Story Write Compilations Volume I Stories 13

 

Twelve Hours to Christmas

 

Author's Note:

Most of us said that is the time we rush for our last minute's shopping and hurrying for home. Have you ever considered the ones who may be still working at the shops and offices?

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Ever felt miserable on Christmas eve; well I did as I was to manned the call desk on that day. My other colleague has to call in sick or stuck in some non-moving traffic. As I was living within a block of the place, I ended up in the store doing the dreaded work of listening to moans and groans from dis-grunted customers.

 

Oops! There is the line coming in.

“Good afternoon, this is Sarah at the Store. Merry Christmas to you and how can I help you?” Here it comes, the tirade of complaints by another disgruntled customer. She bought a microwave to heat her meals for the coming dinner but it's not working. She is living out of the city limits and she is not driving in to get it replaced. And she wants an answer now. Okay here comes my cheesy ‘I am your every helpful servant’ smile although I am smiling at a switchboard instead of an irate customer over the counter. I guided her through the steps in the installation manual and we ticked the items as we walked through it.

 

“Oh, I forgot to push the plug back to restore the power to this socket. The last time it blew up ‘Harvey’, it shut off the current automatically.” She must be blushing on the other side of the phone line.

 

“Who is Harvey?” I had to ask. It's called being personal to your client.

 

“Harvey was my previous microwave. He served me well for five years. He died so I had to get this new replacement with all the new switches. Thank you, it's working, and Merry Christmas. By the way, what is your name again?” I told her and she said she will call this new contraption Sarah from now. I am ever pleased to be named after a microwave.

 

The clock just clicks 1:00 pm. That’s eleven more hours to midnight. And the hour dragged on.

 

Buzz... Buzz... I must have slept after that onion burger lunch. “Good afternoon, this is Sarah at the Store. Merry Christmas to you and how can I help you?”

 

“Oh, hello Sarah. Do you know the way to Jake’s Hardware? I need to get there before he closes. I am at the junction of 13th and 18th.” Oh, I become the GPS lady now. Okay, since it's Christmas, I will lay it out for her. That call took more than ten minutes and three bad turns but she made it. But Jake’s closed by then. So I told her to take two more turns and parked in our carpark. We are open till 10:00 pm today. She said thank you, and have a nice Merry Christmas. I wished her well too. I pull down the earphones and reached for my cold coffee.

 

The clock just clicks 2:00 pm. That’s ten more hours to midnight. And the quarter-hour dragged on.

 

“Mum, it's me, Ben. Did you wrapped up my toys for tonight?” I told him, yes, and it's hidden away. I am doing it here now, as I just bought it before I started work. Single mother woe’s but it's nice to be reminded on this day that despite it, my kid loves me. But how do you explain to him, how Santa brought the toy down the chimney when we don’t have one. I guess it's time to improvise. I will tell him Santa brought it to the store’s chimney for me to bring it back.

 

The clock just clicks 3:00 pm. That’s ten more hours to midnight. And the half-hour dragged on.

 

“Oh, thank you.” Charles is my manager and he is working today too. He just brought me a cup of hot cocoa with a layer of cream on top. He is here as he’s single and he has no place to celebrate Christmas this year. So he volunteers to manned the shop. I did offer him to come to my place but he said he will let me know. I guess he is shy or I am coming on too strong. His cocoa is strong in flavor; I liked it that way too.

 

The clock just clicks 4:00 pm. I have a rubber hammer nearby and I wished I can knock it to go faster.

 

“Sarah, it's mum. I am at the train station. I was told by Ben that you are at the store. My goodness, darling. It's Christmas eve, and what are you doing there? Did it get burned down or bombed by some terrorist? If it's not, I would. Come and fetch me and we will celebrate together?” I told them I can’t and she is only a block away from my pad. “Please go home to Ben. I will be fine. I will be back tonight. Love ya. And don’t bomb the train station.” We both had a good laugh. She surprised me this year as most times she is at home hundreds of miles away with Silvie, my other sister. Oh, I forgot Silvie got married and she has gone to her beau’s family home for Christmas.

 

5:00pm. Is this the Spanish Inquisition time? It's so slow.

