The Christmas House (29 page)

    
“Oh yeah.
And I suppose you are going to take away my gun and beat me up right?” he said as he laughed.

     “Oh no, I am much too old to be fighting with someone half my age. But my friend over there might think differently,” Martha said as she pointed behind Tony’s right side.

     As Tony turned slowly to his right, he found himself face to chest with Jack Stevens.

    
“Hello Tony!” Jack said as he grabbed him by the throat and raised him off his feet into the air.

    
“Stevens! What the hell!” Tony screamed as the gun fell from his hand and onto the ground.

     Jack held Tony in front of him, high into the air with one arm and punched him in the face so hard with his other fist that Tony flew through the air and landed several feet away, knocked totally unconscious.

    
“One punch!
I am very impressed Jack,” Martha said.

     “Thank you Martha. Kinda hoped he would have lasted a little longer. I always wanted to the beat the crap out of that guy,” Jack replied.

     During this time, Michael remained sitting on the foundation staring off into space. He hadn’t moved an inch and was
unfazed
by the sequence of events that just transpired. Jack and Martha walked over to Michael and sat next to him.

    
“Hey Mikey.
How you doing buddy?” asked Jack.

     “I’ve been better Jack. Surprised you aren’t beating the hell out of me too. I’m the one that killed you. Now I just feel twice as guilty. Here I kill you and you come back and save my life. Thanks a lot,” Michael replied.

     “Michael, you didn’t kill anyone. It was an accident,” Jack said.

     “Sure it was, but I was the one that caused it. So I am responsible for killing all of you,” replied Michael.

     
“That’s not true Michael. Jack is right. It was an accident. Do you remember leaving a note for Arianna about the furnace? Well Wanda unknowingly blew that note off the thermostat when she opened the front door earlier that day. She turned the furnace on not knowing it was broken. Then David wished the house gone and flipped the wrong switch by the garage door that turned on the light and set off the explosion in the basement. Jack was in the basement when he knew better and should have gotten everyone out of the house immediately. Is it their fault that the house exploded Michael?” Martha asked.

    
“No. I guess not,” he replied.

     “Then it isn’t your fault either. Could have, should have, would have,
doesn’t
fix the problem. It was not any one’s fault Michael. It just happened,” she said.

    
“But what about God?
Didn’t he see what was happening? Why didn’t he stop it?” asked Michael.

     “God works in mysterious ways Michael. Isn’t that what you have always been told? Well it’s true. There is a reason for everything and everything has
it’s
reason,” she replied.

     Michael started to weep. Jack pulled him to his shoulder and hugged him tightly.

     “No one came, No one showed up this year Martha. Why didn’t Arianna and the kids come home for Christmas?” asked Michael.

     “Michael, there was no house to come home to. Remember that we are human beings when we visit you at this time each year. We need shelter and warmth just like any other human being. There needs to be a house standing here for us to visit. Not a hole in the ground. We have unfortunately all visited a hole in the ground and let me tell you, it isn’t pleasant.” she said.

“Also, the last rule I didn’t mention that very first Christmas was in reference to the time constraints that is put upon immediate family that passes away. It’s too hard to deal with seeing the ones closest to you so soon after they have passed on.

     One full year must pass before deceased immediate family members are allowed to visit the house again. When my father and mother died I wanted to see them so very much the first Christmas after their deaths, but I was required to wait until the following Christmas. It’s a grieving period Michael. It’s required.”

     “So what do I have to do to see
you all again?” asked Michael.

    
“You must do two things. First of all you have to regain your faith in love, life and God. Then you must rebuild the house on the existing foundation. The foundation is still in tact and should hold a new house without any problem. The foundation is the heart of the house Michael. It allowed Jack and
I
to come back this evening for this short visit. You need to build a house on the existing foundation Michael. If you can do these two things, then your family will be here with you next Christmas for sure. I promise,” Martha said.

    
“She’s telling you the truth Michael, but there’s more,” Jack said.

    
“What do you
mean,
more?” Michael asked.

    
“You have to give up the booze and get your life back together Mike. You can’t build this house if you are always drunk and feeling sorry for yourself. The accident wasn’t your fault. Get over it. It’s time to move on and get going on building a new house. You only have a year,” Jack said.

    
Michael smiled for the first time in 30 days.

    
“I will give it my best shot.”

    
“We’re counting on you Michael. Get down to business okay?” Jack said.

    
“Okay Jack. I promise I will be ready by next year,” Michael replied.

    
Jack and Martha stood up and helped Michael to his feet. They walked him back over to his truck and Jack asked Michael if he was sober enough to drive. Michael
nodded his head and truly was sober.

“We have to go now Michael, but we will see you next year. Don’t give up on yourself. Keep working at it. A new house without faith is just a new house. Both are required to make your dreams come true. We all love you Michael,” Martha said.

Michael hugged Martha.

“I will miss you both. See you next year.
Oh, and Jack?”

“Yes Michael?” Jack asked.

“Thanks for saving my life,” Michael replied.

Jack just smiled and watched as Michael got into his truck. As he drove away the rubber tires created a familiar rumbling sound against the cobblestone pavement.

