Candace juggled the bags in her arms until she could close her trunk. Then she walked up onto Sue's porch with the others close behind.
Candace stood nervously with the others, clutching her bags of food and presents while Josh reached out and rang the doorbell. She heard voices from inside and moments later Sue opened the door.
“Surprise!” they yelled.
Sue's eyes widened in shock and her fingers gripped the door tight. “Wha — what's going on?” she squeaked.
“Christmas is coming four days early,” Candace said.
“I don't know what to say.”
“Say come in, it's cold out here,” Becca said.
Everyone laughed, and it broke the spell. Sue threw the door open wide, and they all trooped inside. Inside, Sue's younger brother and sister regarded them with wide eyes from the living room couch.
“Which way to the kitchen?” Martha asked.
“This way,” Sue said, leading Martha, Becca, and Candace toward it.
Behind her, Candace heard squeals of delight from the children and glanced back to see Roger hauling in the Christmas tree. Josh, Kurt, and Pete followed with boxes of lights and decorations.
“Who wants to help decorate the tree?” Josh asked.
“Me!”
“Me too!”
Candace smiled and walked into the kitchen. By the time they had all set down their bags, the counter was covered.
“What on earth have you all done?” Sue asked.
Candace turned to look at her and saw tears sparkling in her eyes. She reached out and hugged her. “Just brought a little Christmas cheer is all.”
“Thank you,” Sue whispered, shaking a little as she cried.
“You're welcome,” Candace said, starting to tear up herself.
“Sorry to interrupt,” Martha said, her voice kindly. “But we brought a few extra presents to unwrap on Christmas day itself,” she said, handing Sue a bag.
Sue pulled away and took the bag. “I'll be right back,” she said before scurrying off.
“You did a good thing here,” Martha said once Sue had left the room.
“I just wish I could have done more,” Candace admitted.
It was amazing how many things she took for granted. It made her feel sad and a little guilty. It must have shown on her face, because Becca shook her shoulder.
“No sad faces allowed tonight.”
“Sorry.”
“Don't make me eat sugar,” Becca threatened.
“Make you?” Martha asked, rolling her eyes. “It's almost impossible to stop you.”
Becca shrugged and gave them both an impish smile, one with the slightest hint of a sugar craze in it.
Candace reached for the dessert bag. “You didn't …”
Sure enough, the bag of Christmas-colored Hershey kisses was open. “Oh no,” Candace groaned.
Becca's smile got a little wider. “It was just one.”
“One is more than enough,” Martha said, snatching the bag. “Who let her carry this bag in?”
“What bag?” Sue asked, returning to the kitchen.
“This one,” Martha said, waving the bag of chocolate in the air.
Sue went completely white.
“Don't worry. It was just one,” Becca said with a little hop.
A commotion from the other room drew their attention, and they all moved to get a view of the living room. The Christmas tree was standing in the middle of the room, and each child had a strand of lights that they were wrapping around the tree, running past each other and squealing.
“Faster, faster!” Kurt urged them on.
“There goes any chance at quiet and dignity,” Martha said with a smile.
“I think quiet and dignity are overrated,” Candace said, laughing at the sight.
“How're you ladies coming? We're going to be done here before you know it,” Josh said.
“I guess we should hurry then,” Candace said, turning back to the kitchen.
“What is all this?” Sue asked, waving toward the bags.
“Dinner,” Martha said.
“And presents!” Becca chimed in.
Candace grabbed a bag and pulled the presents out of it. She carried them into the living room and started a pile on the floor.
“See that, kids?” Roger asked. “We have to finish decorating so we can put the presents under the tree!”
There was more laughter, and Candace joined in as she raced back into the kitchen for more presents. In a minute she had separated out all the presents and stacked them in the living room. Back in the kitchen the others had emptied the food out of the paper bags.
“We figured we could all have Christmas dinner together a couple days early,” Candace explained. “So we brought turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and cranberries.”
