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(Part 2) The Seventh Day of Christmas-(12 d w/o) A Christmas MementoDec 19 '02 Write an essay on this topic.
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December 20 The 7th day of Christmas 4 PM. “On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love sent to me....” Christmas shoppers rushed by him as he listlessly wagged his bell side to side, the mournful sound only broken by the clippy noises of coins tossed in his direction by people who did not stop to look at him. It was raining, and he made little effort to get out of it, letting it soak his bright red suit to a dark burgundy, glistening in drops in his beard and on his hair, that escaped the hat that came with the suit. The temperature had dropped, and he knew from many years of weather experience, that it would be snowing before morning. Occasionally children would stop and peer up at him, dragging the hand- holding parent back, resulting in a brief hesitation. So far, to a one, they had been jerked back into the crowd of Christmas shoppers, by that same parent, who had better things to do than deal with a bell wagging drunk in a Santa Suit. He had a spot in front of the department store (Macy’s) and had not really been looking for it. But wait. Let me start at the beginning of the day at least. We may have to go back further, to explain , but for now, let’s just start with this morning. ***** JD had just been released this morning 11 AM. He had been in that institution, the funny farm, for close to a year, lost in a complex delusional system, caused, they said, by some trauma. First there were the burns, and the coma, and the broken bones from the fall. When he came out of that, they said he was nuttier than a fruitcake, and he thought he probably was. But he didn’t remember. He thought to himself that he had probably been given every drug known to modern science. First the pain medicine and the antibiotics, with at least a week or two of intravenous total nutrition, while he was unconscious. He rubbed the scar above his clavicle where the IV that fed him had been placed. When they took that out, it looked as big as a garden hose. When he tried to explain what had happened and who he was, he was taken to the state hospital, and fed antipsychotic medication, while the doctors tried to break through his delusional system, using any means possible, including shock therapy. He thought about that. He associated that event with the sound and smell of bacon frying, and shuddered, and not just from the cold. Finally he broke down, and told them what they wanted to hear. He was delusional. He still had amnesia, because he could not remember anything "real" before the fire, but he no longer told them his name was Santa Claus. He was, for them, cured. He came into greater downtown Manhattan as John Doe. (JD, as they called him at the hospital) They let him out in the suit he had on when he was admitted into the hospital in the first place , a red velvet Santa Suit, lately washed in the hospital laundry. He must have been a little bigger when he was taken in. It hung on him very loosely. But it was well made, and it was warmer than it looked. The bus let him out in downtown Manhattan, near the shelter. JD had promised to take his medication. He felt in the pocket for the big bottle, went to the trash can where the winos gathered and dropped it into the fire. Maybe he was nuts, but he wasn’t stupid. Those pills made him feel like crap. He was not going to take them. He would rather be delusional than slow and stupid, and maybe his real life would come to him if he could think clearly. Not for the first time, he wondered who we was, and why the delusion seemed so real, and the reality so pale in comparison. He could not find a single wisp of memory that connected him with a normal life before the fire. He finally pretended to remember a wife who had died, and losing all his savings, and that seemed to satisfy them. They returned him to the streets without a qualm. The attendants were taking bets on when he would be back. Soon, they thought. JD was staring into the trash can flame, caught in some trance state, when one of the drunks slapped him on the shoulder. Hey Buddy, Santy ..you OK? Here, for a buck I’ll share some of this Christmas Cheer with ya!... No thanks, ..but maybe later, OK pal? ** It was clear sunny and cool when he got off the bus. The snow clouds would roll in later. Inspired by his new freedom, JD decided to explore a little. He could go to the shelter later. He walked randomly and ended up downtown, a few blocks away from the shelter, looking in department store windows. Funny, if he really WAS from New York, he didn’t remember any of this. The Christmas displays were pretty interesting, especially the ones with toys. Well