Prompts and Circumstances

“Prompts and Circumstances!”

                                                                       By Cal Kirby

1.   “Mommy, look out the window, it snowed last night. Maybe I don’t have to go to school!”

“I am sorry, Bernie, but the radio said that the schools will be open and we’re not getting any more snow until a few days before Christmas.”

“But we will be off from school anyway for Christmas, so it doesn’t really count.” Bernie said in a huff. “Why doesn’t it snow, when we don’t have a holiday?”

“I don’t know, sweetheart, it is just the way it goes sometime. You’ll probably have plenty of days off next year, because the long-term weather forecast is predicting lots of snow this winter. “

“Can I ask Maria Elana to come over after school to play?”

“I’ll check with her mother, and if she says ok, then she can drop you both off and maybe come in and have some hot chocolate with us. Now get dressed for school!”

2.   “Brrrr, it is cold out there! My toes are stinging, my ears are numb, my nose looks like Rudolph and my hands feel frozen. Also, my teeth are chattering.”

Mr. Luciani, the second grade teacher, said, “Bernie stop complaining about the cold and warm yourself up by the Franklin stove.”

“Yes, sir. It’s just so cold, and I hate it.”

“Me too,” said Maria Elana.

“Mr. Luciani, why is it called a Franklin stove?” Bernie asked, always the inquisitive kid.

Always glad to educate young minds, Mr. Luciani said, “Because a famous man named Benjamin Franklin invented it and so it bears his name. We’ll learn about that next year.”

“Ok!” said Bernie and turned to Maria Elana.

“My mommy said she was going to call your mommy to see if you can come over and play after school.”

“Oh, that would be great fun,” Maria Elana said. “I have a new pocket microscope that we can look at your crystal collection with. It is an amazing gift I got for my birthday last week.”

“You two quit chatting and take your seats, please.”

“Yes, Mr. Luciani,” they both said simultaneously.”

3.   “Hi Mrs. Khoury!” Bernie said as he got in the car to be taken home.

“Hi Bernie. Your Mom called and invited me to come in when we get to your house to have hot chocolate with you two. Now buckle up.”

“Mommy, Mrs. Khoury is here!”

“Good, come into the kitchen.”

“Hi Cheryl. I’m glad you invited me in, I could use some company. I am going crazy with Dorsey out of town on business.”

“I can sympathize with you, Mattie, because Jerry is out of town a lot, also. Now let’s fix some hot chocolate for the kids and then we can get into some more festive grown-up drinks.”

“That sounds exactly what I need. Besides, it’s a short walk down the street, if we get too festive.” Mattie said, chuckling with a large grin on her face.

“Hey kids, come get your hot-chocolate.”

4.   “What are you doing for Christmas, Mattie? Cheryl asked.

“Well, we really don’t celebrate Christmas. It is such a phony holiday, because everyone has taken it downhill, so the true meaning is lost. We really hate being around all the phoniness. We’re leaving on the 23^rd and heading to Tampa Bay to visit our friends, the Jackson’s.”

“Won’t you celebrate with them?”

“No, they are as fed up as we are with the Evangelical, right-wing. Crazies that have expunged Christ out of Christmas.”

“Well, not every church or denomination is that way. Our church is very Christ oriented and helps feed the poor, provides backpacks for kids in need, and welcomes everyone, no matter their backgrounds or sexual orientation. In fact, our church was a leader in the founding of the first Gay Pride festival in town.”

“Maybe we’ll give it a try when we get back from Tampa Bay.”                      

Little did, Mattie know, there wasn’t going to be a Tampa Bay visit.

5.   “Good heavens, Dorsey, look outside!”

“There must be a foot of snow out there.” Dorsey said.

“Let me call the airlines to see if we will be able to fly-out this afternoon.”

“Ok, and I’ll turn on the news to see what we’re expecting to get.”

“I can’t get through to anyone!” Dorsey yells from the phone.

 “The weather man and news people are saying Logan Airport is shut down and all flights have been cancelled for at least 2 days, maybe longer. They say it’s one of the worst Nor-Easter storms they have seen in the past 50 years.”

“We’d better call the Jackson’s and tell them we can’t make it. Maybe we can re-schedule for late January. I have another week’s vacation coming then.”

“Ok, if you’re finished with the phone, I’ll call them.”

“Yeah, I’m finished. I couldn’t get through to anyone.”

“Mattie, this is Cheryl. Bernie said Maria Elana told him your trip was cancelled.”

“Yes, we were so shocked at the freak snow storm. We hadn’t listened to the weather reports the last few days and were really surprised this morning.”

“Well, we’d like to extend an invitation to join us tomorrow for Christmas Eve and on Christmas day. We’d love to have you, and Bernie will be thrilled if Maria Elana was here. We have to keep an eye on those two.” Cheryl chuckled.

“Jerry is anxious to try his new snow blower out and he’ll plow a path to your house tomorrow.”

“Oh, Cheryl, that would be wonderful. We’ll be there. What time and what can we bring?”

6.   Bright and early Christmas Eve, Jerry got his new snow blower out and cut a path down the sidewalk to Mattie and Dorsey’s house. As he got to their house, he saw Dorsey getting ready to shovel his driveway.

“I’ll get that!” Jerry yelled up to Dorsey.

“My new snow blower will have that cleared in a few minutes.”

“Ok, Jerry, and then come on up to the house and we can have something to warm the innards.”

Christmas Eve around Five O’clock, Maria Elana, Mattie and Dorsey rang the doorbell.

“Are we early?”

“Just in time.” Jerry said, as he opened the door wider for them to enter.

Bernie was hiding behind the door and jumped out and yelled. “Merry Christmas!” Startling everyone.

“Oh Bernie, take Maria Elana’s coat and you both go in the living room. Show her the new ornaments you made.”

“Yes, Mommy.”

After dinner was finished, the new “Christmas” friends settled back to relax and digest all the wonderful food Cheryl and Jerry had prepared.

“Dinner was wonderful, Cheryl.”

“Thank you Mattie.”

“Dorsey, would you like a brandy?”

“That would be great, Jerry.”

Just as Jerry went to fix the brandy, the doorbell rang.

“I’ll get it!” Jerry said, as Cheryl and Mattie were discussing the current hostilities in the Congress about support to Ukraine and Israel.

As Jerry opened the door five women started singing, “We wish you a Merry Christmas, We wish you a Merry Christmas.”

“Cheryl, come here!” Jerry yelled.

As Cheryl got to the door, she looked out and exclaimed. “Oh my God!” And burst into tears.

Standing outside were Nancy, Gloria, Juanita, Cynthia and Ellen, all former sorority sisters of Cheryl’s that she hadn’t seen in 15 years.

“I can’t believe you are here.” Cheryl exclaimed.

After 15 years of not seeing her friends, it was like seeing a sleuth of bears emerging from hibernation.

“It was all Jerry’s idea, to surprise you for Christmas.” Juanita said.

Mattie looked down at Bernie with his arm on Maria Elana’s shoulder and turned to Dorsey and said.

 “This is the best Christmas I ever had,” and the tears started rolling down her cheeks.

 “We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.” The sorority sisters sang before walking in the door.