Are y'all ready for Christmas or are you more like me?
Without further ado, here's part 2 of the Christmas story! If you missed part 1, you can read it here.
And be sure and visit Faith's blog to find more Christmas-y posts!
“Ahh You're more than welcome.” Mrs. Meyers sighed as she lowered herself into a chair and set her own cup on the table in between. “Now for my story.”
Her eyes twinkled. “And keep in mind that this is my very favorite christmas story ever. It was 1945, and the war in the pacific had come to an end a few short months before. I was just nineteen that year, and Dick was twenty three. We’d known each other for years, grown up together. It was always expected that we would marry. But me?” Mrs. Meyers chuckled and shook her head. “I was never one to do as I was expected. I didn’t want to get married,”
She paused her story for a drink of cocoa, and Lydia did the same. Part of the magic of listening to Mrs. Meyer’s christmas story came with the way she told it. It was as if she was reliving it for you, and she made it come alive. It wasn’t just another story; it was a part of her life.
“Anyway. Dick had been in the Navy for about five years, and somehow that crazy boy made it through Pearl Harbor, Midway, all those battles in the pacific without getting himself killed. He came home every now and then to visit his family, and he always made a point of coming to see me.” Mrs Meyer gave Lydia a knowing look. “I always figured it was because he felt obligated since his family was convinced I would make him the best wife.”
It took all Lydia could do to not choke on her hot cocoa as she held back a laugh. This was a part of the story she hadn’t heard before.
“Like I said, I wasn’t interested in getting married. I loved reading, always had, and decided I wanted to own and open my own bookstore. And back then, respectable women would never do such a thing on their own, especially if they were married. but Dick always said nonsense. He didn’t care if I wanted to go be a lawyer, he’d still marry me if I’d have him. But of course, I always turned him down. I was young, I wasn’t sure what I wanted. And marrying a boy I had grown up with sounded incredibly boring. And I told him as much, but he was insistent.” A fond smile stole across her face. “Well as the years went on and I got a bit older, the times between his coming home seemed to get further apart, and I found that I looked forward to them more. He wasn’t the same boy who had left. No, the war, the Navy, it had slowly turned him into a man.” She turned and winked at Lydia. “And a rather handsome one at that.”
Lydia grinned in response. “Having an attractive man never hurts.”
“Oh, that it doesn’t. But I was still insistent. I knew what I wanted in life. Now, this building here used to be the old library, and I began to volunteer at it. The war ended, and all anyone could talk about was when our boys would come home. Now, secretly, just between you and me, I wondered the same thing. Though I would never have let anyone know. I was beginning to miss Dick and it was driving me crazy. My heart was doing something my head told it not to.”
With an emphatic nod, Lydia gave her agreement to that statement. That was far too relatable. At this point in the story, she set her cup down on the table and let her gaze wander to the fireplace. Her favorite part was coming, and if she closed her eyes she could almost see it happen.
“Well it was about two weeks before Christmas and we were just getting the library tree up. The rest of the place had been decorated for several weeks, but we were still missing a tree. Finally the guy who took care of the place found some time to chop one down and bring it in. It was late in the evening, after we had closed, but I had stayed late to decorate the tree. I was just about finished, but I couldn’t find the star anywhere. Suddenly, I hear footsteps and the door opens. To my surprise, in walks Dick, uniform, cocky attitude and all. My heart did a little skip when I saw him like that. I hadn’t realized just how much I’d missed him until then. I jumped up and gave him a hug, then realized I may have been a bit too forward. Of course, he didn’t seem to think so. He just gave me that sideways smirk of his and said he’d missed me and was glad to see the feeling was mutual.”
Try as she might, Lydia could not imagine Mrs. Meyers as a young girl who impulsively hugged a soldier. In fact it was hard to imagine Mrs. Meyers as a young girl at all … until you looked in her eyes as she told the story. It was as if reliving the memories took off all the years and hardship that had happened since then.
“Anyway, I realized I may have given myself away and tried to backtrack, but of course it doesn’t work. I can’t think of a thing to say and he’s just so confident and sure of himself. Dick takes a look at what I’m doing and asks about the star. It was a simple question and I found my voice long enough to answer it. I told him I couldn't find it anywhere. He tells me not to worry and starts rummaging around in the pack he’s got on his back.”
