Far Country (52 page)

           
He forced his muscles to loosen up, and took several deep breaths. At last he
nodded. “Another quarter turn?” He asked

           
“Try it.”

           
He shuffled his feet to the right and found himself staring off into space. He
nodded. This wasn’t great, but he wasn’t losing control.

           
“Now look down slowly, a little at a time.” Kelly told him.

           
With infinite slowness, he let his eyes drift down, like a feather on the wind,
until he was able to see his feet. He moved his eyes further out seeing the
side of the cliff fall away abruptly and the rocks waiting for him below…” He
gasped and lurched backward.

           
It was a full minute before he regained control of his breathing. Kelly
apologized several times, but when he was finally able to speak, he shook his
head.  “It was a good experiment, really,” he told her. “It proved that
it’s not the height that bothers me, just the landing. As soon as I saw those
rocks at the bottom, I
freaked                                                            
 out.”

           
“I guess it also shows that you have a good imagination.”

           
He gave her a long look. “No imagination,” he corrected her grimly, “just a
good memory.” At last he got to his feet and slipped an arm around Kelly. From
here, he could look out at the sky and enjoy the wide openness of the
summit.  If his eyes focused on the rock edges though, he was immediately
filled with uneasiness, which he knew would only increase if he were to walk
closer to the edge. 

           
He thought of Kelly’s ‘word from God’ that she had shared with him on the
trail, and began to chuckle.

           
Kelly looked up at him curiously. “What are you laughing at?” She asked him.

           
“Just grateful,” Steve said with glint of his old humor, “that when God said to
take my hand and leap, He was referring to marriage and not to cliffs.”

           
Kelly chuckled with him. “Amen to that!” She agreed fervently. Then she laid a
head on his shoulder and sighed contentedly.  She wanted to remember this
moment always.  It was a perfect day.

           
Steve sipped his glass of eggnog, and took in the scene in the Bolton’s living room
with a sense of admiration. It was Christmas Eve, and Gracie’s grandmother had
decorated their home so beautifully, Norman Rockwell could have taken pointers.

           
Pine garlands laced with deep red cranberries draped the fireplace and stairway
banister.  For added color, red and green candles blazed from every free
surface, and the warm waxy aroma of cinnamon and evergreen spiced the air.

           
Kelly was snuggled comfortably at his side on a small sofa, and Gracie, her
black hair braided and beribboned, and wearing a red velvet dress, sat on the
floor at their feet, staring mournfully at the Christmas tree, which was
surrounded by a pile of beautifully wrapped presents.

           
As was their custom, Mr. and Mrs. Bolton had thrown a Christmas Eve party for a
few of their closest friends and family.  Steve’s own mother stood
chatting with Hester Graham, as both women admired the hand blown ornaments on
the huge tree.

           
Robert Graham relaxed against the fireplace mantel, in a deep conversation with
Richard Bolton.  Deborah and Pete had also accompanied Steve and Kelly
back to Jacksonville to spend the holiday with her parents. They were snuggled
contentedly in a deep cushioned chaise lounge across from Steve and Kelly.

           
Many of the guests tonight were members of Pastor Graham’s church. Steve had
been surprised to learn that Richard and Lee Ann were now attending the church
regularly. And Richard, while not yet ready to make a confession for Christ,
had nevertheless found a niche in the Men’s Missions group and Bible
Study.  He enjoyed going out to the homes of the elderly, or to the homes
of the young families whose spouses were deployed, and doing yard work and
minor repairs. It was rumored that he occasionally attended the Bible Study and
breakfast, even when there were no work details planned!  Steve was
certainly aware of a more welcoming atmosphere than when he had left here in
the fall!

           
A tug on his pant leg brought Steve back to the present, or more specifically,
to the presents.  Gracie was gazing up at him dolefully. “When can I open
my presents?” She mouthed to him silently.

           
“Soon,” he promised quietly. “Grandma’s sending everyone home in about 30
minutes. We’ll open presents as soon as the guests are gone.”

           
Gracie’s shoulders slumped and she pouted, her gray eyes reproachful.

           
“Gracie,” Kelly said. “We can’t open our presents while everyone’s still here,
but I think Grandma Bolton told me that she fixed gifts for all the children to
take home.  Why don’t you see if she will let you put on the Santa hat and
pass them out?”

           
Gracie’s eyes lit up at the idea. She had forgotten about the little gift
stockings hidden in the big green Santa bag under the tree! She scrambled to
her feet and ran to her grandmother, tugging excitedly on her skirt.

           
A minute later, Lee Ann Bolton stood in front of the Christmas tree and clapped
her hands together to gain her guests’ attention. Once the group had grown
quiet, she smiled happily. “I want to thank all of you for coming out tonight
to help us celebrate the birth of the baby Jesus!  It’s almost time to say
goodnight, so that you can go home and spend the rest of the evening with your
own families, but before you go, I would like the children to gather over here
by the tree. Gracie’s dad is going to read the Christmas Story to us, and then
Gracie will hand out gifts to each child.”  Lee Ann smiled over at Steve
and held out a huge family Bible. “Steven, if you would be so kind?”

           
Startled and slightly embarrassed, Steve stood and took the seat by the
tree.  He thanked Lee Ann and opened the Bible to the page marked by a
purple ribbon, then waited quietly for everyone to settle down. Slowly, he
began to read the familiar words from Luke: “And it came to pass…”

           
When he had finished, Gracie donned the red velvet Santa hat, and began pulling
the Christmas stockings out of the green felt sack.  Steve helped her to
read the names, and she delivered one to each child, wishing them a cheerful
‘Merry Christmas!’

