December 23
It was the last day of work before the holiday break since Hobson and Rowe closed its offices on Christmas Eve as well as Christmas Day. The employees did only those tasks that were considered urgent, putting off everything else until after the holidays.
Although the company had held its formal Christmas party a week earlier, the employees had their own informal celebration at the office. The women brought in hot, cooked dishes including meatballs, sausage and peppers, baked ziti and stuffed shells as well as an assortment of side dishes and salads. And it wouldn't be Christmas if there weren't trays of cookies, doughnuts and Italian pastries. Someone even brought in a big punchbowl filled with homemade eggnog.
By one o'clock all work had stopped, and everyone was eating, drinking and laughing. Gifts were exchanged, many of which were humorous in nature. Just after three-thirty, the party started to wind down. The leftover food was put into plastic containers, and people packed up and got ready to leave. All that remained was to wish everyone a merry Christmas.
As she stood in her empty office putting on her coat, Rosalind wondered what it would be like when she returned on December twenty-eighth. She took a moment to daydream about walking into the office with a two-karat engagement ring from Tiffany's on her finger and announcing that she was engaged to marry Brett McCord.
Having filled up on the homemade fare at the office party, Rosalind had no appetite for dinner. She went directly to the fireplace and opened the twenty-third drawer. Inside was a man's wedding band. She recognized it immediately when she saw the unusual Celtic knots that encircled it. Brett had sent her his wedding ring.
He is divorced! Rosalind thought and then broke down in tears of joy.