Her speaking slowed and Lydia stole a glance toward her. Mrs. Meyer’s gaze was shiny with unshod tears, but the same resilient smile stayed planted on her face. Her eyes were locked on the barbed wire star atop the tree.
“He pulls out the star and says it was one they had used last year when they were out on an assignment and didn’t have any fixings. Some of the boys had used some barbed wire to fashion it. He said he brought it home for the memories, but that he wanted me to have it. For my tree. I couldn't reach the top so he put it up for me, and it completed the tree like nothing else could have. He smiled at me and said, ‘when you have your bookstore we’ll have a tree like this in the window. And every year I’ll help you decorate. And I’ll put the star on top to remind you that there’s nothing we can’t get through as long as we’re together.”
As long as we’re together. Lydia’s heart ached as she through of those words and watched as Mrs. Meyers gave the star an almost reverent gaze. She couldn’t even imagine what this first Christmas without him was like for her. After so many years and so many memories together, it had to be so incredibly difficult.
“And … the rest I guess is history. With a story like that how can a girl say no?” Mrs. Meyers stood and shook out her skirt, then grabbed both of the empty cups. “I’ve been one blessed girl, that’s for sure. But enough about me.” She raised an eyebrow and sent a sideways glance toward Lydia. “What about your man in uniform? I don’t think he’s as good looking as my Dick but he does have a nice face.”
In Mrs. Meyer’s mind, no one could be as good looking as her Dick, and Lydia was just fine with that. “Clarence is doing good, but his deployment got extended; he’s not going to be here for Christmas.” Again. First last year, now this year. They’d been dating for nearly two years now. And he hadn’t been home for Christmas or Thanksgiving since she’d known him. She’d been so excited because this year he would be. They were both counting down the days. Then … this.
“Oh my dear girl I’m sorry to hear that.” Mrs. Meyer gave her a sympathetic look. “Loving a man in uniform is not easy, I’ll tell you that from experience. But mark my words, it’s always worth it. The distance, the goodbyes, the times you miss spending together… it’s all made up for when you see him again.”
It was true. And Lydia knew it was true. But during the in between times, in the distance … sometimes it was hard to believe it. “I’ve told him the story of your star. Goodness knows I probably talk about books and this place far too much in my letters to him. But he said he thinks it’s a sweet story. And he thinks he and Dick would have been great friends.”
Mrs. Meyer laughed. “Of that I have no doubt. They’re both the same. They try hard to understand us and our heads are just stuck in a land of books and dreams.”
Standing, Lydia slipped her hands in her jacket pocket. “This is true. And honestly they both deserve a medal for putting up with us.”
“Amen to that.” Mrs. Meyer stepped up the single step to the cash register. “Oh good Lord, I swear that step gets a little taller every day.”
Lydia glanced around the shop. “Is there anything I can do to help you? You could take a break and I could watch the counter.”
“Break?” Mrs. Meyer laughed. “Sitting and talk with you was my break. No dear I’m fine. Just getting old is all and at times my bones don’t cooperate. Now tell me why you came in today. Surely it wasn’t just to see this old lady and listen to sentimental stories.”
“Actually, I came just to see the tree, but I got far more than that.” Lydia brushed her blond hair behind her shoulders. “Thank you so much for the cocoa and the story, Mrs. Meyers. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” Making her way up the step to the register, she enveloped the tiny lady in a warm hug.
“Oh, you’re a sweet thing, making this old woman feel useful.” Mrs. Meyer returned the hug. “You have a good Christmas, dearie.” She stepped back and put her hands on Lydia’s shoulders. “Now don’t give up hope. Miracles can happen around Christmas time.”
Lydia nodded with a smile. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“You do that. Now go, and tell your Clarence that he needs to stop in and meet me sometime. I can’t believe I haven’t met that boy yet.”
Halfway to the door, Lydia laughed and nodded. “When he comes to visit, I’ll be sure and bring him by.”
She opened the door and was met by the chilly air and the merry jingling of the bells atop it.
Stepping outside, she took a deep breath and watched as it disappeared into the air above her.
Mrs. Meyers was right. Miracles did happen at Christmas … and the miracle she wanted the most was impossible. But If Mrs. Meyer could still smile and enjoy the season without the man she’d had by her side for the past seventy-three years, then she could do the same without her boyfriend being there.
Wrapping her scarf around her neck, Lydia put on a smile and began walking toward the coffee shop. No matter what, it was going to be a good Christmas.
Come back tomorrow for the conclusion!
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