           
The sack was nearly empty when the front door flew open, banging loudly against
the doorstop.  With an exuberant “Merry Christmas!” David swaggered into
the room, his arms laden with packages.  A blast of cold air preceded him
into the room, and for Steve, the bitter cut of the wind felt like a
premonition.

           
With a joyful shriek of surprise, Lee Ann hugged her son, while Richard helped
him place the packages under the tree, all the while patting him on the back
and grinning with pleasure to have his son home with them again.

           
As soon as his arms were free, David scooped up Gracie, and gave her a huge
bear hug that left her breathless and giggling. Finally, he looked around at
the small crowd that was watching the reunion.  He gave them a mock bow.
“Sorry to interrupt the party, folks, but they released us early and I drove
straight through to be with my family.” He waved his hand like a monarch
granting a boon. “Carry on,” he boomed.  Everyone laughed, and most used
his appearance as their queue to collect their coats and say their farewells
for the evening. 

           
Steve remained sitting in his chair, warily watching David, and wishing that he
had delayed his arrival by just one hour. He glanced toward Kelly, who sat
alone on the couch, and unconsciously ground his teeth. He had promised Kelly
that he would leave the next meeting in the Lord’s hands, but at the moment he
wanted nothing more than to grab Kelly by the hand and whisk her out the back
door. Then, he found himself hoping that David wouldn’t even remember meeting
Kelly. After all, it had been more nearly two months ago… Slowly, he realized
that there was nothing he could do about it now. It really was in the Lord’s
hands.

           
Reluctantly, Steve looked up from where he sat to find David watching him with
a cold sardonic smile on his face.  “Hello, David,” he said quietly.
“Merry Christmas.”

           
David, Gracie still tucked in his arms, grinned back at his former best friend.
“I wondered if you would be in town,” he said.

           
“Just for a couple of days,” Steve replied.  “We leave in the morning.

           
David laughed. “Jus’ think, if I hadn’t driven straight through, we might have
missed this moment altogether.”

           
Steve frowned slightly.
Was he smelling beer on David’s breath?

           
Several children started to whine
unhappily, and Steve realized that there were still some undelivered gifts.
“Gracie!” he said, more sharply than he had intended.  “You need to finish
your Santa duties.”

           
Gracie popped a small hand to her lips. “Oh yeah,” she said, suddenly
remembering what she had been doing before her uncle had burst into the
room.  “Put me down, Uncle David, please!” She commanded him “I’ve still
got gifts to deliver!”

           
Steve handed her another fuzzy stocking and prompted her toward the eager
recipient.

           
David accepted a glass of eggnog from his mother. He sipped it and made a face.
‘Mother, id’s missing the main ingredient!” He chided her, his words slurring
slightly.

           
She raised an eyebrow and then wrinkled her nose. “You smell as if you’ve had
enough alcohol as it is. Don’t tell me that you’ve been drinking and driving again,
David.” She said reproachfully in a low voice.

           
David’s eyes darkened at her words. “All
righ
’,
mother, I won’ tell you,” he retorted in irritation.

           
Lee Ann’s face, so cheerful only a few minutes before at his unexpected arrival,
hardened with displeasure at his surly words. Before she could say anything,
however, Gracie interrupted.

           
“Uncle David!” Gracie called eagerly as she handed a little boy the last gift
in her bag. “You missed the story of baby Jesus. Daddy just read it to us!”

           
“
Tha’s
alright,
Munshken
,”
he told her dismissively. “I don’t believe in all
tha
’
shtuff
anyway!”

           
Gracie’s eyes widened in shocked surprise. “But Uncle David, that’s a mean
thing to say! It’s the Baby Jesus’ birthday. It’s all in the Bible and the
Bible is true!” She scolded him fiercely.

           
David snorted in derision. “Who’s
feedin
’ you all
tha
’ garbage?” He asked. His eyes passed from Steve to the
Grahams, who were standing quietly off to the side. “Oh yeah. You.” He
acknowledged them in amusement with a dismissive half wave. “Merry Christmas,
y’all,” he quipped, and walked away from the tree.

           
Lee Ann pursed her lips in aggravation, but remembered her duties as hostess,
and walked away from David to make gracious farewells to her last few guests.

           
Almost immediately, David’s eyes lit upon Deborah and Pete. “Well now,” he
commented drily. “My ex.” His eyes wandered to Pete. “I see you’ve found a
replacement for me at last?”

           
“Hello, David,” Deborah acknowledged him warily.

           
David squinted at Pete. “Hey!” He exclaimed. “I remember you! You were
gonna
arrest me
lassummer
!” 
Then his eyes fell on Kelly, sitting alone on the couch.

           
“Well, Merry Christmas to me!” He said, giving her an appraising look that
brought a blush to her cheeks.  He dropped into the empty space beside
Kelly, his hand falling squarely on her knee. “Hello, beautiful, can I buy you
a drink?”

           
“No, but thanks for the offer,” Kelly said pertly, firmly removing David’s hand
and scooting over a few more inches.

           
“Ah, too bad,” David said regretfully. “How about tomorrow night?”

           
Kelly gave him a tightlipped smile.  “Sorry. Busy.”

           
From the other side of the room, Steve watched David’s drunken behavior with
distaste, and then with growing alarm as he took the seat next to Kelly. He
started forward, determined  to get her away from David’s wandering hands,
but Lee Ann reappeared just at that moment and put a restraining hand on
Steve’s shoulder. “You stay here with Gracie,” she said firmly.  “I’ll
handle this.”

           
Crossing the room, Lee Ann stood in front of her son and shook her head
indulgently. “Not home ten minutes and already you’ve found a pretty girl to
sit with.”

           
David grinned up at his mother. “Yeah, well, you know that I always did have a
weakness for redheads,” he replied looking from Deborah to Kelly.