Giving her back Christmas

As the first flakes of snow of the season began to fall, Allyson Hardy stood at the large picture window of her living room. She sipped at her espresso as the large white flakes brightly contrasted from the brown leaves that scattered her front lawn.

A disgruntled scowl creased her brow not only at the falling snow, but at the fact that her Uber driver was nearly ten minutes late. Three large suitcases stood in the middle of the living room behind her. She had so wanted to be well on her way before this nastiness had started.

With a heavy, angry sigh, Allyson took a sip of her espresso.

As she lowered the tiny espresso cup from her lips, she saw that a car was pulling up her drive. It was a light blue car, dotted with rust spots, a large cloud of white smoke billowing out from the back of the car, and driving far too fast up her drive.

She stared wide eyed as the car came to a screeching halt at her door.

Once the car had come to a complete stop, the driver got out. The first thing she noticed was his thick, light green tattered coat and messy hair. As he walked around the front of the car and got closer to the house, she could see the growth of stubble on his cheeks.

Allyson was immediately put off by the man’s looks, but it was only fifteen to twenty miles to the airport and she would be in the back seat the whole way. The discomfort of riding with this disheveled man for twenty to thirty minutes sure beat the misery of spending the next three days in the snowy weather dealing with all the “Christmas cheer”.

The man disappeared from view of the large picture window and the door bell rang out a few moments later.

Allyson quickly went to the door and opened it.

“I am so sorry I’m late,” the man said before the door was completely open. “I got a flat on my way here,” he finished once the door was opened.

“It’s fine,” Allyson said. “My bags are right there,” she said stepping aside and motioning towards the suitcases in the middle of the living room.

“Ok,” the man said stepping inside not looking to Allyson. “That’s some storm that’s coming in,” he said as he made his way to the suitcases.

Allyson didn’t say a word.

“Not to worry though,” he continued. “I’m sure your plane will leave on time.”

The man reached the suitcases and looked around the living room for the first time, noticing that there was no decorations anywhere in the house.

“No decorations?” He asked. “You do realize Christmas is in three days right?”

“Not that it’s any of your business,” Allyson said with a bit of snappishness. “But I’m not even going to be here, so what’s the sense.”

“That’s true,” the man said and gave a smile. “I forgot.”

He bent to pick the suitcases up. “My name is Tyler, by the way.”

“Allyson,” Allyson sighed impatiently.

The man looked to her, still bent over the suitcases. “Allyson Hardy?”

“Yes,” Allyson answered, the impatient look replaced with puzzlement.

“Tyler Gibbs,” the man said standing straight again. “We went to high school together.”

“We did?” Allyson asked.

“Yeah,” Tyler said. “I’m sure you wouldn’t remember me. You miss popular and prom queen, while I was the kid who hid in the back row and kept to myself.”

“That was a long time ago,” Allyson said. “I’m not trying to rush you but, we really need to be going.”

“Of course,” Tyler said and gave her a smile before bending over and picking the suitcases up off the living room floor. He struggled to get all three but he awkwardly lifted all three off the floor and carried them to the door. As he carried them out and to the car, Allyson followed close behind.

At the car, Tyler opened the back door and started loading the suitcases in the backseat.

“Aren’t you going to put them in the trunk?” Allyson asked.

“No room,” Tyler answered keeping his attention on loading the suitcases in the backseat. “The flat tire is in the trunk.”

“Where am I supposed to sit?” Allyson asked.

Tyler finished putting the last suitcase in the back and closed the door. He looked to Allyson as he opened the passenger door.

Allyson looked in and saw the trash covered floorboard of the passenger seat and slumped her shoulders. This was not going to be a fun ride.

*

It was only a few minutes later that the two were on the exit to merge onto Interstate 69, which meant only ten to fifteen miles left to the airport. The whole way, Tyler barely took a breath between words. Talking of their days in high school, none of the things he talked about Allyson remembered.

“And I remembered our senior prom,” Tyler said. “I knew from the moment you walked in that you would be voted the prom queen.”

Allyson sighed quietly to herself. That was one memory she did recall.

“And, of course, Chad Woods was Prom king,” Tyler continued. “But everyone saw that coming.”

“Yeah,” Allyson sighed and turned to look out her window.

