The Patricia Kiyono Christmas Collection (3 page)

But as long as she’d been a member, she’d
never held a position of authority. She’d attended regularly
whenever she was in town, going to Wednesday night catechism
classes as well as Sunday morning services and Sunday School. But
she’d never taught any of the classes, and now she stood in the
church’s choir room in front of thirty young children who waited
for her direction.

Well, maybe that was an exaggeration. Four
or five of those little ones waited for instruction. The rest
chatted, and a pair of tow-headed little boys ran around the room
chasing each other.

Most of the children in the room had parents
Sophie had known all her life. If things had gone according to plan
with Nate, she might now have a child approaching this age. But
there was a saying about best-laid plans. She couldn’t think of it
at the moment, and probably wouldn’t be able to for some time.
Right then she needed to get some order out of the chaos.

“
Okay, kids, let’s take a
seat,” she began.

Two more girls sat in the chairs. Four
others turned to look at her then went back to their conversations.
The two runners kept running.

“
Everyone, please sit
down,” she said, this time a little louder. A few more sat, but
some of those seated started to giggle. At this rate, she’d never
get started. She put her fingers to her lips and blew.

The whistle pierced through the room,
startling everyone enough that all motion stopped. Sophie knew the
pause would be temporary, so she shot her directions out quickly
while she had their attention.

“
First graders in the front
row. Second graders in the second row. Third graders in the third
row. The last one to sit down will have an extra job to
do.”

Little bodies scrambled across the room,
breaking up the neat rows Sophie had set up. The twin terrors, the
sons of high school classmates Peggy DeSmit and Lyle Longton,
knocked over several chairs in their quest to race to the second
row. Unfortunately, some of the chairs they knocked over had people
in them. The pandemonium ceased, replaced by the wails of the
toppled children.

“
Jordan and Joshua Longton,
come here.” Sophie’s bark of authority surprised even her. The two
boys came toward her, their hesitating steps showing their
uncertainty. “You cannot run around pushing chairs over. You’ve
hurt three people by doing that, and you owe them an apology. But
first you will have to stand in the corner for five minutes. Each
time you turn around or leave the corner I will add another minute
to that time.” She pointed to her left. “Jordan, you stand in that
corner. Turn your face to the wall and don’t move. Anyone caught
looking at or talking to you will also be in trouble.” She pointed
to the opposite corner. “Josh, you have that corner over there.”
She hid her amazement when both boys followed
directions.

She checked her watch. “Five minutes, and
you will be able to join us, unless you move or talk.” She turned
her attention toward the rest of the group. “Now, we’re going to
work on some songs for the Christmas pageant. But we’re also going
to need some people to read some parts. I’ll show those on the
screen.” She touched a button on the remote for the projector
mounted on the ceiling, and the words for the first song showed on
the screen. “This is a song called ‘Some Children See Him.’ Does
anyone know this song already?”

Two hands rose.

“
Okay, let’s listen while I
play a recording of it. Follow the words on the screen, and when
you get the hang of the melody, join in.” She clicked the icon on
her presentation slide, cuing the music. Some of the older girls
started singing along, but the slower tempo made several of the
younger students restless. As the song came to an end, she noted
only a handful of students were singing.

“
Isn’t that a pretty
song?”

One of the first graders raised her hand.
“It’s okay, but I don’t know the words.”

“
I didn’t think most of you
would,” Sophie replied. “So that’s why I put the words on the
screen. Did you have trouble seeing it?”

“
I can see it, but I can’t
read it,” the girl answered.

“
Why not?”

“
I haven’t learned those
words yet.”

Oops. Note to self. First graders are still
learning to read. Back to the drawing board.

“
Miss Sophie, can I sit
down now?” Jordan asked from his corner.

She checked her watch. Four minutes had gone
by. Close enough. “Sure. Just be careful—”

Footsteps thundered from both corners as the
boys raced toward the chairs. Unfortunately they both targeted the
same chair and crashed into each other, headfirst. The crack had
Sophie gasping in horror. To make matters worse, Joshua’s head hit
the seat of the chair on his way down.

The boys, however, didn’t share her horror.
They both sat on the floor, holding their heads, wearing identical
grins. “That was funny!” One of them laughed. But then the laughter
turned into a howl of pain. “Owie,” he wailed. As he cried, a steam
of red ran out of the side of his mouth.

Visions of concussions and lawsuits leapt
into Sophie’s mind. She needed to have them looked at, preferably
by someone who could hold them down. She took out her cell phone to
call an ambulance then thought again. A blaring ambulance might
scare the rest of the kids. She opened the door to see Harriet
Eckman, the church secretary, walking by.

“
Harriet, I think we’re
going to need a doctor. Or maybe an ambulance. I’m not
sure.”

Harriet’s eyes widened, but she remained
remarkably calm. “What happened, dear?”

“
Jordan and Josh Longton
ran headfirst into each other—”

She didn’t need to say anything else. The
Longton twins and their antics were well known in Zutphen. Harriet
nodded knowingly. “Of course. Doc VanEss just walked in. I’ll get
him to look at them.” She took two steps then turned back. “And
another pair of hands to hold them down while he looks.” The lady
disappeared into the office. A few seconds later, her voice rang
out over the intercom, requesting Doc VanEss to come to the choir
room.

Sophie took a deep breath and steeled
herself for the next part of the rehearsal. How had she lost
control? She’d never had it, of course. Then she noted the silence.
No one spoke, not even the gossipy third grade girls. Even the
twins sat in stunned silence from their spots on the floor.

