Christmas in a Hometown

Anna-Beth was tired. Living in Chicago had been exciting at first, the lights and the glitter were all enthralling. After 5 years she had moved to the most prestigious museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, but life had seemed to stagnate. To get promoted she had to work 80-plus hours a week and then finish when she got home. She had no social life, she hadn’t been to a bar in three years. 

Anna-Beth’s boss Lucas Gray had fallen ill at the end of the summer and his assistant Nora had put more of her duties on to Anna-Beth so she could cover for Lucas. It was fine, she coveted the position, but it was coming up on Christmas and Anna-Beth wanted to go home to recharge. She needed a break and hadn’t seen or heard from her family in about a year. Christmas was always a big time in her hometown. They had a large Christmas tree in the town square and everyone had their homes and businesses decorated for the holidays. 

Anna-Beth felt that she needed a little bit of Christmas cheer this year. She needed to get away and relax, maybe have a drink with other people for once. She had a meeting set up with Nora for later in the day. This is when she would check and make sure that her vacation time was approved. Her flight was already booked, so she hoped that it was. 

When the time arrived for the meeting, Anna-Beth was so nervous she was sweating through her shirt. Luckily, Nora was distracted and didn’t notice. Nora told her about the upcoming events over the Christmas holiday and into the new year. The more she talked the less Anna-Beth thought her vacation had been approved. Nora would need all the help that she could get. 

“So when you return from vacation I’ve hired someone new for your position,” Nora said nonchalantly. 

Am I being fired? Just for taking a vacation!

Anna-Beth was speechless. She couldn’t fathom what she could have done to deserve this. 

“So you will officially be my administrative assistant like I was to Mr. Gray. I’m fully taking on his responsibilities and position. He’s not in the right frame of mind to work any longer. You're coming back on January 2nd. Correct?” Nora finished. 

“Y-Yes,” Anna-Beth stuttered out. 

She couldn’t believe it. Not only was her vacation approved but she was getting promoted. She would be the assistant and be able to give some of her old work to the new hire. It would be a great year. She had already learned so much from Nora, she could only learn more in her new position. Anna-Beth was giddy and couldn’t help smiling. 

“I can see that you approve of the changes,” Nora laughed with her. “Go ahead and take the extra day or two. We can handle everything around here. Take some time to enjoy the city before heading home. Figure out that Chicago is worth coming back to, not just because of your job.”

Anna-Beth was floating on air as she left work that day. The first thing she did was change her flight to tomorrow morning. No point in wasting time. For tonight though, she decided to hit the town and enjoy some drinks in the bars near her apartment. 

The next morning TSA was backed up and it took forever to get to her gate. She had expected this and left early enough to still get some coffee and a sandwich while in the terminal. The flight was uneventful, she spent most of it watching a sappy, Christmas Hallmark movie on her laptop. You know the ones where a rural girl gets a city job, then goes home for Christmas where she rekindles an old flame, and they save the farm or town or business that’s failing. She decides to stay and they live happily ever after. They’re everywhere this time of year. 

After de-boarding the plane she went to baggage claim to get her suitcase. Anna-Beth was expecting her parents to be there to pick her up, but instead, it was Chris, an old high school flame of hers.

“Hey Chris, why are you here?” she asked. 

“I drive for Uber. It’s just a part-time thing to make some extra money. Your parents ordered it for you. Something came up with Tommy, I think he’s in jail again,” he told her.

Tommy was Anna-Beth’s younger brother. He was always in trouble and had been since he was a toddler. He never did anything too bad to go to prison, but he spent more than a few nights in the local jail. I think he had his own bed there, to be honest. 

“What did he do this time?” She asked Chris as he picked up her bags and walked her to the car. 

“Drunk and disorderly, terroristic threatening and assault, I think.” Chris opened the passenger door for him and it transported her back to their senior prom. Chris had been a small skinny kid back then, but she had loved him. He always opened the door for her, mostly because the door would stick and you had to lift and pull it to get it open. But it was the thought that counted, right?

She remembered the day she decided to leave for Chicago. Chris was heartbroken. Her heart broke a bit that day too and she hadn’t dated anyone seriously since. She told herself that it was because she was so busy, but seeing him now she wasn’t sure that was completely true. 

