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Written by Raymond John
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Monday, 25 December 2006 00:00 |
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Try as he would to prevent it, the dreadful day Johnny so feared had finally arrived. Mummy bundled him into his snowsuit and wrapped his scarf around his neck. She made it cover his mouth and it was hard to breathe. And getting boots on over his snowsuit was hard. But at last Johnny was ready to go out into the cold to face his doom.
He had tried to think of a reason he couldn't go. He tried to cough, but it sounded phony and Mummy just laughed. He tried to explain that he would miss Sponge Bob Squarepants, but she was recording it for him to see when he got back. Even telling her he had a tummy ache didn't work. She just gave him a spoonful of sugar with peppermint in it. Nothing worked. He would have to go with her.
Mummy took his hand as they went out the door. Snow drifted from the sky, and the driveway was covered with a blanket of white. Suddenly, Johnny had another idea.
"We can't go," he said, pulling on her hand. "You'll get stuck in the driveway like Daddy did."
"There's just a little snow on top of the ground," Mummy said. "We'll be fine. You'll see."
She was right. The car backed out of the garage without a slip, leaving Johnny feeling worse by the second.
They lived on a street that went downtown. Johnny had never seen so many cars on the way. As they got closer, people tromped through the slush loaded down with packages. Mummy found a parking place on the street and lifted Johnny so he could put a quarter into the parking meter.
Bzzip.
Johnny brightened at the sound. "Do you have another money, Mom?"
She put him down and opened her purse. "Here. But this will be the last one."
She lifted him again. "You're getting awfully heavy. Are you sure you're only three?"
Johnny wasn't sure. If Mummy didn't know, how could he? But Dad had told him he was three. "I'm three," he said confidently, holding out three fingers.
The second quarter disappeared to the slot, and the meter made the same funny noise while a red arrow moved.
He wished Mummy would carry him, but she put him down and they started away. A red-nosed man wearing earflaps jumped up and down as he rang a bell. Mummy dropped a dollar bill into the man's kettle. Johnny made a face. What kind of soup would the man make with dollar bills?
Soon they arrived at a store with lots of windows. Mummy stopped in front of one with a green dress and a white collar. On the floor, one shoe that matched the dress stood upright and the other lay on the white cotton floor. The next window had toys. A nutcracker in a uniform stood straight, opening and closing his mouth. Lightning McQueen's headlights and bumper grinned up at him. Even the dolls and a red Elmo were smiling. Johnny looked away, not happy at all.
"Look at the elf playing the piano," said Mummy.
At first Johnny only saw the back of the elf. The body and head swayed but he couldn't see if the little green man's hands were touching the keys. Or even if he had fingers. As Johnny took a closer look at the piano he saw it was made out of Legos.
Mummy took his hand. "Let's go."
"No," said Johnny, digging in his heels. "I want to stay and watch some more."
"We'll take another look when we come back."
He tried to stay, but Mummy pulled him and his boots left a trail in the snow.
Finally Mummy stopped. "What's the matter with you?" she asked.
"I don't want to go into the store. I want to go home."
"You'll feel better when you see Santa."
"No," he said in a frightened voice. "I'll feel worse."
"Come on, silly," she said, sweeping him off his feet. He buried his head against her shoulder as they went through the revolving door.
Inside, she put him down at the entrance. "We wish you a Merry Christmas" played in the background and the warm air smelled like a forest.
"Time to use your feet. You're a big boy. You can walk."
Frightened eyes darted around, searching. The scarf made it so hard to breathe.
She stopped at a display of men's wallets. Taking one down from the plastic rack, she said, "Do you think Daddy would like this?"
"Maybe," Johnny said. Seeing another way to delay, he eagerly pointed at another one in the display. "I think he might like this one better."
"You may be right," Mummy said. "I'll have to come back and take another look when I don't have so much to do."
With that she gave his hand a gentle tug, and they were on their way.
They reached a moving stairway, and Mummy picked him up. He was glad, because he didn't like it. It made him dizzy. An old woman on the step ahead of them turned around and grinned. "How darling," she said to Johnny. "How old are you?"
