Hey everyone! Today's #throwbackthursday and I'm sharing a #TBT blog post. This is a Christmas story that I wrote on my old blog in 2013. I will be sharing this story over the next several days ending on Christmas day. The only day it won't be shared is tomorrow. Check it out... TBT POST: Over the next several days I will be sharing a fictional story with you about a fictional little town called Pristine, GA, and a special Christmas for one special family. I pray it brings encouragement, love, and joy...even in the difficult moments. Read on... A PRISTINE CHRISTMAS Alicia had done the best she could all year long, but despite her best it looked like Christmas wasn’t coming to 926 Bleeker Street this year. Charles had lost his job at the local car factory over the summer and had a hard time finding another one. Alicia’s salary of $42,000 as a librarian youth coordinator at the public library wasn’t much and she had to supplement that income with a part-time evening position at the Five and Dime Cafe. That was scarcely enough to supplement her current salary, but it kept food on the table. She sat alone at the kitchen table two hours before her evening shift shivering in the cold. Charles had gone out to find some day tasks to help out with the bills, but if the last week were any indication he would have no luck at it. People simply weren’t hiring at the holidays in the small town of Pristine. Alicia and Charles had moved their little family back to the town of Pristine, Georgia to take care of his dying father at the beginning of the year. It had become too much for his brother to do on his own. The thought of leaving a secure job as library director at the public library in Reston, Virginia terrified her. Especially when she wasn’t even sure she would have a job when she arrived. Charles had quit his job as an airline mechanic, but his brother had assured him he would have a position at the car manufacturer. And he had…until this summer. “What am I going to do?” she asked herself aloud, battling back the tears that seemed ever present these days. Throwing the notice from the landlord onto the table, she got up from her seat and shuffled over to the oven. Rubbing her hands in front of it to keep warm she looked at the clock on the stove. The numbers 2:39 were blaring at her in angry red letters. Her children would be home from school soon and she had no snacks for them, except day old bread and some peanut butter and jelly. It would have to do for now. When the kids began to have to sacrifice after Charles lost his job, Alicia had felt bad and tried to do whatever she could to compensate for it. As if he could read her thoughts she heard the front door bang close. “Leesha!”His booming voice called from the living room. “I’m in here, honey,” she called back. Charles was still a good looking man at 42 years old. Standing an even six feet tall, his broad shoulders and thick muscular arms were her favorite part of her husband’s chocolate toned body. Those light brown eyes glistening like two marbles from that dark skin, didn’t have the same light to them today as they had so often in the past. Walking into the kitchen the fact that he didn’t remove his coat was an indicator that it was probably cooler in the house than it was outside. “How was your day today, baby?” she greeted, leaning up to kiss him on the mouth. He stood behind her at the stove and wrapped his arms around her, and bent over kissing her gently on the lips. “Oh you know same ol’ same ol. Nobody’s hiring, and the lines at the unemployment office were off the chain.” “Did you complete your extension paperwork?” she asked, in a worried tone. “Complete it? I never got to see nobody.” “Oh well, you can always go back tomorrow,” she replied. “Mm-hmm…about that. Baby the car broke down on the way home, today.” Alicia’s shoulders sagged, things couldn’t keep possibly getting worse. “Well that explains why I didn’t hear you pull up in the garage. How did you get home?” “I walked.” “From where?” she asked in disbelief. “Down by the mayor’s office,” he squeezed her tighter, looking for strength of his own. “You walked that far?” “I didn’t have no choice. I called Eli, he’ll be by later so we can try to fix it, after he get off,” Charles said, referring to his brother. “How am I supposed to make it to work this evening, Charles?” “Well that’s the good news. I got $20 so you can catch a cab,” he smiled down at her. Alicia turned around in his arms and pulled back to see his face. “Where did you get $20, Charles?” “Shhh woman…” he quieted Alicia and pulled her back into his arms. “Sometimes I need you to let me be the man and do things my way, okay?” “Yes,” she said quietly. Mustering up the courage to share more bad news with him despite what he thought had been positive news, Alicia pulled from his arms and walked to the kitchen table. “I was thinking this $20 could go to some food, but you gon’ need that for a cab to work. Your stew smell good, how long it’s gon’ be before we can eat?” he asked, turning around to face her. Eyeing the letter she was holding out, he took in a deep breath, and looked back at his wife. “What’s this?” he asked, taking the letter from her hand. “They’re foreclosing on the house; the landlord is losing a few of his properties, including this one. We’ve got to leave on Christmas Eve,” she explained. Just saying the words broke the resolve that she had built up. The tears got caught in her throat. “Damn!” Charles shouted, throwing the paper to the floor. He gathered his wife in his arms and held her close, rubbing her back up and down as he tried to console her. They were still standing in the same spot moments later, when the front door banged again for the second time in less than half an hour. “Mama! Mama!” came CJ’s voice screaming through the house. I hope you enjoyed this story. Come back this Saturday for more. If you enjoyed this post join my blog for more. You will also receive inspirational posts, book excerpts, meet other authors and much more. Simply click the "follow," "subscribe," or "email" links in the upper right corner. Sign up for my newsletter to receive information about contests, prizes, book sales, cover reveals, and exclusive content. Click Here. Living Life Beautifully Inspired!
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Inspirational women's fiction author, writing the script to my beautifully inspired life! Be Inspired, Follow Me!Archives
June 2019
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