The Christmas House Page 6

  “Is it 3 o’clock in the morning?” Arianna asked.

  “A little after,” replied the nurse, as she took Nicole from Arianna’s arms.

  As the nurse left the room to return the baby to the nursery, Arianna started to think about Michael and David and how they must be totally exhausted. Now they were going to move the furniture into the new house for the next 5 hours. She worried if Michael would be able to move all of the heavy pieces himself after a day like today. She knew Michael though; he would never quit. She just hoped he would be careful in the process.

  Chapter Six- The Move Continues

  May 1st

  3:30 a.m.

  Lake Forest, IL

  Michael pulled onto Festive Lane. He drove down the block for about a 1/4 of a mile until he approached the driveway to the house. The address on the mailbox read, “1-8”, for the 4 had fallen off and was never replaced. Michael drove past the old iron gates at the front of the driveway and then backed the truck up so he could unload into the garage.

  “BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP”, sounded the truck, as Michael backed up in reverse, using the mirrors to watch his distance to the garage. Michael stopped about 15 feet short of the garage door to give himself enough room so he could pull out the metal ramp that was under the truck, that he would use to roll down the two wheel cart.

  Michael left David sleeping in the cab of the truck. He got out of the truck and walked to the overhead garage door. He unlocked it and lifted it up. As the door rolled back, the springs gave off a loud squeal, like fingernails on a chalkboard. Michael walked to the back of the truck and started to tug on the metal ramp that was secured to the under carriage. As he tugged at the ramp, the metal scraped against the sides of the carriage and made an unbelievable racket. Michael had problems getting the ramp to slide out evenly and struggled with it by pushing it back and forth. “SCHREECH, SQUEAL, SCHREECH!” Finally after a few minutes, the ramp slid out from the carriage and fell to the ground with a loud clank.

  As Michael lifted the overhead door to the truck, the door slid up into its rails. He then jumped up into the back of the truck and grabbed the two-wheel dolly.

  He loaded a few boxes onto the dolly and rolled them down the metal ramp, which made a bumping sound that echoed down the block.

  Michael stopped in the garage and unloaded the boxes. As he turned around to make his second trip, a large man wearing a bathrobe and slippers stood by the truck.

  “Would you mind telling me just what the hell you think you are doing?” asked the man.

  Michael who was in no mood for a confrontation answered, “Well, what does it look like I am doing? I’m moving into my house.”

  “At 4 o’clock in the morning? Can’t you wait a few hours and let the rest of us around here get some sleep!” replied the man.

  “Sleep!” replied Michael. “I wish I could sleep. Listen buddy, my wife just gave birth to my daughter a few hours ago and it was a very difficult delivery. They both almost died! Now, my son is asleep in the cab of this truck and I am stuck here moving these boxes and the furniture into the house myself. I am sorry to be making so much noise, but I can’t do anything about it.”

  “Listen hot shot,” replied the man, “This is a nice quiet neighborhood and if this is any indication of how you plan to fit in, I got news for you, you won’t!”

  Michael turned away and started to go up the ramp again, to the back of the truck.

  “Go call a cop if you don’t like it. I am just trying to get my family settled after the day from hell!”

  “Fine, I will call the cops. Welcome to the neighborhood!” responded the man as he walked away in a huff.

  “Yeah, same to you!” shouted back Michael.

  Michael was very upset and decided he would make as much noise as he wanted. He started to throw boxes around for the sole intention of making as much noise as he possibly could.

  “Stupid people around here... I should go kick that guy’s ass... what a jerk!” As Michael looked around he noticed that quite a few of the neighbors within earshot were turning on lights inside their homes. He stopped for a moment and realized that he really was making quite a bit of noise. Now he felt like the jerk. He tried to work as quietly as he could. Having one neighbor mad at you was one thing; having them all hate you was another.

