What is JE's is JE's. What is mine is mine. I'm only borrowing. This is a short Christmas story. I had chapters of my other stories almost all complete and my computer caught a virus via my daughter playing downloading some games, so I lost them all. I'm wracking my brain rewriting and needed a short break. thanks so much. Lee Anne
Thawing of a Christmas Heart
"Dismissed," he said quickly addressing the group of men he returned to their starting point in Fort Stewart only to grab his Army duffel to catch a waiting plane heading straight to DC to file his report and meet with his superiors. The target was eliminated and this unrecorded mission was a success. He brought his handful of men back with only a few minor injuries.
"Merry Christmas, Major," a couple men called after him and he just waved his hand. The departing leader never fully realized the holiday was almost upon them. It was quite the opposite of the cheering men he just left wishing each a 'Happy Holidays' anxious to be with their families. He had only his company to go home to and a rag-tag band of friends who worked for it.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Well done, Major," the General with a number of stars on his uniform told him closing the file he had read. 'I'm going to get out of here before everything shuts down."
"What do you mean, General?" Carlos 'Ranger' Manoso, the owner of Rangeman Security and number one government secret operative, asked.
"It's Christmas Eve and its snowing. Airports are shutting down along the East Coast and Mid-West. Highways are being closed. Don't you listen to the weather?"
He shook his head and the dark ponytail that was a part of his normal Ranger uniform brushed his neck. "I've been out of the country for a few months and busy typing your report." His tone was dry glancing out the window seeing heavy snow coming down wondering how he was getting back to Trenton.
"If I was you, I'd just spend the holiday in DC because you're not flying more than likely."
Giving a very definite shake of his head. "No." He hated DC. If he couldn't fly, then Ranger would rent a car to get his weary ass back to his warm, quiet apartment on the seventh floor of his company building. Christmas was just another work day for him. Ranger couldn't even remember the last time he celebrated the holiday with his family, but he didn't worry himself over it. Ella, his Rangeman housekeeper, would have sent gifts to his parents for him and to the number of nieces and nephews he lost count of in the Manoso family.
General Schaeffer stood up and extended his hand. "Merry Christmas, Carlos."
"Merry Christmas, General," he replied shaking hands.
His long wool coat was on and his hat was on his head, the superior ranking officer was gone. Ranger slipped the deposit slip into his wallet never looking to see if the agreed amount for his expert services was actually paid. He knew it was and he earned every penny of it.
Stepping out of the conference room, he could hear voices down the hallway. He walked in the direction of the animated tones dressed in his camouflage fatigues and black boots. A television screen on the wall was showing stranded travelers at 'Reagan National Airport' because of cancelled flights.
"Those poor people stuck on Christmas Eve," a woman remarked. "This storm is worse than anyone expected."
Someone else stated a fact. "The hotels will be busting at the seams."
That brought Ranger back to the situation at hand; he was definitely driving if he could still get a rental vehicle. Dialing quickly, he reached the hotel he had checked out of earlier. "Connect me with the car rental office. This is Major Manoso." He would use his rank if it got him transportation faster to Trenton. "I need a vehicle. Preferably a SUV to drive to Trenton. I am aware of the weather and it is Christmas Eve. I need to get to Trenton. I'll take it."
He slipped into the backseat of the Army car dropping his bulky duffel beside him on the seat instructing the driver who brought him to the Pentagon earlier, "Take me back to my hotel."
It took some patience and steady driving but finally Ranger was walking through the lobby making a right to enter the backdoor of the rental office. It was anything but empty on Christmas Eve, just like the lobby with people trying to get home or find a warm place to sit out the snow storm.
"Can I help you, Sir?" the manager asked indicating for the soldier who strode into the room with 'do not mess with me' authority written all over his face. It was arrogance, but the manager termed it slightly kinder.
Ranger walked up to the counter, he never glanced at the other customers along the tall wooden desk. "Major Manoso. I called earlier and reserved a SUV." He pushed his Army identification, insurance, and black credit card across the top.
"Yes, Sir. You were extremely fortunate, Major. You reserved one of our last SUV's. We have a white Santa Fe waiting with a full tank."
His jaw set. Ranger would have preferred a luxury model, but would take what he could get at this point. Also, the couple with two crying children trying to arrange transportation was nerve wracking. "Fine," he said through tight lips signing the credit card receipt. He grabbed the keys, picked up his duffel, and turned around just as the young man wished him a "Merry Christmas and a safe drive."
"You too," Ranger said over his shoulder going the way he came to the small gift and snack shop off the lobby. He was a trained soldier so he would need provisions if he got stuck for any period of time in this weather. He picked up granola bars, two pouches of nutty trail mix, bananas, three shiny red apples, and a very large cup of coffee for his trip. He pulled two bottles of water out of the cooler to finish off his healthy 'snacks' for the trip ahead of him.