Johnny turned around and buried his head in Mummy's shoulder. "He's three. I don't think he wants to talk today. We're going to see Santa."
At the words, Johnny buried his head deeper into her shoulder. The woman patted him on his head. "Say hello to Santa for me. I bet you've been the best little boy ever."
"NO!" Johnny said.
Mummy gave him a shake. "Now stop that. She's only trying to be friendly."
"That's all right," the woman said. "Sometimes I feel out of sorts, too. Merry Christmas."
The woman walked away as they reached the top. As Mummy set him on his feet, she gave him a stern look. "Now you have to stop this. You have to be a good boy for Santa. You know what will happen if you don't."
Johnny knew exactly what would happen. Grandmother had already told him when he accidentally broke the cookie jar when he climbed on her counter.
"Then let's go home," Johnny wailed. "I don't want to see him. He'll be mad at me."
"Don't be silly. He loves every little girl and boy. He'll especially like you. I know it. I've told him all about you."
OH NO!
Johnny's fearful eyes caught sight of the red suit in the distance as Mummy put him back on the floor.
His shoes felt as heavy as rocks and his lip quivered. Tears began to roll down his face, but he wouldn't let Mummy know how he felt. At last they were at the end of the line of parents and children. Most of the boys and girls were excited. "Do you think he'll bring me an X-Box," asked the boy ahead of them.
"I don't know," his Mummy said. "He may not have enough of them. Lots of other boys and girls have already asked him, I'm sure. Maybe you should ask him for something else."
"I don't want anything else," the boy wailed.
His Mummy gave Mummy a funny look. "They're awfully expensive, Trevor. Sometimes Santa doesn't have enough money for all the presents he has to buy."
Johnny stuck out his lower lip. He won't have to spend any money on me, I'm not going to get any presents this year.
The line moved slowly and Johnny began to take heart. Halfway to Santa's chair he got a brilliant idea. "This is taking too long. Let's go look at toys instead."
"No," said Mummy. "We're not going to go through the line again. Just be patient. That's part of being a good boy."
Out came the lip, again. At last Santa hoisted the boy ahead of him into his lap. After Trevor told him his name, he told Santa what he wanted without being asked. "I want the new X-Box. I have to have it."
Santa looked up at Trevor's Mummy and she gave a little shake of her head.
"I'll try, but I'm not sure I have any left. Everyone seems to want one, you know."
"You can do it," Trevor said defiantly. "I know you can. I don't believe in God, but I believe in you."
Trevor's Mummy looked shocked, but Santa just laughed. "God has been around a lot longer than I have, and he can do things I can't do. You can be sure I'll get you a nice gift. Do you want to tell me what else you want, or should I guess?"
"Well, I want my own CD player and 'Cars.' That's my favorite movie. But I don't want it as much as an X-box."
This time Trevor's Mummy just smiled.
"We'll see." With that, Santa handed him a candy cane and his elf helper lifted Trevor down from Santa's lap. "Merry Christmas, Trevor."
When Trevor left, Santa looked right at Johnny. Johnny froze. He couldn't move as the elf lifted him. Santa's arm engulfed him.
Johnny looked up. Santa was smiling and his eyes didn't seem angry. Why was he being so nice?
"Who are you?" he asked in a friendly voice.
You know who I am.
Mummy answered for him. "His name is Johnny. He lives on Taylor Street. The white house on the corner."
"Of course," Santa said. "I know your house well. It's the one with the red roof, isn't it?"
Johnny's heart fell. There went any chance that Santa would mix him up with some other Johnny. "Yes," Johnny said in a sad voice.
"Have you been a good boy?"
Johnny didn't answer.
Mummy started to say something, but Santa put a white-gloved finger to his mouth. "You can tell me, Johnny."
Johnny remained silent but tears began to form.
Santa gave him a hug. "Sorta good and sorta naughty?" he asked in a soft voice
Tears began to fall.
"What did you do that was so bad?"
Johnny hesitated. "Mummy told me not to go in her room. But I did and I spilled her perfume all over the floor when I tried to smell it."