“Whatever happened to you two?” Tyler asked. “Everybody always thought you two would be married and have a house full of kids after high school.”

“That was the plan,” Allyson answered not turning away from the passenger side window. “Until he left me at the alter.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Tyler said, sympathy filled his voice. “In truth, I never liked him.”

Allyson gave a small laugh and finally looked back to Tyler. “I don’t think I ever really did either.”

Tyler smiled back at her before turning his attention to the road ahead.

“Oh no,” he sighed.

Allyson looked ahead and all she could see was red tail lights. “Oh no,” she repeated.

The car came to a stop, not a single car around them was moving, not even inching forward.

“Great,” Allyson said. “I’ll never make my flight.”

Tyler looked at Allyson a moment, chewing on his bottom lip. “I have never missed a drop off,” he finally said. “And you’re not going to be the first I miss.”

He took a quick glance behind them before pulling onto the shoulder and driving the few short feet to the next exit.  

“Do you know the way from here?” Allyson asked.

“Of course I do,” Tyler said with a smile.

They drove on the new road for a short while, the car fishtailing a couple of times, but Tyler was quick to correct it and straighten the car back out. They drove in silence a little ways before Tyler spoke up.

“So, if you don’t mind me asking, why don’t you decorate for Christmas?”

“I told you,” Allyson answered. “There is no sense in it if I’m not going to be there.”

Tyler nodded. “Okay,” he said. “Only, I don’t believe you.”

“It’s the truth,” Allyson said.

“If you say so,” Tyler said. “But I still don’t believe you.”

“And I really don’t care if you do or not,” Allyson said with a triumphant smile.

Tyler looked to her, “Someone sure is smug,”

Before the words were completely out of his mouth, the spare tire on the front drivers side of the car hit a large pile of slush on the road and pulled the car to the left. Before Tyler could react, the back of the car began to spin to the right. Tyler quickly put the car into neutral and turned into the skid, but it was too late.

Before they knew it, the car was facing the way they had just come from and still going the way they were going. The two were screaming until they saw the sight before them.

They were now hood to hood with the car that had been behind them. They stopped screaming and looked at the couple in the front seat of the car in front of them, their eyes and mouths open wide. In the backseat of the car were two children that looked to be between 10 and 11. They were both waving at Tyler and Allyson.

Tyler and Allyson turned to each other and looked back at the car before them and waved back at the kids before the car continued on it’s spin and the two began to scream again.

The whole interaction with the car and the kids was only two seconds, but it felt like minutes to Tyler and Allyson. The car was finally facing the right way and Tyler was beginning to straighten the car out., but it was drifting from the right lane into the left lane.

Before Tyler could get the car right, the spare tire hit the curb and the car was stuck in the median between Eastbound and Westbound traffic.

“Uh oh,” Tyler exclaimed once the car stopped.

“Uh oh what?” Allyson asked, breathless from screaming.

“I think we may be stuck,” he answered putting the car in reverse. He gave the car gas but it didn’t move, the tire only spun, throwing a spray of snow and slush out the front of the car. “Yeah, we’re stuck,” he said putting the car in park.

“So what now?” Allyson asked.

“I need you to get in the driver’s seat,” Tyler said unbuckling his seatbelt. “Then I need you to put the car in reverse and give it just a little gas when you see me push.”

“I don’t think I can do that,” Allyson said.

“Sure you can,” Tyler said opening the door and climbing out. Allyson scooted over into the driver’s seat and watch as Tyler placed his hands on the hood of the car. She put the car in reverse and watched Tyler.  Every time she saw him lean forward onto the car she would give it a little gas like he said. The tires still spun in place, but it was beginning to rock back and forth.

After six or seven times of him pushing, the car was rocking back and forth more and Allyson’s excitement was growing. On the eighth time, she got a little too excited and nearly pressed the gas pedal to the floor. For a moment, the tires spun and the car didn’t move, but it finally lurched backwards back onto the road.

Allyson happily looked forward with a large smile on her face, until she saw Tyler.

Tyler was cover head to toe in greyish slush.

“Oh no,” Allyson said, the smile fading from her lips as Tyler walked around the car to the driver’s side door, stiff as a board. Allyson slid back over to the passenger seat as Tyler opened the door and sat down in the driver’s seat.  

