Previous parts of the story....
Installment One, featuring Parts 1 - 3
Installment Two, featuring Parts 4 - 8
Installment Three, featuring Parts 9 -12
Installment Four, featuring Parts 13 - 15
Installment Five, featuring Parts 16- 20
Installment Six, featuring Parts 21 - 23
Installment Seven, featuring Parts 24 - 29
And finally...
30... SLEEPING
“Wookiee!” Shawn said as Faith led Chris into the room.
“Yeah boy,” Wookiee smiled. He looked over the room and saw that Amy was laying on the floor with a coloring book draped across her face, motionless. Matt was sitting against the wall, head leaned to the side, eyes closed. Steph was laying with a few little girls, book in front of her, also dozing.
“I would offer you some hospital beds to sleep in,” Faith said to Shawn and Wookiee, “but it appears that your friends have already found a way to make sleep happen.”
“That’s fine, Faith,” Shawn said. “We’ll just sleep in here on the floor.”
“Thank you again, Shawn,” she said. “You don’t know how much I needed some help in here tonight.”
“We just played with the kids to keep them busy. I have three roommates back home I do the same thing with. Kept us busy too, which was nice.”
Several miles down the road, Claire was gathering up her things to go home for the evening. She offered Jennifer a bed at her home, but she was very sad that she didn’t have room for Tommy, Tom, Drew and Justin.
“That’s okay,” Jenn replied. “I’m going to stay with them. Let me give you my address, so that you can write me and let me know how Harvard is.”
“Right,” Claire laughed. Jenn wrote her address down and handed it to Claire. She took it, stuffed it in her pockets, and then hugged Jennifer.
“Thank you so much, Jennifer,” Claire said. “I may only have been a Christian for an hour now, but I can already tell when God sends angels.”
“Alright now, enough of that,” Jenn hugged her back. “You’ll make me cry, and then the guys will rag me later.
Claire hugged each of the guys, and wished them well, thanking them for their help, and then exited.
Drew sat down in an empty booth, leaned his head back and was almost instantly asleep. Jennifer sat on the other side of the booth and did the same thing.
“Yeah, I could use a few minutes of sleep, I think,” Tommy said to Justin.
“You could always use sleep, Tommy,” Justin laughed.
Ty looked around his hospital room, eyes very heavy. Leslie was in a chair across the room, head leaned straight back, eyes shut, thick hair hanging down. He reached over and clicked the button on the side of his bed, changing the channel. A few channels later, he saw Jimmy Stewart running through town shouting “Merry Christmas.”
Ty smiled, “It’s a wonderful life,” and then closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep.
I bundled up the materials that Mrs. Keller had given me, and I saw Michael doing the same. Ginger lay on the couch, the top of her head visible under her blanket. The pillow she was using was thick, and her head was buried in it.
“I say we jack the pillow,” Michael whispered to me, looking at Ginger.
“Nah, let her sleep,” I replied. “Though that blanket is much thicker than mine. That could be attainable before the night is over.”
I put my head down onto the pillow I’d formed and closed my eyes. You know, God, if you had wanted us to go other places than Tuscaloosa, it would have been a lot easier to just tell us, wouldn’t it? I thought.
I can only presume the Holy Spirit gave me a direct answer, comical as it was. But that wouldn’t be near as much fun, would it?“I guess not,” I said aloud, a little louder than I had intended.
“Huh?” Michael piped up, his back to me.
“Nothing Michael,” I replied. “Go to sleep.”
31... MORNING
I opened my eyes to the sound of small muffled crying. It wasn’t loud enough to wake me normally, but just enough to get my attention. I lifted my head from my makeshift pillow of two sweaters and a pair of jogging pants, and looked around. Apparently, Michael had also heard the crying, because our heads lifted simultaneously. I gave him a confused glance, and he returned the look. I glanced up at the couch, and Ginger was also awake.
I slowly pulled the blanket back and stood up. My feet were very frozen, so it hurt to stand, and I could tell Michael was in the same boat. He wobbled a bit when he stood. Ginger, who had the benefit of warm socks, sat up on the couch that served as her bed, and stood with us.
I again heard another small sob, and this time I recognized the direction from which it came.
“It’s in the bedroom,” I turned to Michael and Ginger.
“Should we go in there?” Ginger asked quietly.
“I don’t know,” I replied. “I guess we could knock on the door and see if everything is okay.”
I slowly stepped toward the door, Michael and Ginger close behind me. I stopped a few inches from the door, and reached out, lightly tapping on the old wood.
“Mrs. Keller?” I asked quietly.
“Come in, David,” I heard the soft voice on the other side.
I looked back at Michael and Ginger, and in their faces, both gave me the confirmation to go in. I turned the doorknob and opened the door wide enough to step in. I took a step inside the room, and Ginger followed. Michael stood in the doorway.
Mrs. Keller sat in a rocking chair similar to the one in the living room. Mr. Keller lay in the bed, blanket pulled up to his chin. He was not moving, face pale though looking very peaceful. Mrs. Keller sat in a rocking chair similar to the one in the living room. Her cheeks were moist with tears, though she wore a very calm expression.
“Is everything okay?” Ginger asked.
“Oh, Ginger,” she half smiled, wiping a tear from her eye. “Roger has passed on.”
“Oh no,” I gasped. “Do we need to call an ambulance?”
“No, son,” she said. “I’ve already called the police and the rescue squad. They should be here any moment now. The phone works now, if you’d like to call someone.”
From the light of the sun shining brightly through the window, we had a full view of Mrs. Keller’s face for the first time. She looked much older than she was, but her face had what looked like a lifetime of wrinkles. My mother used to tell me the more wrinkles a person had on her face, the more experiences they had had in their life.
“I’ll make some coffee,” Ginger said softly, walking back towards the kitchen.
“Thank you Ginger,” Mrs. Keller said. “If you boys will go into the living room and call who you need to, I’ll be out there in a minute. I’d like to show you something.”
“Yes ma’am,” Michael said, as I closed the door behind me.
I walked to the phone and dialed Amy’s cell number.
“David?!” she said on the other line when she answered.
“Yes! How are you guys?”
“We are fine! How are you?! Where are you?!”
Michael pulled out his cell phone and realized he had a signal and dialed Jennifer’s cell number.
The phone sat in the middle of the table, as Drew and Jenn both sat on each side of a booth sleeping. Tommy was in another booth, head just hanging off of his neck. Tom was snoozing, with his head on his hand, elbow on the table. Justin’s head lay in his arms, face down on the table.
Customers that came in were told immediately to keep it quiet or leave, because they had guests who were sleeping. The ringing woke up Drew and Jenn both, while Tom’s elbow slipped and his head fell to the counter.
“Hel… hello?” Jenn answered.
“Jenn! It’s Michael!”
“Michael!” she perked up. Drew and Tom both looked up when she said his name. “Where are you guys?”
“We are at the homestead of Roger and Linda Keller,” Michael replied.
“Roger and Linda who?”
“Roger and Linda?” Bethany asked, overhearing the conversation. “Is that where they are?”
“I think so, do you know where that is?” Jenn asked.
“See that house right up there?” she pointed out the window to a small structure on a hill in the distance. “Right there.”
“Michael, we’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”
32... GOODBYES
“Ty!” Wookiee yelled as Leslie wheeled him into the room. Matt raised his head off of the floor enough to see Shawn sitting up. Stephanie was still asleep, surrounded by a trio of little girls.
Amy hung up her cell phone and announced to the group, “David and Michael and Ginger are okay.”
“Where are they?” Matt sat up.
“They are at a little house about fifteen miles from here,” she said. “They are totally fine. David said we wouldn’t believe the night they’ve had. Drew and the others are at a Waffle House nearby, and said the same thing about their night. We are going to meet everyone there in about an hour.”
Everyone was slowly waking up, being extremely quiet so as not to wake the children. A quite large woman walked through the door and looked at Faith.
“How long you been here?” she asked.
“Since noon yesterday.”
“Honey, go home!” she laughed in a thick twang. “We got staff members all over this hospital about to pick up dey kids and get ‘em outta here.”
Stephanie was awakened, and everyone gathered together. Faith motioned for Steph, Amy, Matt, Shawn and Wookiee to come to where she was. Leslie pushed Ty to the group circle.
“Thank you all so much for what you have done last night and this morning,” Faith said. Without a word, Faith said a prayer for them. When she said amen, she smiled and said “Merry Christmas to all of you.”
“Merry Christmas to you, Faith.” Amy smiled back.
33... THE JOURNAL OF MRS. KELLER
“I have something I want you all to see,” Mrs. Keller said as she emerged from the bedroom, closing the door behind her. She carried with her a little journal, and she made her way to the couch, sitting in the middle.
She looked up at me by the phone, Michael by the fire and Ginger at the coffeepot. “Please, come, come.”
We all looked at each other in wonder that she was so steady when her husband of 51 years just passed away, and was in the next room no less.
“This is my journal,” she said. “I’ve been trying to keep one ever since I was 16 years old. Now, I've gone long amounts of time between entries, but since 1950 or so, I have never let more than a month lapse. This is probably my last journal I’ll keep, as my hands are getting more shaky as the years go by.”
She opened it up to the back. “I’d like to read you something I wrote three weeks ago, my last entry.”
She stared at the book for a moment, and then wiped a tear from her eyes. Then she pushed it to me. “Would you please read it to me? What’s written on the left side, under the day that says December 3rd.”
“Um… okay,” I took it from her and studied the writing for a second to make sure I could in fact read what it said. Her handwriting was shaky, and there were several letters transposed across the page, but for the most part, it was surprisingly legible for someone of her age.
I held the book down in my lap and began to read:
“I always pray for Roger. I know how he treats the young lady down
at the café, I know how he treats the rare guests we have that come
over, I know how he is so rude to everyone but me. I am thankful he
has loved me for the last 51 years, because I know that I am not the
most lovable person in the world. However, to God I pray that
you may send some of your angels to help me with him. He is sick
more often than usual, and I fear that he may not last much longer.
I know with my precious Lord’s help I can make it without Roger,
but I want to know he’ll be waiting at the gates for me when the
Lord takes me home. God, can you please help me? I fear time
is running out.”
I closed the book and looked up at Mrs. Keller’s face, whose cheeks were now wet with tears.
“Before you came to our door last night, Roger told me when he was at the Waffle House, some random strangers came in and started helping. He said it was unlike any act of kindness he’d seen in a long time. Someone told him they were Christian folk, but he said these Christians didn’t get in anyone’s face and tell them they were going to Hell. Instead, they didn’t say anything about God and just started working. He said for the first time, he saw people who call themselves Christians actually acting the way they talk.
“Then, when I went to bed, he said he heard Ginger read the story of Jesus, and he heard the three of you praying for him. He said he could not believe that three total strangers who he had been so rude to would pray for him. He asked me if the God I have loved for all these years was the same God these young people followed. I said ‘Yes’. Then he said something I’ve been waiting for all my life. He said he wanted to meet my God. So right there, in bed, I prayed for him, and my Roger accepted Christ. He got on his knees in our bedroom floor and said that he knew he was a mean person to a lot of people, and he asked Jesus to forgive him and help him change. And this morning, the Lord took him home."
Ginger’s tears began to flow, and I wiped a tear from my eyes as well. Michael turned his face to wipe his cheeks with his sleeve.
She smiled a beautiful smile, and her eyes displayed sadness, but joy. “I prayed that God would send some angels to help me with him, and God answered. He sent you here last night. No matter how uncomfortable you may have been yesterday and last night, it’s clear to me that God wanted you to come here. You thought you were going to help those poor people in Tuscaloosa, but instead, you helped a lost person find Him. I thank God for all three of you.”
Ginger reached over and put her arms around Mrs. Keller, and Michael and I both grabbed her hands. Ginger said a quick prayer aloud, and we sat in silence for a few minutes.
A knock on the door broke the silence. I got up to open it, while Michael and Ginger both regained their composure.
Drew stood at the door.
“Dave!” he smiled. “Are you ready..." He stopped, seeing my expression of sadness, then glancing inside to see Ginger wiping her eyes again. "Dude? What happened? You guys okay?"
"We're great Drew," I smiled. "We're just fine."
34... THE DEUCE
Ginger, Michael and I gave our hugs and said our good byes to Mrs. Keller, and as we were walking out the front door, I spotted a rescue vehicle and a police car coming up the road.
We piled into Drew’s car, none of saying very much. Drew sensed that silence was golden at this moment, so he kept his words to himself.
Matt, Wookiee, Shawn, Steph, Amy, Leslie and a wheelchair bound Ty were waiting on us when Drew pulled up to the Waffle House doors. Ginger squealed with joy, giving Matt a big hug as soon as we walked in.
Tommy gave Michael a big hug when he walked in.
“I thought you might have been dead or something,” Tommy said. “Don’t ever scare me like that, Michael!”
“I wouldn’t die on you, dude,” Michael laughed. “Who would you go with when you are at the movies with three random chicks?”
Jennifer introduced us to Jerome the cook and Bethany the waitress, both of whom had just been relieved of duties by two waitresses and two cooks that had just come into work.
Bethany gave a big hug to everyone who had spent the night in the restaurant, especially to Jennifer. “Thank you so much for letting God use you, Jennifer.”
“Sometimes, you really don’t have a choice,” she replied.
“Peace out, T,” Jerome shook Tom’s hand.
“Peace out, J,” Tom replied, slipping Jerome some skin.
“Boy, have we got a story for you guys,” Ginger said, arm still around Matt.
“We have one of our own,” Drew replied.
“Y’all, that’s awesome, but right now, let’s go home,” Stephanie said. “I’m really tired.”
We all nodded in agreement, and piled out into the parking lot. Due to Matt’s truck not working all that well, Amy drove her truck to carry people back to Birmingham. In three separate vehicles, we followed each other closely all the way back to The Deuce. Amy and I shared our previous night’s stories, while Tom and Shawn just slept in the space behind the seat. Drew’s car was directly ahead of us, and I could see Justin’s, Jennifer’s and Tommy’s head’s not moving in the backseat.
Though dead tired, I couldn’t go to sleep at all when I got back to The Deuce. As each person gave their hugs and said their “Merry Christmases”, everyone left slowly but surely.
Tommy and Wookiee both went upstairs and passed out on the couch, as Justin and Ty passed out on the floor. Tom went straight to bed, as did Shawn. Michael gave a hug to Amy and wished her a Merry Christmas. Amy and I both watched him then disappear into the doors of the Deuce building.
When he was gone, I turned to Amy and smiled, "Well. That happened."
“Yeah," she laughed. "Yeah it did. Hey, thanks for trying to come and help out. " she paused. “Even if you didn’t make it to Tuscaloosa to actually take part in the helping out process.”
“No offense, but I’m kind of glad we didn’t make it. We obviously had other places to be,” I replied.
“Yeah you did.”
“You sure you don’t want to stay here, get some rest?”
“Nah,” she said. “I need to get back to my apartment. I’ll take a nap, then head to Montgomery.”
“Well, then, Merry Christmas, Amy,” I smiled, giving her a big hug. She said, “Same to you, Dave.” She got in her truck, backed out and with a wave through the passenger side window, she drove away.
I sighed, completely exhausted yet exhilarated at a million things at one time, then made my way upstairs. Michael had just sat down on the couch, a foot away from Wookiee’s head. I sat on the other side of the couch, with Tommy’s feet close to me.
“So,” Michael said.
“So.” I replied.
“What do we do now?”
“Same thing we do everyday. Try and take over the world.”
“Yep”
“You wanna watch a movie?”
“I’m pro.”
“Merry Christmas, Mikey.”
“Yep. And to all a good night.”
The All New Epilogue
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
A Very Deuce Christmas Story, Parts 24 - 29
If you've been keeping up, we've covered alot of ground... tornadoes in T'town, three groups setting out to serve and getting split up, only to have two groups serve in ways they didn't think would ever happen... and another group finding out that sometimes God sends you in a direction and only lets you think you know the final destination. If you haven't kept up, then by all means, you can read here:
Installment One, featuring Parts 1 - 3
Installment Two, featuring Parts 4 - 8
Installment Three, featuring Parts 9 -12
Installment Four, featuring Parts 13 - 15
Installment Five, featuring Parts 16- 20
Installment Six, featuring Parts 21 - 23
And you can join me soon for the final installment. But for now, here's Part 24...
24... FAITH
Faith walked back in the children’s room with two small paper sacks in each hand and a cell phone wedged between her ear and shoulder.
“Why yes,” Faith smiled to the person she was talking to, “It’s quite amazing. I had no help and these four just showed up at the door. It was as if God had sent them himself!”
Some of the kids were already asleep, and a few were playing quietly in the corner. Steph, Amy, Shawn and Matt were no longer participating in the playtime of the children, but now just supervising and observing.
She set the bags on the table, pointed at Amy and then the bags.
“These are for you,” she mouthed, going back to the phone conversation. “Really? How weird is that?”
Amy watched as Faith’s face went from a normal expression to one of complete joy.
“That’s so incredible! I’m so happy for her! Wow, I’ll have to share that with my new volunteers here! Well, they say the roads won’t open up here until at least four in the morning, so I might be here for the night. Okay, the connection is breaking up… well, my battery is full, so it’s either your battery or the lines are going down again. Bye!”
She hung up the phone and turned to Steph, Matt, Amy and Shawn.
“My friend just told me that my niece just became a Christian!”
“Wow, that’s awesome!” Steph said.
“That’s so exciting to me,” Faith said as she handed the four bags to each person, while explaining her conversation, “Claire is someone who really needed direction. And listen to this: I have a friend who works at a Waffle House down the interstate, and much like I was, they were overwhelmed. And like the four of you, some people just randomly showed up and started helping out! She said they could not have survived without them! She said that one guy was cooking, one was waiting tables, someone was washing dishes, and one of them even sat down with my niece and gave her the plan of salvation! They prayed right there at the counter!”
“That’s so cool,” Shawn said, sitting in one of the children’s chairs.
“That’s so God,” Amy added.
“That’s so Drew and them, is what that is,” Matt replied.
“You think it was Drew, Tommy, Jennifer, Tom and Justin?” Steph looked at Matt.
“I dunno,” he replied, unwrapping the sandwich he’d picked out of the bag given to him. “But that could be them. It wouldn’t surprise me at all.” Then he perked up, looking at Faith. “If you used your cell phone, that means that some lines are up!”
Amy pulled hers out of her pocket quickly and started dialing. First she dialed Michael’s.
“No answer,” she said, hanging up. Matt was trying Ginger’s, with the same results.
Neither Drew’s, nor Justin’s, nor Jennifer’s picked up, and there was no answer to Tom’s pager.
“Can we use your phone to call?” Amy asked Faith. “We can call back and at least see if they are there.”
“You can try, but I think either Bethany’s battery was dying or there was no connection.” Faith handed her phone to Amy, and she dialed in the number as it appeared on the phone screen.
“Nothing,” she sighed, closing the phone.
“Well, I guess we can hope they are okay,” Shawn said, chewing his sandwich.
“Matt?” Faith asked. “I have to do rounds in a few minutes. I haven’t been able to do them because I’ve been in here all afternoon, but before I do that, will you do me a favor?”
“Sure. What can I do for you?”
“I’d like you to read the Christmas story to the boys and girls who are awake.”
“Yes ma’am, I’d love to,” Matt smiled.
25. MRS. KELLER
“That’s about the poorest job I’ve ever seen of cutting firewood there, boys,” Roger sneered as Michael and I brought in an armful of roughly chopped wood.
“Hey, it’ll burn,” Michael replied. He lowered his voice and muttered, "You can take this wood and..." He stopped after I kicked him in the back of the leg. He glared at me, muttering softly, "Stupid Mexican..."
We set the wood right beside the front door on a metal rack I had not noticed earlier, and went inside. Ginger and Mrs. Keller sat in the living room, Ginger on the couch and Mrs. Keller on a rocking chair.
“Come in, boys, have a seat,” she smiled to us. “Ginger was just telling us about how you two work with youth at your church. That’s so wonderful.”