  Michael continued to unload the truck in a quiet and orderly fashion. As he emptied the back end of the truck of the boxes, he came to the first major appliance; the refrigerator. Michael was exhausted and decided he better wake David to see if he could at least help him balance the load as he descended down the ramp.

  Unfortunately, David was sound asleep and Michael couldn’t wake him up. The poor kid was just as exhausted as his father. Michael refused to give up and decided to try to maneuver the refrigerator by himself.

  He slid the two-wheel cart under the base of the refrigerator and strapped the body of the huge appliance to the base of the upright cart. As Michael grabbed hold of the two-wheel cart, he pulled back and the refrigerator barely budged. Michael set it back down. He took a few deep breaths and tried again. Putting all of his strength behind the pull on the cart, he grunted as the refrigerator lifted off the ground about two inches, but then he lost it again.

  He couldn’t unload any of the other furnishings until he moved the refrigerator out of the way, so he had to try again. He waited for about a minute and then prepared himself for the biggest pull of his life. He put on a pair of gloves, grabbed hold of the cart handle and said to himself, “One, Two, Three... Lift!”

  The refrigerator came off the floor as if it weighed nothing at all. Michael nearly lost his balance because he was not prepared for the lift to be so easy. As the refrigerator leaned backward toward Michael, the top cleared his field of vision and there was the face of the neighbor who had yelled at him 30 minutes earlier.

  “Well, I figured if you were going to be out here making all this noise, I wasn’t going to be able to sleep anyway, so..., I thought you could use a hand,” said the man.

  Smiling, Michael said, “Michael Carter. Nice to meet you.”

  “Jack Stevens, I live next door,” the man now dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt replied.

  As the two men walked the refrigerator down the ramp and into the garage, they set it down with a light thud on to the concrete sub floor. Michael walked over to Jack and extended his hand and said, “Thanks.”

  “Hey, I’m sorry about before. I was out of line. Are your wife and baby okay?” asked Jack.

  “Don’t apologize Jack. It was my fault. You were right. I was making far too much noise and wasn’t thinking about how it was affecting my neighbors. I didn’t realize how late it was,” replied Michael. “And yes, my wife and daughter are doing fine.”

  Suddenly from around the corner both men heard, “Dad?”

  David awakened from his nap and stumbled into the garage. “Why didn’t you wake me up to help you Dad?”

  “I did but you were too busy dreaming about your first garage rock band,” replied Michael.

  “David, meet Mr. Stevens from next door. He is being nice enough to give us a hand moving this stuff.”

  Jack, who was a towering man next to Michael, much less to a 10-year-old, stepped up to David and shook his hand. “Nice to meet you David!”

  “Wow, you’re a giant!” David responded.

  “No, not really David. I just look like I am at 4 in the morning,” Jack replied as he patted David on the head.

  “Well new neighbors, what’d ya say? Shall we get this over with?”

  “Good idea Jack. Can you help me with the washing machine now?” asked Michael as he walked toward the truck.

  “I will get the washing machine myself Mike. You and David start getting these boxes transferred from the garage to inside the house,” replied Jack.

  With that, Michael and David started to sort out the boxes as to where they should be placed once inside the house. Arianna marked each box with a black marker so
distribution of the boxes would be quick and easy. As they each grabbed a box, they stopped and looked up at the truck. Jack picked up the washing machine as if it were an empty box. Without the assistance of a dolly, he walked the washing machine down the ramp and right past Michael and David. As he approached the door that led from the garage into the kitchen area of the house, he asked “One of you lads wanna get that door for me? My hands are kind of full.”

  David was in awe of Jacks’ strength and ran to hold the door open for him.

  Michael smiled and thought to himself, “Yeah, and I was going to kick his ass. Me and what army?”

  Michael and Jack moved the rest of the furniture into the house and placed it in the appropriate rooms. David continued to bring in the lighter boxes and placed them in the correct rooms as well. As they continued to move the items, Jack and Michael talked about their lives and immediately developed a friendship.

