Chapter 1-Rita

 

December 23rd. Two days till Christmas and off work. It should’ve been an easy day. But I knew better or at least I should have.

Even as the thought went through my head I knew things could be worse. Having a tire blowout on the interstate in the middle of a snowstorm could have been deadly. Thankfully all I did was skid off the road. I snatched my hat off and pulled out my cell to call for a tow.

“Geez…yes hello, my name? Rita Lopez. My AAA number? Hang on…” fumbling I finally pulled my AAA card out of the glove box. My nice neat stack of presents were all over the back seat now. I had to hope nothing was broken. This was my first trip back home in over ten years and there were some special gifts in there.

“An hour?” Could be worse Rita. “Fine, thank you.” With an hour to kill I knew I needed to call my sister and gave her an update. Better her than mom, who I knew, would just be crazy with worry.

“Hey sis. Yes…No I’m going to be late. I got a flat. Just waiting for the tow truck now.” I nodded absently as she read me the riot act about driving in this weather. She had insisted I wait till Christmas for the weather to clear but I couldn’t. It was time for me to come home and that meant driving through a snowstorm that had picked up in intensity blowing up everyone’s forecast models. 

 

An hour and a half later I was still waiting. And the number of cars that had almost clipped the back of my truck was scaring the hell out of me. I should have put flares out as soon as I called AAA but I’d waited thinking I wouldn’t need them. 

“Hindsight Rita, hindsight.” Mumbling, I reached under my seat and pulled out the emergency flares. Jamming my hat back on, I turned my collar up and pulled on my gloves. 

I couldn’t see a darn thing. I was in the middle of a squall in whiteout conditions. When I stepped out I lit the flare and felt my way along the truck to the back. I stuck one flare in snow behind the truck and lit another for the side. 

I could just see the lights from a vehicle bearing down on me. Waving the flare I tried to climb into the truck bed. I didn’t make it.

 

When I opened my eyes I didn’t move at first. Everything hurt and I was lying awkwardly in the backseat of a car, freezing.

“Oww.” I groaned.

“Oh my god, you’re awake! Thank God!” The woman driving was beautiful if not a bit frazzled looking. Her dark hair was wild and long and wet. Wet? I was soaked. I looked out the window and it was snowing even harder. I struggled to sit up and the flare of pain along my hip and ribs told me what had happened.

“What the hell,” I ground out through chattering teeth. “Did you hit me with your car?”

“I did, look I’m so sorry, I was trying to get home, the car swerved and…”

She droned on and on trying to explain while I did my damnedest not to curse out loud. There was something so familiar about her.

“Mercy?” It was little more than a whisper but she heard me and slammed on the brakes. Not the right move in a snowstorm.

“Oh my God…oh my God…” She struggled to get control of the car while I banged around in the back. A couple of swerves later, the car was under control and she pulled over.

I licked my bottom lip and could taste the hint of blood where I bit it. 

“Geez…” I ground out.

“Rita?” The woman I knew as Mercy Tripton turned to look at me, a myriad of expressions washing over her beautiful face. “It’s really you isn’t it? Your sister said you were coming for the holidays but I didn’t believe her, I mean you haven’t been back in ages and I mean the last time we talked you said you couldn’t wait to get out of here so I assumed you’d never be back, I mean you left your friends, your family, all of us, you didn’t seem to care who you hurt along the way either did you, I can’t believe you’re actually here and OH MY GOD…I hit you with my car! Your mother is going to be so mad at me, I-”

“Stop…STOP! Goodness Mercy take a breath.” I couldn’t stop the chuckle that escaped me. It made my ribs hurt. But who wouldn’t laugh at this kind of greeting. The prodigal daughter returns and promptly gets hit by a car driven by the girl she left behind. It was absurd and par for the course, it seemed.

Mercy for her part worked to get herself under control but I could tell she was feeling a bit self conscious now. She ran her fingers through her hair trying to get the damp unruly mess under control. I smiled. She didn’t even know how endearing that was.

I took a deep breath and cursed at the pain in my side. “Dammit.”

“Goodness I have to get you to a doctor, your mother…oh…”

“You still see my mom?” I tried to get her mind off it knowing the more she stressed the more stressed I would be. Plus, I was really surprised she stayed in touch with my family. Granted, Scranton wasn’t huge but there were enough small townships to let me know she made an effort to do so. Why?