I smiled and sat on the couch with Ginger, while Michael sat on the rug in front of the couch.
“Baby, I’m going to bed,” Roger grunted, walking towards the bedroom. “You holler at me if any ‘them boys does something, or if that girl does something.”
“Go to sleep Roger, I’ll be in there directly.”
She looked as if she was forcing a smile as she watched him disappear into the kitchen that led to the bedroom. She turned to us and sighed, “His health is failing more everyday, but I guess that happens when you hit 70. He’s too stubborn to go to the doctor, but what worries me most is that he’s not a Christian. One day, the good Lord will get tired of waiting on him to get some common sense, and he’ll take Roger away. And by then, it’ll be too late.”
Mrs. Keller began to ask each of us about our backgrounds, who we were, where we were going and generally grandmother-like questions. Nothing was too personal, but everything was more than a yes-no answer.
She told us of her childhood growing up, and how she had accepted Christ as a young child. She told us of meeting Roger, their courtship, and how she fell in love with him.
“Married in 1949, we were,” she smiled. “He was 19, I was 15, and we were so in love. But let me warn you, if you don’t have the Lord in the center of your marriage, it’s a lot harder than it has to be.”
For the next few hours, in the light of only the fireplace and a few candles, I felt as if I was five years old again, listening to grandmother’s stories. When I glanced at Michael and Ginger, they both had a very attentive tone, as we were all three hanging on every word she had to say.
About midnight or so, she pointed to a small end table in the corner.
“Michael, can you hand me that bible there on that table?” she asked.
“Yes ma’am,” Michael said. He stood up and was forced to pick up the huge book with both hands. He walked over to Mrs. Keller, but she held her hand up.
“No, I don't think I'll be able to this time. Could you hand it to Ginger?”
“Um… okay,” he turned and handed the book to Ginger, whom I could tell underestimated its weight. When she put her hands under it and Michael let go, she almost dropped it on the coffee table in front of us.
“Now David, if you’ll look on the mantle, you’ll find a small oil lamp with some matches beside it. Could you light it and set it in front of Ginger so that she may see?”
“Yes ma’am,” I stood up and walked over to the mantle. I lit the oil lamp and brought to Ginger.
“Now, Ginger, would you mind reading the story of Jesus’ birth before I go to bed?” “I would love to, Mrs. Keller,” Ginger smiled, as she opened up the large cover and began flipping to Luke.
26... FAVORITES
“Wookiee, what’s your favorite Bible story?” Brit asked.
“You know, Brit, I don’t know,” Wookiee replied. “I guess I never thought about it.”
“Do you have one?”
“Well, I guess maybe not. I like a bunch of them, but I never really picked out a favorite.”
“Would you like me to pick you a favorite, so you’ll have one when somebody asks?”
“I think that would be a great idea. I’d really like to have a favorite bible story. What do you suggest?”
“I think your favorite bible story should be…” Brit leaned her head on the pillow like she was thinking really hard. “It’s Christmas, so your favorite Bible story should be Jesus’ birthday.”
“I like that story, Brit. I think that’s a great suggestion, and just because you picked it out, the birth of Jesus is my new favorite Bible story.”
“Okay, that’s cool! Now, since it’s your favorite Bible story, can you read it to me?” Brit smiled at Wookiee.
“Yes, I can,” Wookiee smiled back, taking the children’s Bible from her hands and flipping it open.
27... TRADITIONS
“I’m so excited!” Bethany put her arms around Claire, who still had tears in her eyes. “I just got off the phone with your Aunt Faith, and she was about to cry too!”
“I’m glad the place isn’t very full right now,” Claire laughed, wiping her running mascara away. “I looked like a wreck anyway with Mr. Keller in here earlier, and now this!”
Jennifer, Tom, Drew, Justin and Tommy kind of stood back in a line, all with big smiles on their faces.
Jerome, the cook, walked from behind the counter and put his arms around Claire, and with his deep, booming black voice said, “Praise God for you, Claire. Me and Nancy been prayin' for you for as long as I've been here.”
“No, praise God for these guys,” Claire smiled and looked at the five standing together.
“Yes, very much so,” Bethany walked to them. “You are like angels sent here from heaven, all of you!”
“Thanks for the free dinner,” Tom smiled.
“I wish we could pay you,” Jerome said. “You need to come work with me, Tom. You make a mean hash brown.”
Justin pulled a wad of cash out of his pockets and set it on the counter.
“That’s about fifty dollars or so, Claire,” he said. “That’s not much, but put it towards your college money for law school.”
“No, I couldn’t…”
“Take it,” he cut her off. “I don’t need it right now.”
“Yeah, now all you need is about twenty nine thousand, nine hundred and fifty dollars instead of the thirty thousand for a year at Harvard,” Tommy cracked.
“Alright,” Bethany said, “its almost midnight! It’s almost Christmas Eve! Someone has to read the Christmas story!”
“In here?” Drew asked.
“Yes!” Bethany replied. “It’s a tradition. You know we are open 24 hours a day, all year long, so every year at midnight on Christmas, someone reads the story of Jesus. If the customers get offended, there are a thousand Waffle Houses in Alabama they could go to.”
“But it’s only Christmas Eve,” Jenn said.
“Doesn’t matter,” she smiled. “We’ll make a special exception because you are here. Drew, would you read it for us?”
28... THE CHRISTMAS STORY
Leslie sat on the end of Ty’s bed, away from his harnessed leg, and had been there for about two hours or so, when Ty asked for the Bible on the nightstand.
“Do me a favor,” Ty asked.
“Anything Ty,” she said.
“Read the story. Turn to Luke, and read it to me,” Ty said. “It’s Christmas, and I’d like to hear it.
“Certainly,” she smiled. She opened up the book to the second chapter of Luke, and using her fingers to find her place, started at verse one.
“In those days Caeser Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone went to his own town to register.”
Matt looked out to the kids sitting in front of him, and to Amy, Steph, Shawn and Faith that were in the audience, and continued reading. He tried to be as expressive as he could reciting God’s word, saying “So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him, and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born. She gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”
Drew took a sip of water before continuing the reading. He looked up and realized he had the entire attention of the restaurant, which, while not full, had several people in booths and at the counter.
“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you. You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Wookiee smiled as he read, noticing that Brit had drifted off to sleep. He debated on slipping out, but he decided to finish reading his new favorite Bible story. Softly, he read, “Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.’ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’”
Ginger squinted in the dark light of the oil lamp, but the print was rather large, so she didn’t have much trouble seeing the words. She read, “So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told to them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.”
“That was beautiful, Ginger,” Mrs. Keller smiled. “Let me get you some blankets and such. I only have one extra pillow, and that will be for Ginger here. You boys will have to rough it on the floor.” She stood up and walked to a small door on the opposite wall from the fireplace. She pulled out three blankets and the pillow she spoke of.
“David, Michael, here are some sweats and old cloths you can bundle up and use for pillows. They are clean, so don’t worry about catching anything. And for Ginger, I have one pair of clean socks. I would give you boys a pair to warm your feet, but I’m afraid all I have are Roger’s socks, and you’d probably catch some sort of unidentifiable fungus.”
“Wouldn’t change anything from my usual socks,” Michael whispered to me.
“Now, can I ask one more favor of the three of you?”
“Yes ma’am,” I replied.
“Would you pray with me tonight? I don’t get out a whole lot, and I haven’t had anyone to pray with me outside of church in, oh, twenty years.”
“What would you like us to pray about, Mrs. Keller?” Michael asked.
“Oh, anything really. Let’s pray for your safety and that your friend is okay. We can pray for all your friends who might have gotten caught in the storm. We can pray for how wonderful Jesus is, and thank God that he let Jesus be born. And we can say a prayer for Roger.”
Mrs. Keller grabbed my hand, I grabbed Ginger’s, she grabbed Michael’s and Michael completed the circle by taking Mrs. Keller’s free hand.
29... LESSONS
Wookiee put the Bible down on the table, and smiled at Britany’s slumbering body. He put his head down and whispered, “God, I don’t know where I go after this, but thank you for my new friend. Take care of her. Take care of her sister, who works at Waffle House. She’ll need the prayer if she works at Waffle House. You just taught me a lot through this little girl, so don’t let me forget it. Amen.”
He looked around and grabbed the chart off the end of the bed. He took the pen out, and ripped out an empty piece of paper from the back of the chart.
He scribbled “Remember, Jesus will always love you and so will I. Your friend, the Wookiee.”
Chris stuck it in the Bible and stood up. He paused for a second, and then lightly reached over and kissed her forehead.
“Oh, and God,” he smiled as he looked up. “If I ever have a daughter, use this one as a model.”
He turned to walk out and jumped when he saw a nurse standing there.
“Who are you and why were you praying over Brit?” she asked.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Wookiee explained. “I came in here accidentally thinking this was a different room, and she started talking to me. So, we chatted for a while.”
“You… chatted?”
“Yeah, we had a long conversation.”
“With this little girl here in this bed?”
Wookiee was a bit puzzled at this question, because not only did he see no other little girl she could be confused about, he saw no other bed.
“Yes ma’am. We talked about Batman, Star Wars, Jesus and stuff. Smart kid. She asked me to read her the Christmas story, and she fell asleep. I just said a quick prayer for her.”
The nurse put her hands to her mouth, and then used her shoulder to wipe away a tear that quickly appeared. “I’m sorry, but Brit is my niece. She’s been so lonely. She never talks to anyone.”
She looked up at Wookiee and back at Brit. “I don’t think you realize how much God has used you tonight. She really needed a friend, and anyone she talks about Batman to is considered her friend.”
“Oh, I think God used her too,” he replied. “Faith like a child. I have to keep remembering that.”
“My name is Faith,” she stuck her hand out.
“Nice to meet you,” he shook her hand. “I’m Chris.”
“Chris? I think some friends of yours have been looking for you.”
And finally... on Christmas Day, the conclusion of "A Very Deuce Christmas Story", plus a new epilogue....
Installment One, featuring Parts 1 - 3
Installment Two, featuring Parts 4 - 8
Installment Three, featuring Parts 9 -12
Installment Four, featuring Parts 13 - 15
Installment Five, featuring Parts 16- 20
Installment Six, featuring Parts 21 - 23
And you can join me soon for the final installment. But for now, here's Part 24...
24... FAITH
Faith walked back in the children’s room with two small paper sacks in each hand and a cell phone wedged between her ear and shoulder.
“Why yes,” Faith smiled to the person she was talking to, “It’s quite amazing. I had no help and these four just showed up at the door. It was as if God had sent them himself!”
Some of the kids were already asleep, and a few were playing quietly in the corner. Steph, Amy, Shawn and Matt were no longer participating in the playtime of the children, but now just supervising and observing.
She set the bags on the table, pointed at Amy and then the bags.
“These are for you,” she mouthed, going back to the phone conversation. “Really? How weird is that?”
Amy watched as Faith’s face went from a normal expression to one of complete joy.
“That’s so incredible! I’m so happy for her! Wow, I’ll have to share that with my new volunteers here! Well, they say the roads won’t open up here until at least four in the morning, so I might be here for the night. Okay, the connection is breaking up… well, my battery is full, so it’s either your battery or the lines are going down again. Bye!”
She hung up the phone and turned to Steph, Matt, Amy and Shawn.
“My friend just told me that my niece just became a Christian!”
“Wow, that’s awesome!” Steph said.
“That’s so exciting to me,” Faith said as she handed the four bags to each person, while explaining her conversation, “Claire is someone who really needed direction. And listen to this: I have a friend who works at a Waffle House down the interstate, and much like I was, they were overwhelmed. And like the four of you, some people just randomly showed up and started helping out! She said they could not have survived without them! She said that one guy was cooking, one was waiting tables, someone was washing dishes, and one of them even sat down with my niece and gave her the plan of salvation! They prayed right there at the counter!”
“That’s so cool,” Shawn said, sitting in one of the children’s chairs.
“That’s so God,” Amy added.
“That’s so Drew and them, is what that is,” Matt replied.
“You think it was Drew, Tommy, Jennifer, Tom and Justin?” Steph looked at Matt.
“I dunno,” he replied, unwrapping the sandwich he’d picked out of the bag given to him. “But that could be them. It wouldn’t surprise me at all.” Then he perked up, looking at Faith. “If you used your cell phone, that means that some lines are up!”
Amy pulled hers out of her pocket quickly and started dialing. First she dialed Michael’s.
“No answer,” she said, hanging up. Matt was trying Ginger’s, with the same results.
Neither Drew’s, nor Justin’s, nor Jennifer’s picked up, and there was no answer to Tom’s pager.
“Can we use your phone to call?” Amy asked Faith. “We can call back and at least see if they are there.”
“You can try, but I think either Bethany’s battery was dying or there was no connection.” Faith handed her phone to Amy, and she dialed in the number as it appeared on the phone screen.
“Nothing,” she sighed, closing the phone.
“Well, I guess we can hope they are okay,” Shawn said, chewing his sandwich.
“Matt?” Faith asked. “I have to do rounds in a few minutes. I haven’t been able to do them because I’ve been in here all afternoon, but before I do that, will you do me a favor?”
“Sure. What can I do for you?”
“I’d like you to read the Christmas story to the boys and girls who are awake.”
“Yes ma’am, I’d love to,” Matt smiled.
25. MRS. KELLER
“That’s about the poorest job I’ve ever seen of cutting firewood there, boys,” Roger sneered as Michael and I brought in an armful of roughly chopped wood.
“Hey, it’ll burn,” Michael replied. He lowered his voice and muttered, "You can take this wood and..." He stopped after I kicked him in the back of the leg. He glared at me, muttering softly, "Stupid Mexican..."
We set the wood right beside the front door on a metal rack I had not noticed earlier, and went inside. Ginger and Mrs. Keller sat in the living room, Ginger on the couch and Mrs. Keller on a rocking chair.
“Come in, boys, have a seat,” she smiled to us. “Ginger was just telling us about how you two work with youth at your church. That’s so wonderful.”
I smiled and sat on the couch with Ginger, while Michael sat on the rug in front of the couch.
“Baby, I’m going to bed,” Roger grunted, walking towards the bedroom. “You holler at me if any ‘them boys does something, or if that girl does something.”
“Go to sleep Roger, I’ll be in there directly.”
She looked as if she was forcing a smile as she watched him disappear into the kitchen that led to the bedroom. She turned to us and sighed, “His health is failing more everyday, but I guess that happens when you hit 70. He’s too stubborn to go to the doctor, but what worries me most is that he’s not a Christian. One day, the good Lord will get tired of waiting on him to get some common sense, and he’ll take Roger away. And by then, it’ll be too late.”
Mrs. Keller began to ask each of us about our backgrounds, who we were, where we were going and generally grandmother-like questions. Nothing was too personal, but everything was more than a yes-no answer.
She told us of her childhood growing up, and how she had accepted Christ as a young child. She told us of meeting Roger, their courtship, and how she fell in love with him.
“Married in 1949, we were,” she smiled. “He was 19, I was 15, and we were so in love. But let me warn you, if you don’t have the Lord in the center of your marriage, it’s a lot harder than it has to be.”
For the next few hours, in the light of only the fireplace and a few candles, I felt as if I was five years old again, listening to grandmother’s stories. When I glanced at Michael and Ginger, they both had a very attentive tone, as we were all three hanging on every word she had to say.
About midnight or so, she pointed to a small end table in the corner.
“Michael, can you hand me that bible there on that table?” she asked.
“Yes ma’am,” Michael said. He stood up and was forced to pick up the huge book with both hands. He walked over to Mrs. Keller, but she held her hand up.
“No, I don't think I'll be able to this time. Could you hand it to Ginger?”
“Um… okay,” he turned and handed the book to Ginger, whom I could tell underestimated its weight. When she put her hands under it and Michael let go, she almost dropped it on the coffee table in front of us.
“Now David, if you’ll look on the mantle, you’ll find a small oil lamp with some matches beside it. Could you light it and set it in front of Ginger so that she may see?”
“Yes ma’am,” I stood up and walked over to the mantle. I lit the oil lamp and brought to Ginger.
“Now, Ginger, would you mind reading the story of Jesus’ birth before I go to bed?” “I would love to, Mrs. Keller,” Ginger smiled, as she opened up the large cover and began flipping to Luke.
26... FAVORITES
“Wookiee, what’s your favorite Bible story?” Brit asked.
“You know, Brit, I don’t know,” Wookiee replied. “I guess I never thought about it.”
“Do you have one?”
“Well, I guess maybe not. I like a bunch of them, but I never really picked out a favorite.”
“Would you like me to pick you a favorite, so you’ll have one when somebody asks?”
“I think that would be a great idea. I’d really like to have a favorite bible story. What do you suggest?”
“I think your favorite bible story should be…” Brit leaned her head on the pillow like she was thinking really hard. “It’s Christmas, so your favorite Bible story should be Jesus’ birthday.”
“I like that story, Brit. I think that’s a great suggestion, and just because you picked it out, the birth of Jesus is my new favorite Bible story.”
“Okay, that’s cool! Now, since it’s your favorite Bible story, can you read it to me?” Brit smiled at Wookiee.
“Yes, I can,” Wookiee smiled back, taking the children’s Bible from her hands and flipping it open.
27... TRADITIONS
“I’m so excited!” Bethany put her arms around Claire, who still had tears in her eyes. “I just got off the phone with your Aunt Faith, and she was about to cry too!”
“I’m glad the place isn’t very full right now,” Claire laughed, wiping her running mascara away. “I looked like a wreck anyway with Mr. Keller in here earlier, and now this!”
Jennifer, Tom, Drew, Justin and Tommy kind of stood back in a line, all with big smiles on their faces.
Jerome, the cook, walked from behind the counter and put his arms around Claire, and with his deep, booming black voice said, “Praise God for you, Claire. Me and Nancy been prayin' for you for as long as I've been here.”
“No, praise God for these guys,” Claire smiled and looked at the five standing together.
“Yes, very much so,” Bethany walked to them. “You are like angels sent here from heaven, all of you!”
“Thanks for the free dinner,” Tom smiled.
“I wish we could pay you,” Jerome said. “You need to come work with me, Tom. You make a mean hash brown.”
Justin pulled a wad of cash out of his pockets and set it on the counter.
“That’s about fifty dollars or so, Claire,” he said. “That’s not much, but put it towards your college money for law school.”
“No, I couldn’t…”
“Take it,” he cut her off. “I don’t need it right now.”
“Yeah, now all you need is about twenty nine thousand, nine hundred and fifty dollars instead of the thirty thousand for a year at Harvard,” Tommy cracked.
“Alright,” Bethany said, “its almost midnight! It’s almost Christmas Eve! Someone has to read the Christmas story!”
“In here?” Drew asked.
“Yes!” Bethany replied. “It’s a tradition. You know we are open 24 hours a day, all year long, so every year at midnight on Christmas, someone reads the story of Jesus. If the customers get offended, there are a thousand Waffle Houses in Alabama they could go to.”
“But it’s only Christmas Eve,” Jenn said.
“Doesn’t matter,” she smiled. “We’ll make a special exception because you are here. Drew, would you read it for us?”
28... THE CHRISTMAS STORY
Leslie sat on the end of Ty’s bed, away from his harnessed leg, and had been there for about two hours or so, when Ty asked for the Bible on the nightstand.
“Do me a favor,” Ty asked.
“Anything Ty,” she said.
“Read the story. Turn to Luke, and read it to me,” Ty said. “It’s Christmas, and I’d like to hear it.
“Certainly,” she smiled. She opened up the book to the second chapter of Luke, and using her fingers to find her place, started at verse one.
“In those days Caeser Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone went to his own town to register.”
Matt looked out to the kids sitting in front of him, and to Amy, Steph, Shawn and Faith that were in the audience, and continued reading. He tried to be as expressive as he could reciting God’s word, saying “So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him, and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born. She gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”
Drew took a sip of water before continuing the reading. He looked up and realized he had the entire attention of the restaurant, which, while not full, had several people in booths and at the counter.
