Jamie was one of the last to arrive. I heard his snowmobile buzz in. Moments later he entered, smiling, a large bag strapped to his back. I could tell he was up to something. I rose and fixed him a plate. He had just finished taking off his winter gear when I came up to him.
“This enough for you?” I asked, holding up the heaping plate of food.
He looked at it and me. “Who could ask for more?” He set the bag down and joined us at the table.
Ian was talking to Dusty and pushing his food from one side of the plate to another.
Jamie sat down and rubbed his hands together as he eyed over the plate. I slid into the seat beside him. He was about to dig in when he looked at his brother.
“Hey Ian, stop yapping and eat something,” he said.
Surprised, Ian looked up. He said nothing, only nodded, and took a large bite of food. I turned to Jamie, wanting to share my worries about Ian’s health, but something told me that he might not take my concern as intended.
“What did you make, Layla?” Jamie asked, turning back to his food.
I watched him eat a spoonful of beans. “The beans,” I replied.
He stopped for a moment and then chewed thoughtfully. “Hey, they are actually good.”
Ethel, who had listened to the exchange, laughed.
Jamie looked inquisitively at her.
I smiled. “Ethel made those. I made the rice.”
He looked down at his place. “I don’t have any.”
I laughed. “I know.”
Several people around us chuckled, and I noticed then that no one had eaten the rice. Well, at least I had tried. I would remember, in the future, not to waste supplies with my weak attempts at cooking.
As the light began to wane, Tom and Mr. Jones disappeared. A few minutes later there was a strange humming sound. A back-up generator kicked on. The emergency lights in the gymnasium cast a soft orange glow. Summer and several of the others had lit candles Pastor Frank had brought with him. The room had a magical glow.
We had raided the liquor store and cases of champagne sat cooling outside. In the meantime, people were drinking wine and bottles of beer. Keeping Grandma’s warning to be ever-watchful in mind, I didn’t touch a drop. Others, however, did not hold back, and soon rowdy laughter filled the room.
Jamie, who’d also gone missing, finally reappeared with a cart on top of which he had something hidden under a sheet. Taking the cart to the end of the room, he pulled off the sheet to reveal an old gramophone. Jamie pulled out a record and put it on the player; he then wound the old machine. Dropping the needle, the gymnasium filled with the sound of 1920s big band music.
The stunned room fell silent. The music echoed.
The stir of mixed emotions in the room was palpable. Not sure what else to do, I went to Jamie and grabbed his hand. With a spin, he turned me onto the floor, and we broke out into dance.
The room fell into a clapping cheer and soon nearly everyone joined us.
“You’re amazing,” I told Jamie. “Where did you get that?”
“Don’t you remember? It was in the library.”
I smiled at him, and we moved across the floor grinning at one another. I felt like I was in a strange limbo in time. While I had refused to wear the big bird dress, I did manage to shop-lift a new coffee-colored satin halter gown from Lil’s shop.
Jamie smiled as he spun me, the cheerful gramophone music inspiring our steps. “You look beautiful, but I’m not sure if those accessories match,” he said.
I had to laugh. While I wanted to look nice, I was also pragmatic so had worn my knee-high steel-toed winter boots and my guns were holstered, my sword belted. “Never know when you’ll need to kick ass,” I said with a smile.
“So it seems Santa and his elves were at my house.”
“Oh really?”
“I had this strange dream that an angel came in and took care of me. I woke to find my house clean, soup warming by the fire, and the heavenly smell of perfume in the air.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, I don’t know what that perfume was, but it was amazing. I plan to buy stock in it.”
“The stock market doesn’t exist anymore.”
“Ahh, that’s right, I forgot,” he said with a laugh. “I also found a very unique gift.” He pulled out his hunting knife. On the leather strap tied to the hilt he’d strung the small pendant I’d left wrapped in the blue napkin. “Is this the one from the Fisherman’s Wharf? The one the sea captain statue at the entryway was wearing on his hat? You remember, I asked the owner at the Wharf to sell it to me. That was right after I got back from Iraq.”
“How should I know? Santa must have left it for you.”
Just then the record stopped. Jamie paused to change records, rewinding the gramophone, and we started to dance again. This time the music was slow. The sweet gramophone music filled the space; I could hear everyone’s happy, excited voices.