Christmas Away from Home

After the cold-meat Christmas lunch feast, Christie basked on the beach in scorching heat. She didn’t mind, her tan had been building to a bronze glow. Her family was adjacent and she thought about the waves and breathed in deeply. Worries flitted by in a flash. Only now did the unwinding begin.

“Mom, remember last Christmas when we were at the coast by the sea?” Christie enquired. She glowed at the thought of it, huddled up on the sofa with a slack jumper and hot chocolate at her fingertips.

“We have to make it as epic out here in the cold, Chris,” Lee encouraged. He gave her that smirk that he gives when he’s about to build something up.

“Good thing I could afford a new winter jacket,” Christie chimed. “A ski jacket was the right pick. It’s weird that I’m active in the cold and mellow in the sun. Maybe the sun disables people!”

“Perhaps it gets most people down after one too many beers, but I don’t think you have that problem Chris. I hear that there’s an event around the corner Christie. Excited?”

“Oh me oh my,” she enacted, fluttering her eyelashes and fading into the fifties.

“Ready?”

Christie wasn’t ready, but she rolled over and got her game face on for a Christmas mission in the cold.

A geometric masterpiece weaved together under the cover of a nimbostratus later and squeezed out of the grips of its captor. It sporadically floated under the influence of gravity, perturbed by its aerodynamic properties. It finally shattered on the tongue of someone trudging up a hillside in two-inch snow.

A giggle erupted, as did a shout for Lee: “It’s snowing, on Christmas morning too Lee!”

No response came from the other side of the hill crest. Christie pushed forward to break the rise to see where he went, when the atmosphere became tense. She ducked and a snowball exploded against a boy just on her right on the top of the hill.

“Christie, come here!” shouted Lee from the direction of the projectile.

Snowballs sourced from two distinct bases launched towards the opposite base as the blonde girl in a white snow jacket dived behind a snow mound, landing softly next to a dark-haired young man.
Each of them dug deeply, curled, packed, rounded and ready, aim, fire!

“Cover me while I crawl forward will you?”

Christie responded with a flurry of attack snow, burying the opposite base in another layer. There was no response, until Lee shouted out from the opposite base.

“They ran away, Christie. I see them at the bottom of the hill!”

“Let me get the back of his head with this one, Christie murmured with a smirk.”

Lee noticed a snowball pass on his left, close to his head and turned to receive one in the face. He spluttered and wiped it, realising that she was running away towards a quaint collection of buildings.

A threat echoed across the park and landed on deaf ears. A chase ensued.

“You’re actually running too fast for me right now, that was a lot of work.”

Okay, jump over the fence. Run over the uneven stones without tripping. Stop and appreciate victory.

“Hey Christie, you’re tiring me out and we aren’t even at the party yet.”

“A party?” Christie responded, as an out-of-breath Lee approached slowly.

The blue-eyed girl responded with a suspicious glare in case he wanted payback. The boy rested his hand on her shoulder and grinned. He pointed with his free hand to a crooked hanging sign ‘South Side Good Vibes’. The sign was transfixing, as the style was somewhat different from the usual sort of thing around here. When looking at this sign, a feeling of belonging fills a person who can relate. Following the belonging is a pang of loss for the time spent away from that place of origin.

The brass door entry bell rang, but no one heard it over the buzz in the bar. Green and gold colours adorned the layered room and Christie smelled familiar cinnamon and milk. The first layer of the room sprung to life as a touring bar hand offered Christie a draught of something ‘local’. The second layer met Lee as a coloured flag flapped against his face. The third fell from the ceiling in the form of bunting.

“I thought you’d enjoy a little slice of home, Christie. I read about this on social media.”

Tears welled-up in her eyes and she gave Lee a big hug.

“Miss, your Zamalek is here. First round on the house.”

Lee and Christie each grabbed a glass and chinked a ‘cheers’ before dropping a finger or two.

“Tickets please!” shouted an usher over the noise whilst passing the two.

Lee pulled out purple carnival tickets and received two green arm bands in return. They looked around and saw no one they knew, but it was starting to feel a lot like home.

After dessert was served, a lady dropped hers off a paper plate onto the floor before her husband swiftly picked it up. He muttered, “Ten second rule.” Christie burst out laughing in response, whilst recounting the countless times she played the same game.