"Is that it?" the small woman at the cash register asked. She was about the age and height of his Cuban mother. It was the first time in weeks he actually thought of his mother or family. "We're having a special on 'PEZ' candies for Christmas. They make excellent stocking stuffers."
"What?" Ranger asked. He noticed a container on the check-out of Santas, snowmen, reindeer heads perched on plastic sticks. "Sure, give me a few." If it got him out of there faster he would buy them all. For some reason a package beside it caught his eye in crinkled cellophane with a ribbon at the top. It had small bottles of green Mojito bath gel and spray he read on the label. Mojito was a standard Cuban scent with limes. He pushed that towards his things, then handed the cashier his credit card. He'd give it to mother the next time he visited. The last time was probably over two years ago, he didn't have time with his security company, Rangeman.
The purchases went inside his duffel with a few items of clothing hiding the arsenal of hand weapons he carried on him for his security work. Being in the Pentagon, he didn't think he needed to be fully armed.
The street in front of the hotel was snow covered with the falling flakes and some slushy ruts. A snow plow went past before he pulled out of the lot heading for I-95 to drive north. Buckling his seat belt, Ranger settled behind the wheel of the white vehicle. He only drove black ones because they blended and were less memorable. By the time he made it to the interstate, his coffee cup was half empty. The slow progress was trying, but he was a patient man. He learned that from his many years in the Rangers.
The snow fell heavier as he drove north and east. The wipers at times could barely keep the windshield clear. The radio that he had on kept listing closings and telling him it was snowing. He would never have guessed.
"Fuck!" The announcer just announced portions of I-95 were being shut down.
He had to swerve the SUV to miss an abandoned car barely off the roadway. "Get off the road!" He decided to stay on 95 until he had to get off and find an alternate route.
His kidneys decided they needed relief at the rest stop the SUV was approaching so he carefully steered it off the covered highway and into the packed parking lot full of trucks, cars, and a few RV's The inside was crowded and there were just as many people in their vehicles trying to stay warm. The wind had picked up and drifts were forming in a few places. The aroma of warm bread from the 'Subway' caught his nose reminding him of his mother's bread she made when he was younger growing up. That was the second time of the day he thought of her and immediately shook it out of his head. He must be getting sentimental as he approached thirty and that could get him killed in his line of work.
The toasted turkey sub hit the spot sitting in the running SUV having eaten breakfast early. He was glad he bought it having heard someone say the restaurant was running low on some things just as the burger place in the rest stop. The vending machines were pretty wiped out Ranger noticed walking by them. He saw the worried, stranded people all around him, but he really didn't and wouldn't until he was one of them.
The progress was even slower and the Cuban man was glad he put more gas in the SUV before starting out again. The day was becoming the afternoon when he finally reached the Delaware state line. Snow was still coming down and it was difficult he saw for the plows to keep on top of it. Barely able to make out the road sign which indicated Wilmington was ten miles ahead. He wasn't even going twenty miles an hour in this weather and wouldn't reach Trenton until well into the evening. On a good day, he could make this drive in a little over two hours driving his Turbo.
He came upon something dark in the blinding snow. It was a car that was stuck; he turned the wheel to avoid it and a person beside it. "FUCK!" The Santa Fe skidded and he couldn't get it back under control as it barreled through snow along the road. It was flying around Ranger until the front bumper plowed into something stopping the SUV. On reflex, he grabbed the knife on his hip to deflate the air bag that began filling the front. Once it deflated, Ranger shook his head and was able to move his limbs when he tested them. Knowing it was useless but he did it anyway, he put the SUV in reverse. The tires just spun.
He grabbed his green Army jacket to check the damage to the vehicle. The driver's side tire was flat and the front end was smacked into a white blanketed tree trunk.
"Fucking Great!" he yelled kicking the tire hard enough that his toes hurt in his heavy black boots. He was thinking he should have stayed in Washington, DC.
"You're not moving," he told the SUV shutting it off. He zipped up his coat flinging the heavy camo bag over his shoulder; he took the keys out of the ignition, and decided to leave it unlocked in case it got towed. Trying his cell phone that was on the floor, it was dead. Somehow it got smashed a little when the SUV went out of control. "FUCK!" he muttered. "Let's go, Manoso. You've been in worse."
At that moment the wind picked up and snow was blowing around him. He was slipping in the tracks made by the tires making his way up the slight embankment. Freezing to death in the snow pile was looking quite attractive.
Ranger began hiking in the direction of Wilmington with his hands deep in his coat pockets. No cars, trucks, buses, or even a Santa sleigh passed the dark figure. He passed abandoned vehicles one after another.
