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What she didn’t say was that for the first time, her brain was kicking around ideas that might allow her to do just that.
That Saturday, the tree lot was closed as Laura gathered with Ethan and her grandfather’s friends to celebrate his passing. She was surprised by the breadth of friends he had, not just older folks like him.
“Laura, it’s been years,” Mrs. Brinkler, her eighth grade homeroom teacher, said as she dropped off a casserole.
She was the third person to do so, although Ethan told her he made it clear to everyone that this wasn’t that kind of party. Then again, it was just the thing to do. When people are suffering, in doubt, bring them a casserole. They won’t always feel up to cooking, and it’s better for them than a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
“I’m so sorry about David.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Brinkler,” Laura replied. “Did you two stay in touch after I left for school?”
Mrs. Brinkler nodded, smiling. “He made sure to come to the school every year, both to deliver a tree for the school to use, and more. You know, he’s the reason we were able to keep the tree in the schools a few years ago?”
“Really?” Laura asked. “How?”
“We had some parents who were opposed to the tree, saying it was a religious item. According to them, it was the government endorsing religion. And, the district just didn’t have the money to fight it. So they had a board meeting, and were going to remove the tree, when David came in, dragging not one, buttwotrees behind him.”
“He what?” Laura asked.
“He was huffin’ and puffin’ when he got to the podium, I know that,” Mrs. Brinkler continued. “But he got up there, and he propped those trees up next to him, and he started talking about the history of Christmas trees. All of their history, from their pagan roots all the way up to the modern day. He finished with, ’these trees are for everyone in the Rockaways. They represent love, and hope, and charity, and togetherness. Not exclusiveness. And as long as any child in this area needs love, or hope, or just someone to tell them that life can be something worth smiling about, I’m going to keep bringing Christmas trees down to the schools. You can do with them what you want at that point.”
Mrs Brinkler nodded, her eyes shinning as she fought tears.
“That’s how the complaint was dropped, and even now, we’ve got a Bennett tree in the foyer of the school.”
And that’s what the whole afternoon was. People coming up to Laura, telling her how her grandfather had meant something to them, and how his Christmas trees gave more than just a decoration to people.
“Couple of years there, I couldn’t afford much,” one man said, shaking his head. “I felt terrible, in between jobs, struggling to put food on the table for my family. And David, he came through. One Christmas Eve morning he shows up with a tree in the back of that old pickup of his, saying he ‘had my order.’ It wasn’t no five-foot runt tree either, it was a beautiful seven footer, so tall that I had to lift my daughter up to put the star on top.”
He cleared his throat, and wiped at his eye.
“Afterwards, when I tried to thank him, he said that I’d left a bag of stuff at the lot, too. It was presents for all of us. I hadn’t cried since my own daddy died, but I tell you, David Bennett had me bawling like a baby that Christmas Eve I was so grateful.And when I tried to pay him back, he wouldn’t take nothin’. Thankfully, I did it in other ways, and nudged the scale in his favor when I got a job cutting meat at the butcher counter. And whenever there was a sale on some of his favorite things, I made sure to tuck one aside for him.”
By the end of the party, Laura felt like she’d been shown a whole world that she forgot existed. The warmth, the neighborliness, the togetherness she’d seen growing up, and had forgotten about in her pursuit of a law degree and of a lawyer status.
They even helped her decorate a tree, each person bringing an ornament from their own collection for the memorial. By the time they finished, she was in tears, and as everyone left, she felt like she was shaking from the inside out.
Ethan came up, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay?”
She sniffed, wiping her nose.
“I miss him. I was a terrible granddaughter, and I miss him, and I won’t be able to tell him that any longer.”
“You’re being too hard on yourself.” Ethan turned her to face him. “He knew whom he had raised. He wasproudof you, Laura. He knew he’d raised a smart, driven… and very beautiful woman.”
Time slowed, and Laura knew what was going to happen.
As Ethan tilted her chin up she leaned into him, and in slow motion their lips met.
It was a soft kiss, warm, and tender, and in that moment Laura trusted Ethan with everything. She leaned into him, opening up slightly, and he opened as well.
It was like a spark to gasoline. The touch ignited the heat within them, and he pulled her in closer, their bodies pressed together through his thick flannel work shirt, her in the blackdress she’d packed for an occasion just like this. He ran his finger through her hair and she sighed, feeling his strength.
Too soon, Ethan pulled back, or more accurately, pushed himself away.
“I… I’m sorry,” he whispered, bending over and putting his hands on his knees. “This is Mr.Bennett’s… you know… you… me… I just…”
“I think my grandfather would have approved,” Laura replied, biting her lip. “He approved of you, after all.”