“
Okay, kids, let’s try the
next song. I hope you like this one a little better.” She clicked
over to the next screen, which featured a song with a Latin beat.
Before she could cue up the music, the door opened, and Doc VanEss
entered, along with another man. The doctor was a jovial gentleman
who greeted Sophie with a smile, but the tall man with him wore a
stern expression. Milton Longton was the twins’ grandfather. He was
also the president of the consistory, and the man had no qualms
about sharing his disappointment in his grandsons. “Jordan and
Joshua, you need to come with us right now.”

Both boys obeyed wordlessly.

Without the twins there, the rest of the
rehearsal went smoothly. Sophie made a note of which songs worked
and which ones didn’t. Unfortunately the Won’t Work list far
outnumbered the Will Work one.

She was just about to dismiss the students
when a thunderous crash echoed through the church. Sophie wondered
if she needed to get the kids outside to safety, and she opened the
door to investigate. The first thing she heard was Sam Carpenter,
the head custodian, as his voice bounced off the sanctuary
walls.

“
Who let those two monsters
out on their own?”

Mitch checked the
image on the LED screen on his camera. “Okay,
everyone look this way,” he instructed.

Three of the four identically dressed
children obeyed. The youngest, a strong-willed two-year-old, bolted
from his siblings and ran off.

“
Nathan, get back here!”
his mother cried. The older children groaned. They’d tried half a
dozen times to set up the shot for the family Christmas card, and
each time the baby of the family had ruined the pose.

Mitch counted to ten. It was a good thing
this was his last appointment of the day. This group had already
run twenty minutes over. He’d offered the Christmas portrait
special hoping to drum up more business for his studio. The
response had been lukewarm, and the clientele apparently didn’t
appreciate the need for punctuality. This particular family had
arrived almost twenty minutes late, and their youngest child had
not been cooperative. He’d be lucky to get even one shot the family
could use for a Christmas card.

Finally, the toddler cooperated when Mitch
put a puppet on his left hand and set it on top of the camera.
“Smile at Ducky!” Noting the interest on the little one’s face, he
clicked furiously. He’d make some of them work, even if he had to
edit a little bit.

“
Mom, aren’t we going to be
late for church?” one of the older children asked.

“
We’re not going tonight,”
the mother answered. “I figured it would be okay to miss this time,
since it was only the first rehearsal for the Christmas
pageant.”

Angie!
Mitch felt his blood turned to ice in his veins.
I should have picked her up a half hour
ago!

“
I am so sorry, Mrs.
Michaels. I need to go now. My daughter is at rehearsal at church
and I am very late picking her up. Just let yourselves out, and I
will contact you tomorrow so you can look at the
proofs.”

Without waiting for a response, he dashed
out the door, not even caring about leaving his expensive equipment
within reach of a curious toddler. He leaped into his car, starting
the ignition before he even had the door closed, and raced down the
street to the church.

Zutphen Chapel was only three blocks away,
but the drive seemed to take forever. He smacked his hand against
the steering wheel, mentally replacing the wheel with his head. How
could he have been so stupid? There were dangers to his little
girl, even in the country. Why hadn’t he set the alarm on his phone
so that he’d remember to pick her up? If Melinda ever got wind of
this, she wouldn’t hesitate to use the information against him. The
thought nearly had him hyperventilating.

The parking lot was dark, but there was a
light over the side door. Was Angie still there? Surely she
wouldn’t have tried walking home alone, would she?

And then he saw her, sitting on the bench
next to the door. The fist around his heart loosened its hold. His
little angel sat, cheerfully chatting with the lady from the
grocery store. Sophie.

He pulled up to the door and jumped out. He
wrapped his arms around Angie and hugged for all he was worth.

“
Honey, I am so sorry! I
shouldn’t have made that appointment tonight.”

“
That’s okay, Daddy. Me and
Sophie were talking.”

He looked up. The woman really was easy on
the eyes. But, he reminded himself, he was a dad first. Giving
himself a mental slap, he smiled. “Thank you so much for staying
with her. I’m sorry to keep you here so long. It won’t happen
again.”

“
It’s no problem at all,
Mr. Carson. Angie and I had a nice talk.”

Mr. Carson. Well, I guess she put me in my
place. I guess she thinks I’m old enough to be her father.

“
Umm, well, I appreciate
the fact that you didn’t leave her here alone or let her walk
home.”

The girl looked affronted.
“I would
never
do
that!”

“
I — I didn’t mean to imply
you would. I just meant — well, thanks.”

“
Sure. Well, I’ll be going
now.” Sophie ducked her head in the church door and called out,
“You can turn the lights out now, Sam. I’m leaving.” Then she
headed across the parking lot.

“
Wait! Where is your
car?”

She stopped and turned. “I walked. My sister
just lives three streets away.”

“
It’s dark. And the streets
are very far apart. Why don’t I take you there?”

“
Oh, I’ll be all
right—”

“
Please. I insist. It’s the
least I can do after keeping you here.”

She pursed her lips, and the sight made his
own lips part in anticipation. He clamped his mouth shut before he
started drooling. Clenching his fists, he smacked one against his
thigh. Maybe if he hit himself hard enough he could get rid of the
ridiculous thoughts in his head. Thoughts he hadn’t had since he
was in high school.

Apparently she decided he was safe enough.
“Well, okay, if you’re sure it’s not too much trouble.”

“
None at all. Right,
Angie?”

“
Right.”

Mitch opened the back door so Angie could
climb into her seat and buckle in. Then he opened the passenger
door for Sophie, who gave him a curious look before climbing in.
Didn’t the local men open doors for ladies?

When everyone was buckled in, he started the
car again. He turned to Sophie. “Which way?”

“
You can take the back exit
out of the lot and go down Birch Street then turn right on Elm. My
sister and her family live a few blocks down there.”

Mitch pointed the car in the direction
Sophie indicated. But the house was more than a few blocks.

“
Uh, this is not what I
call a few blocks.”

“
Sure it is. It only takes
me fifteen minutes to run to the church.”