it WAS Christmas. He turned from the window he was watching with 30 other people, and saw a taxi approaching, and then passing with seven jabbering parrots in swan suits. For the first time it crossed his mind that he might actually BE crazy, and thought maybe he should have kept that bottle of pills after all. If it got worse, the winos would share some of their “medicine”- if he had a couple of bucks. He had 10 dollars in his pocket, a gift from one of the betting attendants. It was just enough to buy a bed in the shelter for a couple of nights. A tap on the shoulder made him turn, but not too quickly, after seeing those parrots in the taxi. He was confronted with a shorter, uglier and younger version of himself, who handed him the bell he now wagged, and the pot for the coins. “Here buddy, take my spot. I got to go somewhere.” JD , left standing there with the bell and the begging pot, watched the younger guy disappear in the crowd, moving spryly. In a blink he was gone. JD realized he wasn’t the only one in a Santa Suit out here. The big stores all had Santas in their doorways as well as the one inside. Some were ringing for charity, and talking to shoppers. A few with a Salvation Army sign even looked happy. And others (like himself) were just begging for dough in front of the big department stores. They counted on people not willing to see who they were tossing money at. The Santa Suit was enough , apparently. JD didn’t like this much but he figured the only way to a better life was doing something now. With some money, he could buy some real clothes and look for a real job. You have to start somewhere. For the first time, JD thought of his Santa Suit as work clothes. He didn’t know if the other Santa would be back, but even before he rang the bell, people were tossing money into the pot. Not much money, but with any luck, he could buy his own dinner with it. And this is where we found JD at the start of this story. He had collected about 8 bucks in the pot, so he could get something to eat. Reluctant to leave his spot, he went to a shop across the way, and bought himself a coffee and a bagel. He wasn’t really hungry, and he didn’t want to leave his spot for long. At first, ringing the bell, JD had been in a daze, letting his mind go completely blank. He didn’t know why, but it felt right doing this. Although he was no closer to figuring out his life, he realized he was at least at peace when he was back in his Santa Suit, even if the only people who seemed at all interested were the little children, being dragged off at the end of a busy parent’s arm. As he chewed, he realized that he had not seen a single child since he had been in the hospital. He didn’t realize until now , how much he had missed them. I must be a Grandfather or something, in my real life, he thought. But as much as he wanted to he couldn’t make a connection. The bagel and coffee did the trick, JD was feeling better by the minute. He stopped again at the windows of the Christmas scenes, where everything was in motion and kids were gathered to watch. He found himself smiling spontaneously, for the first time in a long time as he wondered how this thing or that thing worked. Then he resumed his place by the entrance, ringing his bell, lost in reverie. John Doe had been having frequent flashbacks back to the night “it” happened, and it did not take much to trigger one. It would descend on him like a panic attack, leaving him shaking and sweating, in spite of the fact that the sleet had now turned to snow. He thought the Santa suit must have triggeerd the one he just had, because he had been wearing it that night. JD always flashed back to the fire a year ago. Even when he tried he could not go deeper in his memory, without bringing in that delusional material. The medical team had even regressed him to a time previous to the incident with hypnosis, but they all came out of the session shaking their heads at his deeply embedded delusional system. He was going to be a tough nut to crack, because even early memories were of mystical and mythical places , elves, cold, making toys, the whole shtick. But what JD DID remember was terrifying. He was in an old rickety house, on the bottom floor. There was a spark, a crash, and suddenly the wall in front of him burst into flame. He heard screaming up the stairs, a small child. Without thinking, he rushed up the stairs, and confronted with the wall of flame, burst through it. He didn’t think he was related to the child, but he remembered her face, and her tiny body as she sat huddled in the corner of a small bedroom, a Christmas puppy clutched in her arms. His beard and hair were singed, he could barely breathe. He clutched the little girl, and the squealing puppy and went instinctively to the window. The flames were burning his