Holidays Alone

Reclining in the lounge chair, Ralph procured the TV remote and clicked on the Television. He flipped through channel after channel of commercials, game shows, and New Year’s specials. Finally, Ralph settled on a war movie. All of a sudden, the telephone rang in the kitchen. Ralph heaved a deep sigh, rose from his beloved recliner, and staggered to the kitchen. He caught the phone on the last ring.

       “Hello,” He said rather coldly into the telephone.

       “Dad! I was trying to reach you all day,” the pretty voice of Ralph’s daughter, Abby, responded. “Why don’t you come over to my place? We are having a New Years party!” She continued. 

       “ Hmmph, I’d rather stay home,” he told her. “Besides New Years just means I’m getting older,” he added.

       “It would be fun,” Abby tried to persuade her father.

       “Nah,” Ralph responded. He remembered what he did last year for New Years. Exactly one year ago, his daughter called him and said the same thing. Ralph said no and watched TV the whole day. He planned to do the same this year. It might have been different, however, if Ralph’s wife, Patricia had been alive. She was able to get Ralph out of the house for holidays (such as New Years) until she passed away 3 years ago. Now, Ralph had no desire to celebrate any holiday, let alone New Years. 

       Ralph told his daughter that her phone call interrupted his movie, so he said good bye and sauntered back to his lounge chair. 

       Before long, Ralph heard a knock on his old wooden front door that desperately needed a paint job. Ralph considered not opening it for a couple of seconds. It was a commercial break on the TV so he decided to open it. He opened the door to his obnoxious neighbor, Angela. Without asking, she stepped inside Ralph’s home. She handed him a pecan pie and reached out to give him a hug. He instantly recoiled. Angela did not seem to notice. Instead, she paraded into Ralph’s cluttered kitchen and began chattering. Not listening to her, Ralph felt his anger rising. This woman was not invited into his home. 

       “Why are you here?” Ralph asked her. Instantly, Angela shut her mouth and was silent for a couple of seconds.

       “I thought maybe you needed some company since you are alone all the time,” she finally answered. “Your daughter also recommended that I come visit you.”

       “Of course she did,” Ralph responded. Angela, sensing that she was not wanted at her neighbor’s house set the pie on the counter and started making her way to the door. 

       “Well, Happy New Year,” she said before walking through the front door. Ralph did not respond. Instead, he walked into the kitchen and opened the freezer. He reached in and took out his Banquet TV dinner and heated it up in the microwave. Meal in hand, he sat down in his lounge chair. He grabbed the remote and started flipping through the channels. He paused on the New Year’s Show. Ralph, the elderly man that rarely showed emotion except annoyance, started tearing up.

     The reason for the tears was the memory of something that happened three years ago. It was the day before New Years Eve and Ralph and his wife, Patricia hopped on a plane to go to see the ball drop in person. Patricia had always wanted to go to this event and Ralph bought the plane tickets as a Christmas present for Patricia. On New Years Eve, they had a couple of drinks and dinner and then went to the show. They were having a wonderful time at first. Close to midnight, however, Patricia complained of a headache, dizziness, and fatigue. Ralph found a seat for his wife. They sat there for a while, Ralph holding Patricia’s hand on the bench. Patricia did not get better. Around 11:50 pm, Patricia insisted that she stand up in the final countdown to New Year. They joined the celebration.                                   

       At 11:58, Patricia clutched her chest and fell to the   ground. It was all a blur after that. An ambulance came   and Patricia was wheeled into the back on a stretcher. On the way to the hospital, Patricia died of her heart attack. Part of Ralph left him. 

       That is why Ralph hates the New Year’s Show to this day and is always in a grumpy mood. That night, around 8:30, Ralph went to bed. When he laid down on his bed, he turned to his side to face the beautiful picture of his wife on his nightstand. 

       Tears streaming down his face, Ralph whispered, “Good night, my love.” Then he turned on his other side and tried his best to get some sleep.