 

“Good afternoon, this is Sarah at the Store. Merry Christmas to you and how can I help you?” The phone hung up. And then it rang again. I announced my usual greeting, and it hung up. I waited and it rang. “David Bradley, you hang up one more time, I will come over to your place and tear it to pieces. Do I make myself clear?”

 

“Hi, Sarah. I just..... thought I .... speak with.... you.... but ..... the words..... could not....come ....out. .... I am .... so sorry.” David is a nice kid with an infatuation for me, and he suffers from a medical condition known as stuttering. He is a nice kid and he just wants to talk to someone. And I happened to be the one on the phone who is nice and pleasant, but on some occasions, I do yell. But for today, I spent over forty minutes talking to him on his fifteenth Christmas celebration with his own family. We said goodbye at about 5:55 pm.

 

Charles pop in at 6:05 pm asking if I wanted dinner. I said yes, and then he went off without asking me what kind of dinner I want. I guess it's an onions burger again with diet coke. But he came back with Chinese and holding a mistletoe on the other hand. I point at that and he said. “I am fixing that but this is an extra,” I told him to fix it over my console. It will nice to have someone kissed me here. He did fix the mistletoe but he did not kiss me then.

 

Darned it. The clock just clicked 7:00 pm.

 

I can just imagine the people gathering at the homes now and sharing a drink or two. The roast is in the oven and the table is laid out with the silvers or the china’s pieces. And I can picture mine; with the plastic spoons and the rectangle box with cold noodles. But Charles made it nicer with the cold diet coke. If only he would share it with me. What is beauty without the beast; it's like the spoon without the fork.

 

I threw all the leftovers at 8:00 pm.

 

“Good afternoon.... sorry it's evening, this is Sarah at the Store. Merry Christmas to you and how can I help you?” It was my boss, Mr.Fredrick's and he is calling to check on the store. I told them it's still intact and the people are still coming in despite the late hours. They came in for the heat as outside is cold, but no harm telling him half the truth. But he told me he is adding in half a month of bonus for me. I thanked him for his generosity. Bloody Shylock, half a month for the only day I wished I was at home with my kid. But beggars cannot be choosy. He hung up at precisely 9:00 pm.

 

Finally, the clock struck at 10:00 pm and I am grabbing my stuff to leave. I bumped into Charles at the door as he was also leaving. He offered to drive me but I told him I have to pick up a late dinner at the all niter down the street. Well, he just waved to me and left, while I am still standing there with my pouting lips out. Must be the last of the Neanderthal mankind; yet to evolve to become a stud like my ex-boyfriend.

 

I made it there just before 11:00 pm and old Navin was nice to have it all packed hot for me to go. I was to leave when I bumped into Jessica who was coming in for her meals. She insisted I sit down and talk to her, as she has just broken up with Charlie for the fifth time. She is one emotional wreck then, and I sympathize with her. We sat down and chat while she poured out her woes to me. I will be darned honest, I sat there so I can see the clock over the door. Thank God, it stuck at 11:40 pm and HE sends him to her.

 

“Jessy, Charlie is here. I suggest you makeup and fight another day after New Year’s perhaps?” Jessy turned to see Charlie standing there with his open arms. She went for him and I had to pry myself out of the shop doorway so I could go home to Ben and Mum. I reached the door when the old clock struck midnight.

 

“Merry Christmas everyone....” but the place was dark. My whole pad is all dark and without any lights. I know it without light which is why it's dark. I reached for the switch and a hand grabbed mine.

 

“Let me do it.” I know that voice.

 

The lights came up and I am looking at a decorated pad with Ben and my Mum safe and sound. Mum does look silly dressed as Santarina. But who cares when your hand is held by the man you claimed to be backward Neanderthal mankind.

 

“Look, Mum. Mistletoe above you.” It's there and it's shining bright to the lights. It was also then Charles grabbed hold of me and kissed me for the first time. That was my best twelfth hour on Christmas Day.

 

“Charles, do you remember the first time you kissed me?” I looked at the man who shared my bed for over forty years now. He just mumbled about needing his sleep. He is still my Neanderthal man as he is sleeping on my side when the clock struck midnight to announce the new Christmas day. Ben and his family are away in their own home and we are here in ours. The mistletoe still hangs over our door but it's a distance to walked from our bed at this age.

 

“Merry Christmas everyone.....”