I gasp. Since Santa is technically a pagan spirit who adapted his image to fit in with the gods of both Christianity and Consumerism, all denominations are welcomed and celebrated at the workshop. Of course, I’d heard of anti-Semitism, and even studied it during one of the Atrocities modules of our four-year-long Human History requirement course back in Elf School. But I had never seen an example of it up close until now.
I’m not sure how to handle this. My cousin Krista is great at confronting conflict head-on with a sunny smile. However, I’m more of a sit in the corner and draw until everyone stops yelling kind of elf. I start to shrink back, only to remember WWSD—what would Santa Do? That’s the code all of us elves live by.
Taking a deep breath, I step between Melvin and Rodge to say, “Maybe let’s look at this as less of a mistake and more of a 12 Days of Christmas miracle? We got here just in time, and because of that, Melvin’s still alive. That’s a huge yay, right? And a good reason to make up and become best friends again.”
A beat of silence.
Then Melvin looks past me to yell at Rodge. “Kathy, Kathy, Kathy! That’s all you care about! You put up Christmas lights for her, even though I’m Jewish, and she died seven years ago! I can’t even talk to you about moving on and dating somebody else, because you don’t want anybody to replace your saint of a sister. Nothing I do will ever be enough for you, will it? If I move on, I’m destroying her memory. If I try to put up Christmas lights, just like you would have, I’m an idiot. Right now, I’m wondering why you bothered to rush over here, since apparently I’m too stupid to live.”
I look to Rodge, hoping he’ll deny or at least counter Melvin’s accusations. But Rodge just frowns down at him, the expression on his large craggy face even harsher than usual.
“Let’s get back to the shuttle,” he says to the rest of us. “I’m done here.”
Melvin’s face falls. And suddenly he’s not so defensive. “Rodge. Rodge, c’mon, I didn’t mean it. It’s just I miss you. Miss dinners on Thursdays and knowing that there’s someone I can call to do stuff around the house like this. This was the first Christmas I didn’t see you since Kathy and I got married and it was hard—harder than I expected. That’s the only reason I hung Christmas lights, and stupidly tried to get them down on my own—”
He cuts off when Rodge turns and starts walking away. Like Melvin is insulting him and not trying to mend their friendship.
“Rodge!” I call after him. “Rodge, come back…”
But the older innkeeper continues toward the van, like he doesn’t hear me.
And I desperately glance at Hayato.
I know he doesn’t care one iota about any of these people, especially now that Declan has decided to stay on in Maine. But he’s taken charge before. Maybe he’ll figure out a way to mend this riff, like when he came up with the solution to get Maeve to the doctor.
Not this time, though.
“Come,” he says, taking me by the elbow. And instead of trying to get Melvin and Rodge to make up, we follow the innkeeper back to the van.
28
Go Where You Wanna Go
HAYATO
I have never needed to get out of anywhere as much as I need to get out of Maine.
When I return to the inn for dinner after another full day spent outside at the beach, I find the cold dining room crowded with guests gossiping about what happened between Rodge and Melvin earlier.
“If you ask me, he’s simply being stubborn,” an older male wearing a summer worsted suit with a straw hat opines to a college-aged guy, dressed in a knitted sweater polo with nautical stripes. “You don’t throw away years of friendship for pride.”
“But you also don’t go off and forget about the girl you pledged your life to,” the young male insists. “Why if I’d had a wife, I never would have been unfaithful, even if she died early.”
“You only say that because you were never married. Take it from someone who was. You would have moved on, especially after seven years…”
I do my best to ignore them. But they’re arguing so loudly, it’s hard to hear Declan when he joins me for dinner. He’s alone, too. Kristal texted me earlier that she was eating dinner upstairs to avoid the rush of guests who had descended on the hotel for New Year’s. And Siobhan was taking a long nap back at her place after staying up all night with Declan.
I’m grateful for the company, but I only pay half attention to what Declan says throughout most of dinner. The other guests are so loud and the dining room is so cold, it’s hard to concentrate.