Page 87 of Merry Christmas, You Filthy Animal
I lie all the way down, and she joins me before I drape the second blanket over us.
“Are you cold?”
“I’m okay for now,” she says.
“Let me know when you get cold, but this is what my parents did after they made a wish on the tree. They lay down and stared at the stars.”
“Did their wish come true?”
“It did,” I say. “They never told me what it was, but they said it fulfilled their life, so I’m taking their advice and staring up at the stars like they did.”
“Do you know anyone else who had wishes come true?”
“Yeah,” I say. “My brothers. They wished for their business to take off, and they’ve done really well. They own Toboggan Tours in town. Not sure I mentioned that. Martha and Mae both had wishes that came true. Bob Krampus said Bob Krampus Junior came along after a wish. And a few others. I know it’s hard to believe, but there’s something about being in Kringle that makes you believe in Christmas magic.”
“Yeah, I’m starting to understand that.” She looks up at the sky. “Anyone you know who didn’t have their wish come true?”
“Not that I know of,” I say. “Then again, not sure anyone would admit to their wish not coming true.” I let the sounds of people walking by fill the air as I stare at the twinkling lights. They’re not as bright here as they are on the farm because of light pollution in town, but they’re still pretty enough to marvel at.
“Have you ever seen the northern lights here?” she asks. “I know the last few years, they’ve been visible in certain spots in Colorado. Seems this would be a magical place to see them.”
“Yes, a few times. The town gathers together, we turn off all the lights, and we just sit back and enjoy the moment. No cell phones, no cameras, just our eyes and our memories. It’s been some of my fondest memories here.”
I hear her turn toward me, so I glance to the side.
“Is that what it’s like here? The camaraderie? People helping people? Acting as a community?”
“Yes,” I answer. “It’s kind of like an unspoken rule: You help your neighbor. Over time, you get to know everyone and their backstory. Sure, there is a lot of gossip, but that’s what you get with a small town, and the return is so much better. The friendships I have here fulfill me so much, and not just with Cole and Storee but with people like Tanya, who owns Warm Your Spirits, or Sherry Conrad or even Martha and Mae. There are inside jokes among the entire town. There is bickering like family, but there are also joyful moments, like when someone we’ve seen grow up gets married or has kids, like Cole and Storee. We’re just one big family.”
She lies back down, quiet for a moment, before she says, “I’m jealous of that.”
“You are?”
“Yeah,” she says quietly. “I am.”
I haven’t spent a lot of time around Betty, but I can recognize that she seems subdued all of a sudden. It makes me realize that I know little aboutherbackstory. Her family, her previous job, her relationships. Does she have siblings? Is her uncle her dad’s only brother, or are there more Yokels out there? Is she closer to her mom? What occupation did she leave to come here?
In so many ways, she’s still a stranger to me. But I do know that I want her to experience thetruehome that Kringle offers.“You know you can be a part of it, right? Making Kringle your home, you can make so much of it. Get to know people?—”
“Atlas, you know my situation is different.”
“How is it different? We always welcome new people to town.”
“Granted, everyone has been so nice to me, and I’m really appreciative of that, but when your relative in town is Dwight, it makes fitting in harder. I know he’s not a favorite among the town, but he’s a really nice guy, and he picked me up when I was... well, when I was at an all-time low.” Her eyes meet mine. “He gave me an opportunity I’m still not sure I can handle.”
“I don’t know; seems like you’re doing a good job, scoping out the competition,” I tease, but it seems to fall flat as her eyes remain focused on her lap. Clearing my throat, I say, “So Dwight, he means a lot to you.”
She nods. “He’s the sibling I never had. When our families would get together, he was the one that I always trailed behind. He would sit and play card games with me when no one else would. He’s just... he’s special to me. And I know he’s tough to get along with. Trust me, I’m well aware of that, but I feel bad for him sometimes because I don’t think people give him a chance.”
Yeah, because he’s a fucking dick.
But clearly I can’t say that to her, especially since it seems like she really relies on him.
“Listen.” I tug on my hair. “He... he isn’t all that bad.” I nearly gag on the words. “He’s just... he’s not around everyone as much, and he can be difficult at times.”
She nods and then sits up abruptly, letting the blanket fall to her lap. She rubs her hands over her arms and says, “Sorry, um, I think I should go. I’m getting a bit chilly.”
Shit, not the right thing for me to say.
