Mitzvah Day. In cities and towns all over the United States, non-Christian people donate their time on Christmas Day. Rachel Berry and Noah Puckerman are no exception.
Once again, thanks to Ryan Murphy and the "Glee" creative team who originated the characters. The story line (aside from "Mitzvah Day", which is real) and any additional characters are mine. Happy Belated Holidays!
As far back as Rachel Berry could remember, her family participated in "Mitzvah Day", which occurred on December 25th every year. The small Jewish community in Lima, Ohio volunteered to either work extra shifts or stand in for their Christian neighbors, enabling them to spend Christmas with their friends and families.
At Our Daily Bread Soup Kitchen, people cooked, served food, and cleaned up to ensure that all who entered had a hot meal. Volunteers packed boxes and stocked the shelves at the West Ohio Food Bank. In hospitals and clinics, as well as the local police precinct and fire department, people worked extra shifts and manned the phones to ensure that essential operations could continue. Over the years, Muslim and other non-Christian neighbors joined in to donate their time and energy to this worthy endeavor, although it continued to be known as "Mitzvah Day".
Rachel's father, Dr. Hiram Berry, always worked on Christmas, usually in emergency services at St. Rita's Hospital, while her other father, LeRoy Berry, made deliveries for Meals On Wheels. Beginning when she was a freshman in high school, she accompanied her father to the hospital. Lacking the technical skills or background to do medical evaluations, she brought water and coffee to people who were waiting, read stories to frightened children, obtained assistance for patients when they were unable to do so for themselves, and generally did whatever she could to compensate for the short staffing on the holiday.
Almost every year thereafter, with few exceptions, no matter where she lived, she always set this day aside to give back.
Christmas Day 2019 in New York City was crisp and clear. There was a dusting of snow on the ground, just enough to put everybody in a holiday mood but not so much that traffic was impeded. Throughout the year, Rachel volunteered at New York-Presbyterian in their pediatric unit. She sang songs, read stories, and helped entertain the children during their hospital stay. Although she was frequently accompanied by her friends Blaine Anderson and Kurt Hummel, today she came alone.
Rachel's assignment was to share front desk duties at the emergency room. She checked people in, printed up identification bracelets and sent the patients to be triaged for care. She began her shift at noon and was relieved by 6:30. She glanced at her watch; noting the time, she decided to make an extra stop to visit the children before heading toward home.
The pediatric ward was lovingly decorated by the staff, the patients, and their families. LED lights surrounded some of the windows, handmade paper chains were strung along the walls, and a large Christmas tree sat in the main hallway. As Rachel drew nearer to the room where she ordinarily shared her time, the strumming of an acoustic guitar and the lilt of children's voices echoed in the otherwise still corridors.
Approaching the room, she heard a child say "Officer Puck, Officer Puck, play us another one…" followed by a deep chuckle and a response in a pleasant male voice, "OK, guys; what would ya' like to hear?"
Rachel smiled to herself at the din that followed as the children called out their requests, a mix of Christmas carols, current pop tunes, and Disney songs.
"Did I hear somebody ask for 'A Whole New World'?" the male voice (which belonged to one Noah Puckerman) jovially inquired, followed by "Yay!", "OK!", and other approvals.
As soon as he began to play the guitar, the children were immediately silent, transfixed by one of their favorite songs come to life. Rachel stood quietly by the door; the musician was focused on his audience, and the children were lost in the moment, so her presence went momentarily unnoticed. As she watched the scene unfold, his lovely baritone filled the air:
"I can show you the world,
Shining, shimmering, splendid.
Tell me, princess, now when did
You last let your heart decide?"
"I can open your eyes;
Take you wonder by wonder.
Over, sideways, and under
On a magic carpet ride."
"A whole new world.
A new fantastic point of view.
No one to tell us 'no', or where to go,
Or say we're only dreaming…"
Before the young man had a chance to continue, Rachel walked into the room singing:
"A whole new world.
A dazzling place I never knew.
But when I'm way up here, it's crystal clear…"
"Miss Rachel! Miss Rachel!" the children greeted her, effectively stopping the song. Noah turned to face Rachel, eyes twinkling with mischief combined with extreme interest as he took her in. He flashed a devil-may-care smirk and cocked his left eyebrow, to which Rachel responded by turning a becoming shade of pink.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, Officer…"
Noah caught her eye, correcting her, "That's Detective…"
Rachel grinned, responding, "I see…well, then, Detective, I'm sorry to have interrupted. You're very talented," she complimented flirtatiously.
"Thanks; so I've been told," he teased. Noah looked up at the clock in the hall, then turned to face the children, announcing, "It's getting late. How about Miss Rachel and I finish this song, then it's off to bed for you guys."