She could see specks of black gravel in his hair and stuck to his cheeks. As soon as he was sat down, a large glob of the greyish slush on his chin fell to his lap. She felt bad that she had done this, and sorry because she knew he had to be cold, but she had to fight to suppress a smile.

Tyler blew out through tightly closed lips, sending a small spray of salty sludge onto the dashboard and turned to Allyson. “I need to find a restroom.”

“Okay,” Allyson said, still fighting the smile.

Tyler put the car into gear and drove off.

*

A few short minutes later, Allyson was seated in the car as it idled at a gas station. Tyler was inside cleaning himself up. Her eyes were locked on a woman and her two young children sitting on the sidewalk in front of her.

Movement caught her eyes as Tyler stepped out of the gas station restroom, his hair was brushed back and he was wearing a fresh pair of clothes. As she watched him walk to the car, he stopped at the woman and the two kids and talked to them a moment before pulling a white envelope from his inside jacket pocket and handed it to the woman before walking back to the car.

Tyler reached the car and climbed in.

“What was that?” she asked as he started the car and began to back out of the spot. 

“That was this months rent,” Tyler answered.

“And you just gave it to that woman?” Allyson asked, her voice full of surprise.

“Yes,” Tyler said as he pulled back onto the highway. “It may not be enough for them to get a home, but it could get them a nice warm meal, a decent hotel for the night and hopefully a nice Christmas.”

“Why?” Allyson asked.

“Because it’s the season for giving,” Tyler answered.

Allyson was shocked by his answer, even more shocked by his honesty. They drove on in silence a few minutes and the airport was finally in sight.

“Chad and I were going to get married,” Allyson said breaking the silence.

“What happened,” Tyler asked, his voice full of concern.

“He left me at the alter on our wedding day,” she answered. “It was today, twenty years ago. That’s why I don’t decorate for Christmas, and why I leave this day every year. So I don’t have to deal with the memory of that day.”

“I’m sorry,” Tyler said. “But you can’t keep running away from your problem, this is supposed to be the happiest time of the year.”

“If it helps,” Allyson started with a small smile. “You have made me smile today.”

Tyler looked to Allyson with a smile of his own. “That road salt slushie was disgusting.”

Allyson laughed. “I’m sorry,” she said through the giggle.

“It’s okay,” Tyler said with a small laugh of his own. “It’s funny now.”

They pulled up to the curb at the airport terminal and Tyler put the car in park.

“I got you here on time,” he said with a smile.

“Thank you,” Allyson said smiling back. “It was an adventure.”

Tyler climbed out of the car, grabbed her a trolley and loaded her suitcases from the backseat onto it. Once he was finished, he pushed the trolley to her and put his hands in his pocket shyly.

“I hope you have a good vacation,” he said looking to his feet.

“I will try,” Allyson said. She reached into her purse and pulled some money out and held it out for him. “It’s not much, but here.”

“I can’t take that,” Tyler said.  

“Please,” Allyson said. “You need to pay your rent.”

“I’ll get by,” Tyler said. “I’ll just Uber some extra hours.”

“No,” Allyson insisted, thrusting the money towards him.

“Thank you,” Tyler said taking the money from her.  He started to walk around the front of the car, slowing so he could turn to her without losing his balance. “Have a Merry Christmas Allyson.”

“Merry Christmas Tyler,” Allyson said for the first time in nearly twenty years and it actually felt good. No, it felt great.

She watched Tyler get in his car and drive off, and for some reason she didn’t know why, she felt sad watching him leaving. She gave a heavy sigh as she turned to the trolley and pushed it inside. Once inside, she stopped and looked up to see her flight was on time.

She turned and looked over her shoulder and could just make out Tyler’s taillights disappearing from sight. She had never met anyone like him and there he was driving out of her life. No other person she ever knew would give his rent to a stranger like he had, he amazed her.

She turned back to the board and to see those words staring back at her. 

ON TIME.

It was then and there that Allyson decided that this was no longer going to be the anniversary of the worst day of her life, this was going to be the anniversary of the best day of her life. She pulled her phone from her pocket and opened the Uber app.

She only hoped she would get the Uber driver that had just left.