back. Without another thought, he jumped from the second story window. And woke up in intensive care, several days later. Who are you? . He was looking at the friendly face of his male ICU nurse. You didn’t have any identification. Santa Claus. Right. You were in a suit, all right. Who are you really? JD closed his eyes, and whispered, Really, I am...I was...I think.... JD would be in and out of consciousness for a week. He had burns on his back, most of his hair was singed off, one leg had been broken, two ribs fractured, and he had hit his head so hard there had been a small cerebral hemorrhage, or so they thought. He had other internal injuries. He found out later more about the incident, from the police and his medical staff. He knew the girl’s name, and that she had survived unharmed. She had been alone in the house (except for him). She was in foster care, and her “parents” had been next door at a party, thinking the six year old asleep. They did not know where the puppy had come from, and they had no idea why a man in a Santa suit was in their house at midnight on Christmas, or who he was. Maria Delgado, the six year old girl , went back to the state after this incident, and the hero of Christmas eve remained anonymous to everyone- even himself. He was glad she had survived. He wished to God he knew why he was in the house in the first place. The cause of the fire was believed to be faulty wiring. There were other unanswered questions though, besides his identity. First the Santa Suit. Despite the fact that JD was burned badly, the Santa Suit was only covered in soot and ash, and was easily cleaned. It was not in the least bit burned. The outfit could not be traced to a costume company anywhere. And no one reported the portly white haired gentleman missing. The police had checked interstate lists, but nothing ever came up. Probably just one of those homeless bums, they thought. That they suspected him of breaking into the house for robbery bothered him, but since he could remember nothing, he couldn’t refute it. They didn’t charge him with any crime. Nothing was missing. Also the nurses told him he kept repeating the same phrase over and over as he came out of his coma ”...Sten, see about the reindeer. Sten! See about the reindeer.... “ He thought they were making fun of him, with that one. Very funny. It was getting dark now and snow was coming down a little harder. Flakes settled on his nose, and made him smile. The Christmas shoppers were still coming and going at a fast pace, and his pot was filling up with money. He thought it was more money than he would need, and considered donating it to the shelter later, when he went there to sleep. Children were still stopping to peer into his face, before being jerked back to the entrance by their parents. Some of them had come to see Santa and have their picture taken, so it was never easy for the parents to explain why there were so many OTHER Santas everywhere. But children are curious, and sometimes believe in the magic of instantly being able to tell a fake when they saw one. The unasked question was always, Are you the REAL Santa Claus? (And if so, what are you doing here?) *** 8 PM JD was feeling better now, more substantial. He even managed a thank you for some of the cash that was tossed his way, startling the giver into doing a double take, And somehow, tonight he was a whole lot happier than he had been in many months. He figured he was just getting the tranquilizers out of his system and was satisfied with feeling good. He would look for answers tomorrow. He felt full on that bagel and coffee and imagined that he was filling out his suit a little. He may have looked scrawny, but he was definitely feeling better, for some reason. Now he was smiling at the children and they were smiling back. Some waved as they disappeared inside the maw of the great department store. JD was enjoying himself, watching the kids as they took in all the lights and fun, when that tap on his shoulder came again. Here I’ll take that bell, and the pot. You go on to the shelter. See you in the morning. JD turned to go and the little guy he had seen in the morning was walking briskly away. He disappeared in the crowd. JD passed an old stone church as he made his way back to the shelter, and heard singing. He went in, and suddenly he was inspired. He thought the key to his remembering must be the holiday itself. He didn’t need to find out more about his past, he needed to understand about Christmas. He waited for the pastor to finish and quietly approached him . Sir, do you have......? No my friend, I’m sorry, We’re all tapped out. If I had some money. I would share it with you. Oh no, I don’t need money, I wanted to know if you had something I could read. To understand about Christmas. Pastor Brown smiled and at once