“Don't forget the pies,” Becca said, eyes wide.
“One of which is sugar free,” Martha said pointedly.
Becca looked so sad, Candace couldn't help but feel sorry for her.
“You guys didn't have to do this,” Sue said.
“Oh hush,” Martha said. “You know, any excuse to have a party.”
They heated up the food and chilled the sparkling cider. Josh sauntered into the kitchen when they were just finishing.
“That food had better be ready. Tree's gonna be done in five minutes, and if food isn't ready we're setting the kids loose on the presents.”
“The food will be ready,” Candace said, handing him a stack of plates. “Help me set the table.”
Five minutes later they were all sitting down to eat. They all held hands and Josh prayed.
“God, thank you for everything that we have, especially good friends and family. We ask that you bless this dinner and all who are partaking of it. Amen.”
“Amen,” they all chorused.
Candace picked up the platter in front of her, and soon dishes of food zipped around the table. For five minutes no one said a word as everyone began to scarf down the food.
Pete broke the silence. “You ladies did yourselves proud. I can't remember the last Christmas dinner I had that tasted so good.”
“Here, here,” Kurt added.
Candace smiled. It had to be one of the strangest holiday meals she had ever had, and she was sharing it with the strangest, coolest people she could hope for. She watched in delight as Mary and Gus stuffed themselves and Sue laughed and laughed. Seeing her look so happy was the best gift Candace could have hoped for.
A half hour later, everyone had pushed their plates away and was groaning and rubbing their bellies. Candace, Becca, Roger, and Martha carried the dishes into the kitchen and began cleaning up while the others played with Mary and Gus in the living room.
“If somebody's got a CD player, I've got Christmas music,” she heard Kurt say.
“Who wants to help me set up the train?” Pete asked to squeals of delight.
At last dishes were in the dishwasher, and leftover food was in the fridge.
“I think we should wait awhile before we serve pie,” Martha said, and Candace quickly agreed.
“I think it's present time,” Josh said, poking his head into the kitchen. “I can't hold these kids back any longer.”
“You mean we can't hold you back any longer,” Roger joked.
“Hey, I know I saw a present with my name on it,” Josh laughed.
“Who's going to pass out the presents?” Becca asked as she hopped into the other room.
“I vote for Pete,” Candace said.
“I second that,” Martha said.
Candace found herself in the living room sitting between Josh and Kurt on the couch. Everyone else sat on chairs scattered about the room in a loose circle.
Pete handed out a round of presents. Candace looked down at hers. To Candy, Merry Christmas! Becca. She gasped when she saw that there was a small heart over the “i” in Christmas. She looked over at Becca. So, she had found the golden candy cane after all! All of her charts and maps and statist
ical analysis had paid off for her. Candace was glad.
When everyone had a present, Pete shouted, “Let 'er rip!”
There were shouts of laughter, and wrapping paper went flying up into the air. Candace opened her box, and inside was a gold candy cane lapel pin. She laughed and held it up for all to see. “Does this mean I win?” she asked.
Everyone else laughed too.
“Thanks, Becca.”
“You're welcome and thank you!” Becca said, waving the box of See's in the air.
Sue gave out a little shriek when she saw it.
“It's okay, they're sugar free,” Candace hastened to assure everyone.
Pete passed out the next round of presents, and Candace noticed that Kurt was holding the one from her.
“Let 'er rip!” Pete shouted again.
Kurt opened his present, and a strange look crossed his face. He pulled the watch out slowly and then looked up at Candace. “How did you know?” he asked.
“I had a little help from Santa,” she admitted.
“I used to have one just like this. It belonged to my grandfather, but something happened to it.”
Candace felt warm inside. Santa had been right.
Candace opened Josh's present and began to laugh hysterically. She held up a tiny trophy and read the inscription out loud, “Candace Thompson. For most visits to The Hospital Zone in a single year!”
