Bernice didn't take the hint. “It's the bench you sit on when you're in love. That piano bench has been in the family for generations, and every couple that shares a holiday meal sitting there is destined to get married.”
“Destined?” Candace asked. This was the first she had heard of this particular family legend. She just wanted to sit really close to Kurt and feel like they were sharing something special.
“Married?” Kurt asked.
“Yessiree. Dozens. My late husband and I had Thanksgiving dinner sitting on that very piano bench in 1937.”
“Bernice, you know that's just a silly superstition,” Candace's mom called from halfway down the table.
“I believe it's true. Maybe the tree that gave its life for that piano was the reincarnation of an old village shaman or even a matchmaker,” Hippie Freak chimed in.
“Reincarnation? Are you serious?” Kurt asked, turning to look at Candace.
“She is, but not me. I don't believe in reincarnation. Not at all. I believe you get one chance in this life to live, love, and accept Jesus Christ.” Candace couldn't stop the words from tumbling out, and her voice got higher until she ended and realized that the entire room had gone quiet.
“And on that note,” her dad said, “let's pray.”
Everyone around the table reached out for the hands of the people on either side, and Candace grabbed Kurt's as she bowed her head and closed her eyes. She had held his hand dozens of times before, but it had never felt so awkward.
“Bless the cook and the cookin'. We're here to eat and not for lookin'. Amen.”
There was laughter around the table, which helped ease the tension. Candace glanced up. Normally, her mom would have chastised her dad for teasing like that about grace, but even she was smiling.
“Seriously, Father God,” her dad continued, “we thank you for these and all of life's blessings. We ask that you bless this food that it might be nourishing to our bodies. Amen.”
“Amen,” everyone chorused.
“Okay, grab the dish in front of you and pass to your left,” her mom instructed.
“So, young man, what do you plan on doing with the rest of your life?” Bernice asked, leaning in close to Kurt.
Kurt's phone rang.
Saved by the bell, Candace thought.
He pulled his cell out of his pocket and looked at the display. “It's my roommate. I gotta take this.” He extricated himself from the table, banging his knee on one of the legs and causing everyone's water glasses to slosh over. “Sorry.”
He walked into the kitchen, and Candace could hear him talking.
“No, trust me, not a problem.”
“That's right.”
“I'll tell you later.”
“See you in ten.”
Her heart sank, and a moment later he walked back into the room, his face grim.
“Hey, Candace,” he said, crouching down next to her. “My roommate's car broke down. I gotta go help him. I'm sorry.”
“That's okay,” she said. Maybe it was better this way. Dinner clearly had not been going well.
“You're the best,” he said. He kissed her on the cheek before standing up. “It was nice meeting everyone. Sorry I gotta run,” he said with a wave.
Candace started to stand to let him out, but he was already at the door. He gave her a little wave and then was gone. Someone handed her the bowl of mashed potatoes, and she piled some on her plate.
“Such a nice young man … shame he had to leave,” Bernice said.
“Yeah,” Candace said as she passed her the potatoes. “He didn't even get to eat anything.”
The only good thing about sitting alone on the piano bench was that she had a lot more elbow room than anyone else at the table. The rest of dinner went well. Her father had outdone himself, as usual.
After dinner everyone scattered to various parts of the house to visit and entertain themselves before dessert. Candace found herself in the kitchen, helping her mother load the dishwasher and put away the leftovers.
“I'm sorry Kurt had to leave,” she said.
“Thanks,” Candace replied with a sigh. “Not exactly the Thanksgiving I was picturing.”
“You know, things rarely turn out like we'd want them to, but sometimes they can be wonderful in the most unexpected ways,” her mother said.
“Are we talking about Thanksgiving or life?”
“Both,” her mom said with a laugh. “But today, mostly Thanksgiving.”
They finished up and joined the guests. A few minutes later the doorbell rang.
Candace jumped to her feet. Maybe Kurt was finished helping out his roommate and decided to come back. She opened the door to see a familiar figure, but it wasn't Kurt.
“Josh, what are you doing here?” she asked.
“Hey, I hope it's cool. The folks and I are done eating, and I thought I'd see if you wanted to catch a movie later. I tried your cell, but you weren't picking up. I decided to swing by, but it looks like you're pretty busy,” he said with a sheepish grin. He ran a tan hand through his sandy hair.
“I'd love to go a little later. You want to come in?”
“If it's no trouble.”
Candace's mom came over. “Hi, Josh, you know you're always welcome here.”
“Thanks,” he said, coming inside.
“You're just in time for pie too,” she said. “I hope you've got room.”
“There's always room for dessert,” he answered.
“So, your family's already done for the day?” Candace asked.
“Yeah. Thanksgiving is the one holiday that's seriously low-key at our place. It's been that way ever since the ‘Flaming Turkey Incident.’”
“That doesn't sound good.”
“It wasn't. That sucker nearly burned down the house.”
Candace laughed just thinking about it.
“And that wasn't the worst part.”
“Oh no!”
“Oh yeah. Mom made us eat it.”
“Yuck!”
“It was completely charcoal. It was so nasty.”
“Next year you guys will have to come here then.”