  Jack was in his early 40’s and owned a freight company that he started with his father about 15 years ago. He was truly a giant. 6’7” tall, he had to duck each time he entered the house. He was married to a woman he described as “kooky” and had no children. Him and his wife had lived in Lake Forest for the last 10 years.

  “So Jack, did you know Martha well?” asked Michael.

  “Just the usual hi and bye stuff. I was only inside the house once every year when it started to get cold. She would come over and ring the bell to ask me if I could light that monster of a furnace in the basement. She was a strange old bird, but a very nice lady,” replied Jack.

  “Yeah, she seemed the type that would tend to stay to herself,” Michael said.

  “Yes, she did, but let me tell you, she threw one hell of a Christmas party,” replied Jack.

  “Martha? Really? That surprises me,” replied Michael.

  “Yep, every Christmas for as long as we have lived here, she would have a house full of people. Lots of family I guess,” said Jack.

  “That’s strange. I could have sworn she said that she was the last branch of her family tree. Guess I was mistaken,” replied Michael.

  As Michael and Jack returned to the truck to get the last piece of furniture, the sun was rising over the trees to the east. Michael stared at the soft amber glow that set the trees a blaze and smiled. As he walked out of the garage and toward the truck, he was startled by a figure standing to his right.

  “Howdy! I thought you fellas might be hankering for a cup of joe,” said a woman.

  She was a fairly large woman with bright red hair, which was set in oversized blue foam rollers. Wearing only a nightgown, her bare feet glared for her toenails were painted a bright red, as were her fingernails. She was wearing large eyeglasses with lenses that were pop bottle thick. Holding a thermos of coffee and two coffee cups she was quite a sight.

  “Uh, Jack... I think your wife is here,” said Michael.

  “Wanda, have you ever heard of a bathrobe?” yelled Jack as he saw his wife.

  “Oh, hush up and introduce me to our new neighbors,” she replied.

  “Wanda meet Michael Carter and his son David. Boys, meet the wife,” Jack announced.

  “Very nice to meet you Wanda. Coffee would be greatly appreciated right about now,” said Michael.

  “Well, I’ve been a watchin yas from the winder in the bedroom and I said to myself, “Wanda; you should get your butt down there and make them boys some nice hot coffee and some biscuits. Here’s the coffee and them biscuits are bakin up as we gossip,” replied Wanda.

  Wanda continued, “Why don’t you come with me David and you can help auntie Wanda get them biscuits all ready for your pappy.”

  David was a little scared and looked at Michael.

  “Go ahead David. It’s okay, were almost done here anyway,” Michael said.

  As David walked next door with Wanda, Michael could overhear her talking his ear off in that sweet southern drawl.

  “I take it your wife is from down south hey Jack?” Michael asked as he reached down to pick up one side of the couch.

  Jack picking up the other side responded, “Nope. She’s from New Jersey. I told you she was kooky.”

  Michael laughed, as the two men walked down the ramp, through the garage and into the house with the very last piece of furniture.

  **************************************

  Across town at Good Samaritan Hospital, a nurse greeted Arianna with Nicole for her 7 a.m. feeding. As she took Nicole to her breast, she smiled and felt her warmth through the light pink baby blanket that engulfed the tiny frame of the infant.

  Arianna thought of Michael and David. She hoped that they were safe and sound, fast asleep in their new house. She looked forward to seeing them later that morning after they rested. She was half expecting Michael to be there now, but knew that he must be exhausted.

  She held Nicole gently and said, “Your Daddy will be here soon and in a few days we will be going home my little miracle.”

  She kissed Nicole softly on her head. Nicole whimpered as Arianna closed her eyes and dreamt of Michael.

  Chapter Seven- Settling In at 148 Festive Lane

  May 3rd

  Good Samaritan Hospital

  10:00 a.m.

  It was a glorious day for early May in Chicago. The sun shined brightly and warmed the air to a very pleasant 68 degrees as Michael and David drove to the hospital to bring Arianna and baby Nicole home for the first time.