“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you. You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Wookiee smiled as he read, noticing that Brit had drifted off to sleep. He debated on slipping out, but he decided to finish reading his new favorite Bible story. Softly, he read, “Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.’ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’”
Ginger squinted in the dark light of the oil lamp, but the print was rather large, so she didn’t have much trouble seeing the words. She read, “So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told to them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.”
“That was beautiful, Ginger,” Mrs. Keller smiled. “Let me get you some blankets and such. I only have one extra pillow, and that will be for Ginger here. You boys will have to rough it on the floor.” She stood up and walked to a small door on the opposite wall from the fireplace. She pulled out three blankets and the pillow she spoke of.
“David, Michael, here are some sweats and old cloths you can bundle up and use for pillows. They are clean, so don’t worry about catching anything. And for Ginger, I have one pair of clean socks. I would give you boys a pair to warm your feet, but I’m afraid all I have are Roger’s socks, and you’d probably catch some sort of unidentifiable fungus.”
“Wouldn’t change anything from my usual socks,” Michael whispered to me.
“Now, can I ask one more favor of the three of you?”
“Yes ma’am,” I replied.
“Would you pray with me tonight? I don’t get out a whole lot, and I haven’t had anyone to pray with me outside of church in, oh, twenty years.”
“What would you like us to pray about, Mrs. Keller?” Michael asked.
“Oh, anything really. Let’s pray for your safety and that your friend is okay. We can pray for all your friends who might have gotten caught in the storm. We can pray for how wonderful Jesus is, and thank God that he let Jesus be born. And we can say a prayer for Roger.”
Mrs. Keller grabbed my hand, I grabbed Ginger’s, she grabbed Michael’s and Michael completed the circle by taking Mrs. Keller’s free hand.
29... LESSONS
Wookiee put the Bible down on the table, and smiled at Britany’s slumbering body. He put his head down and whispered, “God, I don’t know where I go after this, but thank you for my new friend. Take care of her. Take care of her sister, who works at Waffle House. She’ll need the prayer if she works at Waffle House. You just taught me a lot through this little girl, so don’t let me forget it. Amen.”
He looked around and grabbed the chart off the end of the bed. He took the pen out, and ripped out an empty piece of paper from the back of the chart.
He scribbled “Remember, Jesus will always love you and so will I. Your friend, the Wookiee.”
Chris stuck it in the Bible and stood up. He paused for a second, and then lightly reached over and kissed her forehead.
“Oh, and God,” he smiled as he looked up. “If I ever have a daughter, use this one as a model.”
He turned to walk out and jumped when he saw a nurse standing there.
“Who are you and why were you praying over Brit?” she asked.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Wookiee explained. “I came in here accidentally thinking this was a different room, and she started talking to me. So, we chatted for a while.”
“You… chatted?”
“Yeah, we had a long conversation.”
“With this little girl here in this bed?”
Wookiee was a bit puzzled at this question, because not only did he see no other little girl she could be confused about, he saw no other bed.
“Yes ma’am. We talked about Batman, Star Wars, Jesus and stuff. Smart kid. She asked me to read her the Christmas story, and she fell asleep. I just said a quick prayer for her.”
The nurse put her hands to her mouth, and then used her shoulder to wipe away a tear that quickly appeared. “I’m sorry, but Brit is my niece. She’s been so lonely. She never talks to anyone.”
She looked up at Wookiee and back at Brit. “I don’t think you realize how much God has used you tonight. She really needed a friend, and anyone she talks about Batman to is considered her friend.”
“Oh, I think God used her too,” he replied. “Faith like a child. I have to keep remembering that.”
“My name is Faith,” she stuck her hand out.
“Nice to meet you,” he shook her hand. “I’m Chris.”
“Chris? I think some friends of yours have been looking for you.”
And finally... on Christmas Day, the conclusion of "A Very Deuce Christmas Story", plus a new epilogue....
A Very Deuce Christmas Story, Parts 21 - 23
Merry Christmas, fellow Coffee Drinkers. Regardless of what you hear from KT, if you read the blog, I consider you a "drinker" of the wordy liquid I have to offer. Becoming a "follower" only makes it official. Heck, I'm just glad you stopped by...
Catch Up on A Very Deuce Christmas Story
Installment One, featuring Parts 1 - 3
Installment Two, featuring Parts 4 - 8
Installment Three, featuring Parts 9 -12
Installment Four, featuring Parts 13 - 15
Installment Five, featuring Parts 16- 20
21... INNOCENCE
“That’s what happened to my mom,” Brit said.
Wookiee sat for a moment, and then quickly wiped a tear from his eye. No sense in letting her see the big strong beast cry. He sat next to her bed in a small chair, chin on palms, elbows on knees. He had been in this position for the last hour, chatting with this 7-year-old child. He marveled at her innocence of the world, he wished for the day when his biggest problems were getting his j and k backwards on a test in school and not coloring completely in the lines.
He also felt sympathy for her when she told of how her mother died of cancer a year before. He had a broken heart when she told him how her father hasn’t been to see her in the hospital in the three weeks she’d been there.
“He works a lot,” she had said about that, in a voice that indicated its okay, he’ll be here when he can. “The only who visits me is my sister, she comes when she can, but she has to work a lot. There’s really no one to talk to. But now you are here!”
He silently prayed for her as she said she loved Jesus, and that he would take care of her, no matter what. Wookiee fought back tears like he’d never done when she said, “Jesus loves little kids, because he said so in the Bible. My Bible even has a picture in it with Jesus and a bunch of kids.”
She pointed to the book lying on the windowsill. Wookiee got up, walked over and brought the Children’s bible to her.
She opened it, flipping pages for just a few seconds, stopping on a painted picture of Jesus surrounded by several children.
“She’s my favorite,” Brit pointed to a little girl in the front of the picture standing next to the depiction of Jesus. “I like her because she has curly brown hair like me, and because Jesus has his hand on her arm. I think it would make me feel really special if Jesus has his hand on my arm.”
“I’ll bet it would,” Wookiee smiled, leaning back into his chair. “It would make me feel special too. But you know what?”
“What?” she asked.
“Jesus always touches you,” Wookiee said. “He may not touch you on the arm like this…” he leaned over and poked her in the arm with his finger, causing her to giggle, then continued, “…but he always touches you here.” He put his hand over his heart. “He’ll always be in my heart, just like he’ll always be in yours.”
“That’s why Christmas is my favorite day because Jesus was born that day, and I like wishing Jesus a happy birthday. Have you wished Jesus a happy birthday yet?” she asked.
“Not yet,” Wookiee replied. Then, talking more to himself than to Brit, “It’s been a long time since I really said much to Jesus.”
“Let’s sing happy birthday to him!”
Wookiee laughed, and then nodded. “Okay, Brit. You start.”
As precious as a little 7-year-old girl could, she began to sing a completely horrible off-key version of happy birthday. Wookiee followed along in an equally off key tone, but they sang the song and both laughed and laughed.
22... KELLERS
We reached the yard of the house we had spotted from the highway, and the house looked so warm and comfortable. The blue truck sat in the middle of the yard. You could tell it had just been used, as there was very little frost on the windshield compared to the thick snow that covered the entire yard and roof of the house. I wanted to appreciate how pretty the entire scene was, but I was too cold. We walked by a mailbox on the right reading "Keller”, with the flag up. It was almost like a Thomas Kinkaide painting... well, except for the below-freezing temperatures, the darkness and piercing wind. Besides that.
Apparently, Michael saw it on the mailbox too, because I heard him mumble, “Keller? I hardly even…” and then he trailed off.
I stepped on the porch first, followed closely by Ginger and Michael. I carefully stepped up to the door, raised my hand to knock and then stopped. What was I doing?
“How do I do this?” I turned to them, whispering. “Do I just say ‘please help us’?”
“Pretend like you are in one of those Charles Dickens stories,” Ginger said, throwing on an accent, “Please halp us, suh, we want to be wahm.”
“This isn’t funny!” I said as she and Michael both giggled.
“Just knock,” Michael finally said. “With our luck, it’ll be some of the DeRamii clan, and they’ll come out with the gun and kill us all.” Michael referred to the people who lived on the first floor of Rollingwood Apartments, directly below The Deuce. Brook DeRamus was a marine biologist that we seldom had seen. At that moment, however, I would have given anything to be standing in front of the DeRamuses door instead of where I stood.
“We get shot, at least we’ll be warm,” Ginger added.
Taking a deep breath, I knocked. We stood in anticipation, waiting for something to happen. Nothing did. I knocked again, and a few minutes later, I heard footsteps inside.
“Moment of truth,” I said as I heard the door unlock from the inside, and the doorknob turn. The door creaked open about three or four inches and I made out the face of an older man on the inside peering through the crack.
“We don’t want anything you have to sell, boy,” he crackled from the inside.
“No, sir, we aren’t selling anything,” I said. “We are stuck in the cold, and wondered if you had a barn or something we could get warm in.”
“Or maybe if we could come inside or something,” Michael added, standing behind Ginger and myself. I threw my elbow back to get him, and accidentally hit Ginger. I could tell she had flinched, but held it nicely.
“Let you come inside so you can rob me, huh?” the man replied. “No thank you. Get off my porch before I call the police.”
With that, the door abruptly slammed. I turned to look at Ginger and Michael and shrugged my shoulders.
“Well, there went that idea,” I said.
“At least he didn’t shoot us,” Michael said, turning to walk off of the porch.
Michael stepped onto the icy ground, and Ginger was walking down the steps when I heard the door open again. We all three turned from where we were, and saw the door standing wide open, this time with an elderly lady standing at the door.
“What was your problem again, young man?” she asked.
“Oh ma’am,” I quickly walked back to the door to where she stood. “We had an accident, and we were supposed to be picked up by a friend of ours, but he didn’t make it. Now we have no place to go, and we are all freezing.”
“You aren’t one of those pesky phone service salesmen, or Amway people, are you?” she said with a laugh.
“No ma’am, we just want some heat,” I smiled.
“Please come in,” she smiled back. I breathed a sigh of relief as I walked into the house. Suddenly, every part of my body that had been exposed to the cold was hit with a blast of warm air.
“Oh my gosh,” Michael said as he walked through the door. “It feels so good in here!”
“And who are you?” the older lady asked.
“My name is David,” I stuck my hand out to shake it.
“I’m Ginger,” Ginger also stuck her hand out.
“Oh, hi, I’m Michael,” he said as unzipped his jacket.
“Nice to meet the three of you,” she said. “My name is Linda Keller. You’ll have to excuse my husband Roger, he’s paranoid about everybody and everything. I told him we couldn’t let you freeze, that just wouldn’t be very Christian of me, now would it?”
The house had an old feel to it, like a typical grandmother’s house you would find. Although the power had gone out, I could make out older pictures and paintings on the wall, and different decorative Christmas items scattered about the living room we stood in. The tree was in the corner, standing tall, but dark because of the power loss.
I could only guess the warmth was caused by an alternative source of power, such as gas, and the roaring fire in the fireplace across the room didn’t hurt. The fire in the flue combined with the candles glowing in the window must have given the light I spotted from down the road.
“Do come in the kitchen and have a seat,” she motioned to us, leading us into an adjacent room. “I’d like to find out more about your plight.”
The kitchen was lit with candles placed all over the room, providing more than enough light to find our way around. Michael and I walked behind Mrs. Keller into the room, keeping Ginger instinctively between us, just in case.
As she walked by the table in the kitchen, we each had a seat. In the candlelight, I couldn’t truly see her face, but I could watch her silhouette move to the stove. I heard a click, and then a little row of blue flames popped out. She grabbed a pot and filled it with water, then placing it above the flames on the stove. Our eyes watched her as she walked to another doorway that I only noticed when she went to it.
“Roger, come out here and meet our guests that you so rudely spurned!” She turned back around to us, slowly walking to the counter. An elderly man appeared in the dark doorway, which I could guess was our greeter a few minutes before.
“Roger, I’d like you to meet David, Ginger and…” she turned to look at Michael. “…I’m so sorry, what did you say your name was?”
“Michael,” he said.
“Yes!” she turned back to Roger. “And meet Michael. They are stuck in the storm, and they have come to us for help.”
“Why don’t you just go to the Waffle House? It ain’t but about four miles from here. If ya’ started now, you could make it in an hour.”
“Roger, settle down. They’ve been in the weather since mid-afternoon. I’m not going to make them go walking in it again.”
“Ah, Waffle House got some stupid new guy waiter anyways. He looked like one a‘them gays or something.”
“You weren’t mean to Claire again, were you?” She turned to us. “She’s just the nicest young lady, putting herself through school and all. Roger is so rude to her, makes her cry sometimes!”
“Where you kids from?” he looked at us and grunted.
“Birmingham,” Ginger answered.
“You all on drugs? You all high up on that pot stuff?”
“No sir,” Ginger held back a smile. “We don’t do any drugs.”
“You have to be on something to be in this kind of weather and ain’t got nowhere to go.”
“Roger,” Mrs. Keller said. “I’m making them some hot tea. Now, in a moment, David and Michael are going to go outside with you and chop some wood. Ginger will stay here with me and help me clean up the kitchen. And in return, we will allow them to stay in our living room for the evening. Roger, how does that sound?”
“Fine. When you wake up tomorrow and everything is gone, don’t complain to me. I’ll just ignore you and go to the Waffle House for some breakfast like I always do.”
Mrs. Keller turned back to face us. “Now, does sound like a fair deal? We need the wood chopped, and you need somewhere warm to go. You can’t take much from the living room even if you wanted to, because anything of value is not in there. But first, you need to warm up before going back out, and the hot tea is almost done.”
I looked over at Michael, and then Ginger, who sat between us.
“Ginger,” I leaned over and whispered in her ear. “How do you feel about this? If Michael and I go outside, you’ll be inside by yourself.”
She leaned back a little and whispered, “I think it’ll be okay. If she tries something, I can take her. I think she’s okay.”
“Now, tell me your story and how you ended up on my front porch,” she asked, setting down cups in front of Ginger, Michael and myself.
I looked over at Michael and Ginger, and Michael piped up “Dave, you tell her. My lips are still thawing.”
23... CLAIRE
Drew worked his way through every Christmas song that came to mind, and then doubled back and repeated some. He figured by nine o’clock, there couldn’t be that many people that were in here when he started two hours ago.
“Chestnuts roasting on an open fire,” he sang, as he had done a few hours before.
Tom sat down with his meal after two hours of cooking, and Justin sat down to eat his waffles. Tommy came out a few minutes later with a plate of food.
“Merry Christmas, Tom,” he smiled, taking a bite of his food.
“You too,” Tom laughed. “It’s been an interesting day, hasn’t it?”
“Yeah it has.”
The crowd had slowed quite a bit from an hour ago, so much so that Bethany was the only waitress walking around. Claire still sat with Jenn in the corner.
“So, let me get this right,” Claire said. “No matter how long it’s been since God and I last spoke, it doesn’t matter?”
“No, it doesn’t. When you speak to God, whether you last did it ten minutes ago or ten years ago, he listens to you like the two of you had never stopped talking in the first place.”
“That’s so awesome, Jennifer,” Claire whispered softly.
“Check it out, it’s Christmas! You won’t find a better time to spark up a relationship with God than around his son’s birthday.”
“I really could use some of God’s grace right now, with mother being gone, my sister in the hospital and my dad never around.”
“What’s wrong with her?”
“Well, our mother died of cancer a year ago, and my sister is showing signs of leukemia already. She’s been there three weeks now for tests and such. My dad kind of lost it when Mother died, and so he drinks a whole lot. But to Britany, Daddy is the world to her, and can do no wrong. He hasn’t been there once to see her since she’s been there. Because of that, she hasn’t said more than two or three words the entire time she’s been in the hospital. I guess she doesn’t say much because she feels like there’s no one to talk to.”
“Does she have anyone to look after her besides you?”
“My aunt works there, so she checks on her all the time. But Brit and my aunt were never close, so she doesn’t open up to her at all.
Jennifer took a deep breath, knowing that this is where the conversation had to go. She prayed silently that she could step aside and let God speak through her. She gave a slight pause, took another breath and then spoke.
“Listen, Claire, I have to tell you that a relationship with Christ won’t make everything all better instantly. You won’t say Amen and suddenly find yourself at Harvard with a sober dad and a healthy sister. A relationship with Christ is not easy by no stretch of the imagination. But you will have someone to turn to. I can promise you that God will always be there for you.”
“But religion is so foreign to me.”
“No, Claire, you aren’t listening,” Jenn spoke very sternly. “I’m not talking about religion. I’m talking about a relationship, a one on one relationship with the Creator of the entire universe. He huge enough to have been here before time existed and will be here long after there is no concept of time, but He is small enough to want a relationship with stupid sinner me and stupid sinner you. All He asks of you is that you admit you are a sinner, and you accept the fact that God sent His Son to die for you to be forgiven. That’s not a religion… that’s a relationship with Christ.”
Jennifer held her breath, not knowing if Claire would get up and walk away, or just coldly reject everything she was saying.
Instead, Claire looked up at Jenn and had a tear trickle down her cheek.
“Jennifer,” Claire said as another tear fell. “Can you tell me how to have a relationship with Jesus Christ? My sister has one. She talks about how much Jesus loves her and even though she never sees her dad, and her mom is gone, and she’s lying in a hospital bed with possible cancer, she talks about how Jesus will take care of her. I have been passing it off as a naïve child not knowing anything, but secretly I desired to have that much faith in something. In anything. Can you tell me how?”
Jennifer reached over and grasped Claire’s quivering hands on the table.
“Yes,” Jenn smiled, wiping her own tear away. "Yes I can."
PARTS 24 - 29
Catch Up on A Very Deuce Christmas Story
Installment One, featuring Parts 1 - 3
Installment Two, featuring Parts 4 - 8
Installment Three, featuring Parts 9 -12
Installment Four, featuring Parts 13 - 15
Installment Five, featuring Parts 16- 20
21... INNOCENCE
“That’s what happened to my mom,” Brit said.
Wookiee sat for a moment, and then quickly wiped a tear from his eye. No sense in letting her see the big strong beast cry. He sat next to her bed in a small chair, chin on palms, elbows on knees. He had been in this position for the last hour, chatting with this 7-year-old child. He marveled at her innocence of the world, he wished for the day when his biggest problems were getting his j and k backwards on a test in school and not coloring completely in the lines.
He also felt sympathy for her when she told of how her mother died of cancer a year before. He had a broken heart when she told him how her father hasn’t been to see her in the hospital in the three weeks she’d been there.
“He works a lot,” she had said about that, in a voice that indicated its okay, he’ll be here when he can. “The only who visits me is my sister, she comes when she can, but she has to work a lot. There’s really no one to talk to. But now you are here!”
He silently prayed for her as she said she loved Jesus, and that he would take care of her, no matter what. Wookiee fought back tears like he’d never done when she said, “Jesus loves little kids, because he said so in the Bible. My Bible even has a picture in it with Jesus and a bunch of kids.”
She pointed to the book lying on the windowsill. Wookiee got up, walked over and brought the Children’s bible to her.
She opened it, flipping pages for just a few seconds, stopping on a painted picture of Jesus surrounded by several children.
“She’s my favorite,” Brit pointed to a little girl in the front of the picture standing next to the depiction of Jesus. “I like her because she has curly brown hair like me, and because Jesus has his hand on her arm. I think it would make me feel really special if Jesus has his hand on my arm.”
“I’ll bet it would,” Wookiee smiled, leaning back into his chair. “It would make me feel special too. But you know what?”
“What?” she asked.
“Jesus always touches you,” Wookiee said. “He may not touch you on the arm like this…” he leaned over and poked her in the arm with his finger, causing her to giggle, then continued, “…but he always touches you here.” He put his hand over his heart. “He’ll always be in my heart, just like he’ll always be in yours.”
“That’s why Christmas is my favorite day because Jesus was born that day, and I like wishing Jesus a happy birthday. Have you wished Jesus a happy birthday yet?” she asked.
“Not yet,” Wookiee replied. Then, talking more to himself than to Brit, “It’s been a long time since I really said much to Jesus.”
“Let’s sing happy birthday to him!”
Wookiee laughed, and then nodded. “Okay, Brit. You start.”