“It's a plan.”
“Dessert time,” Candace's mom called, and everyone reassembled at the table.
“You can sit next to Candace,” her mom said, indicating the piano bench to Josh.
“Cool. A seat of honor.”
Candace smiled as she squeezed next to Josh on the bench. Aunt Bernice looked at him in confusion for a moment and then said, “You're not the boy who was here earlier.”
“No, ma'am, I just got here. My name's Josh. I'm one of Candy — Candace's friends,” he said.
“Good to meet you,” she said brightly.
Pie was passed out, and, as Josh and Candace ate the holiday dessert, she couldn't stop thinking about his mom and the flaming turkey. Her mom was right. Life didn't always turn out how you expected, and it wasn't the first time Josh had rescued a bad day for her. She smiled as she ate the pie.
6
It was still dark Friday morning when Candace arrived at the park. Tired referees stumbled into one another as they all assembled in the Holiday Zone. She and her mom had carpooled, and her mom patted her on the shoulder before heading for her booth.
Sue arrived and stood by Candace. “I can barely keep my eyes open.”
“Tell me about it. I'm not sure how I'm going to get through the day. How was your Thanksgiving?”
Sue made a face. “I tried cooking a turkey, and it was a total disaster.”
“Did you set it on fire?” Candace asked.
“No.”
“Then it couldn't have been a total disaster.”
Sue laughed. “That's true. I didn't set it on fire, it wasn't raw, and no one got food poisoning.”
“Then it sounds like you did quite well.” Candace laughed. She spotted Josh a few feet away and waved as he made his way toward them.
A ripple ran through the crowd, and Candace tu
rned to see John Hanson, the owner of the park, standing on top of a box so that everyone could see him.
“He seems like such a nice guy,” Sue said.
“He is. Really nice,” Candace said, thinking about her previous meetings with him. “Hey, did you know that he's a Christian?”
“Sure. It's all over in his biography. I read it last year. I wasn't surprised.”
“Many great theme-park founders, like Walt Disney and Walter Knott, were Christians,” Josh commented, appearing beside her.
Candace nodded. She was going to have to get that book.
John Hanson raised his hand, and the crowd fell quiet.
“Well, it's Christmastime again. That means long hours, huge crowds, and eager children. We can make it through. I want you to enjoy the season. Christmas is a special time of the year, and each and every one of you has the opportunity to make it even more special for our players.
“Of course, I want it to be special for you too, which is why we have the annual Zone Christmas party. This year it will be on December twenty-two. Bring your family members for a great time.
“And, what would a party be at The Zone without a little friendly competition?” he asked, pausing to let referees shout and clap their hands.
“This year we have something a little different planned. Hidden somewhere in The Zone, somewhere only a referee can get to, is a golden candy cane. Whoever finds it will be the guest of honor at the Christmas party and will win prizes, gift certificates, and this life-size gingerbread house!” He waved his hand toward the gingerbread house in the middle of the maze.
A roar of approval went up from the gathered referees.
“So good luck, enjoy the season, and happy hunting.”
“Wow! It's like the whole Willy-Wonka-golden-ticket thing,” Sue said after the noise had died down and referees not working in the Holiday Zone began to disperse.
“Yeah, except there's only one candy cane,” Josh said.
Candace could see Becca a little ways away, hopping from foot to foot in excitement.
“We better watch out for Becca,” Candace said, mimicking something she had been told before she knew the other girl.
“I bet you Becca finds the golden candy cane,” Josh said, following the direction of her stare.
“That's a bet I'm not taking. Of course Becca will be able to ferret out her key to sugar,” Candace said.
“Gib looks worried,” Josh said, referencing one of Becca's co-workers from the Muffin Mansion.
“He should be. We all should be,” Sue said.
Martha, one of the supervisors, hopped up onto the box vacated by John, and someone handed her a bullhorn. “Okay, elves with me; everyone else scatter!”
“That's our cue,” Sue said. “See you later.”
As referees streamed out of the area, Candace saw John Hanson going booth to booth to shake hands with the various vendors. He stopped in front of her mom's booth. One of them must have said something funny, because they both burst out laughing.
Five minutes later Candace stood with the other elves in a cluster around Martha.
“Okay, ladies and gentlemen, this is the big leagues. Elf duty is difficult, challenging, and one of the most visible jobs that a referee can do. You'll be pushed to your limit daily. I need you to give one hundred percent to this job. Are you with me?”
Candace bobbed her head along with the others.
“Good. Now here's how it works. You'll be broken into four groups. Group A will handle line control. Those of you with previous line experience will fall into that category. Group B will get kids onto Santa's lap and off. Those with ride-loading experience will fall into this group. Group C will handle the prize disbursements. Those of you with vending experience will fall into this group. Group D will handle the photography merchandising. Those of you with store experience will fall into this group. Is there any one unaccounted for? No? Good.
“Group A, report to the front of the queuing area. Group B, congregate around Santa's chair. Group D to the merchandise booth. Group C with me.”
Candace, Lisa, and half a dozen others followed Martha to the area just to the left of Santa's chair.