Once the children had retired for the evening, the young policeman put his guitar back in its case, looked up at Rachel, and suggested, "Well, 'Miss Rachel', I understand they have snacks set up in the cafeteria for the volunteers. How'd ya' like to grab a cup of coffee before ya' head out?"
"I'd love it; thank you," she answered, beaming a smile at the young man. He offered her the crook of his arm, she slid her arm through his, and the two left the pediatric ward and made their way to the hospital cafeteria.
"So…Detective? That's very nice; congratulations," Rachel offered. "When did your promotion come through?"
Noah proudly answered, "The list was released yesterday, but I was on duty and out of the precinct by the time it was published, so I found out today when I checked in. It was a great Christmas present, even if I don't celebrate the holiday, myself."
"Well, that's really wonderful," she affirmed. They walked, momentarily silent until Rachel turned her head toward her companion and asked, "Didn't I see you earlier helping people at the door?"
"Yeah, that was me," he admitted. "I also checked for contraband for a while, too." He chuckled, relaying, "The metal detector sure picked up some interesting stuff…no weapons, though."
"You winked at me," Rachel suddenly blurted out.
"Did not," he countered with a smirk.
"You so did," she retorted. "You were pushing somebody's wheelchair past the check-in desk, and you winked at me."
"Excuse me, but I think you winked at me," he teased.
"I don't wink," Rachel defensively stated (although there was a twinkle in her eye and her mouth was turned up a bit in the corner, belying her supposedly stern demeanor).
"Let's just say that there was some flirting going on and leave it at that," he diplomatically settled the discussion.
"If that makes you happy…" Rachel primly commented.
"Oh, it does," he confirmed with a sly grin.
The remainder of the trip to the cafeteria was taken in companionable silence, each of them ruminating over their respective days. Once they reached their destination, there was a table with coffee, tea, and hot cocoa, another with water and soft drinks, and several tables laden with cookies and other holiday treats. Rachel poured herself a cup of tea while Noah chose coffee, and they meandered over to the snacks.
Among the assorted pastries were brownies, causing Rachel's eyes to light up, to the amusement of her companion. She helped herself to the largest one; he chuckled, commenting, "Sure you can eat all that?"
Rachel cocked her left eyebrow, looking warily at him as she challenged, "Why; do you have a problem with it?"
"No, not at all," he hastily backpedaled, "It just seems like a lot for you. Maybe we can share it…" he proposed.
Rachel shrugged, remarking, "Maybe…we'll see…I really have a taste for chocolate, lately."
Noah smirked, admiring Rachel's slender yet curvaceous figure in her red sweater dress as he followed her to a table and sat down across from her.
Rachel took a sip of her tea; Noah, seizing the opportunity, reached over and broke off a piece of her brownie, popping it in his mouth before she had a chance to stop him. She put down her cup, eyes flashing, and exclaimed, "Who said you could help yourself, mister?"
"Detective," he corrected her with a cheeky grin.
"Whatever," she conceded. "Who gave you permission to eat my brownie? Certainly not me," she complained.
"Well, it just seems awfully big to me," he defensively explained. "Are you sure it's a good idea for you to eat all that?"
"Excuse me, Detective, are you commenting on my weight?" she incredulously remarked.
Noah chuckled, replying, "You look just about perfect to me in that dress, so…no, not at all."
Rachel blushed, looking down and bushing imaginary crumbs off her lap, replying "Well, thank you." She looked up, smiling now, and admitted with a small sigh, "You're right; it's probably more than I can eat. Help yourself," she gestured at the treat, teasing "just please leave some for me."
"Of course," he acquiesced, "Far be it from me to deny a beautiful lady her chocolate."
Moments later, they were joined by a couple of the other volunteers, discussing how their day had been spent and upcoming New Year's plans. The next half-hour was filled with animated discussion until Rachel stifled a yawn and surreptitiously glanced at her wristwatch. The action was not lost on Noah, who volunteered, "You must be exhausted; let me see you home safely."
"Thank you, I appreciate it, but don't you need to return to your precinct?" Rachel queried, "I'll be fine; I can take the subway home."
"Nah, I was relieved before I came here," he explained. "Besides, I have a patrol car for the night; they let me use it to get here, and I don't have to return it until my shift tomorrow."
"Well," she responded, "in that case, I'm grateful for the ride." She looked coyly at him, inquiring "Can I turn on the siren?"
Doing his best to keep a straight face, he sternly replied, "No; sorry, but no. That's for official NYPD business only, ma'am."