Jack and Martha walked off into the darkness.

“Those were some surprise conditions you threw in there Jack. Stopping drinking was not part of the deal. Only rebuilding the house and restoring his faith.”

“I know, but hey, he needs be sober to do it. I figured I would go for it,” Jack replied as they continued to walk.

As their outlines vanished into the darkness, a faint conversation could be heard and then a clear response from Jack, “But I didn’t hit him that hard!”

As the rain turned to a light snow the Christmas lights glowed from neighboring homes in the area. Carolers could be heard singing, “O Come All Ye Faithful” in the distance. Still lying in the rubble, Tony Cesario slowly awakened and moaned with pain. He picked himself up off the water soaked ground, retrieved his gun and slowly walked to his car. As he wiped the blood from his split lip and soot from his clothes, a light flashed into his eyes. A voice shouted, “Drop the gun and put your hands over your head.
NOW!”

Tony dropped the handgun and raised his hands. The police officer that shouted the demands approached Tony and handcuffed his hands behind his back.

“We had reports of a man with a gun in this area. You are under arrest for displaying a handgun in public. Do you have a permit for that gun?”

“No, I don’t,” Tony answered softly.

As the officer pushed Tony into the back of the squad car, he then shut the door. The squad car drove out of sight as the blue flashing lights faded into the darkness of the night. A star shined brightly to the north,
a calm
finally settled onto this Christmas Eve.

Chapter Eighteen- The First Step

April of
the
Following Year

Lake Forest, IL

Over the last four months, Michael struggled with many challenges. His faith in life, love and God was still uncertain. He tried to focus his energies toward the rebuilding of the house, hoping his faith would come along in time. With every wooden two by four that was nailed and every brick that was laid, Michael rebuilt the house and his faith simultaneously. He stopped drinking and started to eat again on a more regular schedule. Although he was acting as the general contractor for the construction of the house, he decided to work side by side with the other workmen, swinging a
hammer and ripping floorboards.

    
The process for the reconstruction of the house had been lengthy. The clean up alone, took two months. The foundation of the home, although still intact after the explosion, was in need of major repairs. The foundation planners argued with Michael constantly about knocking down the old foundation and starting fresh. They just couldn’t imagine why Michael would want to limit the construction of a brand new home to the old footprint of the existing foundation. There was more than enough land to expand the layout of the house to be four time the size of the original. Michael insisted that the old foundation be utilized.

    
Springtime arrived and the structure of the house was in place. Michael and his fellow contractors were now working on the interior, putting up dry wall, taping walls, laying floors, etc.

    
Michael tried to design the interior of the home to match the original house as closely as possible. This task was impossible in many cases simply due to the modern day building codes that were now in force. All in all, the house closely resembled the original 150-year-old mansion that once stood at this location.

May 1st

148 Festive Lane

8:00 a.m.

    
Carpeting and wallpaper installers arrived at the house on this bright and sunny day. The warmer temperatures of May were a welcome change to the bitter cold of a winter that seemed to have lasted forever.

    
Michael was walking about the job site with a cup of coffee in one hand and rolls of wallpaper under his other arm when a workman approached.

    
“Morning Michael.
Is that the paper we’re hanging in
the Master Bedroom?” asked one of the wallpaper hangers.

    
“Morning Jimmy.
Yes, this is as close as I could come to what was originally there. Sure hopes she likes it,” Michael replied.

    
“Sure hope who likes it?” asked Jimmy.

    
Before Michael could answer, a voice came from the foyer area of the new house.

    
“Hoping I like it Michael?” a female voice asked.

    
Michael turned to see Sharon White, who was the newly hired in-house decorating consultant for the construction company.

    
“Sharon, good morning,” Michael said.

    
Sharon walked into the house stepping over loose floor boards and buckets of plaster.

    
“Looks like you are making some real progress here Michael. I came by to see if I could lend a hand for the decorating aspect of the house,” she said as she looked around and noticed rolls of wallpaper and carpeting throughout the house.

    
“Looks like I might be a little late though,” she said.

    
“Well I already knew what I wanted, so it was pretty easy to make the selections. Sorry to disappoint you Sharon,” Michael replied.

    
“Oh, that’s okay. I can still help you with the accessories and the furniture motif. I just wanted to help if I could. No charge Michael. It’s my pleasure to try and make this as easy as possible for you,” she replied as she walked away toward the kitchen area.

    
Jimmy, the wallpaper hanger walked by and whispered.
             
“It is obvious that she has the hots for you Michael. When she says she wants to make it easy for you, I
don’t think she is talking about picking out fabrics for a couch, if you know what I mean.”

    
“Knock it off Jimmy. She’s just trying to help. Nothing else,” replied Michael.

    
“Sure Mike.
Whatever you say.
But let’s keep in mind that you are a great catch for some lucky woman. Widowed, young, wealthy...C’mon Mike, you can’t blame her for being interested. I appreciate your loyalty to your wife, but she’s gone now. You have to get on with your life. I’m not saying to run off and get married or anything. Just have a few laughs. When’s the last time you held a woman and made love?” asked Jimmy.