Santa's smile turned to a serious face. "You shouldn't have done that, should you?"
"No," Johnny sobbed.
"Will you ever do it again?"
"NO."
"That's the important thing. What else did you do?"
Johnny told him about breaking Grandma's cookie jar and what she had said.
Santa frowned. "I see. Do you know what coal is?" he asked.
Johnny shook his head.
"It's black and hard. People used to burn it to keep warm. Why do you suppose that little boys and girls didn't want to get it in their stockings?"
Johnny shrugged. "I don't know."
"What would you do with it if I gave it to you?"
"I don't know," Johnny said with another shrug.
"Neither did any of the other boys and girls. What would you rather have? Candy or coal?"
"CANDY! But I'm not going to get any."
"I don't know. Do you help your mother around the house?"
Johnny looked up. "Sometimes."
"Do you put your toys away when she asks you?"
Johnny felt the stirrings of hope. "Sometimes. And I'm learning to brush my teeth by myself."
"Good for you!" Santa said. He looked down at Johnny. "But then you did do those naughty things, too, didn't you?" After thinking for a bit, he gestured to Mummy. She came close to him and he whispered in her ear. She looked surprised, then smiled and nodded her head.
"If I decide to leave presents for you, what do you want?"
"Elmo."
"Is that all?"
"Yes."
"I know there are other things you want, too. You think if you just ask for Elmo, you may get him. Right?"
Johnny hung his head and didn't answer.
"We'll just have to see, Johnny. Don't be too worried. Santa will figure something out that's right for you. Here's a candy cane for now."
As Johnny took the candy, the elf lifted him from Santa's lap. Johnny ran straight to his mother and buried his face in her coat. "Merry Christmas, Johnny," Santa called.
Johnny didn't turn or answer. He had tears in his eyes.
The days went by quickly, and suddenly it was Christmas Eve. Mummy asked Johnny if he wanted to hang his stocking on the fireplace. Johnny wasn't sure.
"If you don't put up your stocking, you won't get anything. You don't have to be afraid. Santa is a very nice man. I'm sure he'll leave something you like."
With a shrug, Johnny hung the stocking from the nail.
"I bet Santa will be hungry," Mummy said. "Shall we leave him something to eat?"
That seemed like a good idea. That way he might forget about what Johnny had done.
Mummy lifted Johnny so he could leave three cookies and a glass of egg nog on the mantle of the fireplace. "Time to go to bed. If you aren't asleep, Santa won't come."
The next morning, Mummy and Daddy came to get Johnny. "Let's see what Santa brought," Mummy said.
"I don't want to," Johnny said.
"Come along, Dear. I'm sure you'll have a nice surprise."
As Mummy carried him down the staircase, Johnny saw the brightly lit tree and lots of presents beneath it. His eyes darted to the stocking he hung on the fireplace. It was bulging!
With hesitant steps, he walked to the fireplace. Mummy took the stocking down. "Let's see what you have," Mummy said.
She opened the top of the stocking and Johnny peered inside. It was full of something black. Johnny scrunched up his mouth and hung his head. Santa had left coal. He knew he would.
Mummy carried the stocking to the dining room table. "I wonder what's inside."
"I don't want to know," said Johnny.
"Let's take a look anyway."
She tipped the stocking upside down and a mound of black fell out on the table.
"It's coal," said Johnny. "I knew it would be."
"I don't know. Smell."
Johnny took a deep breath. It smelled familiar.
"Pick one up," Mommy said.
Johnny stretched out hesitant fingers and picked up a piece. It wasn't hard. It had little holes in it.
"See what it tastes like," urged Mommy.
He slowly brought it to his mouth. "Mmm. Good."
"They're licorice bits," Mummy said. "Santa left you something that was black like coal but is sweet like candy. He thought you might like it."
Johnny threw his arms around Mummy. She was right.
"Let's see what Santa left under the tree for you," she said.
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Copyright © 2010 The Books of Raymond John. All Rights Reserved.
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Author Notes (Blog) 
