Unicorn in the Eye, Administered by Mr. Magic-of-Christmas
Friday, December 23, 2005
(8:25am) And so it was the day before Christmas Eve, and the festivities were already beginning. Thursday evening had been spent on a Christmas lights drive, for the Snicketts family and Magnus and Molly. On the way to the house, however, Magnus threw a bit of a sixteen-almost-seventeen-year-old-fit over something Molly said that he did not like, and heaved the unicorn beanie baby into Molly’s face.
“Ow, my eye!”
OLeif looked in his rear view mirror at the two of them. “Magnus, apologize to your sister.”
“But, but, she…”
“Magnus, do I need to pull over?”
“Oh,” Molly moaned.
“Ok, I’m sorry,” Magnus whined.
“Seriously, it’s like a family vacation when we have those two,” OLeif said to Collette once the “kids” had gone back to their play box.
But the lights were beautiful, as Dad drove them all (but Carrie-Bri who was at home writing a paper), from the Hobcoggin’s neighborhood to Old Saint Charles (which was mostly quiet and full of beautiful white lights), to the Milk and Tecumseh’s neighborhood, and out to New Town. In the Hobcoggin’s neighborhood, a guy had replaced his garage door with a Plexiglas front, and behind it had arranged his model train into a little world of Christmas.
“This is amazing,” Magnus said over and over.
There was a Christmas parade, ice skaters, and toboggans, houses and shops, a Christmas ball where dancers danced, and Santa flew his sleigh in a perpetual circle above the north side of town.
“Man, how do they keep getting those sleds to come down that hill,” Magnus spoke to himself. “Must be a conveyor belt. No! No! I will not ruin the magic.”
“Uh, Magnus,” Joe protested, laughing.
“No! Those are real people in there. Real people. Don’t ruin the magic, Joe.”
And so Joe didn’t ruin the magic. Later, they passed by a house which Joe had found, with a dome atop the roof (much like a lighthouse) and lit with two red lanterns which glowed through the windows. At home there was hot chocolate and bags of popcorn. Although they were obliged to leave before watching “A Muppets Christmas Carol” as Magnus had to return home within the hour.
At home, that evening, OLeif presented her with his own Christmas presents, of which he wrapped himself, including special chocolates, a lovely box of stationary, and a quill pen and ink, crafted in Italy. All very beautiful.
And now it was Friday and the air had warmed to a very unwelcome forty degrees of spring. Collette hoped the snow would blow in before the next season claimed guest-status for Christmas. But alack, what was there to do, but wait for Christmas Eve and see what blew in. Meanwhile, there were only three hours and seven minutes remaining in her work year, and she decided to enjoy the quiet. And then they would meet at Schroeder’s house that night for some acting for 2Rivers Church Christmas Eve service, and then coffee. What days they lived… And if not for Soli Deo Gloria, than for what?
Meanwhile, Judah had come out of his office to copy music.
“Well, Collette,” he said, “I had a moment of inspiration… I was lying in my bed last night, and at 12:30, I had an inspiration on how to ask Evangeline to marry me.”
Collette smiled, “how cool is that?”
“It is,” he said, “but I’m not going to ask her while we’re in California. I’m going to wait till we get back, and ask her in Wheaton.”
“Awesome. Tell me when you get back after you ask her.”
“I will,” Judah grinned, pleased as punch over his epiphany.
Collette guessed (not aloud) that Judah was going to take her up to the old Wheaton bell tower, and ask her there. Then they would ring the bell. Collette would have to remember to ask Diana if she heard the bell ring, January 6th, if she was back by then. Meanwhile, Judah noticed the beautiful leather journal lying on her desk from OLeif.
“’Dear Journal,’” he began aloud, ‘”Judah is such a jerk. I have to work with him every day.’”
“Oh, it’s not that bad,” Collette joked.
Later she heard Judah talking to Joe the Younger on the phone: “Yeah, so Muriel’s (his landlord) son was thinking of ways for me to propose. And he said, ‘Take her to a nice restaurant, and order a shrimp cocktail or something. Start eating and then pretend to start choking, and keep it up until someone comes over and does the Heimlich on you. Then, as you cough, the ring flies out and lands on the table… The element of surprise… Yes, he’s a regular Don Juan.”