Chris had grown up and filled out in the years that she had been gone. He was always strong, but he had put on the muscles to show that strength now. He wore a closely cropped full beard with a high and tight haircut. He painted a very stunning picture. Chris caught her staring as he got onto the main road and just smiled at her. 

“You grew up while you were in the city,” he said. “You look very sophisticated. I like the shorter hair.

In school, Anna-Beth had hair below her butt. When she got busy with work she had cut it to just above her shoulders for ease, not a fashion statement. She was happy that he liked it though. She hadn’t thought about how much different she looked now than when she lived here. She wore a dress and sensible shoes for the plane ride. Before she had left she had never worn anything but jeans and boots, except for dances and special events. She must look different to Chris. 

A short thirty-minute ride later, she was back home. As they pulled into the driveway she was overcome with emotion. The sight of it sent her over the edge. She started to cry. Chris laughed when he saw the tears in her eyes. He reached over and handed her a napkin.

“It's not that bad Anna B. You can go back to your fancy life shortly,” he chided. 

“It's not that. I just didn’t realize how much I missed this place. It’s a good cry, not a bad one.”

Chris smiled like he knew what she was saying.

“Did you ever leave the town and head out into the world?” Anna-Beth asked as she opened the car door. 

“I did. I left for almost two years. Got back into town about two years ago. I’m not sure why, this town just has a draw. Doesn’t it?” He had gotten out and taken her bags from the trunk. “Hey, you wanna go get dinner when you’re home? Nothing behind it. Hell, I’ll even let the big city girl pay for little ole me.”

Anna-Beth laughed. “That sounds like fun. Call me.” she gave him her number and walked up the stairs to the house. After she walked in the door she turned around and saw that he was still waiting in the driveway. He was on his phone so he was either saving her number or looking for his next fare. She wanted to believe it was the former. 

Anna-Beth went inside and got settled. An hour or so later her parents came home with her jailbird brother in tow. They talked about the goings-on in town and their lives. Anna-Beth told them about the city and her new promotion. Her parents seemed happy but also lost. They never understood her love of the art world. A little while into the conversation her mom asked her about Chris and how nice it was to see him again. 

While Anna-Beth knew the whole Uber thing was a setup she let it slide. She liked Chris and she thought that he had gotten even hotter with age. She told her mom about her dinner date with Chris, to which her mom squealed with glee. She had always been a fan of Chris and thought that he would keep her daughter in town. 

After everything wore down, Anna-Beth’s dad asked her if she had been keeping up with the local news while she was in the big city. Anna-Beth told him that she hadn’t had the time to keep up with the news in Chicago, let alone at home. There had been a few women who had gone missing over the last couple of years. They were normal girls with normal jobs that just up and disappeared. Some say they got tired of the small-town life for the big city, but no one heard from them after they left. 

Anna-Beth thought it was a little odd, yet it happened to a few people from their high school class too. During their senior year, two girls that seemed happy and living life in their small town, just up and left. They left notes to their parents saying they were leaving for LA or New York to live the lives they always wanted. Neither of them had been heard from again. It was a surprise to some but Anna-Beth knew the feeling. She at least still talked to her parents when she was away. 

How bad was life if you cut your family out completely?

Over the next few days, Anna-Beth fell into the old routine with her family. Life was predictable and comfortable. This is why she had left. She never wanted a life that was just comfortable, she wanted adventure.

Just as Anna-Beth felt like she was going to cut her trip short, Chris called and asked her out to dinner. She accepted with a fervor she didn’t know she had. The date was amazing. They went out to the local steakhouse and talked until they were kicked out. Afterward, he took her out to the only hill in their small town and watched the stars while they drank beer and sat in the bed of his truck. He listened to everything she said. He asked questions about her life and her job, to which he seemed intensely interested. 

She was so wrapped up in talking about herself that she never even asked him about anything he had done over the last few years. Chris didn’t seem upset, he just asked questions and let her talk. Anna-Beth never realized how much she needed to talk to someone about what she loved in her life. It was exhilarating

Over the next few days, Anna-Beth spent every day with Chris. He came to her house for dinner with her parents, then they would go out on the town and enjoy the Christmas activities. It was odd that he never invited her over to his place, but she figured he had a small place and was a little embarrassed. That changed Christmas night. 

