas
tree?” Hayden snorkled.

Daniel drew back in mock indignance.
“Hey, now. She was slippery!”

“Or, or, or, um...” Ollie sputtered.
“Remember when my worm farm got loose?”

Hayden smacked her little brother, agape.
“No way!”

“They didn’t!” Daniel blustered.

“No, not yet,” Ollie assured.

Her eyes dancing, Merry tousled Ollie’s
hair, adopting all of them in her heart. “Oooh, maybe not yet,” she imagined,
“but wouldn’t that be fun?”

About the Author

http://www.shelfari.com/susanrohrer

S
usan
R
ohrer is an honor
graduate of James Madison University where she studied Art and Communications,
and thereafter married in her native state of Virginia. A professional writer,
producer, and director specializing in inspiring entertainment, Rohrer’s
credits in one or more of these capacities include: an adaptation of
God
’
s
Trombones;
100 episodes of drama series
Another Life;
Humanitas
Prize finalist & Emmy winner
Never Say Goodbye;
Emmy nominees
Terrible
Things My Mother Told Me
and
The Emancipation of Lizzie Stern;
anthology
No Earthly Reason;
NAACP Image Award nominee
Mother
’
s
Day;
AWRT Public Service Award winner (for addressing the problem of teen
sexual harassment)
Sexual Considerations;
comedy series
Sweet Valley
High;
telefilms
Book of Days
and
Another Pretty Face;
Emmy
nominee & Humanitas Prize finalist
If I Die Before I Wake;
as well
as
Film Advisory Board & Christopher Award winner
About Sarah
.
Rohrer has published two non-fiction books:
THE HOLY SPIRIT: Amazing Power
for Everyday People
and
IS GOD SAYING HE’S THE ONE?: Hearing from Heaven
about That Man in Your Life
.
MERRY’S CHRISTMAS: a love story
is
based on Rohrer’s original screenplay.