Gus and Mary were overwhelmed with excitement by their presents. Mary was clutching a doll. Gus had a basketball in one hand and a large box containing a basketball hoop that could be attached to the house in the other.
“I'll come over and help you put that up tomorrow,” Roger told him.
They opened more presents, and Candace loved that Kurt gave her a statue of the Lone Ranger. “It looks like you the day we met!” she said.
The last round of presents finally arrived, and when the paper had fallen to the ground, Candace saw that Roger had actually done it. He had given Becca a huge box of chocolates. Everyone stared for a moment, including Becca.
“They're not sugar free,” Roger said.
Suddenly, there was a flurry of activity as four people dove at the box of candy and Becca did a backflip over her chair, clutching the candy over her head. She hit the ground running and headed for the front door. “My present! Mine!” she shrieked.
She made it outside, and Pete, Kurt, Josh, and Martha followed. There were grunts, and it sounded like some heavy-duty tackling was going on.
“I did a bad, bad thing,” Roger admitted.
Sue sighed. “There goes the neighborhood.”
Gus and Mary just stared wide eyed.
Roger stood, a guilty look on his face. “I should go help her.”
“Her?” Candace asked.
“Them. Help them get her.”
He walked outside, and Candace and Sue burst out laughing.
“One thing's for sure, life is never dull around this crowd,” Sue said at last.
“I should think not. Here, let me help you clean up,” Candace said as she stood up.
She and Sue grabbed trash bags and started stuffing them full of discarded wrapping paper. They tossed the bows into a small pile under the Christmas tree. When they were nearly done, everyone else trooped back in. There were grass and dirt stains covering most of them. Becca had a wild, defiant look in her eyes, but her hands were empty.
“We've promised to give this to her once she's at home,” Josh said, holding the candy box high.
Candace could swear she heard Becca muttering, “My candy,” over and over again. Everyone took a trip to the rest-room to wash up as best they could. Then they indulged in pie. Candace couldn't help but feel sorry for Becca as she watched the other girl miserably eat her slice of sugar-free apple pie. When at last dessert was finished and cleaned up, Sue thanked them all again.
“On this happy note, I think I'll say good night,” Martha said at last.
“I'll walk out with you,” Pete said.
Gus had engaged Roger in an earnest conversation about basketball.
“I need to get going too,” Kurt said. He gave Candace a quick kiss before heading out.
“Hey, Roger,” Josh said.
“Yeah?”
“Could I trust you to drive Becca home and not give her your gift again until you get there?”
“Yeah, I'm your man,” Roger said, jumping to his feet. “I'll be over tomorrow so we can shoot some hoops,” he promised Gus.
“Come on, Becca, I'll take you home,” he said with the hint of a blush.
“Good night,” Becca said, hugging Sue. “Merry Christmas.”
“Thank you,” Sue said. “Merry Christmas to you too.”
Becca and Roger left.
“I hope the two of them go out soon,” Josh said with a sigh. “Watching them is driving everyone crazy.”
“Tell me about it,” Candace said, rolling her eyes. “I thought it was a done deal half a dozen times already.”
Sue smiled at them. “It's amazing sometimes how blind or shy people can be. You just never can tell sometimes what will finally wake two people up.”
“Will you be able to give me a lift later?” Josh asked Candace. “Roger was kinda my ride.”
“No problem.”
Gus and Mary finally said good night. Both of them looked exhausted but happy. Sue, Josh, and Candace chatted while they finished cleaning up. At the end, Sue grabbed an empty box and started scooping bows into it from the pile under the tree.
“Hey, what's this?” she asked.
“What?” Josh asked, craning to see what she was holding.
Hanging from one of the bottom branches of the tree was a small, wrapped present.
Sue pulled it off. “It's addressed to me, but it doesn't say who it's from.”
“Open it,” Candace urged.
Sue sat down and unwrapped the gift. She gasped and then slowly held it up. There in her hand was the golden candy cane.