Chris came over in the morning for Christmas breakfast with the family. Everyone exchanged gifts. Anna-Beth had figured this would happen and had run out to get Chris a last-minute gift. It was small but she figured that he would like it. What she didn’t count on was the gift that he had gotten her. When she opened it she gasped audibly. He had gotten her a diamond necklace.

"Chris, this is too much. I can’t accept it,” she told him.

“No, it's ok. I want you to have it. It isn’t as expensive as it looks. Well, it is but I got it at a really good price. I want you to have it.”

Anna-Beth wasn’t sure but she accepted for now, mainly because her family was pressuring her to keep it. She knew they wanted her to stay in town and give up Chicago, but she never would. As much as she liked Chris and liked spending time with him, the promotion she had just gotten was more important to her life long-term.

After the whole family went to church for Christmas mass they had dinner in town with the rest of the townspeople. It was a good time but all Anna-Beth could think of was the necklace around her neck. Chris spent the whole day and evening with her. It was nice, but it had gotten a little uncomfortable after she received the necklace.

After the Christmas Day activities, everyone went home. Chris wanted to take Anna-Beth out for a little bit to get a drink at the local bar. Anna didn’t want to go so she just went home with her family. After about an hour she couldn’t stand it any longer, she took the necklace off, put it back in the box, and got in the car to find Chris at the bar. 

She found Chris pretty easily since there was only one bar in town. She asked him to go outside with her so they could talk. 

“Look Chris,” she started while holding the box out to him. “I love the gift, I love the time that we have spent together over the last few days, but I can’t stay here. I have a good job and promotion waiting for me back in Chicago.”

Chris took the box, “I know. I don’t want to keep you here. That wasn’t what I was doing. I love you. I’ve loved you since high school. I got this for you after prom but was too scared to give it to you. I didn’t just get it in the last few days. I want you to have it, I have always wanted you to have it. Anna-Beth, if it’s ok with you I would love to keep in touch. Maybe I can visit you in Chicago after you go home. Maybe spend New Year’s with you?”

Anna-Beth had hardened her heart for this conversation but his words melted it like a snowman in Miami. She’d fallen for this man again. Add that to the fact that he wanted to join her in Chicago just sealed the deal. She took the box back, threw her arms around his neck, and kissed him deeply. 

Chris was thrown back by her reaction. He had hoped that she would be happy, but the level of excitement threw him off. He could only smile as she kissed him. After a few minutes of making out in the parking lot, he asked Anna-Beth to go home with him for the night. She said yes, then let him put the necklace back on her.

She left her family's car at the bar, got into Chris’ truck, and headed to his house. As they pulled up she was floored by what she saw. She knew the house that they pulled up to. It had belonged to Mr. Earl Frasier when they were growing up. He was the richest man in town, hell in the whole county. Just after they graduated he disappeared. The house had been left abandoned. I guess Chris had bought it when he got back into town. 

“I don’t tend to bring women back here often. That’s why I always went to you,” he said. “If they find out I’m rich they act differently. I wanted to know if you liked me for me and not my money,” he explained. 

They went into the house and she sat down on the couch. He went into the kitchen and got a couple of glasses. He then poured each of them a glass from the decanters at the wet bar. After he handed her the drinks he went into the back to get something for her. As she waited, she looked around the room and thought that not much had changed since old man Frasier owned the house. Anna-Beth walked to a wall that had what looked like a trophy case. Inside the case were a dozen or so necklaces like the one she wore. All of the necklaces had blemishes on them. As she looked close, they looked like paint or blood. This thought went through her head as the world started to spin. She had barely touched the drink Chris had given her. She spun to leave but fell onto the couch, her drink spilling onto the floor.

Just before she lost consciousness she saw Chris walk out of the back with a plastic tarp, wearing a poncho.

“Did you see my trophy case? It wasn’t a lie when I told you I had bought that for you back in high school. These others were to replace you. To replace that feeling. They never added up though,” Chris smiled. “We are going to have so much fun tonight Anna B. You’ll stay with me forever now. Your parents will be sad, that you left without seeing them one last time.”

The next day Chris showed up at her parent's house with a note from Anna-Beth saying that she’d been called back to work. They were disappointed but understood. Chris on the other hand couldn’t have been happier. Anna-Beth was now where she was supposed to have been since prom. Right next to the other girls in Mr. Frasier’s basement, where Earl kept an eye on them while Chris was out.