Season's Greetings : Christmas Box Set

My jaw tenses. I’ve known people like them all my life. Judgmental and quick to write others off because they only see what’s on the surface

. They never bother to change their narrow-minded perceptions. I step away from them. Assuring the others of my well-being, I collapse in my seat.

Delta: Looks like I won’t be making it home for Christmas Eve, kiddo.

Rose: No!

Delta: They finally called it.

Rose: What are you going to do?

Delta: Hunker down. Tell everyone I’m sorry and save me a plate of my favorites?

Rose: Of course. We’ll check in on you later.

The conversation soothes my frayed nerves. I leave out my misadventure. Upsetting Rose right now is the last thing I want to do. The mood in the area drops into gloom as night begins to set in. Tired of playing games, I put my phone away. Opening my backpack, I rummage through the meager offerings and frown. I never regretted my healthy habits like I do today. A candy bar would hit the spot. Who can be upset when they’re eating chocolate?

I have a few bottles of water, granola bars, an apple, and a banana. My mind drifts to the brown sugar glazed ham I’d be eating with my family right now if it wasn’t for the snow, and I groan.

“Guys, I know this isn’t what we had in mind, but it’s still Christmas Eve.”

I glance over at the middle-aged, brown-skinned woman with spiral curls that frame a round face, who is holding the hand of a white-haired blond man with piercing gray eyes. Her brown eyes are full of kindness, and her voice is strong and confident. She’s the type of woman who inspires you to follow her. The three olive-skinned boys next to her have lips that are full on the top and thin on the bottom, just like their mother. The rest of their features are their father beside them made over.

Their hazel-colored eyes are a blend of his icy blue and their mother’s brown. With their black pants and red sweaters with varying designs, they look as if they’ve stepped out of a magazine. Sitting up straighter, I listen to what she has to say.

“If we pool all our things together, we can have a little party and at least go to sleep tonight with a full belly.”

“She’s right,” the older woman from earlier says. “I have a tin of cookie and two pumpkin pies.”

“I have fried chicken.” A full-figured man with long, chestnut-colored hair holds up a brown paper bag.

“I have a potato salad.”

People chime in, and the list continues to grow. Her husband squeezes her shoulder and kisses her cheek. Their love is palatable. His expression says for him, she hangs the moon. I want that one day, a family and love that’s more actions than words.

“We can bring you guys a table from the back,” one of the lingering security guards says.

“That would be wonderful. I’m Tina, by the way,” the woman who suggested the party says, taking charge of the hodgepodge potluck.

People begin to talk to each other as they gather their things. The table appears, and a white tablecloth is brought to cover it. Mini water bottles are set up courtesy of the airline, along with tiny packs of pretzels. Little by little, the table begins to come together. I place my fruit and granola bars onto the table. It’s shaping up to be a decent haul considering this is all so last minute.

I snap a photo of the spread and send it to Rose.

Delta: Making lemons out of lemonade.

Rose: I’m glad you sent this to me. I’ve been worried about you sitting there sad and lonely.

Delta: Thanks for the faith in my social skills.

She sends a laughing emoji. I respond with an eye-rolling emoji. Amused, I cross my legs and rest my hands on my arms, focusing on the Christmas music playing over the speakers. With the wreaths hung in the rafters and Christmas lights around the windows, I can almost see it as a cozy space.

“Alright, guys. The table’s ready. Everyone come and line up,” Tina calls.

SAM

My stomach rumbles as I watch everyone mingle by the table. I didn’t have anything to contribute, so it feels wrong to join them. Delta looks at me from her seat.

“Are you hungry, Sam?” She moves to the edge of her seat and leans in closer to me.