shed his stern exterior as a happy boy grin spead across his face. Santa Claus is asking ME about Christmas? He realised JD was serious. Wait here, I’ll go get something for you to take with you. After you’ve read it, then we can talk. When Pastor Brown was gone, JD took out his money for the shelter, and put it back in his pocket. All the rest he put in a box labeled “Christmas donations for the poor.” He figured they needed it more than he did, but he was surprised at the wad of dough he had accumulated by ringing that bell. There must have been 500 dollars in there! Pastor Brown came back with a simple Bible, with passages marked with ribbons. Here ...what was your name, besides Santa, I mean? JD? JD , This is a big print Bible, and it belonged to a friend who asked me to take it and give it to someone that needed it. I guess that must be you. ***** DECEMBER 21, 10 AM JD was back at Macy’s in his Santa Suit. In his pocket he had the Bible that Pastor Brown had given him. At 10 o’clock, when he got there, once again the short Santa tapped him on the back. Here ya go, buddy. It’s all yours. Later. Once again JD was ringing the bell, and money was being tossed in his direction. He smiled when he saw children and they smiled back, although no one stopped to talk. He started to watch the crowd, looking for signs of the holiday which was now such a miracle to him, He forgot that he was crazy, and had delusions about being Santa Claus- a claim that had landed him in the loony bin. He opened doors for the infirm, and he walked a while with people who were all alone and needed a friend. He picked people out the crowd that were only shopping in windows and never came out with packages, and gave them some of the money in his pot. The look on their faces warmed his heart. And he never seemed to run out of money. He took a short break to eat a frugal lunch, again feeling refreshed. He no longer thought the suit was magic. It was his heart that was doing the healing now. At 9PM, the short Santa reappeared, took the bell and the pot and left JD with the money, sending him on to the shelter. See ya tomorrow was all he said. He stopped at the Church, and Pastor Brown was waiting. JD , when you were in here last night, did someone else come in and drop some money in the box? It was a BIG donation, and I sure wanted to thank him. There are some poor families who really needed some help. JD decided to keep his donation mum. No sir, no one here that I saw. He talked with Pastor Brown for over an hour, and felt better afterwards. He planned to come again tomorrow. Pastor Brown smiled, and realized that this man had been reached. A bell ringing bum fairly radiated his Joy. It made pastor Jimmy feel better too. As he left, JD dropped the cash in the Christmas box again, glad that it was going to help some people. He went back to the shelter, and read some more passages in the Bible, and slept with a smile on his face. ***** DECEMBER 22 rd, 7 PM. Same routine, as before. The taciturn short ugly Santa had handed JD the bell and the pot, and this time just patted him on the back, smiled, amd in a blink he was gone again. JD was now getting a reputation. People were stopping and talking to him, and he offered comforting words. Parents who had been irritable and shouting, were instantly serene, when he stopped to talk. Children looked up at him with eyes filled with hope, and some with greed. They still went in to the store to give their wish list to the “big” Santa , the real one, associated with Macy’s. JD didn’t care, But it saddened him that so many people thought Christmas was about buying expensive presents. It had started snowing a little after 5, and now the crowds were thinner. He watched as a trio came wandering through the night, barely visiable through the snow. It was a little girl, a big dog on a leash, and a frail looking woman. The girl was acting a little odd he thought. She was stopping at all the bell ringing Santas in front the department stores. She seemed to be looking for someone. She would ask a few questions, and move slowly on, looking dejected. The woman with her, was moving slowly but determined to stay with her. She never let go of the little hand that she held in her own. As she got closer, JD thought she looked like someone he may have known once. He felt hope finally that he was going to find out something important, some vital clue. She seemed even more familar as she approached. She was bundled up in a scarf, but when JD saw her eyes, he recognized her at once. He didn’t have much of a chance to respond, because the big dog seemed to sense something. He lurched suddenly, breaking the girl’s hold on the leash. He launched his powerful body at JD, knocking him down. Oh no, Shawnee! Oh Mr. I’m so sorry, he’s never attacked anyone before! Shawnee