As precious as a little 7-year-old girl could, she began to sing a completely horrible off-key version of happy birthday. Wookiee followed along in an equally off key tone, but they sang the song and both laughed and laughed.
22... KELLERS
We reached the yard of the house we had spotted from the highway, and the house looked so warm and comfortable. The blue truck sat in the middle of the yard. You could tell it had just been used, as there was very little frost on the windshield compared to the thick snow that covered the entire yard and roof of the house. I wanted to appreciate how pretty the entire scene was, but I was too cold. We walked by a mailbox on the right reading "Keller”, with the flag up. It was almost like a Thomas Kinkaide painting... well, except for the below-freezing temperatures, the darkness and piercing wind. Besides that.
Apparently, Michael saw it on the mailbox too, because I heard him mumble, “Keller? I hardly even…” and then he trailed off.
I stepped on the porch first, followed closely by Ginger and Michael. I carefully stepped up to the door, raised my hand to knock and then stopped. What was I doing?
“How do I do this?” I turned to them, whispering. “Do I just say ‘please help us’?”
“Pretend like you are in one of those Charles Dickens stories,” Ginger said, throwing on an accent, “Please halp us, suh, we want to be wahm.”
“This isn’t funny!” I said as she and Michael both giggled.
“Just knock,” Michael finally said. “With our luck, it’ll be some of the DeRamii clan, and they’ll come out with the gun and kill us all.” Michael referred to the people who lived on the first floor of Rollingwood Apartments, directly below The Deuce. Brook DeRamus was a marine biologist that we seldom had seen. At that moment, however, I would have given anything to be standing in front of the DeRamuses door instead of where I stood.
“We get shot, at least we’ll be warm,” Ginger added.
Taking a deep breath, I knocked. We stood in anticipation, waiting for something to happen. Nothing did. I knocked again, and a few minutes later, I heard footsteps inside.
“Moment of truth,” I said as I heard the door unlock from the inside, and the doorknob turn. The door creaked open about three or four inches and I made out the face of an older man on the inside peering through the crack.
“We don’t want anything you have to sell, boy,” he crackled from the inside.
“No, sir, we aren’t selling anything,” I said. “We are stuck in the cold, and wondered if you had a barn or something we could get warm in.”
“Or maybe if we could come inside or something,” Michael added, standing behind Ginger and myself. I threw my elbow back to get him, and accidentally hit Ginger. I could tell she had flinched, but held it nicely.
“Let you come inside so you can rob me, huh?” the man replied. “No thank you. Get off my porch before I call the police.”
With that, the door abruptly slammed. I turned to look at Ginger and Michael and shrugged my shoulders.
“Well, there went that idea,” I said.
“At least he didn’t shoot us,” Michael said, turning to walk off of the porch.
Michael stepped onto the icy ground, and Ginger was walking down the steps when I heard the door open again. We all three turned from where we were, and saw the door standing wide open, this time with an elderly lady standing at the door.
“What was your problem again, young man?” she asked.
“Oh ma’am,” I quickly walked back to the door to where she stood. “We had an accident, and we were supposed to be picked up by a friend of ours, but he didn’t make it. Now we have no place to go, and we are all freezing.”
“You aren’t one of those pesky phone service salesmen, or Amway people, are you?” she said with a laugh.
“No ma’am, we just want some heat,” I smiled.
“Please come in,” she smiled back. I breathed a sigh of relief as I walked into the house. Suddenly, every part of my body that had been exposed to the cold was hit with a blast of warm air.
“Oh my gosh,” Michael said as he walked through the door. “It feels so good in here!”
“And who are you?” the older lady asked.
“My name is David,” I stuck my hand out to shake it.
“I’m Ginger,” Ginger also stuck her hand out.
“Oh, hi, I’m Michael,” he said as unzipped his jacket.
“Nice to meet the three of you,” she said. “My name is Linda Keller. You’ll have to excuse my husband Roger, he’s paranoid about everybody and everything. I told him we couldn’t let you freeze, that just wouldn’t be very Christian of me, now would it?”
The house had an old feel to it, like a typical grandmother’s house you would find. Although the power had gone out, I could make out older pictures and paintings on the wall, and different decorative Christmas items scattered about the living room we stood in. The tree was in the corner, standing tall, but dark because of the power loss.
I could only guess the warmth was caused by an alternative source of power, such as gas, and the roaring fire in the fireplace across the room didn’t hurt. The fire in the flue combined with the candles glowing in the window must have given the light I spotted from down the road.
“Do come in the kitchen and have a seat,” she motioned to us, leading us into an adjacent room. “I’d like to find out more about your plight.”
The kitchen was lit with candles placed all over the room, providing more than enough light to find our way around. Michael and I walked behind Mrs. Keller into the room, keeping Ginger instinctively between us, just in case.
As she walked by the table in the kitchen, we each had a seat. In the candlelight, I couldn’t truly see her face, but I could watch her silhouette move to the stove. I heard a click, and then a little row of blue flames popped out. She grabbed a pot and filled it with water, then placing it above the flames on the stove. Our eyes watched her as she walked to another doorway that I only noticed when she went to it.
“Roger, come out here and meet our guests that you so rudely spurned!” She turned back around to us, slowly walking to the counter. An elderly man appeared in the dark doorway, which I could guess was our greeter a few minutes before.
“Roger, I’d like you to meet David, Ginger and…” she turned to look at Michael. “…I’m so sorry, what did you say your name was?”
“Michael,” he said.
“Yes!” she turned back to Roger. “And meet Michael. They are stuck in the storm, and they have come to us for help.”
“Why don’t you just go to the Waffle House? It ain’t but about four miles from here. If ya’ started now, you could make it in an hour.”
“Roger, settle down. They’ve been in the weather since mid-afternoon. I’m not going to make them go walking in it again.”
“Ah, Waffle House got some stupid new guy waiter anyways. He looked like one a‘them gays or something.”
“You weren’t mean to Claire again, were you?” She turned to us. “She’s just the nicest young lady, putting herself through school and all. Roger is so rude to her, makes her cry sometimes!”
“Where you kids from?” he looked at us and grunted.
“Birmingham,” Ginger answered.
“You all on drugs? You all high up on that pot stuff?”
“No sir,” Ginger held back a smile. “We don’t do any drugs.”
“You have to be on something to be in this kind of weather and ain’t got nowhere to go.”
“Roger,” Mrs. Keller said. “I’m making them some hot tea. Now, in a moment, David and Michael are going to go outside with you and chop some wood. Ginger will stay here with me and help me clean up the kitchen. And in return, we will allow them to stay in our living room for the evening. Roger, how does that sound?”
“Fine. When you wake up tomorrow and everything is gone, don’t complain to me. I’ll just ignore you and go to the Waffle House for some breakfast like I always do.”
Mrs. Keller turned back to face us. “Now, does sound like a fair deal? We need the wood chopped, and you need somewhere warm to go. You can’t take much from the living room even if you wanted to, because anything of value is not in there. But first, you need to warm up before going back out, and the hot tea is almost done.”
I looked over at Michael, and then Ginger, who sat between us.
“Ginger,” I leaned over and whispered in her ear. “How do you feel about this? If Michael and I go outside, you’ll be inside by yourself.”
She leaned back a little and whispered, “I think it’ll be okay. If she tries something, I can take her. I think she’s okay.”
“Now, tell me your story and how you ended up on my front porch,” she asked, setting down cups in front of Ginger, Michael and myself.
I looked over at Michael and Ginger, and Michael piped up “Dave, you tell her. My lips are still thawing.”
23... CLAIRE
Drew worked his way through every Christmas song that came to mind, and then doubled back and repeated some. He figured by nine o’clock, there couldn’t be that many people that were in here when he started two hours ago.
“Chestnuts roasting on an open fire,” he sang, as he had done a few hours before.
Tom sat down with his meal after two hours of cooking, and Justin sat down to eat his waffles. Tommy came out a few minutes later with a plate of food.
“Merry Christmas, Tom,” he smiled, taking a bite of his food.
“You too,” Tom laughed. “It’s been an interesting day, hasn’t it?”
“Yeah it has.”
The crowd had slowed quite a bit from an hour ago, so much so that Bethany was the only waitress walking around. Claire still sat with Jenn in the corner.
“So, let me get this right,” Claire said. “No matter how long it’s been since God and I last spoke, it doesn’t matter?”
“No, it doesn’t. When you speak to God, whether you last did it ten minutes ago or ten years ago, he listens to you like the two of you had never stopped talking in the first place.”
“That’s so awesome, Jennifer,” Claire whispered softly.
“Check it out, it’s Christmas! You won’t find a better time to spark up a relationship with God than around his son’s birthday.”
“I really could use some of God’s grace right now, with mother being gone, my sister in the hospital and my dad never around.”
“What’s wrong with her?”
“Well, our mother died of cancer a year ago, and my sister is showing signs of leukemia already. She’s been there three weeks now for tests and such. My dad kind of lost it when Mother died, and so he drinks a whole lot. But to Britany, Daddy is the world to her, and can do no wrong. He hasn’t been there once to see her since she’s been there. Because of that, she hasn’t said more than two or three words the entire time she’s been in the hospital. I guess she doesn’t say much because she feels like there’s no one to talk to.”
“Does she have anyone to look after her besides you?”
“My aunt works there, so she checks on her all the time. But Brit and my aunt were never close, so she doesn’t open up to her at all.
Jennifer took a deep breath, knowing that this is where the conversation had to go. She prayed silently that she could step aside and let God speak through her. She gave a slight pause, took another breath and then spoke.
“Listen, Claire, I have to tell you that a relationship with Christ won’t make everything all better instantly. You won’t say Amen and suddenly find yourself at Harvard with a sober dad and a healthy sister. A relationship with Christ is not easy by no stretch of the imagination. But you will have someone to turn to. I can promise you that God will always be there for you.”
“But religion is so foreign to me.”
“No, Claire, you aren’t listening,” Jenn spoke very sternly. “I’m not talking about religion. I’m talking about a relationship, a one on one relationship with the Creator of the entire universe. He huge enough to have been here before time existed and will be here long after there is no concept of time, but He is small enough to want a relationship with stupid sinner me and stupid sinner you. All He asks of you is that you admit you are a sinner, and you accept the fact that God sent His Son to die for you to be forgiven. That’s not a religion… that’s a relationship with Christ.”
Jennifer held her breath, not knowing if Claire would get up and walk away, or just coldly reject everything she was saying.
Instead, Claire looked up at Jenn and had a tear trickle down her cheek.
“Jennifer,” Claire said as another tear fell. “Can you tell me how to have a relationship with Jesus Christ? My sister has one. She talks about how much Jesus loves her and even though she never sees her dad, and her mom is gone, and she’s lying in a hospital bed with possible cancer, she talks about how Jesus will take care of her. I have been passing it off as a naïve child not knowing anything, but secretly I desired to have that much faith in something. In anything. Can you tell me how?”
Jennifer reached over and grasped Claire’s quivering hands on the table.
“Yes,” Jenn smiled, wiping her own tear away. "Yes I can."
PARTS 24 - 29
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
A Very Deuce Christmas Story, 16 thru 20
Well... its almost Christmas, and on Tuesday, it will actually be the 8th anniversary of these happenings--Matt's wreck, Ty's broken leg, adventures at The Waffle House, so on and so forth. Keep reading. And yes, this story will be concluded on Christmas Day.
Installment One, Parts 1 - 3
Installment Two, Parts 4 - 8
Installment Three, Parts 9 - 12
Installment Four, Parts 13 - 15
16... BRITANY
“Still no Drew, still no Jenn, still no return when I page Tom,” Shawn said as he closed his cell phone.
He walked over and sat next to Matt and Leslie on the uncomfortable couch, across from the just-as-uncomfortable bench that Stephanie and Amy were seated upon. Wookiee sat in the lone chair in the small lobby. Nobody had said much in the last little while, as their minds were on their missing friends, Ty, the falling snow outside and other things.
The only thing preventing complete silence at times was the television mounted in the corner of the room, with the weather constantly being displayed by a weatherman none of the room’s occupants had ever seen.
“I miss James Spann,” Leslie mumbled.
Wookiee stood up and announced, “Ladies and gentleman, I have to relieve myself. Excuse me.” He disappeared around the corner, brushing right past the doctor who entered the lobby and walked right to Matt.
“Mr. Latta?” he asked. “Are you Mr. Latta?”
“Yes,” Matt stood up. “How’s Ty?”
“Oh, Mr. Coffey is fine. He won’t walk for quite some time, but beyond that, he’s fine. He’s got a fever from the flu he’s contracted, I’m guessing due to the fact he was riding in a truck with no windows and the wind being blown in his face.”
“Right,” Matt replied. “Can we see him?”
“Yes, I think that’s fine. We want to keep him here for the rest of the evening because of the weather outside. Although we don’t think he’s allergic to anything we’ve given him, we want to be sure. He’s in room 354C, on the third floor.”
“Can we all go up?” Leslie asked from her seat.
“Normally we only allow two people in at a time, but it's Christmas, isn't it? You're benefiting from a very quiet evening. Just be quiet when you go in, because though Mr. Coffey isn’t sharing a room, there are other patients on the floor.”
Everyone stood up and began to walk towards the elevator. Shawn remembered Wookiee’s announcement, and went to the receptionist.
“Ma’am, when you see a really tall hairy guy, can you tell him we went upstairs to see our friend?” Shawn asked through the window.
“Mmm,” the receptionist nodded without looking up from her paperwork.
Shawn dashed over and jumped through the elevator doors just as they were closing.
About four seconds after the doors closed, Wookiee returned from the bathroom.
“Guys, I gotta tell you, I think we should…” he stopped when he saw the empty lobby. “Hey, that’s not cool.”
“Are you looking for your friends?” asked the lady behind the window, still not looking up from her papers.
“Yes,” Wookiee replied, walking to the desk.
“They went upstairs to visit their friend.”
“Oh, Ty. Can you tell me what room he’s in?”
The receptionist finally broke her stare of the paperwork to look over to another file. “Name?”
“Ty Coffey. Um… Nicholas Ty Coffey.”
“Room 453C,” she quickly went back to writing.
“Thanks,” he said, turning and walking towards the elevator. He pushed the button for up and waited patiently as the doors open. He then pushed “4” and waited.
A moment later, the doors opened again on the fourth floor, and Wookiee stepped out. He saw a sign with an arrow pointing to the left that said 401C-435C, and then a right arrow that read 436C-460C. Being the smart Wookiee that he was, he took a right, and began to slowly walk the halls looking for 453C. At the very end of the long corridor, he stood in front of a door with the numbers he was looking for.
It wasn’t closed all the way, but it was pulled to the doorway. He slowly opened it, and with a smile, said “Hey Ty!”
The little girl laying in the bed turned her head and smiled at Wookiee.
“Hi!”
“Oh, I’m sorry, I have the wrong room,” Wookiee smiled weakly, startled.
“What’s your name?” she asked.
He stopped as he was about to pull the door shut. “I’m Chris. What’s your name?”
“My name is Britany. You are really tall, did you know that?”
“Yes, I did. You look pretty short yourself there.”
“Well, its very nice to meet you, Chris,” she smiled.
“You too. Well, Miss Britany, I need to go, didn’t mean to barge in on you there.”
Britany’s voice changed a bit, as she slowly asked “Can you stay and talk to me, Chris?”
“Well, I really need to…” he tilted his head and looked at the little girl. She couldn’t have been more than seven or eight, with a breathing tube in her nose and a few IV tubes in her arms.
“If you can’t stay, its okay, Chris,” Britany said softly, slowly turning her head toward the television that Wookiee just now noticed was on.
“What are you watching there, Britany?” Wookiee walked back in to her bedside.
“I don’t know,” she said. “It was Batman Beyond, but now that’s over.”
“You like Batman, Britany?”
“I like Batman Beyond. It’s really cool looking. You can call me Brit,” she looked up at the huge man standing next to her bed. “Nobody ever called me Britany except my mom… and my sister when she’s really mad at me.”
“Alright, Brit it is,” he smiled. “And you can call me Wookiee.”
“Is that like Wookiee talkies?”
“No, that’s walkie-talkies you are thinking of. Wookiees are from Star Wars.”
“Oh yeah! Chewbacca!”
“You know who Chewbacca is?”
“Yes! I love to watch Star Wars! My mom used to let me watch it all the time before…” she trailed off.
Intrigued, Wookiee sat down. He knew if he sat down, it might be a long time before he got back up, because there was something special about this little girl.
I need to go find the others, he thought to himself, but I can’t leave yet. God, are you asking me to stay here and talk to her?He got his answer when Brit said, “Before my mom died. Can I tell you about it, Wookiee? I would like to tell someone about it.”
I guess that’s a yes, huh, God? Wookiee bit his lip to keep from laughing to himself—not at her mom, but at God’s quick answer to his question. “You can tell me about it, Brit,” he said to her, “I’m all ears.”
17... SERVING
By seven o’clock, several more people had drifted into the Waffle House on I-59, and several people had left. It seems the power had gone out in several neighborhoods in the area, and the Waffle House was the only source for electricity, heat, weather, news and warm food.
The rude man who put Claire in tears was walking out the door, seemingly satisfied by Justin’s service of food. Jenn watched him as he climbed into an old blue Chevy truck, and backed out, then disappeared into the snowy night. He didn’t leave a tip, though Justin didn’t really care, he wasn’t helping out to make money. He continued to help out Bethany and Claire by taking orders. Tom had gone behind the counter and was now helping the cook to make the meals, while Tommy, Jennifer and Drew took turns bussing tables and seating people.
Tom rather enjoyed making the hash browns, and when someone finally ordered them covered, smothered, chunked, sliced, diced and whatever else, he got a huge gleeful look in his eyes.
“Okay, Jerome,” Tom said, talking to the large black man beside him. Tom was 6 and a half feet tall, but felt very small next to Jerome. “Give me the directions on putting all of this crap on there.”
“Man, it ain’t nothing,” Jerome smiled in a booming, deep voice. “You just make the hash browns like you been doing, and then just pile stuff on them. I guarantee the nastier you make it look, the better it will taste!”
Drew was wiping a table down when he noticed a new customer coming in the door. What actually caught his attention wasn't the man himself, but the guitar case he carried in his left hand. He was an older, heavyset man with an old oil-stained hat on. The guitar case he carried was formerly black, but had much of the vinyl peeled off of the case to show wood underneath. Like a typicaly "former rocker" who had possibly settled down, several faded bumper stickers were scattered on the case, reading things like "Frampton '77" and "Van Halen" and "Bay City Rollers Saturday Night Tour".
“Hey Bethany,” Drew called out to the waitress at the end of the counter. “Would you care for some Christmas music?”
“You can look on the jukebox, but I don’t know if there is any on there,” Bethany responded in passing.
Drew walked up to the guitar case carrying man and stuck his hand out.
“Drew Morris,” he said.
Surprised, the man shook Drew’s hand, “I'm... uh... I'm William Beenan. Uh... nice to meet you.”
“Well, sir, I was wondering if I could play your guitar there,” Drew smiled and pointed.
“You gonna run off with it?”
“Sir? Oh, its Christmas. Besides, it eight degrees outside… I couldn’t go far.”
“Any special reason you want my guitar here at Waffle House?”
“Well, I think it would be fun to get some Christmas music going on here. What do you think?”
“I actually don’t think that would be a bad idea,” the man laughed. “In this kind of weather, I could use some cheer. Only reason I brought it in was that the locks are broke on my car and I didn’t want anyone to steal it. There is a pick in the strings. Here.”
The man smiled, handing the case to Drew. Drew nodded, took the case over to the corner of the room, opened it and removed the instrument inside.
Tommy leaned over to Jenn, “Okay, so what are the chances?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, we are in a Waffle House 40 miles from home, in a snow storm, basically stuck. Tom is helping to cook, Justin is helping the waitresses take orders, you and I are cleaning tables, and some strange man just handed Drew his guitar for Drew to play Christmas carols. This is almost like a Christmas fairy tale.”