Noah helped Rachel on with her coat, and as she wrapped her scarf and put on her gloves and hat, he zipped up his own warm coat. He took Rachel's arm and led her out to the police cruiser, where he opened the door for her, closing it after she was seated and in process of buckling herself in.
15 minutes later, Noah parked the car in the underground garage. He helped Rachel out, teasing, "Now let's get you safely inside, 'Miss Rachel'. We don't know what kind of lowlife are lurking around at this time of night…"
Rachel giggled, barely able to utter, "Why thank you, Detective."
They took the elevator up from the garage into the lobby, laughing together as they walked toward the elevators and Rachel pressed the button to go "up". The elevator opened, and they entered, Rachel choosing the button for her floor. When the doors opened again, he took her arm and walked her to the door. Before she had a chance to put the key in the lock, he slyly inquired, "Well, don't I get a good-night kiss?"
She looked at him impishly, playfully remarking, "It's certainly been a while since I've had one of those. Sure…why not?"
Noah took Rachel in his arms and they kissed, cautiously first, but rapidly escalating in passion. He pinned her against the door, and, eyes darkened with lust, whispered, "Aren't ya' gonna ask me in, Baby?"
The tip of Rachel's tongue darted out, barely gliding over her slightly swollen lips. She looked up at him through hooded eyes, simply nodded her head and opened the door. They entered the apartment quietly, almost stealthily, hand in hand. Rachel closed and locked the door behind her, but before she could even remove her gloves, there was the sound of rustling in the living room, accompanied shortly thereafter by a lamp turning on.
"Oh, hi, Mr. P, Ms. P! Guess I must have dozed off…" the teenage girl apologized as she came to standing from the sofa. "How was 'Mitzvah Day'?"
"Good…relatively quiet for an ER," Rachel commented. "Thanks for asking, Denise. How's our Alyssa?"
"I got her down for a nap around 2, and she wanted me to let you know that she ate all her carrots and most of her broccoli. She's been asleep about an hour, now."
Rachel and Noah smiled at each other, Noah remarking "I'm not much of a broccoli fan, myself," Rachel interjecting, "It's good for you, Noah! You shouldn't discourage her from eating it."
"Denise said she ate most of it, Rach. Maybe this one will take after you and eat all their broccoli," Noah remarked, gently drawing Rachel toward him, his arms encircling her waist and his hands resting gently on her midsection. Rachel smiled demurely, relaxing against him as she emitted a contented sigh.
The girl looked from Rachel to Noah and back again to Rachel. "So…congratulations?" she queried.
Noah smiled proudly and Rachel answered, "Yes, thank you, Denise. Please, don't say anything. We only told our parents the other day, and I wasn't planning on letting them know at the theater until after New Year's."
"I promise, Ms. P; not even to my Mom," the girl averred. "Well," she continued, "you're here, so I may as well go home." She gathered up her tablet and purse while Noah dug out his wallet, taking out the babysitter's payment.
He handed her the money, offering "I'll take you home now, Denise." He turned to Rachel, notifying her, "Back in a minute, honey."
Denise chuckled, reminding him, "I only live down the hall, Mr. P; don't worry." With that, she exited the apartment, Noah watching her as she walked to her own home, unlocked the door and let herself in, closing the door again behind her.
Noah closed their door, latching the deadbolt in place for the night before turning to his wife, who had hung up her coat in the meantime. As he removed his own outerwear, he queried, "Chocolate this time, Babe?"
Rachel giggled, nodding her head, admitting, "Yeah; lately, I have such strong cravings…"
"Guess it's better than sour cream herring, like last time," he reminded her.
"Will you never let me live that down?" she inquired. "It was only for a couple of weeks, after all."
"Probably not, and it was a long couple of weeks, if you asked me," he recalled, shaking his head slightly at the memory.
Changing the subject as she checked the answering machine for messages, Rachel asked, "Noah, why did you sing 'A Whole New World'?"
"'Cause I knew you were standing at the door, Baby," he confided, continuing, "It's not every man who can say he's married to 'Princess Jasmine'…aside from 'Aladdin', of course." He eyed her lasciviously, remarking, "And, 'princess', you look damn smokin' in that dress. In fact, you'd look even better if it was…off…"
Rachel walked up to Noah, linking her arm through his and quietly admitting, "I certainly think that can be arranged, Detective."
"Why, 'Miss Rachel', I didn't know you were that kind of girl," Noah teased.
"What can I say," Rachel confessed, "I'm a sucker for a man in uniform."
Author's Note: "A Whole New World" was originally written for the 1992 Disney animated film "Aladdin" by Alan Menken (music) and Tim Rice (lyrics). It is also part of the score for the current Broadway show of the same name.