was not to be denied. Paws on the chest of his victim, he stood over JD...and licked his face from his eyebrow to his chin, in one big happy slurp! Oh Mommy, said the little girl, it IS him! JD looked at her ,remembering the look on her face. It IS you! A year ago...do you remember me? I’m Maria Delgado. This is my mother..... She joined Shawnee on JD’s chest, hugging JD as tight as her 7 year old arms could hug, laughing. Mrs Delgado was crying. When the girl and the dog subsided, she took JD’s hands, and kissed them. How can I ever thank you? You gave me back my life. She explained that Maria had been in Foster care because she had to be in an alcohol treatment program. She had not touched a drink now since Thanksgiving of last year, and got out of treatment the week after last Christmas. She had gone to church, and the pastor was helping her to find work, and they were rebuilding their lives. She would never allow Maria to go to foster care ever again. She told JD his saving Maria from the fire had been the miracle that had changed their lives, and she didn’t even know his name. He told her it was JD, and explained about the amnesia. He told her he couldn’t remember anything real before the fire. Maria was frowning. Mommy. I told you he was Santa Claus! See? Shawnee remembered him! This is the puppy you brought me for Christmas ,Santa! When they were done thanking him, JD was happy to see her, but not so happy that he had learned nothing at all more about his “real” life. At nine, the other Santa came to retrieve his tools and JD stopped off in the church again, to talk to pastor Jimmy. Pastor, I am confused, so lost. I would give anything to know who I am. I looked for the answers here, and my heart is so much better. But I still don’t know who I am. JD, I know that it was you that gave the money for the poor. They needed some help, and you came here- like a miracle. I don’t know for sure who you are, but I know Who sent you! Maybe I better give this Bible back. No, I’m sure my friend meant for you to have it. Keep it, and I know you’ll find the answers you need. JD got up, and went to the door, fumbling with his pockets, as he emptied them into the poor box, he dropped the bible, and an envelope fell out. It was not sealed, but it did not look like it had even been opened. It was addressed to Pastor Brown. ********** Dear Pastor Jimmy A man will come to you, wanting to know the TRUTH. You will recognize him instantly, by the goodness in his heart. Please give him this Bible. And Tell him that I’ve been taking care of the reindeer, if he asks. (Signed) Sten ** *** John Doe folded the paper again, and placed it carefully in the bible, and put the Bible in his pocket. He would keep this with him always. It had the power to comfort him, and give him peace. When JD opened the big oak doors of the church, the short ugly Santa was outside in the snow, waiting for him. JD no longer had any doubt about his identity. Sten! It is so good to see you! How have you been? Have you been taking care of the reindeer? Postscript: By the time this story ended, Jack and Janey were to be visited by eight cranky women milking surly cows, and the same ladies the next day, plus one, dancing like the Rockettes in Janey’s living room. Jack liked this one more than Janey did. Today, as this story ends, Janey is finally laughing and getting into the spirit of the thing, as those 10 lords a-leaping finally sent her over the edge. I think there is hope for them yet. The Bird Guild parrots are playing poker for money in a basement in Queens, and another bald headed chicken plucker is keeping an eye on the door for the local fuzz. As for JD, he disappeared from Manhattan, never to be seen there again. There is a rumor that he hopped a freight train, and went down to Florida, where the weather is warmer, but no one is taking it seriously. And Sten? Sten is doing what he always does. He is pretty big for an elf. Please take the time to read the entries by the other 12 days of Christmas Write-Off Celebrators. They have been wonderful so far! Tomorrow’s posting will be by the incredible dedmw! I don’t know about you, but I can hardly wait to read it! You need to check out her writing! It was a great discovery for me! These are the 12 participants and the dates of their posting. See Jackai’s profile page for links. 1st Day of Xmas Lambchops - 12/14 2nd Day of Xmas Granniemose - 12/15 Third Day of Xmas Lorace 12/16 Fourth Day of Xmas jankp 12/17 Fifth Day of Xmas chriswillyv 12/18 Sixth Day of Xmas cletta1201 12/19 Seventh Day of Xmas artbyjude 12/20 Eighth Day of Xmas dedemw 12/21 Ninth Day of Xmas prfstars 12/22 Tenth Day of Xmas Jackai (your host)/23 Eleventh Day of Xmas Lynus 12/24 Twelfth Day of Xmas katybrighteyes 12/25  |
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