“Well, yes. Why wouldn’t I? Just because you couldn’t handle a serious relationship and ran away doesn’t mean I had to cut all ties.” Anger weaved through her tone making me squirm. I completely understood.

“I didn’t run away.”

“Didn’t you?” 

The sadness in her voice unlocked feelings I’d never given up. I hadn’t run away, but I also hadn’t come back in over ten years. I was successful, accomplished and alone. It hadn’t felt right back then. I had goals, dreams and they meant leaving Scranton and she wouldn’t, so I chose. 

“Mercy…I’m sorry I haven’t been back, but work kept me pretty busy, you know?”

It was a feeble excuse and I knew it.

“Well, your family will be happy to see you again. It’s all your mother has been talking about. She thought you weren’t coming till Christmas Eve?”

“It was supposed to be a surprise for mom, you know, get there early, spend some quality time.” I didn’t know what else to say but she saved me from the silence. 

“You look different, not how I expected.” Mercy tried but she didn’t stop the once over she gave me. “Your hair is even shorter than you used to wear it.”

My hands went up to the side of my head. It was short and streaked with white now after everything. I sighed.

“Hey, it’s not bad, I like it.” When Mercy took my hand in hers I felt a warmth inside me I hadn’t felt in years. Years of traveling the globe as a contractor and trouble shooter. I was tired.

She must have sensed something because she suddenly pulled her hand back and turned around.

“Let me get you to the hospital to get checked out, we can call your mom and sister then.”

“I don’t need a hospital and what about my car?” 

“Oh!” 

I could tell she had totally forgotten about my car. I dug around my coat pocket and found my phone, three missed calls. Two from my sister and one from the tow truck driver. I called the driver back. “Hello, yes…you’re there? Okay yes, can you just tow it? Yes, the address is local.” I gave him my sister’s address and hung up.

“Hospital Jeeves.” I said it jokingly, but I knew I had at least one broken rib. Mercy never said a word. She pulled out carefully and started driving.

Chapter 2-Mercy

 

Rita must really be hurting. I can’t believe after all these years, wondering about her and what she was doing, who she was with, I went and hit her with my car. I could feel the car wanting to swerve again but I kept it on the road this time. I felt awful about hitting her but this weather was making driving practically impossible. 

“Rita?”

“Yeah hon?”

Hon? Did she just call me hon? She hadn’t done that in over ten years. Okay then. I couldn’t stop the smile that came across my face. She was still the same old Rita. 

“Uh…we should be there in a few minutes.”

 

***

“Where is she?” Rita’s mother completely ignored the nurse who tried to talk to her and came straight over to me.

“She’s okay Anna, they’re finishing up with her.”

“What happened?” Rita’s sister Mona came in behind her brushing snow off her coat.

I hesitated, looking up at Mona and back to her mother before answering.

“I kind of…well I hit her with my car.”

“Mercy!” Her mother dropped into a chair and covered her mouth. 

“It wasn’t on purpose. It was an accident. I was coming back from the store and she came out of nowhere on the road.” I knew I was rambling.

“It’s true mom, it was my fault.” Rita’s pain filled voice cut through the waiting room. 

Relief washed over me at the sound of her voice. And I started crying realizing just how bad it could have been.

“Hey now.” Rita took my hands in hers and gave them a squeeze. “It was an accident and all is well, right? My car is on it’s way to Mona’s, I got my pain meds and Christmas is in two days.”

Pain made her voice deeper giving me an unconscious thrill. I saw the caring in her eyes, and I wanted to see more. I wasn’t over her, I never was. Burying myself in my work and my restaurant hadn’t cured the loneliness and now here she was, ten years later, trying to make me feel better about hitting her with my car.

“You haven’t changed a bit.” I said huskily. My hand ran along the side of her face and she pulled back. A bit too quickly.

“Ow, dammit.” Rita grabbed at her side and sat down.

Her mother looked as confused about our encounter as I felt. 

“Uhh…I’m going to head out now. Mona, I’ll be by tomorrow to drop off presents.”

“Aren’t you coming over for Christmas?” 

I knew Mona was confused now and I had to admit I didn’t know what the hell I was feeling. I looked over at Rita, being ministered to by her mother and realized I had to get out. I had to leave.

“I have to go.” 

I didn’t hear what else Mona might have said. Walking out into the snow I pulled my coat tight around me, remembering what it felt like to have Rita hold me. I spent Christmas with her family every year since she left, hoping that one day she would be back. For the past ten years, it was all I wanted for Christmas. And now here she was. 