“Oh, Tommy,” Jenn laughed. “It’s Christmas. It’s the time for fairy tales to come true! In fact, we need to tell Dave to write this down one day. Maybe on one of those new web log things I've heard about."
18... CHILDREN
“Where did Wookiee go?” Shawn stuck his head out of Ty’s door, looking both ways. “We lost a Wookiee, guys. How did we lose a Wookiee?”
“Well, he’s eight feet tall,” Leslie said. “It’s hard to lose him.”
“Then again, anything can happen tonight and it would seem normal. This has been a strange evening,” Steph added.
“So we don’t know anything about Ginger or Michael or Dave?” Ty asked. He lay in a bed, leg up in a sling above the mattress. He had one IV in his left arm, and he was feeling cold from the hospital gown he wore.
“No,” Matt replied. “We called the police, but nobody knows anything.”
“Should someone go look for Chris?” Shawn walked back into the room.
“I’ll go,” Matt said. “I need something to take my mind off of Ginger.”
He patted Ty on the arm, and started towards the door. Amy stood up and Shawn turned to follow.
“I’ll go with you too,” Shawn said.
“Guys, I want to go too,” Steph got up from her chair.
“Is everyone leaving me?” Ty whined.
“I’ll be here, Ty,” Leslie smiled, sitting down beside his bed, grabbing his hand. She looked up at the four exiting, “I’ll stick around here with Ty, you guys can come and get me.”
Shawn, Steph and Matt all three nodded, and spilled into the hall.
“Should we split up?” Matt asked, walking to the elevator
“No!” Steph said. “Splitting up has caused us to lose contact with Dave, Mike and Ginger, Drew and the others and now Wookiee. Let’s stay together. We’ll just go down to the first floor and walk the halls until we see him.”
“Yeah, your right,” Shawn said, pushing the down button. “How many eight foot tall hairy men could possibly be in this hospital?”
They came off of the elevator onto the first floor, and Matt walked back into the lobby.
“No Wookiee here,” Amy observed.
They walked together down the hall, each looking in the open doors and side hallways. But still no Wookiee.
“Do you hear kids crying?” Steph looked at the guys.
“Yes, I do,” Matt replied. Somewhere, they could make out the faint sounds of children, and some of them were sobbing sounds.
Steph stepped out in front of the group, leading them towards the origin of the crying. She stopped in front of a closed door that read “children’s playroom”. She looked at Amy, Matt and Shawn for a look that would justify her opening the door. They looked at her with “I don’t know” glances. She shrugged and opened the door.
There were about a dozen children running around the room, some with tears in their eyes. There were a few children sleeping on the floor near the wall, and a few more playing with various toys like dolls and cars on the other side of the room.
In the middle was a young woman, not more than 30, talking to one child while holding the hands of two more. She looked up at the entrance of Steph, Matt and Shawn with a desperate look in her face.
“Can… can I help you?” she stuttered.
“I would think we should ask you that question, miss,” Shawn smiled.
“Oh, no, sweetie! Don’t eat that!” Steph cried, quickly running over to a small boy who had a crayon in his hand. He had gnawed the paper off and was working on the wax.
“Hi, mister,” another little boy spoke up, standing directly at Shawn’s feet.
“Hi kid,” Shawn replied.
“Guess what?”
“What?”
“This!” the little boy laughed and squirted Shawn with a water gun, then running off laughing.
“Nice boy,” Shawn wiped the water from his face. Smiling, he gave chase, and caught the boy halfway across the room. He picked the little boy up and threw him over his shoulder. The little boy laughed like a hyena as Shawn growled at him, bouncing him around in the air.
“Be careful,” said the woman in the middle of the room. “Jason gets motion sickness really easily.
Matt was then blindsided by a small Hispanic child who rammed into his legs and almost knocked him over.
“Hey, look Matt,” Shawn laughed. “It’s the kids of Dave’s people.”
“Hi,” Amy walked up to the woman. “I’m Amy, that’s Matt, that’s Shawn, and the chairman of Crayon Eating Prevention over there is Stephanie. We are kind of snowed into the hospital, and have absolutely nothing to do. Can we offer you some help with these kids?”
“I’d love some help,” she smiled. “My name is Faith, and I’m the children’s director here at the hospital.”
“Are all these kids injured?”
“No, this is more babysitting than anything else. We had to bring in off-duty staff because our regulars couldn’t get here through the storm. So, some of the staff had to bring their kids with them because they didn’t have anywhere to take them, so we set this room us as a temporary day care. My relief was supposed to be here hours ago, but we’re all snowed in. Nobody has come in and nobody can leave.”
“Well, Merry Christmas, Faith,” Amy patted her on the shoulder. “Your relief is here. Why don’t you go get some coffee, and if you’ll find us something to eat, we’ll take care of these kids until you get back.”
Faith looked concerned for a moment, having never seen these young people before in her life, but then broke into a smile. “Merry Christmas to you too, Amy. Thank you. I’m going to down to the cafeteria, and see if they have any sandwiches left, and I’ll bring you some of whatever they have. Does that sound okay?”
“That sounds wonderful, Faith,” Matt smiled. She looked over Matt, who was tossing a small football to the child who attacked him; Shawn, who was now laying on the floor with four small children jumping on him, while Stephanie was in the corner wearing a Santa hat, having tea with two little girls. Faith left the room, and Amy smiled again.
“So this is the season of giving, huh?” she said to herself.
19... WALKING
“Well, it’s seven thirty,” Michael looked at me. “Now what?”
“Can’t believe Matt stood me up,” Ginger smirked.
“Yeah, he’s a bad boyfriend. You should go out with me,” I replied, trying to smile, but my lips felt frozen.
“We have to find somewhere to go, guys,” Michael said. “I can’t stand this. This wind makes the Iron Bowl feel like a Hawaiian summer holiday.” Michael and myself, along with Shawn and Tom, had been Amy Wible's guest at the 2000 Iron Bowl, in which the game (a 9-0 clunker won by Auburn) was forgettable, but the freezing rainy temperatures were not. This was alot like that very night.
I left the circle and walked out from under the awning that had been our protection for the last ninety minutes. As soon as I was in the open, I felt colder. The snow and freezing rain began to pelt me in the face, which was already numb from cold.
I scanned the horizon looking for something, anything, and praying to God that I would find that something or anything. And on a hill in the distance, there was a house, with lit windows. Against the night sky, I could make out the smoke from the chimney.
“Guys,” I called. “I think I found something.”
Michael and Ginger both trotted over to where I stood, also feeling the wind and snow when they came from under the awning.
“Look there,” I pointed to the house. “We could go there.”
“Dave, are you mental?” Michael looked at me. “If I could pull my hands out of my pockets, I’d smack you. We can’t just walk up to somebody’s house and ask to come in. People get shot for stuff like that.”
“Michael, I’m freezing,” I said. “I’m so cold right now I feel like my fingers will break off like icicles. And I know Ginger is the same way, and I am pretty sure you are too. I think if we walk up there, knock on the door, and tell them our problem, they’ll help us. Even if we have to stay in a barn for the night, its better than standing out here in the snow and rain. If they turn us away, the walking will keep us a little warm.”
Michael looked around, then looked back at me, “What are we, Mary and Joseph looking for a manger?" He looked at Ginger, then back and me, and when neither one of us responded, he said, "And how do we get there?”
We heard the rumbling of a vehicle from far off, and we all turned to see headlights coming towards us.
“Its Matt!” Ginger screamed. “My man is here!”
“Yes, Matt!” Michael exclaimed. “Shangra-la!”
The smiles on our faces quickly faded, as the lights got closer, then turned right. We could see then that it didn’t resemble Matt’s beat up truck, or any vehicle belonging to a Deuce member.
“Over there,” Ginger pointed with her head, not daring to take her hands out of her pockets, to the road the truck just disappeared onto. “I’ll bet that will take us straight there.”
“Good idea,” I replied. Ginger and I started walking towards the road, and I looked back to see Michael just standing there.
“I’m not going to that stupid house!” Michael yelled.
“Suit yourself,” I replied. “Ginger and I are going to get warm.”
I turned back around and the two of us kept walking. I could hear Michael yell from behind me.
“You guys are going to get shot… if you get shot, I don’t care, don’t come crying to me with a hole in your chest… there’ll be nobody there, and you’ll walk back here wanting me to keep you warm, but I won’t…”
As we walked I looked at Ginger and counted, “One… two… three.”
“Fine!” Michael yelled. “ Wait up, I’m coming with you!”
We stopped as he ran to catch up to us.
“You didn’t sign the January rent check yet, so if you got shot and died, I can’t cover your rent,” he smirked when he caught up to us.
20... WITNESS
By 8 or a little after, nothing had slowed down at the Waffle House. Justin continued to rack up the tips with Bethany and Claire on tables, and Tom continued to go to town on the omelets and hash browns. Jennifer still wiped the tables clean, and picked up the dirty dishes, while Tommy went to the kitchen to begin running dishes through the large Waffle House industrial dishwasher. All had tossed on old Waffle House aprons, and Tommy had even managed to put his thick head of hair into a paper hat.
Drew had tuned with the guitar, and was sitting on a stool at the end of the counter.
Jenn sighed. Looks like we are stuck at a Waffle House until Christmas Eve, of all places to be, she thought. Is there a reason for this, God?“Hey Jennifer,” Claire called out.
“Yes?” she turned to see Claire holding two plates.
“Our dinner is ready. Let’s eat while we can,” Claire smiled. They both sat down at the end of the counter with their meals, Claire’s a western omelet, and Jenn’s a patty melt plate.
Jenn bowed her head, and began to say a quick prayer for her meal, and for the safety of the others. She didn’t see Claire staring at her until she had raised her head and picked up half of her sandwich.
“Were you just saying a blessing over your food?” Claire asked.
“Yeah… why?” Jenn was a little confused at Claire’s odd question.
“It’s just that I haven’t seen anyone do that in a really long time. Like, when I was a kid, my dad made me say grace before dinner, but our family quit having meals together, like, 7 or 8 years ago. It’s been that long since I think I’ve said any kind of prayer, I guess.”
“Well, maybe you should start. Getting into law school in Harvard is a lofty goal, even with the grades you have. Prayer would be something I would definitely look into.”
“Do you think God would even listen to me at this point? I mean, it has been a while, but if I were God—not saying I am—but if I were, I would quit trying after several years.”
Jenn put her fork down and was astounded she was having this conversation. This was the type of conversation you lead someone to Christ to, or lead them to a recommitment with, and she was asking questions that were so easy to a strong Christian.
Alright, God, I’ll play ball here, she thought. You give me the words, and I’ll say them, and we’ll see what you can do with Claire.“Well, Claire, God never quits listening,” she began.
Though across the restaurant and couldn't hear them, as if on cue, Drew began to play a little softer, and suddenly with a chorus of “The Christmas Song.”
PARTS 21 - 23
Installment One, Parts 1 - 3
Installment Two, Parts 4 - 8
Installment Three, Parts 9 - 12
Installment Four, Parts 13 - 15
16... BRITANY
“Still no Drew, still no Jenn, still no return when I page Tom,” Shawn said as he closed his cell phone.
He walked over and sat next to Matt and Leslie on the uncomfortable couch, across from the just-as-uncomfortable bench that Stephanie and Amy were seated upon. Wookiee sat in the lone chair in the small lobby. Nobody had said much in the last little while, as their minds were on their missing friends, Ty, the falling snow outside and other things.
The only thing preventing complete silence at times was the television mounted in the corner of the room, with the weather constantly being displayed by a weatherman none of the room’s occupants had ever seen.
“I miss James Spann,” Leslie mumbled.
Wookiee stood up and announced, “Ladies and gentleman, I have to relieve myself. Excuse me.” He disappeared around the corner, brushing right past the doctor who entered the lobby and walked right to Matt.
“Mr. Latta?” he asked. “Are you Mr. Latta?”
“Yes,” Matt stood up. “How’s Ty?”
“Oh, Mr. Coffey is fine. He won’t walk for quite some time, but beyond that, he’s fine. He’s got a fever from the flu he’s contracted, I’m guessing due to the fact he was riding in a truck with no windows and the wind being blown in his face.”
“Right,” Matt replied. “Can we see him?”
“Yes, I think that’s fine. We want to keep him here for the rest of the evening because of the weather outside. Although we don’t think he’s allergic to anything we’ve given him, we want to be sure. He’s in room 354C, on the third floor.”
“Can we all go up?” Leslie asked from her seat.
“Normally we only allow two people in at a time, but it's Christmas, isn't it? You're benefiting from a very quiet evening. Just be quiet when you go in, because though Mr. Coffey isn’t sharing a room, there are other patients on the floor.”
Everyone stood up and began to walk towards the elevator. Shawn remembered Wookiee’s announcement, and went to the receptionist.
“Ma’am, when you see a really tall hairy guy, can you tell him we went upstairs to see our friend?” Shawn asked through the window.
“Mmm,” the receptionist nodded without looking up from her paperwork.
Shawn dashed over and jumped through the elevator doors just as they were closing.
About four seconds after the doors closed, Wookiee returned from the bathroom.
“Guys, I gotta tell you, I think we should…” he stopped when he saw the empty lobby. “Hey, that’s not cool.”
“Are you looking for your friends?” asked the lady behind the window, still not looking up from her papers.
“Yes,” Wookiee replied, walking to the desk.
“They went upstairs to visit their friend.”
“Oh, Ty. Can you tell me what room he’s in?”
The receptionist finally broke her stare of the paperwork to look over to another file. “Name?”
“Ty Coffey. Um… Nicholas Ty Coffey.”
“Room 453C,” she quickly went back to writing.
“Thanks,” he said, turning and walking towards the elevator. He pushed the button for up and waited patiently as the doors open. He then pushed “4” and waited.
A moment later, the doors opened again on the fourth floor, and Wookiee stepped out. He saw a sign with an arrow pointing to the left that said 401C-435C, and then a right arrow that read 436C-460C. Being the smart Wookiee that he was, he took a right, and began to slowly walk the halls looking for 453C. At the very end of the long corridor, he stood in front of a door with the numbers he was looking for.
It wasn’t closed all the way, but it was pulled to the doorway. He slowly opened it, and with a smile, said “Hey Ty!”
The little girl laying in the bed turned her head and smiled at Wookiee.
“Hi!”
“Oh, I’m sorry, I have the wrong room,” Wookiee smiled weakly, startled.
“What’s your name?” she asked.
He stopped as he was about to pull the door shut. “I’m Chris. What’s your name?”
“My name is Britany. You are really tall, did you know that?”
“Yes, I did. You look pretty short yourself there.”
“Well, its very nice to meet you, Chris,” she smiled.
“You too. Well, Miss Britany, I need to go, didn’t mean to barge in on you there.”
Britany’s voice changed a bit, as she slowly asked “Can you stay and talk to me, Chris?”
“Well, I really need to…” he tilted his head and looked at the little girl. She couldn’t have been more than seven or eight, with a breathing tube in her nose and a few IV tubes in her arms.
“If you can’t stay, its okay, Chris,” Britany said softly, slowly turning her head toward the television that Wookiee just now noticed was on.
“What are you watching there, Britany?” Wookiee walked back in to her bedside.
“I don’t know,” she said. “It was Batman Beyond, but now that’s over.”
“You like Batman, Britany?”
“I like Batman Beyond. It’s really cool looking. You can call me Brit,” she looked up at the huge man standing next to her bed. “Nobody ever called me Britany except my mom… and my sister when she’s really mad at me.”
“Alright, Brit it is,” he smiled. “And you can call me Wookiee.”
“Is that like Wookiee talkies?”
“No, that’s walkie-talkies you are thinking of. Wookiees are from Star Wars.”
“Oh yeah! Chewbacca!”
“You know who Chewbacca is?”
“Yes! I love to watch Star Wars! My mom used to let me watch it all the time before…” she trailed off.
Intrigued, Wookiee sat down. He knew if he sat down, it might be a long time before he got back up, because there was something special about this little girl.
I need to go find the others, he thought to himself, but I can’t leave yet. God, are you asking me to stay here and talk to her?He got his answer when Brit said, “Before my mom died. Can I tell you about it, Wookiee? I would like to tell someone about it.”
I guess that’s a yes, huh, God? Wookiee bit his lip to keep from laughing to himself—not at her mom, but at God’s quick answer to his question. “You can tell me about it, Brit,” he said to her, “I’m all ears.”
17... SERVING
By seven o’clock, several more people had drifted into the Waffle House on I-59, and several people had left. It seems the power had gone out in several neighborhoods in the area, and the Waffle House was the only source for electricity, heat, weather, news and warm food.
The rude man who put Claire in tears was walking out the door, seemingly satisfied by Justin’s service of food. Jenn watched him as he climbed into an old blue Chevy truck, and backed out, then disappeared into the snowy night. He didn’t leave a tip, though Justin didn’t really care, he wasn’t helping out to make money. He continued to help out Bethany and Claire by taking orders. Tom had gone behind the counter and was now helping the cook to make the meals, while Tommy, Jennifer and Drew took turns bussing tables and seating people.
Tom rather enjoyed making the hash browns, and when someone finally ordered them covered, smothered, chunked, sliced, diced and whatever else, he got a huge gleeful look in his eyes.
“Okay, Jerome,” Tom said, talking to the large black man beside him. Tom was 6 and a half feet tall, but felt very small next to Jerome. “Give me the directions on putting all of this crap on there.”
“Man, it ain’t nothing,” Jerome smiled in a booming, deep voice. “You just make the hash browns like you been doing, and then just pile stuff on them. I guarantee the nastier you make it look, the better it will taste!”
Drew was wiping a table down when he noticed a new customer coming in the door. What actually caught his attention wasn't the man himself, but the guitar case he carried in his left hand. He was an older, heavyset man with an old oil-stained hat on. The guitar case he carried was formerly black, but had much of the vinyl peeled off of the case to show wood underneath. Like a typicaly "former rocker" who had possibly settled down, several faded bumper stickers were scattered on the case, reading things like "Frampton '77" and "Van Halen" and "Bay City Rollers Saturday Night Tour".
“Hey Bethany,” Drew called out to the waitress at the end of the counter. “Would you care for some Christmas music?”
“You can look on the jukebox, but I don’t know if there is any on there,” Bethany responded in passing.
Drew walked up to the guitar case carrying man and stuck his hand out.
“Drew Morris,” he said.
Surprised, the man shook Drew’s hand, “I'm... uh... I'm William Beenan. Uh... nice to meet you.”
“Well, sir, I was wondering if I could play your guitar there,” Drew smiled and pointed.
“You gonna run off with it?”
“Sir? Oh, its Christmas. Besides, it eight degrees outside… I couldn’t go far.”
“Any special reason you want my guitar here at Waffle House?”
“Well, I think it would be fun to get some Christmas music going on here. What do you think?”
“I actually don’t think that would be a bad idea,” the man laughed. “In this kind of weather, I could use some cheer. Only reason I brought it in was that the locks are broke on my car and I didn’t want anyone to steal it. There is a pick in the strings. Here.”
The man smiled, handing the case to Drew. Drew nodded, took the case over to the corner of the room, opened it and removed the instrument inside.
Tommy leaned over to Jenn, “Okay, so what are the chances?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, we are in a Waffle House 40 miles from home, in a snow storm, basically stuck. Tom is helping to cook, Justin is helping the waitresses take orders, you and I are cleaning tables, and some strange man just handed Drew his guitar for Drew to play Christmas carols. This is almost like a Christmas fairy tale.”
“Oh, Tommy,” Jenn laughed. “It’s Christmas. It’s the time for fairy tales to come true! In fact, we need to tell Dave to write this down one day. Maybe on one of those new web log things I've heard about."
18... CHILDREN
“Where did Wookiee go?” Shawn stuck his head out of Ty’s door, looking both ways. “We lost a Wookiee, guys. How did we lose a Wookiee?”
“Well, he’s eight feet tall,” Leslie said. “It’s hard to lose him.”
“Then again, anything can happen tonight and it would seem normal. This has been a strange evening,” Steph added.
