A Holiday Message from Charlotte (Part Two)

After deciphering Charlotte's rambling message, John and I decided to donate a bunch of Christmas ornaments for her to use on the school tree. I called her back one evening to let her know we would be bringing some over.

"Hell-ooo??" Charlotte asked answering the phone in a sing songy voice.
"Hey Charlotte, it's Marc from next door. How ya doin."
"Why hello Marc from next door. I am fine." 
There was an awkward pause ....
"Uh well, I wanted to tell you that John and I are gonna bring you over some Christmas ornaments."
"Well, I don't know why ... I haven't got a Christmas tree...."
"Uh... you said you wanted some ornaments."
"I don't think I did, because I  haven't got a tree this year, just my decorations out front. I put up the lights and the garland. I have a wreath for the side door and a wreath out front and ...."
"Charlotte!" I interupted laughing. "Not for you, for the tree in the school."
"What tree in the school?"
"The one you said you needed ornaments for! You called us ... yesterday ... left a long message and got cut off?"
Another awkward pause.
Her light bulb went off. "Oh YES! Bring them over!" She hung up on me.

John and I brought over the ornaments. Charlotte was waiting in her kitchen with hot freshly made turkey pot pie in hand. True to Charlotte's form, she quickly opened the fridge before we could even get the ornaments on the kitchen table and started handing us chili, zuchini bread, potato soup, and whatever else she could get her hands on. As I have written before, we have become her surrogate sons ... willingly ... as she feeds us constantly GOOD FOOD. We drew the line on the two pies she pulled out of the freezer.

"Here, TAKE THESE!"
"NO!!!!" We both yelled with arms up waving the pies away.
"What?" she said looking dejected.
"Charlotte," I began slowly tiptoeing over my words. "We love the fact that you give us food, but we are trying not to eat sweets."
She quietly put them back in the fridge. "That's fine..."
We felt so guilty.
"OK, but just bring them to our Christmas Eve open house, OK?" John stated giving in.
"OK you got it!"

She walked us out to her back deck to say goodbye. John and I had our arms full with containers of frozen food.
"Now remember boys, I have an entire fridge in the basement filled with wine in case you need anything for the party. I just stocked up!" she smiled.
John turned around and thanked her. I turned around and said dryly, "Imagine that, Charlotte with a full fridge of wine. Who could ever imagine?"

All three of us bust out laughing so hard and she suddenly hugged me tightly. It was sweet. There we both were, me juggling a containers of turkey pot pie and chili and her hugging me.  Ahhh, the warmth of the season!  (Maybe it was just the turkey pot pie.)


Comments

  1. Jack RossDecember 23, 2012 at 7:13 PM

    You should bring her up to the Lodge. She seems like such a sweet person. On the other hand... some nights at the Lodge are not for the faint of heart! :-)

    ReplyDelete

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