I turned my head up to the now starry sky. “What the hell do I do now?”

Chapter 3-Rita

 

“Mom I’m fine.” I grimaced as my mother tried to fix the pillows behind me on the couch for the umpteenth time. “Mom…”

“Hija, I just want you to be comfortable.”

“I am Mom. Besides, it’s Christmas eve, don’t you have cooking or something to get to.” I smiled knowing full well she had already prepared a lot of what was going into Christmas dinner.

“Titi, titi! Look!” My seven year old nephew came running downstairs brandishing a toy lightsaber. He proceeded to show me some of his best moves before turning around to face his older sister who attacked from the kitchen.

“Ha!” She whacked him across the bottom and started cackling. “Young Skywalker, I am your destiny.”

“Nooooooooo!”

I laughed. I shouldn’t have and no amount of pain medication could stop my ribs from aching. “Ow…hahaha…ow…”

“Basta! Stop it, both of you, your Titi is in pain.”

“Leave them ma, they’re just having fun.”

She threw up her hands. Small as she was, it was always funny to watch.  God I’ve missed this.

“Well, did you ever call her?” Seven year old Javi plopped down at my feet and started yammering.

“Call who?”

“Titi Mercy,” Eight year old Gladys was all business. “We heard you asking Mami about her.”

“Yes, well…no, I haven’t called her.”

“Why?

“Yeah, why?”

I looked at my mother for help and got none. “I’m with them, porque no la llamas?”

“Ma… if she wanted to talk to me she would call.”

“You left her, remember?”

“Ma…” I sputtered, I couldn’t believe she said that. “Well she hit me with her car, okay?’

“It was an accident.” My sister strode in with the littlest niece on her hip. “You’re an idiot you know, she still cares for you.”

I couldn’t say a thing, and she knew it. 

“Dinner is in an hour and then we open one gift. Agreed?”

“Yes abuela.” The kids took the rules in stride and ran upstairs to change. 

“Hey Mona, do you think she’ll come?” I didn’t want to sound wishful but I know I did because she smirked.

“Maybe, maybe not.”

She left me alone after that and I pressed play on the movie I was watching. It’s a Wonderful Life was my favorite Christmas movie. I never knew why until I watched George Bailey looking for the now unwed Mary. How scared she was of him because she never knew him. Love wins in that story but not in real life. I knew that, and I regretted it. I wiped away a tear as the movie ended. Second chances weren’t real. Just fantasy.

When the doorbell rang I waited for someone to answer. But no one came. It took me a couple of minutes to get off the couch so I wasn’t too happy when I got to the door.

“Okay, okay…hang on.” I yanked the door open and stopped cold. Mercy stood on the porch carrying a single present with a red bag full of gifts behind her.

“Hey, how are you feeling?” She looked beautiful. Her green coat brought out the color in her eyes and her smile.

“Better, sorry, come in, come in.” I got out of the way and watched as she stomped the snow off her boots. “I didn’t think you were coming.”

“Me either.” She put the gift down and gave me a gentle hug. When I hugged her back I realized this is what I had been missing every day, every holiday, every Christmas. When she pushed me away I figured I had done something wrong.

“Sorry, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” She reached down and handed me the small gift. “This one is for you.”

“You got me a gift?” I looked down at it and back at her before tearing the wrapping. It was a small box and inside was the locket I had given her not long before I left. I was so sure she had gotten rid of it.

“Open it.” She said softly.

Inside were the pictures of us when we first started going out. We’d had so many plans and dreams back then. 

“I don’t know what to say. You kept it?” She nodded and took the red bag full of gifts into the living room, leaving me standing there. 

I could hear the rest of the family greeting her and it hit me how much this all meant. Mercy had always been a part of the family and she’d maintained that. Ten years ago I made a choice. I said no to love and yes to ambition. The result? I was prematurely grey and jaded about everything I thought. 

Holding the locket to my chest I thought about George Bailey. He hadn’t been satisfied thinking he was missing out. I really had missed out. Ten years.

I put the locket around my neck and wrapped my hand around it. This was a chance, an invitation, an answered prayer. 

“Hey are you going to join us?”Mercy stood in the doorway and tilted her head with a smile. 

I walked right up to her and pulled her close. The kiss was meant to be innocent but it went on a bit too long for that. The spark that flared was a promise of so much more. I knew I was home again and it felt wonderful.

“Silly woman, I didn’t need a gift. You are my gift.”