“So we don’t know anything about Ginger or Michael or Dave?” Ty asked. He lay in a bed, leg up in a sling above the mattress. He had one IV in his left arm, and he was feeling cold from the hospital gown he wore.
“No,” Matt replied. “We called the police, but nobody knows anything.”
“Should someone go look for Chris?” Shawn walked back into the room.
“I’ll go,” Matt said. “I need something to take my mind off of Ginger.”
He patted Ty on the arm, and started towards the door. Amy stood up and Shawn turned to follow.
“I’ll go with you too,” Shawn said.
“Guys, I want to go too,” Steph got up from her chair.
“Is everyone leaving me?” Ty whined.
“I’ll be here, Ty,” Leslie smiled, sitting down beside his bed, grabbing his hand. She looked up at the four exiting, “I’ll stick around here with Ty, you guys can come and get me.”
Shawn, Steph and Matt all three nodded, and spilled into the hall.
“Should we split up?” Matt asked, walking to the elevator
“No!” Steph said. “Splitting up has caused us to lose contact with Dave, Mike and Ginger, Drew and the others and now Wookiee. Let’s stay together. We’ll just go down to the first floor and walk the halls until we see him.”
“Yeah, your right,” Shawn said, pushing the down button. “How many eight foot tall hairy men could possibly be in this hospital?”
They came off of the elevator onto the first floor, and Matt walked back into the lobby.
“No Wookiee here,” Amy observed.
They walked together down the hall, each looking in the open doors and side hallways. But still no Wookiee.
“Do you hear kids crying?” Steph looked at the guys.
“Yes, I do,” Matt replied. Somewhere, they could make out the faint sounds of children, and some of them were sobbing sounds.
Steph stepped out in front of the group, leading them towards the origin of the crying. She stopped in front of a closed door that read “children’s playroom”. She looked at Amy, Matt and Shawn for a look that would justify her opening the door. They looked at her with “I don’t know” glances. She shrugged and opened the door.
There were about a dozen children running around the room, some with tears in their eyes. There were a few children sleeping on the floor near the wall, and a few more playing with various toys like dolls and cars on the other side of the room.
In the middle was a young woman, not more than 30, talking to one child while holding the hands of two more. She looked up at the entrance of Steph, Matt and Shawn with a desperate look in her face.
“Can… can I help you?” she stuttered.
“I would think we should ask you that question, miss,” Shawn smiled.
“Oh, no, sweetie! Don’t eat that!” Steph cried, quickly running over to a small boy who had a crayon in his hand. He had gnawed the paper off and was working on the wax.
“Hi, mister,” another little boy spoke up, standing directly at Shawn’s feet.
“Hi kid,” Shawn replied.
“Guess what?”
“What?”
“This!” the little boy laughed and squirted Shawn with a water gun, then running off laughing.
“Nice boy,” Shawn wiped the water from his face. Smiling, he gave chase, and caught the boy halfway across the room. He picked the little boy up and threw him over his shoulder. The little boy laughed like a hyena as Shawn growled at him, bouncing him around in the air.
“Be careful,” said the woman in the middle of the room. “Jason gets motion sickness really easily.
Matt was then blindsided by a small Hispanic child who rammed into his legs and almost knocked him over.
“Hey, look Matt,” Shawn laughed. “It’s the kids of Dave’s people.”
“Hi,” Amy walked up to the woman. “I’m Amy, that’s Matt, that’s Shawn, and the chairman of Crayon Eating Prevention over there is Stephanie. We are kind of snowed into the hospital, and have absolutely nothing to do. Can we offer you some help with these kids?”
“I’d love some help,” she smiled. “My name is Faith, and I’m the children’s director here at the hospital.”
“Are all these kids injured?”
“No, this is more babysitting than anything else. We had to bring in off-duty staff because our regulars couldn’t get here through the storm. So, some of the staff had to bring their kids with them because they didn’t have anywhere to take them, so we set this room us as a temporary day care. My relief was supposed to be here hours ago, but we’re all snowed in. Nobody has come in and nobody can leave.”
“Well, Merry Christmas, Faith,” Amy patted her on the shoulder. “Your relief is here. Why don’t you go get some coffee, and if you’ll find us something to eat, we’ll take care of these kids until you get back.”
Faith looked concerned for a moment, having never seen these young people before in her life, but then broke into a smile. “Merry Christmas to you too, Amy. Thank you. I’m going to down to the cafeteria, and see if they have any sandwiches left, and I’ll bring you some of whatever they have. Does that sound okay?”
“That sounds wonderful, Faith,” Matt smiled. She looked over Matt, who was tossing a small football to the child who attacked him; Shawn, who was now laying on the floor with four small children jumping on him, while Stephanie was in the corner wearing a Santa hat, having tea with two little girls. Faith left the room, and Amy smiled again.
“So this is the season of giving, huh?” she said to herself.
19... WALKING
“Well, it’s seven thirty,” Michael looked at me. “Now what?”
“Can’t believe Matt stood me up,” Ginger smirked.
“Yeah, he’s a bad boyfriend. You should go out with me,” I replied, trying to smile, but my lips felt frozen.
“We have to find somewhere to go, guys,” Michael said. “I can’t stand this. This wind makes the Iron Bowl feel like a Hawaiian summer holiday.” Michael and myself, along with Shawn and Tom, had been Amy Wible's guest at the 2000 Iron Bowl, in which the game (a 9-0 clunker won by Auburn) was forgettable, but the freezing rainy temperatures were not. This was alot like that very night.
I left the circle and walked out from under the awning that had been our protection for the last ninety minutes. As soon as I was in the open, I felt colder. The snow and freezing rain began to pelt me in the face, which was already numb from cold.
I scanned the horizon looking for something, anything, and praying to God that I would find that something or anything. And on a hill in the distance, there was a house, with lit windows. Against the night sky, I could make out the smoke from the chimney.
“Guys,” I called. “I think I found something.”
Michael and Ginger both trotted over to where I stood, also feeling the wind and snow when they came from under the awning.
“Look there,” I pointed to the house. “We could go there.”
“Dave, are you mental?” Michael looked at me. “If I could pull my hands out of my pockets, I’d smack you. We can’t just walk up to somebody’s house and ask to come in. People get shot for stuff like that.”
“Michael, I’m freezing,” I said. “I’m so cold right now I feel like my fingers will break off like icicles. And I know Ginger is the same way, and I am pretty sure you are too. I think if we walk up there, knock on the door, and tell them our problem, they’ll help us. Even if we have to stay in a barn for the night, its better than standing out here in the snow and rain. If they turn us away, the walking will keep us a little warm.”
Michael looked around, then looked back at me, “What are we, Mary and Joseph looking for a manger?" He looked at Ginger, then back and me, and when neither one of us responded, he said, "And how do we get there?”
We heard the rumbling of a vehicle from far off, and we all turned to see headlights coming towards us.
“Its Matt!” Ginger screamed. “My man is here!”
“Yes, Matt!” Michael exclaimed. “Shangra-la!”
The smiles on our faces quickly faded, as the lights got closer, then turned right. We could see then that it didn’t resemble Matt’s beat up truck, or any vehicle belonging to a Deuce member.
“Over there,” Ginger pointed with her head, not daring to take her hands out of her pockets, to the road the truck just disappeared onto. “I’ll bet that will take us straight there.”
“Good idea,” I replied. Ginger and I started walking towards the road, and I looked back to see Michael just standing there.
“I’m not going to that stupid house!” Michael yelled.
“Suit yourself,” I replied. “Ginger and I are going to get warm.”
I turned back around and the two of us kept walking. I could hear Michael yell from behind me.
“You guys are going to get shot… if you get shot, I don’t care, don’t come crying to me with a hole in your chest… there’ll be nobody there, and you’ll walk back here wanting me to keep you warm, but I won’t…”
As we walked I looked at Ginger and counted, “One… two… three.”
“Fine!” Michael yelled. “ Wait up, I’m coming with you!”
We stopped as he ran to catch up to us.
“You didn’t sign the January rent check yet, so if you got shot and died, I can’t cover your rent,” he smirked when he caught up to us.
20... WITNESS
By 8 or a little after, nothing had slowed down at the Waffle House. Justin continued to rack up the tips with Bethany and Claire on tables, and Tom continued to go to town on the omelets and hash browns. Jennifer still wiped the tables clean, and picked up the dirty dishes, while Tommy went to the kitchen to begin running dishes through the large Waffle House industrial dishwasher. All had tossed on old Waffle House aprons, and Tommy had even managed to put his thick head of hair into a paper hat.
Drew had tuned with the guitar, and was sitting on a stool at the end of the counter.
Jenn sighed. Looks like we are stuck at a Waffle House until Christmas Eve, of all places to be, she thought. Is there a reason for this, God?“Hey Jennifer,” Claire called out.
“Yes?” she turned to see Claire holding two plates.
“Our dinner is ready. Let’s eat while we can,” Claire smiled. They both sat down at the end of the counter with their meals, Claire’s a western omelet, and Jenn’s a patty melt plate.
Jenn bowed her head, and began to say a quick prayer for her meal, and for the safety of the others. She didn’t see Claire staring at her until she had raised her head and picked up half of her sandwich.
“Were you just saying a blessing over your food?” Claire asked.
“Yeah… why?” Jenn was a little confused at Claire’s odd question.
“It’s just that I haven’t seen anyone do that in a really long time. Like, when I was a kid, my dad made me say grace before dinner, but our family quit having meals together, like, 7 or 8 years ago. It’s been that long since I think I’ve said any kind of prayer, I guess.”
“Well, maybe you should start. Getting into law school in Harvard is a lofty goal, even with the grades you have. Prayer would be something I would definitely look into.”
“Do you think God would even listen to me at this point? I mean, it has been a while, but if I were God—not saying I am—but if I were, I would quit trying after several years.”
Jenn put her fork down and was astounded she was having this conversation. This was the type of conversation you lead someone to Christ to, or lead them to a recommitment with, and she was asking questions that were so easy to a strong Christian.
Alright, God, I’ll play ball here, she thought. You give me the words, and I’ll say them, and we’ll see what you can do with Claire.“Well, Claire, God never quits listening,” she began.
Though across the restaurant and couldn't hear them, as if on cue, Drew began to play a little softer, and suddenly with a chorus of “The Christmas Song.”
PARTS 21 - 23
Sunday, December 21, 2008
A Very Deuce Christmas Story, Parts 13 thru 15
Continuing the Christmas tale of 2000, where we were split up across I-59, from Birmingham to Tuscaloosa... You can read Installment One right here, then catch up on Installment Two here, then read Installment Three here...
13... LOBBY
“Matt!” Stephanie exclaimed as they rushed into the lobby.
“Hey!” Matt quickly stood up to greet Leslie, Wookiee, Shawn, Amy and Stephanie. “Where have you guys been? I was giving you another five minutes and then I was out of here!”
“Not anymore,” Amy said. “They have shut all the major roads down, except for emergency vehicles.”
“You’re kidding?”
“No,” Wookiee replied. “We just heard it on the radio.”
“How is Ty?” Stephanie asked.
“Ty has a broken leg. It was shattered in four places below his knee and twice above the knee,” Matt explained. “The knee was completely unharmed, if you can believe that, but he’ll be on crutches for a good six months or so.”
“And where is Ginger, David and Michael?” Shawn looked around to see no familiar faces other than the ones in his immediate circle.
“And where are the others?” Amy asked.
“Have a seat, I’ll explain it real quickly,” Matt said.
Everyone sat down as Matt told a 3-minute version of what happened and where we were. “I told them as soon as I dropped Ty off and made sure he’d be okay, I would meet them at the gas station. I have to get there to meet them!”
He stood up and started to walk to the door.
“Matt, you go out there driving, and they’ll arrest you,” Amy cautioned. “We were stopped by a police officer already. The only reason they didn’t ticket us is because we told them we were headed here. There are patrol cars all over, and they will pull you over.”
“Then what am I supposed to do?” Matt asked. “Ginger’s out there. And the guys are out there too! It’s freezing out there! They all three need to be inside somewhere!”
“Okay, Matt, calm down,” Shawn said, putting his hand on Matt’s shoulder. “They get to the gas station, they’ll go in. Then, they will stay there waiting on you. It’ll be warm in there, and if they wait all night, that’s fine too. Let them wait. At least they’ll be safe and warm.”
“What if the gas station closes?”
“If it closes, surely they won’t turn them out into the cold. Let’s tell the police, and they can arrange to make sure the three of them are okay,” Shawn said.
Wookiee pulled his cell phone out and dialed 911. When he got the police, he told them of the three friends who should be stuck at a gas station down I-59.
“Where is the gas station?” Wookiee asked Matt. Matt gave him the exit number, and told him what the Tide Pride station looked like. After a few minutes of impatient waiting, Wookiee hung up the phone.
“The lady just told me that the storm conditions are going to worsen for the next several hours,” Wookiee said, “which means it’ll be that long before they can get anyone down there to pick them up. She gave me a directory assistance number, and told me to ask for the Tide Pride Shell and Deli number. I guess she knew which one it was.”
Leslie pulled her cell phone out and asked him for the number. She dialed, listened for a minute, and then hung up.
“Busy signal. Looks like all systems are down,” she smirked.
“Has anyone tried to get in touch with Drew?” Shawn asked to the general audience.
14... WAFFLE HOUSE
Drew opened the door to the Waffle House, and Justin, Tommy, Jenn and Tom walked on in. Though all five had been in many, many Waffle Houses before this one, they were all equally amazed at how many people had come into this building. Each booth had at least six people in it, all the barstools were full and there were people in chairs crammed elbow to elbow.
“Y’all just hold on a few minutes and I’ll be around to get your order,” an older lady with bleached blond hair called to them as they filed in. She then grabbed a coffeepot and headed the other way.
“This place looks a little busy,” Justin observed.
“Slightly,” Tommy replied.
“So, do we just stand over here or something?” Jenn asked to no one in particular, then took a step back. Everyone followed Jenn, and they all ended up leaning against the window.
They stood for about fifteen minutes, no one really saying much, just looking around, when finally the waitress that had talked to them earlier came up with menus in hand.
As she approached, they noticed the men sitting in the booth on the far end were getting up, leaving a place to sit.
“How are y’all?” she smiled, but it was obvious she was either frustrated or tired, or more than likely, a combination of the two.
Each person in the group took a menu, with a thank you.
“Hope you don’t mind sitting in chairs against the wall for a while,” she said. “We’ll try to find you some sort of table to eat at, because as you can see, we are quite full of people.” She looked around to see the newly empty booth. “Well, looky there. If you’ll wait just a minute, I’ll clean that up for you and you can sit right over yonder.”
“I’m guessing you’ve been running like crazy, haven’t you?” Justin asked.
“Gosh yes,” she said. “My name is Bethany, and I’ll be your waitress. The power went out in the area… this is the only place to come and eat, so everybody in a ten mile radius has been coming through that door!”
“If people are driving around to get here, then maybe we can make it home,” Tom said.
“Where you from?” Bethany asked.
“Birmingham,” Tommy answered.
“Don’t try it, honey. Several bridges are iced completely over between here and there, and for the most part the interstates have shut down. Roads around here are supposed to be closed, but authorities are letting people get here.”
She looked around at an older man coming in the door, and grimaced.
“Oh goodness,” she smirked. “Here comes that old coot to harass my waitresses again.”
The group watched the old fellow as he went to the end of the room and sat down in the newly empty booth, the very one that Bethany had just offered up.
“Somebody needs to come clean this up!” he said loudly. The younger waitress turned and her expression soured.
“I’m coming, Roger,” she sighed.
“Well, you could have had that seat, but it looks like Roger’s taken it,” Bethany turned back to them.
“Well, I’m not really that hungry,” Drew said. “So, can we just sit and wait out the storm?”
“That’s fine too,” she said. “Can I get you boys, and girl, some hot chocolate? On the house today.”
“That would be great, Bethany,” Tom smiled. The five went to the remaining line of chairs against the wall and sat. There were two waitresses and one cook scurrying about behind the counter. Tommy scanned the room and did a quick count, coming up with a number of about 60 people being served in the room. There were also about five other people sitting in chairs beside the group he was with.
From out of nowhere, the man in the very back began to complain very loudly. His words were not very obscene, but his tone was very unsettling, all translating into wanting coffee but not getting it.
“I want coffee!” he yelled. “I’ve been sitting here for twenty minutes and nobody got my order yet! What kind of service is this!?” He spoke as if he were the only one in the entire building.
“I’m trying!” said the younger waitress.
“How old do you think Flo is there?” Drew leaned over to Justin.
“Not more than 21, I’d guess,” Justin answered.
She frantically was pouring coffee, wanting to hurry up and get to the customer who had so rudely called her, but at the same time, trying to take care of the customers who had put in their requests first.
Bethany, the waitress who had talked to them earlier, carried a handful of food, and just gave a sorrowful look to the younger waitress.
After a brief silence, the man in the back began to call the younger waitress names. He called her slow, he called her spoiled, he called her lazy. His tone continued to be more detrimental with every word he spoke. All because his order had not been taken.
“If you were any sort of good help, I’d already have some food here in front of me, young lady,” he snarled.
“That’s enough of this,” Justin stood up and began to walk towards the counter.
The restaurant had become very quiet, because of the loudness of this particular man. The low volume of the noise made it easy for Jenn, Tom, Drew and Tommy to hear clearly the crying on the waitress who had been verbally attacked. She threw the paper and rag she held in her hands on the counter and ran outside into the cold.
“Justin, what are you doing?” Drew asked him, trying not to draw attention to him.
“Getting this man to be quiet,” Justin replied in a low voice back to Drew.
“What’s he going to do?” Tom looked at Tommy.
“I dunno,” Jenn replied, “but I’m going to walk outside and talk to this waitress.” She stood up followed the girl out the front.
Tom and Drew both sat on the edge of their seats, ready to leap up at any moment.
“You don’t think he’s going to start a bar fight, do you?” Drew looked at Tom.
“How cool would that be?” Tom replied.
Tommy watched carefully as Justin went to the counter, and in a low voice, said something to Bethany. She looked a little confused for a moment, then broke into a smile. She handed him something small and he turned and began to walk toward the back of the restaurant.
“What did he get?” Drew asked.
“I don’t know,” Tom answered, stretching his neck to see what Justin was doing.
Justin walked to the table, stopped and turned toward the man. And then he put for the biggest smile he could muster up, considering he was in a Waffle House.
“Who the heck are you?” the man looked up at Justin.
“Hey, my name is Justin and I will be your waiter,” he smiled. “What can I get for you?”
“My waiter? Didn’t you just come from the other side of the restaurant?”
“Well, yeah, but I just started. So, what can I get for you today?”
The man looked puzzled at first, then shrugged his shoulders and began to speak his order.
“Okay, grits or hash browns?” Justin asked.
“Uh… well… oh, gimme some hash browns. Covered and smothered and chunked,” the man ordered, reading off of the menu.
“Alright,” Justin nodded. “You see we are really busy tonight, but it shouldn’t be too much longer.” He then turned and walked towards the counter again. He handed the order to Bethany with a smile. “There you go.”
As he handed the small piece of paper over, she put both of her hands on Justin’s hand holding the order.
“God bless you,” she said. “That was about the nicest thing I think I’ve ever seen anyone do. Ever.”
“You need to get out more, ma’am. That wasn’t very much,” Justin laughed, and then walked back to his seat.
When Jenn stepped outside the door, the cold hit her hard. She remembered winters in Chicago, and this felt much like that. The wind was icy and the snow was still falling thick.
She looked around and saw the waitress who had run out standing at the corner of the building. Jenn slowly walked towards her, being careful not to slip and fall in the inch or two of snow that had come down in the last three hours.
“Ma’am?” she asked. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” she said, without turning around to look at Jenn. “I’m fine. Thanks.”
“You know, sometimes people are like that,” Jenn said in a soft voice. “You can’t let it get you down.”
“I know him. He lives a few miles from here. I hate waiting on him because he’s always so mean to me. It’s amazing because I get men in here that are ten times more obscene, making all kinds of sexual references to me, but they never bother me as much as this guy does. He doesn't curse, he isn't dirty... he is just plain mean.”
