Michelle flipped the switch that started the chain reaction of fluorescent lights. She and Mike blinked. Tim and Jeff, Mike's brother and Michelle's brother-in-law entered with large boxes. Fran and Bev followed.
"Where do you want these?" Tim asked.
"In the middle of the room, I suppose. That will be easy access for everybody working."
Bev turned to her sister. "I brought a tape deck. I thought we'd have some background music."
Michelle nodded. "Thanks."
Bart Hochrader and his wife Liz arrived next. "My brother has the tree," he told her.
Michelle looked toward the door. Matt Hochrader, Bart's younger brother was wrestling with a giant fir, his wife Janet beside him with the stand. Before long all volunteers for decorating duty were present and accounted for.
Sherry Wilson had the mistletoe. "You know who I'd like to get under this," she quipped.
Everyone knew. And it wasn't Charlie. She hung several sprigs from the ceiling.
Work continued on into the late hours. Paula McConnike left for a time and returned with sandwiches, coffee and cold drinks. Bev and Jeff spent some time going from under one mistletoe to another. And in the course of the night Mike and Bart had teasingly cornered their respective siblings under a sprig with a brotherly kiss.
Michelle surveyed the room with her eyes. Things were looking great. The children at Rampart hospital were going to have a wonderful time. Paula nudged Michelle. "You know I still haven't told my husband that HE'S going to be Santa Claus for this thing."
"Well, it's less than twelve hours away. Don't you think you ought to?"
"Oh, I know. And I know what he's going to say too. 'Why don't you have Michelle get one of her actor friends?'"
"Maybe you can just hand him the red suit and say 'Guess what, honey?'"
Paula laughed and went to help with the boxes of tree ornaments. The tree was the only thing left to do. They had been there practically all night.
Mike approached Michelle who had knelt on the floor to begin untangling a string a lights. "I think we've lost Chet." He pointed to a table at the side of the room that a little earlier had held their refreshments. It now bore a sleeping Chet.
Michelle shrugged. "So, build a manger around him. She continued to fuss with the lights. No matter how neatly they were packed they were always a mass of knots by the time they were taken out the next year.
Michelle turned abruptly, though, as Mike tapped her on the shoulder with the back of his hand. It's after three in the morning she thought. I'm seeing things. Peter Breck stood in the entry to the great hall. His expression told Michelle she'd better go to him...NOW.
She abandoned the stubborn lights and silently neared him.
"The dispatcher said I could find you here. Is there some place we can talk?" he asked before she was able to say anything.
She nodded and led him to the small lounge next door. Unknown to her Mike followed sensing that this was not good.
There was a tense moment of silence before Peter said. "He's gone, Michelle."
Michelle sat back and was lucky there was a chair behind her. She knew he hadn't looked well the last time she'd seen him. "When?" she asked numbly.
"About an hour or so ago." His voice was soft. "I knew he would have wanted you to know before it hit the wire."
"Thank-you." There was a pause. "You know I always tried to play it so cool but I'm a really big fan of his. Janet,...and Paula, and Sherry...we had a private club let's say. Our husbands used to get together and joke about it."
Peter leaned against the table in front of her. "I'd say he was a pretty big fan of yours as well."
Michelle blushed even through her melancholy. "You're kidding me."
He shook his head. "No. No. He really admired all the work you've done with the auxiliary. Ever since the picnic."
Michelle found her mouth going on automatic. "A couple of months ago Mike and I brought Sherry to the hospital. Her husband had been injured. He was in the emergency room with his son. He wanted me to call and let him know how our friend was." She shuddered. "I guess I was slow in doing it. Actually Mike and I were trying to catch up on the sleep we'd lost. But he called my house. We ended up talking for two hours." She looked down. Then back up to Peter who'd been listening intently his eyes wet with tears. "Oh, how terrible of me. You were certainly closer to him than me. And listen to me going on and on." She stood. "Do you need anything?"
Peter studied her. "There is something I could use." he opened his arms.
Michelle stepped back. She'd never even hugged Richard. But she stepped forward and let him hug her anyway, briefly.
"I'll take you to the funeral," he said releasing her.
"You don't have..."
He silenced her by placing his finger on her lips. "I will take you." He bid her farewell and departed.
Michelle turned to find Mike standing there. His expression told her he'd been there the whole time. "Are you okay?", he asked her.
"I will be."
"I'm really sorry, Michelle. I know I used to kid you about him but..." He couldn't find the words.
"Don't worry about it."
Mike put an arm around her. She was still too numb to even cry. "I was just thinking. How are you going to tell Sherry?"
"I'm not sure. But I'd better. She's liable to crack if she hears it on the news going home."
They returned to the auditorium where she was rushed by an excited Paula, Janet and Sherry.
"Wasn't that Peter Breck?" Janet gushed.
"Will he do Santa?" Paula wanted to know.
Michelle never remembered what words she used to tell them the news but the deed was done. Now four women stood sadly among the festive decor.
"Do you think people will forget him?" Janet inquired.
"I wouldn't imagine so," Michelle reassured her.
Paula sighed. "Years from now no one will even know who he was."
Sherry, surprisingly calm said, "It's too bad that with computers being used more and more that there isn't some way to set up an information exchange*. We could have information about him and other people could log on and read it."
The four cluster hugged as ironically the tape deck played, "I'll Have a Blue Christmas without You."
THE END