“Okay. During slow hours, only one of you will be working at a time, and you'll be on this side,” Martha explained. “When it gets busy there'll be two of you, one on each side. Santa and the elves handling the kids are on the red carpet areas. You stay on the green carpet areas.”
Candace looked down and saw where the carpet changed colors. That shouldn't be too difficult.
“This is very important,” Martha stressed. “You stay on the green carpet. It's not your job to guard Santa. Group B is doing that. You're Group C. It's your job to guard the candy and the presents.”
“Don't you mean distribute them?” one elf asked.
“I said guard, and I mean guard,” Martha said with a cold stare. “You will also distribute, but don't forget to guard.”
She picked up a basket filled with candy canes. “Every person who walks through here gets a candy cane — kids, teens, parents, whoever. Now, you will see here, behind the ropes, stacks of presents.”
Candace looked, and, sure enough, there were dozens of presents wrapped in gold, silver, or candy cane paper. She didn't remember seeing anything like that when she was a kid.
“Now, presents are to be distributed sparingly — one or two an hour. Use your best judgment on who to give them to. Gold paper is a girl's gift, and silver paper is a boy's gift. Candy cane paper is generic. Gold girl, silver boy, candy generic. Got it?”
Candace nodded along with the others.
“Do not let the children or their parents bully, beg, or bribe you into giving out a present. If you have a problem, the red panic buttons are here on the underside of the candy-cane-striped rail behind you.”
Candace craned her head to see the button. If her experiences at The Zone had taught her anything, it was that she was going to have to use that button at least once, and she wanted to be prepared for it.
“The last part of your job is to make sure that once everyone has received a candy cane, they keep moving down the ramp toward the merchandise booths. Keep the flow going. Otherwise the whole process comes to a halt, and kids have to wait three times as long to see Santa.
“So, today we have four people working from eight to four and four more working from four to midnight. Those of you who will be working tonight, get out of here and get some rest.”
Candace, Lisa, and two other elves she didn't know were left.
“Okay, you four, because today is going to be a rough day, you're going to take turns. One hour here, then one hour walking around the park reminding kids to come see Santa. Got it? Okay. Lisa and Candace will take the first shift. First, though, we're going to go through a practice run. Lisa and Candace up; Laura and Chrissy on deck.”
Lisa seemed rooted to her spot, so Candace crossed over to the other side of the stage area and took her place on the green carpet. She picked up the basket of candy canes and checked out the gift section.
Two loader elves moved onto the red carpet. Around the entire area she saw other elves taking up position. Then the man himself, Santa Claus, appeared. He majestically walked onto the stage and seated himself on his thronelike chair.
“Ready? Go!” Martha shouted, once more using the bullhorn.
Candace watched as excess elves, a few other referees, and some of the vendors were loaded into the queue area. They zigzagged through the maze of ropes until they came to a stop at the end of the line. An elf led one of the vendors by the hand over to Santa, and the vendor gingerly sat down on Santa's lap, laughing.
“What do you want for Christmas?” Santa asked.
“A Barbie doll … for my daughter,” the vendor hastened to add.
“Have you and she been good girls?”
“Yes.”
“I'll see what I can do.”
The second elf loader helped her off Santa's lap and sent her tow
ard Lisa, while the first elf loader escorted another person up to Santa.
He asked the same questions, and then the vendor was headed Candace's way. She smiled, pulled a candy cane out of her basket, and handed it to the woman. “Have a Merry Christmas,” she said.
“Thank you,” the woman answered. “I'm Jewish, though.”
“Happy Hanukkah,” Candace said without missing a beat and remembering to smile.
They cycled through three more people each before Candace stepped aside to let Chrissy handle the distribution.
After about five more minutes, Martha shouted, “Nice work everyone. Remember, we're cycling in one-hour shifts today. Starters take your places.”
“Good luck,” Chrissy said as she handed the candy cane basket off to Candace.
“Thanks.”
The extra elves and referees went about their business, and silence settled down on the area. Candace clutched her stomach, feeling nervous and a little sick as she battled the butterflies and waited for the opening of the park. She glanced over at Santa. He sat in his chair, appearing majestic and calm. For a moment she thought about asking him what she should get Kurt for Christmas. If anyone would know …
She shook her head, laughing at herself. She was here to help Santa, not the other way around.
“Gates are open!” someone shouted.
Candace fidgeted with the handle of her basket. Any moment now it would begin.
“Incoming!”
A dozen kids with parents in tow ran through the ropes, shouting for Santa.
The first kid ran toward Lisa after shouting his requests to Santa at the top of his lungs. The next one was slightly more restrained, and Candace handed both him and his father a candy cane as they exited.
“I get to add sugar to this?” the father asked with a groan.
Candace just shrugged and smiled. “Merry Christmas.”
The next dozen people didn't say a word to her; they just took the candy canes and dashed off.
A little girl climbed up onto Santa's knee, looked at him, and burst into tears. An elf picked her back up and gave her to her mother who apologetically herded the little girl toward Candace.
Candace felt so bad for her. She had probably been so excited to see Santa. Candace glanced at Santa and was surprised to see him staring at her. He gave a little nod.