“Who … who would give this up?” Sue asked.
Tears flooded Candace's eyes. “I know,” she said. After all that hard work, all that searching, and her desperate desire to have the gingerbread house, Becca had given it all away to someone who needed it more.
17
Josh and Candace stayed a little while longer before finally leaving. They ended up heading to a coffee shop to decompress and discuss the evening.
“It was better than I dreamed,” Candace said.
“It was awesome. Did you see Gus's face when he opened up the basketball you got him? I was mad that I forgot to bring a camera.”
“I should have used my phone to take a picture,” Candace said.
“I heard a rumor that you're going to be in Man of La Mancha.”
“It's true.”
“Awesome. You are going to invite everyone to come see it, right?”
“I wasn't planning on it,” Candace said with a laugh.
“You should. I think it would be fun. We need to do more stuff outside The Zone like this. You know, something every few months.”
“That would be fun,” Candace admitted.
“And see, your play is the perfect chance. We can go out to Max's Opera Café afterward.”
Candace laughed. “I don't think my performance will quite warrant that.”
“Who cares? I want to go to the café,” Josh said with a laugh.
Candace smiled and rubbed her knee. It was starting to get a little stiff.
“Do you need me to get you something? Ice? Your brace?”
“No, I probably just need to go home and rest,” Candace said.
“You seem to be holding up pretty well,” Josh said, standing and dumping his trash into the bin.
“Yeah. It's been awesome.”
They got to the car, and Josh gave her directions to his house.
“Kurt said you and Tamara looked gorgeous the other night. I would have loved to have seen you guys all dressed up.”
Candace lau
ghed. “I tried to convince Tam to ask you out, but she wouldn't.”
“Yeah, she and I would so not work. I like her, I really do, but I think we would drive each other crazy in a bad way.”
“Can't blame a girl for trying,” Candace said.
When they reached Josh's street, Candace slowed down.
“You can just drop me at the gate,” he said.
“What? Don't want me to see where you live?” she joked.
“Nah. Are you kidding? You already know my big secret. What more could I possibly be hiding? It's just late and I don't want to wake mom and dad up.”
She pulled over, and he hopped out of the car. “See you later, Candy Cane,” he said with a grin before closing the door.
She shook her head. She'd only known Josh a few months, but some days it seemed like a lifetime. She put her foot on the gas and headed for home.
Once home she put the Lone Ranger statue, the trophy from Josh, and the golden candy cane all on her dresser next to her other souvenirs from The Zone. She changed into her pajamas and actually felt a tiny bit better when she strapped on the leg brace.
She was exhausted, but her mind was racing. She replayed the evening, remembering everything that was said and how everyone looked. Operation Christmas Carol had been a success. There was no way she could have pulled it off without her friends.
She felt amazed that she had somehow become part of The Zone community. When she had started working there in the summer, Tamara had been her only real friend. Now there were several people who fit into that category. She thought about what Sue had said about a gift being a wish from the heart.
She closed her eyes and thought of each of her friends. God, I'd like to give a gift to each of my friends tonight. I'd like to give Roger the courage to tell Becca how he really feels about her. I'd like to give Becca the respect that she deserves. I'd like to give Martha a Christmas surrounded by those who love her. For Pete, I'd like to give the feeling of Christmas all year round. I'd like to give Tamara what she's searching for. For Sue I'd like to give a future that is brighter than her current circumstances. For Josh … I'm not sure what I would like to give him, but I want you to make his brother's homecoming a blessing to everyone who knows him. And dear God, for Kurt, I'd like to ask for happiness. Amen.
The next day, spirits were running even higher than usual in the Holiday Zone. Even Santa somehow seemed jollier. Candace was relishing the freedom of her second day without the leg brace. She had even opted to forego the stool. Unlike the day before, she was more confident and beginning to feel like her old self. It was a shame that there were only two more days of this. She was finally feeling like she really had the hang of the whole elf business.