Jenn paused for a moment, careful not to get in front of her.
“My name is Jennifer,” she said after a few seconds of silence.
“I’m Claire,” the waitress turned around to face Jenn for the first time. Jenn observed a young face with already a wrinkle or two. She was pretty though, Jennifer thought. The waitress had really pretty curly hair, but obviously dyed the color red that it was. She stuck her hand out to shake Jenn’s, and Jenn obliged.
“So, how long have you worked here?” Jenn asked, praying in her mind for something to talk to her about.
“About six weeks,” Claire responded. “I’m a student at Alabama, and I live in this area. I’m just trying to save up some money to…” she stopped as her words faded off. Claire turned around again, folded her arms and shivered. “It’s cold out here.”
“To what, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“I’m saving up my money to go to Harvard law school,” she said with a sigh.
“Really?” Jenn’s eyes widened a little more than she intended to show.
“Yeah, I know, I look like trailer park trash, and probably am. But I want to be a criminal lawyer.”
“No, no, its not that, I don’t think you are trailer trash.”
“Whether you do or not, you did when you first saw me,” she forced a smile. “Look at me! My hair is dyed red, I wear too much mascara, I’m 19 and I got a tattoo of a confederate flag on my ankle…” she lifted up her left foot into her right hand and pulled back her pant cuff and sock to reveal a faded flag above her foot. “…I’ve got white trash written all over me. But I want to be a lawyer. I work here because Bethany pays me really good.”
There was a brief pause, as Jennifer searched for something to say.
“So, have you ever just spilled coffee into that guy’s lap accidentally, on purpose?” Jenn said with a smile.
“Well, not coffee. But hash browns. The first time he came in when I was working. It wasn’t on purpose, the plate was hot and it slipped. He always orders them covered, smothered and chunked, so it made quite a mess in his lap,” her smile was authentic this time. “He started in on me the next time he saw me.”
Jenn and Claire both laughed rather loudly at that.
“Well, Claire, its cold. I have friends waiting on me inside, and you have a job to do, so what say we both go back inside?” Jenn suggested.
“Good idea,” Claire smiled. As Jenn turned to walk inside, Claire put her hand on Jenn’s shoulder. “Jennifer?”
“Yes?” Jenn looked at Claire.
“I don’t know who you are or where you came from, but I’m glad you came here. Thanks,” she smiled.
Jenn smiled back, and they both walked back inside.
15... CLOSED
“How about that for you there?” Michael slammed his hand on the metal part of the door to the gas station.
“Closed due to inclement weather. Tide Pride Deli will reopen at 7am Sunday morning, weather permitting,” I read aloud the scribbled sign on the door. “Closed. Closed. The freaking store is closed.”
Ginger leaned back against the door and rested her head on the glass.
“Well, boys, now what do we do?” she smirked. She looked down at her watch. With a perplexed look, she shook her wrist a few times, looked down again, and then just shoved her hand back in her jacket pocket. “What time is it, anyone? My watch is frozen.”
I looked at mine and answered, “Ten after six.”
“Do we wait for Matt? Could he have already been here?” Ginger asked.
“I don’t think he’s been here yet,” I replied. “When he didn’t see us here, he would have gone back down the same road looking for us. Unless he passed by while we were down at the creek, he would have seen us. Or me, at least,” I said.
“There’s probably a good chance the interstate is closed,” Michael looked up and down the highway. “I haven’t seen a car or truck in an hour or so.”
“Well, we have to do something, because if we stay out here all night, we’ll get pneumonia. Michael, your foot is wet, and that can’t be good in this temperature.” I said.
“How cold would you say it is out here?” Michael asked, looking at me.
“Seventeen degrees,” Ginger responded, pointing to a thermometer hanging in the corner of the ceiling of the awning we were under.
“Yeah, we stay out here all night, all three of us are screwed,” I added. “We’ve got to find somewhere to go.”
“But what if Matt is on his way? I mean, what if the roads reopen, and he makes it here?” Ginger asked, almost in a pleading voice.
“Okay, here’s the plan. We stay right here until seven o’clock. If he’s not here by seven, we make a plan to find somewhere, anywhere, to go but here,” I said.
“In the meantime, I suggest we all stand really close together to stay warm,” Michael added.
“You just want to be close to me, don’t you?” Ginger smiled, moving in closer to where Michael and I stood.
PARTS 16 - 20
13... LOBBY
“Matt!” Stephanie exclaimed as they rushed into the lobby.
“Hey!” Matt quickly stood up to greet Leslie, Wookiee, Shawn, Amy and Stephanie. “Where have you guys been? I was giving you another five minutes and then I was out of here!”
“Not anymore,” Amy said. “They have shut all the major roads down, except for emergency vehicles.”
“You’re kidding?”
“No,” Wookiee replied. “We just heard it on the radio.”
“How is Ty?” Stephanie asked.
“Ty has a broken leg. It was shattered in four places below his knee and twice above the knee,” Matt explained. “The knee was completely unharmed, if you can believe that, but he’ll be on crutches for a good six months or so.”
“And where is Ginger, David and Michael?” Shawn looked around to see no familiar faces other than the ones in his immediate circle.
“And where are the others?” Amy asked.
“Have a seat, I’ll explain it real quickly,” Matt said.
Everyone sat down as Matt told a 3-minute version of what happened and where we were. “I told them as soon as I dropped Ty off and made sure he’d be okay, I would meet them at the gas station. I have to get there to meet them!”
He stood up and started to walk to the door.
“Matt, you go out there driving, and they’ll arrest you,” Amy cautioned. “We were stopped by a police officer already. The only reason they didn’t ticket us is because we told them we were headed here. There are patrol cars all over, and they will pull you over.”
“Then what am I supposed to do?” Matt asked. “Ginger’s out there. And the guys are out there too! It’s freezing out there! They all three need to be inside somewhere!”
“Okay, Matt, calm down,” Shawn said, putting his hand on Matt’s shoulder. “They get to the gas station, they’ll go in. Then, they will stay there waiting on you. It’ll be warm in there, and if they wait all night, that’s fine too. Let them wait. At least they’ll be safe and warm.”
“What if the gas station closes?”
“If it closes, surely they won’t turn them out into the cold. Let’s tell the police, and they can arrange to make sure the three of them are okay,” Shawn said.
Wookiee pulled his cell phone out and dialed 911. When he got the police, he told them of the three friends who should be stuck at a gas station down I-59.
“Where is the gas station?” Wookiee asked Matt. Matt gave him the exit number, and told him what the Tide Pride station looked like. After a few minutes of impatient waiting, Wookiee hung up the phone.
“The lady just told me that the storm conditions are going to worsen for the next several hours,” Wookiee said, “which means it’ll be that long before they can get anyone down there to pick them up. She gave me a directory assistance number, and told me to ask for the Tide Pride Shell and Deli number. I guess she knew which one it was.”
Leslie pulled her cell phone out and asked him for the number. She dialed, listened for a minute, and then hung up.
“Busy signal. Looks like all systems are down,” she smirked.
“Has anyone tried to get in touch with Drew?” Shawn asked to the general audience.
14... WAFFLE HOUSE
Drew opened the door to the Waffle House, and Justin, Tommy, Jenn and Tom walked on in. Though all five had been in many, many Waffle Houses before this one, they were all equally amazed at how many people had come into this building. Each booth had at least six people in it, all the barstools were full and there were people in chairs crammed elbow to elbow.
“Y’all just hold on a few minutes and I’ll be around to get your order,” an older lady with bleached blond hair called to them as they filed in. She then grabbed a coffeepot and headed the other way.
“This place looks a little busy,” Justin observed.
“Slightly,” Tommy replied.
“So, do we just stand over here or something?” Jenn asked to no one in particular, then took a step back. Everyone followed Jenn, and they all ended up leaning against the window.
They stood for about fifteen minutes, no one really saying much, just looking around, when finally the waitress that had talked to them earlier came up with menus in hand.
As she approached, they noticed the men sitting in the booth on the far end were getting up, leaving a place to sit.
“How are y’all?” she smiled, but it was obvious she was either frustrated or tired, or more than likely, a combination of the two.
Each person in the group took a menu, with a thank you.
“Hope you don’t mind sitting in chairs against the wall for a while,” she said. “We’ll try to find you some sort of table to eat at, because as you can see, we are quite full of people.” She looked around to see the newly empty booth. “Well, looky there. If you’ll wait just a minute, I’ll clean that up for you and you can sit right over yonder.”
“I’m guessing you’ve been running like crazy, haven’t you?” Justin asked.
“Gosh yes,” she said. “My name is Bethany, and I’ll be your waitress. The power went out in the area… this is the only place to come and eat, so everybody in a ten mile radius has been coming through that door!”
“If people are driving around to get here, then maybe we can make it home,” Tom said.
“Where you from?” Bethany asked.
“Birmingham,” Tommy answered.
“Don’t try it, honey. Several bridges are iced completely over between here and there, and for the most part the interstates have shut down. Roads around here are supposed to be closed, but authorities are letting people get here.”
She looked around at an older man coming in the door, and grimaced.
“Oh goodness,” she smirked. “Here comes that old coot to harass my waitresses again.”
The group watched the old fellow as he went to the end of the room and sat down in the newly empty booth, the very one that Bethany had just offered up.
“Somebody needs to come clean this up!” he said loudly. The younger waitress turned and her expression soured.
“I’m coming, Roger,” she sighed.
“Well, you could have had that seat, but it looks like Roger’s taken it,” Bethany turned back to them.
“Well, I’m not really that hungry,” Drew said. “So, can we just sit and wait out the storm?”
“That’s fine too,” she said. “Can I get you boys, and girl, some hot chocolate? On the house today.”
“That would be great, Bethany,” Tom smiled. The five went to the remaining line of chairs against the wall and sat. There were two waitresses and one cook scurrying about behind the counter. Tommy scanned the room and did a quick count, coming up with a number of about 60 people being served in the room. There were also about five other people sitting in chairs beside the group he was with.
From out of nowhere, the man in the very back began to complain very loudly. His words were not very obscene, but his tone was very unsettling, all translating into wanting coffee but not getting it.
“I want coffee!” he yelled. “I’ve been sitting here for twenty minutes and nobody got my order yet! What kind of service is this!?” He spoke as if he were the only one in the entire building.
“I’m trying!” said the younger waitress.
“How old do you think Flo is there?” Drew leaned over to Justin.
“Not more than 21, I’d guess,” Justin answered.
She frantically was pouring coffee, wanting to hurry up and get to the customer who had so rudely called her, but at the same time, trying to take care of the customers who had put in their requests first.
Bethany, the waitress who had talked to them earlier, carried a handful of food, and just gave a sorrowful look to the younger waitress.
After a brief silence, the man in the back began to call the younger waitress names. He called her slow, he called her spoiled, he called her lazy. His tone continued to be more detrimental with every word he spoke. All because his order had not been taken.
“If you were any sort of good help, I’d already have some food here in front of me, young lady,” he snarled.
“That’s enough of this,” Justin stood up and began to walk towards the counter.
The restaurant had become very quiet, because of the loudness of this particular man. The low volume of the noise made it easy for Jenn, Tom, Drew and Tommy to hear clearly the crying on the waitress who had been verbally attacked. She threw the paper and rag she held in her hands on the counter and ran outside into the cold.
“Justin, what are you doing?” Drew asked him, trying not to draw attention to him.
“Getting this man to be quiet,” Justin replied in a low voice back to Drew.
“What’s he going to do?” Tom looked at Tommy.
“I dunno,” Jenn replied, “but I’m going to walk outside and talk to this waitress.” She stood up followed the girl out the front.
Tom and Drew both sat on the edge of their seats, ready to leap up at any moment.
“You don’t think he’s going to start a bar fight, do you?” Drew looked at Tom.
“How cool would that be?” Tom replied.
Tommy watched carefully as Justin went to the counter, and in a low voice, said something to Bethany. She looked a little confused for a moment, then broke into a smile. She handed him something small and he turned and began to walk toward the back of the restaurant.
“What did he get?” Drew asked.
“I don’t know,” Tom answered, stretching his neck to see what Justin was doing.
Justin walked to the table, stopped and turned toward the man. And then he put for the biggest smile he could muster up, considering he was in a Waffle House.
“Who the heck are you?” the man looked up at Justin.
“Hey, my name is Justin and I will be your waiter,” he smiled. “What can I get for you?”
“My waiter? Didn’t you just come from the other side of the restaurant?”
“Well, yeah, but I just started. So, what can I get for you today?”
The man looked puzzled at first, then shrugged his shoulders and began to speak his order.
“Okay, grits or hash browns?” Justin asked.
“Uh… well… oh, gimme some hash browns. Covered and smothered and chunked,” the man ordered, reading off of the menu.
“Alright,” Justin nodded. “You see we are really busy tonight, but it shouldn’t be too much longer.” He then turned and walked towards the counter again. He handed the order to Bethany with a smile. “There you go.”
As he handed the small piece of paper over, she put both of her hands on Justin’s hand holding the order.
“God bless you,” she said. “That was about the nicest thing I think I’ve ever seen anyone do. Ever.”
“You need to get out more, ma’am. That wasn’t very much,” Justin laughed, and then walked back to his seat.
When Jenn stepped outside the door, the cold hit her hard. She remembered winters in Chicago, and this felt much like that. The wind was icy and the snow was still falling thick.
She looked around and saw the waitress who had run out standing at the corner of the building. Jenn slowly walked towards her, being careful not to slip and fall in the inch or two of snow that had come down in the last three hours.
“Ma’am?” she asked. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” she said, without turning around to look at Jenn. “I’m fine. Thanks.”
“You know, sometimes people are like that,” Jenn said in a soft voice. “You can’t let it get you down.”
“I know him. He lives a few miles from here. I hate waiting on him because he’s always so mean to me. It’s amazing because I get men in here that are ten times more obscene, making all kinds of sexual references to me, but they never bother me as much as this guy does. He doesn't curse, he isn't dirty... he is just plain mean.”
Jenn paused for a moment, careful not to get in front of her.
“My name is Jennifer,” she said after a few seconds of silence.
“I’m Claire,” the waitress turned around to face Jenn for the first time. Jenn observed a young face with already a wrinkle or two. She was pretty though, Jennifer thought. The waitress had really pretty curly hair, but obviously dyed the color red that it was. She stuck her hand out to shake Jenn’s, and Jenn obliged.
“So, how long have you worked here?” Jenn asked, praying in her mind for something to talk to her about.
“About six weeks,” Claire responded. “I’m a student at Alabama, and I live in this area. I’m just trying to save up some money to…” she stopped as her words faded off. Claire turned around again, folded her arms and shivered. “It’s cold out here.”
“To what, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“I’m saving up my money to go to Harvard law school,” she said with a sigh.
“Really?” Jenn’s eyes widened a little more than she intended to show.
“Yeah, I know, I look like trailer park trash, and probably am. But I want to be a criminal lawyer.”
“No, no, its not that, I don’t think you are trailer trash.”
“Whether you do or not, you did when you first saw me,” she forced a smile. “Look at me! My hair is dyed red, I wear too much mascara, I’m 19 and I got a tattoo of a confederate flag on my ankle…” she lifted up her left foot into her right hand and pulled back her pant cuff and sock to reveal a faded flag above her foot. “…I’ve got white trash written all over me. But I want to be a lawyer. I work here because Bethany pays me really good.”
There was a brief pause, as Jennifer searched for something to say.
“So, have you ever just spilled coffee into that guy’s lap accidentally, on purpose?” Jenn said with a smile.
“Well, not coffee. But hash browns. The first time he came in when I was working. It wasn’t on purpose, the plate was hot and it slipped. He always orders them covered, smothered and chunked, so it made quite a mess in his lap,” her smile was authentic this time. “He started in on me the next time he saw me.”
Jenn and Claire both laughed rather loudly at that.
“Well, Claire, its cold. I have friends waiting on me inside, and you have a job to do, so what say we both go back inside?” Jenn suggested.
“Good idea,” Claire smiled. As Jenn turned to walk inside, Claire put her hand on Jenn’s shoulder. “Jennifer?”
“Yes?” Jenn looked at Claire.
“I don’t know who you are or where you came from, but I’m glad you came here. Thanks,” she smiled.
Jenn smiled back, and they both walked back inside.
15... CLOSED
“How about that for you there?” Michael slammed his hand on the metal part of the door to the gas station.
“Closed due to inclement weather. Tide Pride Deli will reopen at 7am Sunday morning, weather permitting,” I read aloud the scribbled sign on the door. “Closed. Closed. The freaking store is closed.”
Ginger leaned back against the door and rested her head on the glass.
“Well, boys, now what do we do?” she smirked. She looked down at her watch. With a perplexed look, she shook her wrist a few times, looked down again, and then just shoved her hand back in her jacket pocket. “What time is it, anyone? My watch is frozen.”
I looked at mine and answered, “Ten after six.”
“Do we wait for Matt? Could he have already been here?” Ginger asked.
“I don’t think he’s been here yet,” I replied. “When he didn’t see us here, he would have gone back down the same road looking for us. Unless he passed by while we were down at the creek, he would have seen us. Or me, at least,” I said.
“There’s probably a good chance the interstate is closed,” Michael looked up and down the highway. “I haven’t seen a car or truck in an hour or so.”
“Well, we have to do something, because if we stay out here all night, we’ll get pneumonia. Michael, your foot is wet, and that can’t be good in this temperature.” I said.
“How cold would you say it is out here?” Michael asked, looking at me.
“Seventeen degrees,” Ginger responded, pointing to a thermometer hanging in the corner of the ceiling of the awning we were under.
“Yeah, we stay out here all night, all three of us are screwed,” I added. “We’ve got to find somewhere to go.”
“But what if Matt is on his way? I mean, what if the roads reopen, and he makes it here?” Ginger asked, almost in a pleading voice.
“Okay, here’s the plan. We stay right here until seven o’clock. If he’s not here by seven, we make a plan to find somewhere, anywhere, to go but here,” I said.
“In the meantime, I suggest we all stand really close together to stay warm,” Michael added.
“You just want to be close to me, don’t you?” Ginger smiled, moving in closer to where Michael and I stood.
PARTS 16 - 20
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Hugh Jackman, Meet Colin Firth (and other december movies)
Guess who is playing The Riddler in the newest Batman film, tentatively titled "Gotham"?
Here's what I've seen in the last few weeks..
"Quantum of Solace", rated PG-13, starring Daniel Craig and Dame Judi Dench
I have to be clear on this... I'm not a huge James Bond fan. This is unofficially the 25th movie in the James Bond series, and I've probably seen, or at least can remember, five or six of them. That being said, I think Daniel Craig is a great James Bond. Seriously... Pierce Brosnan was decent, I think, though a little too... well, charming and not manly enough... while Timothy Dalton was terrible. Roger Moore was the Bond of my childhood mostly, and of course, everyone loved Sean Connery from back in the day.
Now that my exposition is out of the way, I can say that I really and fully enjoyed this flick. It picks up right where "Casino Royale" left off, another film I enjoyed immensely--one of the coolest things about 2006. One drawback is that "Quantum" features none of the gadgets that we are so used to seeing, but like "Casino Royale", the story isn't about the gadgets. This one is about an agent seeking revenge... and Strawberry Fields? One of the best looking Bond girls ever. Ever. Well, except for Paris Carver. Oh, and Xenia Onatopp.
There are only four things that redeemed this movie for me...
1) The chick playing Alice Cullen
2) The chick playing Jessica Kendrick
3) Watching Mike Dexter try to be a father figure
4) When it was over, after 2 god-forsaken hours that Ill never, ever, ever get back.
I mean, this movie is so dreary, and so depressing--not a good depressing like "Schindler's List" or "Saving Private Ryan", a depressing that entertains and enthralls, nay, even haunts you... no, this is a bad depressing, so much so that I was sticking fire pokers between my fingers. I was playing games on my phone. I was working out algebra formulas in my head. I was counting the hairs on my arms (I got to about 1,993,103 before I lost count). This, of course, begs the question, "Dave, why didn't you just leave??" to which I answer, "I had to finish the movie, just in case it got better. It actually did, for about 10 minutes towards the end, then that part got ruined.