"Where are you going?" two college guys asked rolling down a window in an old Fiesta that was stopped.
"How the hell did that thing get this far?" he wondered. "Wilmington." It was the only word he spoke as he kept moving with his head down. The brim of his Army cap wasn't keeping the snow out of his eyes.
The two guys in hooded sweatshirts and vests ran after Ranger. "Why?"
"I'm not freezing."
They got into step behind him. He estimated that they walked about a mile when he saw flashing lights reflecting in the white snow. It was a dark blue Tahoe with a state police emblem approaching from behind. The officer in the passenger seat yelled out the window, "Are any of you from the white Santa Fe in the snow?"
Ranger answered, "Me."
"Are you hurt?"
"No," he said with an expression that gave the officer the impression that was a dumb question. If he was, he wouldn't be out strolling in a blizzard.
The large SUV stopped and all three had to brush the white flakes covering them before getting into the warm vehicle. In the rear seat was a couple wrapped in a blanket with two young girls.
The policeman driving spoke up. "St. Agnes Church basement is the closest warming center and we'll take you there."
"Is there a hotel near there?" Ranger questioned figuring his best option now was to ride out the storm in a hotel or motel room.
The two law officials made eye contact and the first one said 'Good Luck. We have this snowstorm closing down the Midwest to the Atlantic Coast. There are areas with no electricity, stuck travelers, and the families visiting together for the holiday. People are filling up all the rooms they can locate in a blink of an eye."
"Fuck! Fuck!" He said to himself. The mother was trying to comfort her daughters saying Santa would find them.
The driver asked, "Army?"
"Major with the Rangers."
It seemed to take forever. Glancing at his watch, Ranger calculated he had been on the road almost seven hours with approximately another 50 miles to arrive in Trenton. The normal drive was less than three hours.
He heard the shifter click into park finally making it to the church warming center.
"Let's get all of you inside," the trooper in the passenger seat opened the back door.
Through the blowing snow, Ranger could see an older brick church walking across the parking lot. Gentlemen and teens were trying to stay ahead of the falling wet stuff with snow blowers, brooms, and shovels. It was the cleanest pavement he had seen since leaving DC.
When the side door was opened, they were greeted with singing. And warmth.
"I hope the church gets to hold Christmas Eve service," one officer told the band of cold people, "the choir has been practicing for days."
Ranger really didn't care about a bunch of singing people at the moment.
They followed the two officials down creaking stairs to be greeted by a tall thin priest. "Welcome to St. Agnes," he happily greeted the stragglers. The large room was filled with quite a number of people sitting at tables. Old, young children, babies, couples. They were all seeking to get out of this blasted weather! Someone was handing them blankets if they wanted one. Ranger waved it off; he wanted to get out of the wet camouflage pants at least. "I'm Father Francis."
"Are there any hotels with rooms available?" Carlos Manoso snapped at the old priest. He did not want to have to claim a spot in the church basement to spend his night.
"Son, if the church had a dollar for every time someone asked that same question tonight, this would be a rich one. The few hotels in this end of town are full and roads are closed. Only authorized people are to be out." Father Francis saw the soldier's irritation at his response flash across his face and disappear resigning himself to his circumstances. "God has brought you to our humble stable on this Christmas Eve."
He shook is head hoping to get those words out of his head. "Can I change out of these wet clothes?" He wanted to forget the holiday and every other one; they were just days on the calendar.
"The bathrooms are in the hall," the priest pointed towards a long coat rack full of coats.
Stripping off his wet pants, Ranger was glad to see his clothes were dry in his Army bag, he slipped on his jeans, dry socks, and a black turtleneck. He was chilled to the bone, but felt the heat of the church beginning to thaw him out.
Splashing hot water on his cold face and hands helped.
Father Francis was standing by a wooden folding chair indicating for the man now in street clothes to occupy. Ranger dropped his duffel on the floor before taking a seat.
"Where are you headed, Son?"
"Trenton. I'm trying to get to my company there." He actually wanted to be left alone, but didn't want to be rude to Father Francis. "Carlos Manoso," Ranger introduced himself and extended his hand.
The priest was surprised by his answer. A business, not family. "Don't you have family waiting for you on Christmas Eve? A wife, Carlos?"
Ranger was slightly perturbed by his prying questions. "No, I haven't seen my family in a couple of years and my life doesn't lend itself to relationships. My security business and government work fill my days. Holidays are like any other day for me."
"So cynical, Carlos, for one so young. I hope the goodness of Christmas thaws that heart of yours. It's a magical time. Please, make yourself comfortable and I hope you will come upstairs to enjoy our Christmas Eve service tonight."
The decision to decline the kind priest's offer was stopped when he found himself staring into the most gorgeous blue eyes he ever saw.