  Having recovered nicely from the night of the move, Michael was well rested but still a bit fatigued nonetheless. For the last two days he had been placing the furniture where he felt it should go in each specific room. He was sure Arianna would walk into the house and say, “No, no, no.... that should go here and that should go there.” He couldn’t very well leave all of the furnishings in the garage, so he did the best he could. He realized he would have to move it all again when Arianna came home.

  Additionally, during these two days, Jack and Wanda were a Godsend. Jack was over everyday helping Michael clear out garbage and finish up a few minor repair projects at the house. Wanda cooked some wonderful meals for Michael and David since the only thing Michael knew how to make was a reservation at a restaurant. When Arianna was around, she did all of the cooking, except for barbecuing which Michael prided himself of being the master chef. With the kettle barbecue still packed away somewhere in the garage, Michael readily accepted the offers to dine with the Stevens next door.

  Michael couldn’t believe how lucky he was to have met a good friend like Jack, especially after the rocky start of their first encounter. He thought, “it’s funny how people that start off on the wrong foot often become best of friends”. He was very happy to have met Jack and Wanda.

  Michael approached the hospital and turned the corner into the patient pick up area of the hospital parking facility. David noticed a pregnant woman being pushed into the entrance in a wheel chair.

  “Hey Dad, that lady is as big as mom,” he said.

  “Not anymore David. Mom will be much smaller now since Nicole has been born,” replied Michael as he parked the car and shut off the engine.

  “Dad?” David asked, “How does that all happen? I mean how did Nicole get into mom’s stomach like that in the first place?”

  Michael opened the door to the car and stepped out as David did the same from the passengers’ side.

  “Well, David...(he stopped and thought of how to answer David’s question) it’s like... well.... Maybe you should ask your mother.”

  “Okay, I will,” replied David as they entered the hospital elevator and pushed 3 for the third floor.

  As they entered room 324, Arianna was already sitting in a wheel chair with Nicole on her lap.

  “All ready to go home you two?” asked Michael.

  “You bet we are Michael,” Arianna said as she returned a kiss from Michael.

  “Mom?” “Dad and I were talking and- ” started David.

  “David, let’s get mom home and settled before we start tell
ing her about our little talk okay buddy?” Michael jumped in.

  “What little talk?” asked Arianna.

  “The where do babies come from talk. I didn’t do very well so I told him to talk to you about it,” replied Michael as an orderly came into the room to transport Arianna out of the hospital.

  “Me? Well thanks a lot Michael. He’s your son. I will have that talk with Nicole when she is his age. It is your place to talk to your son, not mine,” she replied.

  “So you don’t know either huh mom?” asked David.

  They both looked at David and couldn’t help but laugh.

  “Time to get a move on folks,” said the orderly.

  “Please follow me down to the cashier and you will be on your way home.”

  As they made their journey down the hall and into the elevator, Michael prayed that the insurance would cover the majority of the expenses for the birth. They exited the elevator and Michael proceeded to the cashier.

  “Can I help you?” asked the woman behind the desk.

  “Yes, I need to settle the bill for Carter, room 324,” replied Michael.

  The cashier turned around and looked for the Carter file behind her in a stack of files that were in a bin clearly marked, “Check Out.” She located the file and turned back toward Michael.

  “Well, Mr. Carter here we are. Your wife had complications with a standard birth, so that has effected your payment but it seems that your employer has a special emergency clause on their insurance policy that applies to these types of situations. Thus the balance due from you is a total of ... let’s see-” (She started entering numbers into a calculator. After the longest 30 seconds of Michael’s life she responded), “Thirty four dollars and twenty-three cents.”

  Michael smiled widely and asked, “Do you accept cash?”

  The cashier smiled back and replied, “That would be fine Mr. Carter.”

  Michael paid the bill and returned to where Arianna and David were waiting for him near the front entrance of the hospital.