I found the ticket for free in the little ticket box, which is why I went to see it. It was free, and I still wanted my money back. This movie was terrible.
"Role Models", Rated R, starring Paul Rudd, Seann William Scott, Elizabeth Banks
As a follower of Christ, we are bound by the law of what is good and what is right, as listed in the Word of God, telling us be careful what we see and what he hear, be cautious of what we put before our eyes and in our hearts. I say this to head off anyone telling me this exact thing, Amy McL, because I have to say, for me...
...this movie was absolutely hysterical. I mean, unbelievably funny, to the point I was cracking up every few minutes. The plot is a little contrived--two guys get into trouble and are sentenced to work with some troubled kids at a center. Of course, it goes without saying, the ending will be that, though they hate the kids at first, they end up loving the kids, and the kids, though hating the two guys, end up loving the two guys. Duh. That's how movies like this are supposed to end.
That being said, this movie is driven by Paul Rudd and Seann William Scott, two extremely funny and talented guys. Their timing and delivery of what might be unfunny dialogue turn this from cliche to completely a riot. I like Paul Rudd anyway, for his work in the little-seen-but-very-funny "Wet Hot American Summer" (directed by David Wain, as is "Role Models"), the slightly overrated "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" and of course, my 91st Favorite Movie of All Time. Seann William Scott, who will forever be known as Stifler, is also emerging as a great go to guy for silly, stupid comedy, and in the case of genius like "The Rundown" (also on The Dave100), smart, sharp comedy.
Anyway, if "Superbad" offended you, or "Knocked Up" got under your craw, stay away from "Role Models". Its got language, its got unnecessary boobage and its got boy potty humor... but man, its funny. And its great to watch Fogell emerge as a decent actor.
"Four Christmases", Rated PG-13, starring Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon.
Whereas "Role Models" was really, really funny, this movie was just funny. Again, its a contrived plot that relys on the strength of its leads and Vince Vaughn definately does his end of the job. He's one of the funniest guys out there.
Oh, by the way, after this movie, I'd like to introduce one of three possible candidates into The Ashley Judd Club (my answer to The Colin Firth Club)... Reese Witherspoon. She's one of those actresses that I keep forgetting 1) how talented she is, and 2) how hot she is. She shouldn't be hot, either, she's got this weird goofy grin thing going on, along the same lines that has made me never find Julia Roberts attractive... and yet, somehow she is.
Kristen Chenoweth, who starred in the tv show "Pushing Daisies". It sounded like an interesting premise, so much so that I was very close to buying Season One on DVD, catching up and following the show. Then ABC cancelled it--or "halted production, which is just as good as. Then the news came out that there is no plans to resolve the cliffhanger left by the last filmed episode. So, I didn't get it.
Reese is funny in this movie. She's been funnier, though, as seen in "Election", one of the most wickedly funny movies ever, and even "Sweet Home Alabama". Avoid anything that has a number after "Legally Blonde", though.
Anyway, they play a couple who, since both comes from divorced homes, somehow avoid visiting the four different families they'd have to see on Christmas Day. Through a pretty clever set of circumstances, however, they are forced to do just that very thing... the parents are great, played by Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, Jon Voight and Mary Steenbergen, all four Oscar winners. Dwight Yoakam also has one heck of a funny cameo too (I didn't even spot him at first).
You'll also see Jon Favreau at his stupid best, Tim McGraw somehow pulling off a funny part, and another candidate for this year's inductees into The Ashley Judd Club, Kristen Chenoweth.
This is a silly popcorn movie that, if what you want is sold out, I would recommend. You won't laugh until you cry, but you will laugh.
d$'s Movie Moment....
Three Films of Vince Vaughn to check out...
"Wedding Crashers"... again, if you don't like this kind humor, stay away!
"Be Cool"... not nearly as good as "Get Shorty" but Vince + The Rock = d$ laughing
"A Cool, Dry Place"... a more serious role, in a very sweet movie
Three Films to Avoid at All Cost...
"Psycho"... "The Cell"... and one of the worst movies I've ever seen, "Domestic Disturbance"
Three Films of Reese Witherspoon to check out...
"Election"... a very satirical flick with a great plot, hilarious (and bad) dialogue and Reese at her most scrumptiously good
"Man in the Moon"... no, not the Jim Carrey one. Reese was 15 when she debuted in this country movie--grab a few hankies. The only movie I have ever cried in. Seriously.
"Walk the Line"... of course.
What do we think? Is she The Goddess worthy?
Three Films to Avoid at All Cost...
"Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde"... "S.F.W."... "Little Nicky"
"The Punisher: War Zone"... Rated R, starring Ray Stevenson, Dominic West
You ever go to a movie and you just know, after its over, that you would have enjoyed it soooo much more if you had seen it at the $1 theater, thereby investing only a single dollar, than at the big show, investing $9.25? Yep. This was "The Punisher: War Zone" for me.
Mikey Nipp and I saw this movie together, as we do have a tendency to check out bad flicks, sometimes because no one else will see them with us. We saw "Death Race 3000" this summer--at the $1 theater--and it was unbelievably craptastic.
"The Punisher: War Zone" is a terrible movie. The acting is terrible, the effects are terrible, the plot is terrible, and the blood/body count is terrible. Please know that all these "terribles" are predicated on the fact I paid about $8.25 more than I should have for this movie.
In one seen, The Punisher punches a guy in the face. Does the guy's nose break? Does the eye get a bloody eye? No. The guys face caves in. Completely. This is the movie called "The Punisher: War Zone".
Run.
The Colin Firth Club and Its Official Members
For those of you who have read the blog a while, you'll know what this is, and many of you have your own version. KT's is called "The Eddie Vedder Club". Nikki Brown might have "The Michael Phelps Club". Who knows?
If The Lovely Steph Leann is offered a romantic escapade with Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, Will Smith, she laughs and says "no way". However... offer her Colin Firth, and though she would say no, she would hesitate. It wouldn't be an automatic refusal, there would be a few seconds of thought. Hence, The Colin Firth Club.
The official president and leader of The Colin Firth Club
Its members include.. Colin Firth, of course... Patrick Dempsey, Bradley Whitford, Pierce Brosnan, Mr. Darcy and now, 2008's inductee, Hugh Jackman.
My own version, heralded by The Goddess? It includes Samantha Brown, Kate Winslet, Debra Messing, Teri Hatcher and Marisa Tomei. And 2008's candidates for induction? Kristen Chenoweth, Reese Witherspoon and Ashley Tisdale.
"Australia", Rated PG-13, starring Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman
"Australia" is defined by two words... "Sweeping" and "Epic". This is not a movie for everyone. This is a movie for people who enjoy "Sweeping" and "Epics". Directed by Baz Luhrmann, the same guy who did "Moulin Rouge!", "William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet" and the highly underseen "Strictly Ballroom", it tells the tale of an English Lady who lost her husband to the rough tread of the Australian cattle driving industry in the days leading up to World War II.
This one is for The Lovely Steph Leann...
Now, for my money, I had never even given a thought to cattle drives--or droves--in Australia, as when I hear that name, I only think of koalas, kangaroos, WalkAbout and Nicole Kidman. Good thing that Nicole Kidman is in this movie. Its been a while since I've enjoyed Nicole Kidman, because lets face it, she's done some crap in recent years.
Three Nicole Kidman movies to check out...
"Dead Calm"... One of her first films, and its chilling. She's excellent.
"To Die For"... Very funny, very sharp
"The Others"... Creepy. Very creepy.
Three Nicole Kidman films to avoid at all costs...
Pretty much everything since 2001's "The Others" and now. "Cold Mountain" might be worth a look and... no, avoid that one too.
Anyway, she shines and looks great in the Great Outback, and actually, The Outback could be a co-star of the film. Its got adventure, its got love, its got villians, its got aborigines, its got war, its got Hugh Jackman, lathered up in soap, washing off, leading to this exchange...
Me: Hugh Jackman, huh? Good looking?
The Lovely Steph Leann: Oh yeah. He's People's Sexiest Man Alive for a reason.
Me: Colin Firth Club worthy?
The Lovely Steph Leann (incredulously): Of course he's Colin Firth Club Worthy! Its Hugh Jackman! Helll-ooo....
At a running time of almost 3 hours, empty your bladder before going in, drink slowly and get comfy. I do recommend it, though... it was a good... no, it was a great, fun picture.
I was going to go see "The Day The Earth Stood Still", but then I learned that its kind of a "we are aliens who are so ashamed at how you measly Earthlings (re: Americans) are destroying your planet, we're going to come and destroy it for you so you can start over"
That did it for me.
Random The Goddess picture, since The Lovely Steph Leann got one
Here's what I've seen in the last few weeks..
"Quantum of Solace", rated PG-13, starring Daniel Craig and Dame Judi Dench
I have to be clear on this... I'm not a huge James Bond fan. This is unofficially the 25th movie in the James Bond series, and I've probably seen, or at least can remember, five or six of them. That being said, I think Daniel Craig is a great James Bond. Seriously... Pierce Brosnan was decent, I think, though a little too... well, charming and not manly enough... while Timothy Dalton was terrible. Roger Moore was the Bond of my childhood mostly, and of course, everyone loved Sean Connery from back in the day.
Now that my exposition is out of the way, I can say that I really and fully enjoyed this flick. It picks up right where "Casino Royale" left off, another film I enjoyed immensely--one of the coolest things about 2006. One drawback is that "Quantum" features none of the gadgets that we are so used to seeing, but like "Casino Royale", the story isn't about the gadgets. This one is about an agent seeking revenge... and Strawberry Fields? One of the best looking Bond girls ever. Ever. Well, except for Paris Carver. Oh, and Xenia Onatopp.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
"Twilight", rated PG, starring Cedric Diggory, The Chick from #51 on The Dave100, and Mike Dexter.There are only four things that redeemed this movie for me...
1) The chick playing Alice Cullen
2) The chick playing Jessica Kendrick
3) Watching Mike Dexter try to be a father figure
4) When it was over, after 2 god-forsaken hours that Ill never, ever, ever get back.
I mean, this movie is so dreary, and so depressing--not a good depressing like "Schindler's List" or "Saving Private Ryan", a depressing that entertains and enthralls, nay, even haunts you... no, this is a bad depressing, so much so that I was sticking fire pokers between my fingers. I was playing games on my phone. I was working out algebra formulas in my head. I was counting the hairs on my arms (I got to about 1,993,103 before I lost count). This, of course, begs the question, "Dave, why didn't you just leave??" to which I answer, "I had to finish the movie, just in case it got better. It actually did, for about 10 minutes towards the end, then that part got ruined.
I found the ticket for free in the little ticket box, which is why I went to see it. It was free, and I still wanted my money back. This movie was terrible.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
"Role Models", Rated R, starring Paul Rudd, Seann William Scott, Elizabeth Banks
As a follower of Christ, we are bound by the law of what is good and what is right, as listed in the Word of God, telling us be careful what we see and what he hear, be cautious of what we put before our eyes and in our hearts. I say this to head off anyone telling me this exact thing, Amy McL, because I have to say, for me...
...this movie was absolutely hysterical. I mean, unbelievably funny, to the point I was cracking up every few minutes. The plot is a little contrived--two guys get into trouble and are sentenced to work with some troubled kids at a center. Of course, it goes without saying, the ending will be that, though they hate the kids at first, they end up loving the kids, and the kids, though hating the two guys, end up loving the two guys. Duh. That's how movies like this are supposed to end.
That being said, this movie is driven by Paul Rudd and Seann William Scott, two extremely funny and talented guys. Their timing and delivery of what might be unfunny dialogue turn this from cliche to completely a riot. I like Paul Rudd anyway, for his work in the little-seen-but-very-funny "Wet Hot American Summer" (directed by David Wain, as is "Role Models"), the slightly overrated "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" and of course, my 91st Favorite Movie of All Time. Seann William Scott, who will forever be known as Stifler, is also emerging as a great go to guy for silly, stupid comedy, and in the case of genius like "The Rundown" (also on The Dave100), smart, sharp comedy.
Anyway, if "Superbad" offended you, or "Knocked Up" got under your craw, stay away from "Role Models". Its got language, its got unnecessary boobage and its got boy potty humor... but man, its funny. And its great to watch Fogell emerge as a decent actor.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
"Four Christmases", Rated PG-13, starring Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon.
Whereas "Role Models" was really, really funny, this movie was just funny. Again, its a contrived plot that relys on the strength of its leads and Vince Vaughn definately does his end of the job. He's one of the funniest guys out there.
Oh, by the way, after this movie, I'd like to introduce one of three possible candidates into The Ashley Judd Club (my answer to The Colin Firth Club)... Reese Witherspoon. She's one of those actresses that I keep forgetting 1) how talented she is, and 2) how hot she is. She shouldn't be hot, either, she's got this weird goofy grin thing going on, along the same lines that has made me never find Julia Roberts attractive... and yet, somehow she is.
Kristen Chenoweth, who starred in the tv show "Pushing Daisies". It sounded like an interesting premise, so much so that I was very close to buying Season One on DVD, catching up and following the show. Then ABC cancelled it--or "halted production, which is just as good as. Then the news came out that there is no plans to resolve the cliffhanger left by the last filmed episode. So, I didn't get it.
Reese is funny in this movie. She's been funnier, though, as seen in "Election", one of the most wickedly funny movies ever, and even "Sweet Home Alabama". Avoid anything that has a number after "Legally Blonde", though.
Anyway, they play a couple who, since both comes from divorced homes, somehow avoid visiting the four different families they'd have to see on Christmas Day. Through a pretty clever set of circumstances, however, they are forced to do just that very thing... the parents are great, played by Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, Jon Voight and Mary Steenbergen, all four Oscar winners. Dwight Yoakam also has one heck of a funny cameo too (I didn't even spot him at first).
You'll also see Jon Favreau at his stupid best, Tim McGraw somehow pulling off a funny part, and another candidate for this year's inductees into The Ashley Judd Club, Kristen Chenoweth.
This is a silly popcorn movie that, if what you want is sold out, I would recommend. You won't laugh until you cry, but you will laugh.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
d$'s Movie Moment....
Three Films of Vince Vaughn to check out...
"Wedding Crashers"... again, if you don't like this kind humor, stay away!
"Be Cool"... not nearly as good as "Get Shorty" but Vince + The Rock = d$ laughing
"A Cool, Dry Place"... a more serious role, in a very sweet movie
Three Films to Avoid at All Cost...
"Psycho"... "The Cell"... and one of the worst movies I've ever seen, "Domestic Disturbance"
Three Films of Reese Witherspoon to check out...
"Election"... a very satirical flick with a great plot, hilarious (and bad) dialogue and Reese at her most scrumptiously good
"Man in the Moon"... no, not the Jim Carrey one. Reese was 15 when she debuted in this country movie--grab a few hankies. The only movie I have ever cried in. Seriously.
"Walk the Line"... of course.
What do we think? Is she The Goddess worthy?
Three Films to Avoid at All Cost...
"Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde"... "S.F.W."... "Little Nicky"
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
"The Punisher: War Zone"... Rated R, starring Ray Stevenson, Dominic West
You ever go to a movie and you just know, after its over, that you would have enjoyed it soooo much more if you had seen it at the $1 theater, thereby investing only a single dollar, than at the big show, investing $9.25? Yep. This was "The Punisher: War Zone" for me.
Mikey Nipp and I saw this movie together, as we do have a tendency to check out bad flicks, sometimes because no one else will see them with us. We saw "Death Race 3000" this summer--at the $1 theater--and it was unbelievably craptastic.
"The Punisher: War Zone" is a terrible movie. The acting is terrible, the effects are terrible, the plot is terrible, and the blood/body count is terrible. Please know that all these "terribles" are predicated on the fact I paid about $8.25 more than I should have for this movie.
In one seen, The Punisher punches a guy in the face. Does the guy's nose break? Does the eye get a bloody eye? No. The guys face caves in. Completely. This is the movie called "The Punisher: War Zone".
Run.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
The Colin Firth Club and Its Official Members
For those of you who have read the blog a while, you'll know what this is, and many of you have your own version. KT's is called "The Eddie Vedder Club". Nikki Brown might have "The Michael Phelps Club". Who knows?
If The Lovely Steph Leann is offered a romantic escapade with Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, Will Smith, she laughs and says "no way". However... offer her Colin Firth, and though she would say no, she would hesitate. It wouldn't be an automatic refusal, there would be a few seconds of thought. Hence, The Colin Firth Club.
The official president and leader of The Colin Firth Club
Its members include.. Colin Firth, of course... Patrick Dempsey, Bradley Whitford, Pierce Brosnan, Mr. Darcy and now, 2008's inductee, Hugh Jackman.
My own version, heralded by The Goddess? It includes Samantha Brown, Kate Winslet, Debra Messing, Teri Hatcher and Marisa Tomei. And 2008's candidates for induction? Kristen Chenoweth, Reese Witherspoon and Ashley Tisdale.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
"Australia", Rated PG-13, starring Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman
"Australia" is defined by two words... "Sweeping" and "Epic". This is not a movie for everyone. This is a movie for people who enjoy "Sweeping" and "Epics". Directed by Baz Luhrmann, the same guy who did "Moulin Rouge!", "William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet" and the highly underseen "Strictly Ballroom", it tells the tale of an English Lady who lost her husband to the rough tread of the Australian cattle driving industry in the days leading up to World War II.
This one is for The Lovely Steph Leann...
Now, for my money, I had never even given a thought to cattle drives--or droves--in Australia, as when I hear that name, I only think of koalas, kangaroos, WalkAbout and Nicole Kidman. Good thing that Nicole Kidman is in this movie. Its been a while since I've enjoyed Nicole Kidman, because lets face it, she's done some crap in recent years.
Three Nicole Kidman movies to check out...
"Dead Calm"... One of her first films, and its chilling. She's excellent.
"To Die For"... Very funny, very sharp
"The Others"... Creepy. Very creepy.
Three Nicole Kidman films to avoid at all costs...
Pretty much everything since 2001's "The Others" and now. "Cold Mountain" might be worth a look and... no, avoid that one too.
Anyway, she shines and looks great in the Great Outback, and actually, The Outback could be a co-star of the film. Its got adventure, its got love, its got villians, its got aborigines, its got war, its got Hugh Jackman, lathered up in soap, washing off, leading to this exchange...
Me: Hugh Jackman, huh? Good looking?
The Lovely Steph Leann: Oh yeah. He's People's Sexiest Man Alive for a reason.
Me: Colin Firth Club worthy?
The Lovely Steph Leann (incredulously): Of course he's Colin Firth Club Worthy! Its Hugh Jackman! Helll-ooo....
At a running time of almost 3 hours, empty your bladder before going in, drink slowly and get comfy. I do recommend it, though... it was a good... no, it was a great, fun picture.
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I was going to go see "The Day The Earth Stood Still", but then I learned that its kind of a "we are aliens who are so ashamed at how you measly Earthlings (re: Americans) are destroying your planet, we're going to come and destroy it for you so you can start over"
That did it for me.
Random The Goddess picture, since The Lovely Steph Leann got one
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Finally, here are the movies I'm really excited about seeing in the next few weeks...
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"... First, I think Brad Pitt is an extremely talented actor, all looks aside. Secondly, I'm all about some Cate Blanchett, but only in certain movies--this one is included. Perhaps I've seen the entire movie in the previews, but I think it will be, at the very least, interesting.
"Gran Torino"... True story. I'm watching the previews, waiting for "Quantum of Solace". I see the trailer for the new Star Trek film, and while it was pretty good, I was completely taken and enthralled with Clint Eastwood's new film. It looks amazing.
"Bedtime Stories"... It kind of reminds me of the fantasy and fun of "A Night at the Museum", and it reminds me of "Four Christmases"... a fun popcorn flick. This is not to be confused with the Cinemax late night series of the same name, by the way.
"Revolutionary Road"... Its got Kate Winslet. That's all I care about.
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