It’s Kevin, I realize. Or Pete? Richard? The man from the parade all those years ago. “Keith!” Finn yells.
Yup, that’s it.
“What are you doing out here in the burbs?” Keith bellows from where he stands a few yards away.
“What are you doing here?” Finn retorts. “I can’t believe this! How do you even remember us?”
“Oh, you four made an impression. Wait, where’s your other gal?”
“In the hospital,” Finn says, and Keith looks shocked. “She’s fine, it’s a long story. You were saying?”
“Do you know, in all my years of going to the parade, no one has ever invited me to join their plans after. Except for you all. Usually I’m home by lunchtime, I have a PB and J, and then I take the evening shift so my guys can have Christmas dinner with their families.”
I feel guilty that I barely remember him, and our interaction made such an impression on him. I wrap an arm around Finn’s waist.
“Well, we’re glad you’re here,” Finn says. “We’re, uh, having some car trouble.”
“What are you doing this far from the city? You’re not running from the law, are you?” Keith laughs at his own joke.
“We’re actually trying to get to Hannah’s boyfriend’s house in Fairfield. They had a fight, and she needs to talk to him.”
“Let’s see what we can see,” Keith says, “I like our odds. We’ve got Christmas magic on our side. I see the magic worked for you two.” He points two split fingers at Theo and Finn. “I’m glad to see you’re still together.”
“Us?” Finn chokes. “No, we . . . uh . . . you must be mistaken.”
Keith gives him a funny look, but let’s it slide. “So, let’s see about this car.”
Keith spends fifteen minutes banging around under the hood of the limousine while George stands beside him holding a flashlight and positing unhelpful theories about what might be broken. At one point, Keith asks Finn to try turning the car on and it sounds promising for a few seconds, but then nothing.
“I’m sorry,” Keith says. “I think we’re going to need to tow her.”
“And then you can fix the limo at your garage?” I ask hopefully.
“Sure, eventually. But I’m going to need to order some parts.”
“But we have to get to Fairfield,” I say. “Tonight.”
“I might be able to help with that,” Keith says.
We pile into the back seat of Keith’s tow truck, and are surprised to be greeted by a woman dressed as Mrs. Claus in the front seat. Keith introduces her as Elaine, his new wife. He tells us how he traded in his parade tradition for something new this year, but still kept the costumes as a nod to his late wife. At least one Christmas love story went right.
* * *
? ? ?
?An hour later, we’re in a beat-up old pickup truck Keith loaned us. Finn’s driving, and I’m sandwiched between him and Theo on the truck’s bench. The clock on the dashboard reads 12:34. “I guess I’m not going to be able to salvage this Christmas after all,” I sigh.
“What do you mean?” Finn says. “We’ll be there in an hour according to Keith’s directions.” All of our phones are dead so we’re navigating nineties style, pre-GPS. Keith assured us Fairfield was a straight shot once we got back on I-95, and there are maps galore in the glove compartment if we need them. I’m pretty sure I remember the way to David’s parents’ house from the highway.
“Yeah, but it’s not Christmas anymore.”
“Oh, stop being so literal. It’s Christmas until we go to bed.”
He flips on the radio and “Last Christmas” wafts into the truck’s cab. Last Christmas, I gave you my heart. The very next day you gave it away. How fitting, given that this is probably our last Christmas together and David’s about to break up with me on December 26. I feel a deep kinship with George Michael in this moment.
An hour and a few wrong turns later, we pull up to David’s parents’ house. “Is this a bad idea?” I ask as we stare at the darkened house, everyone inside has likely been asleep for hours.
“I think that depends how it turns out,” Finn says, “and we don’t know how it’ll turn out until you ring the doorbell.”
I nudge Theo so he can let me out of the car. “Here goes nothing. Wish me luck,” I tell them.
“Luck!” Finn says at the same time Theo says, “You don’t need it. Love is stronger than luck.”
twenty-four
Finn
This year, December 26
Hannah swishes up the snow-covered front walk, a flash of crimson against a backdrop of pristine white. I can’t decide if the symbolism is grim （the first drop of blood marring a snow-covered battlefield in a World War II epic） or hopeful （a single flower pushing its way through the ground after a long, cold winter）。 In my head, a cinematic soundtrack accompanies the tableau, the music swelling with every step she takes toward the front door.
“I can’t look,” Theo says even though his eyes are glued to her through the passenger-side window. He reaches across the seat for my hand like the suspense is too much.
For a minute she stands in front of the door and does nothing. My mental soundtrack glitches like a scratched record.
Is she going to chicken out? If she does, I’m prepared to shift the car into drive, and leave her on his parents’ lawn. I’d come back eventually, but I’m not above forcing her hand. I will not let her ruin this moment. It’d be for her own good. She has something real with David, she’s just scared. And, selfishly, I like knowing that she’ll have someone there for her after I move.
Finally, she lifts a finger to the doorbell. “YESSS!” I pump my fist like she’s my favorite sports team and she just scored the winning goal. Theo jumps in his seat, surprised by the volume of my reaction.
A light flicks on in the upstairs window, and a minute later an older woman in a fluffy white bathrobe answers the door. Her chin length hair stands up straight on one side and is matted down on the other in an unintentional Flock of Seagulls look.
“Crack the window,” I tell Theo. “I want to see if we can hear them.”
He pushes the button to lower the window, but nothing happens. “I think it’s frozen shut.”
We watch Hannah and David’s mother have a quick exchange, but less than two minutes later they hug, and Hannah turns on her heel and walks back towards the car.
“Do you think he didn’t want to see her?” Theo asks. “That’s cold.”
“Shhh, pretend we weren’t watching.” I whip my head forward and look straight ahead through the windshield. “Fake laugh at something I said so it looks like we were having a conversation this whole time.” Theo is a less-than-generous scene partner and stares at me blankly.
When Hannah opens the passenger door, she announces over Theo’s lap, “He’s not there. He went back to the city.”
Theo and I groan. Keith was kind enough to loan us his truck, but he didn’t have a charging adapter for the cigarette lighter and the truck is too old for a USB port. At the time, our mission seemed too critical to pause and plug in our phones, but it might have saved us a lot of time and headache.