Happy New Year! Lee Anne
Thawing of a Christmas Heart
Chapter 10
"The only reason you got caught by Ranger, Tank, is you didn't have a disguise," Lester explained seriously to his friend. Bobby was nodding in agreement. "Learn from the masters," he said with misguided confidence.
"I don't know," Tank said hedging. One encounter with Mr. Funny Bone was enough for the day.
Bobby asked, "Don't you want to know what's up with Ranger?"
"Of course."
"Here," Lester handed Tank something. "We have a plan."
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Ranger parked his Porsche at the curb in front of the Plum's detached house on Roosevelt Street behind Stephanie's blue Baja. He gulped seeing her wickedly smiling Grandma Mazur and mother standing in the open storm door like they were on watch. He saw Mr. Plum's head pop up.
"You are a brave one, Son," Frank greeted opening the door for him.
His eyebrow up questioning him. "Why, Sir?"
"You came back after last night and call me Frank."
"Thank you for having me," he said handing her mother a bottle of red wine from his private stock.
She looked at the label running her fingers over the raised design of a wooden cask with grapes overflowing from it and Italian lettering. She held it up to her husband to translate the name.
"Vigna del perfetto sole," Frank spoke. "Vineyard of the Perfect Sun."
Reilley came running out with a 'Matchbox' car in each hand. "Power Ranger, you came back!"
"I wouldn't miss seeing the trains you have to show me."
"It will be great, huh, Mommy?"
Stephanie was following her little boy from the living room. "Of course, Sweetheart. Hi, Ranger."
"Hi, Yourself." He squeezed her fingers handing her his leather jacket which she was waiting to hang up along with his black scarf she knitted. "How was your date, Edna?"
"It was a hum dinger after if got going. We swung by the 'Busted Cue Stick' to help with the take down, but your guys already got him and were outta there. We had a brewski and watched two guys fight over whose quarter was next in line for the pool table. Louie knows some good spots for being short. We ended the night at 'The Soap Box' laudromat. There's a massage parlor across the street and it was the cop's night to raid it. I recognized the local councilman, Kip Bernini, being dragged out. I bet his three hundred pound plus wife has already contacted the lawyer on the billboard by the tunnel. The one with the thick unibrow. I smell divorce."
Ranger was chuckling. It was more than he expected, but he quickly got the idea that Stephanie's grandmother liked to talk and had a pulse on the uncommon goings on around town. "Thanks for giving me an update."
The spaghetti, meatballs, and garlic bread were waiting on the table. Stephanie cut her son's spaghetti and meatball for him before she took her place next to Ranger. Edna was alone across the table because he had not been warned about her roaming hands.
Everyone raised their wine glass including Reilley with his Rudolph cup when Grandma lifted hers. "A Merry Christmas this December to a lot of folks I don't remember. This is smooth," Grandma told Ranger after taking a sip and wiggling her eyebrows at him. After that he kept his eyes averted.
"Crazy Loon," Frank muttered spooning spaghetti on his plate with the slotted one.
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"That was the best spaghetti, Grandma," her grandson hugged his grandmother with his coat on ready to leave.
"Thank you, Reilley," she hugged her sweet grandson back, "you are Grandma's best food critic." She always made his favorite foods when her daughter and grandson visited.
"Enjoy the trains and tomorrow night is 'Lodge Night' at the light display so we'll get the good cherry flavored candy canes," Frank picked up his only grandson kissing his cheek. Reilley was his pride and joy. "You're welcome to come with us, Ranger. We can all pile in the Buick." He noticed his daughter's Christmas guest give her a quizzical glance. "We've seen you the last two nights, why break the streak."
"This is Daddy's annual Christmas outing next to church on Christmas Eve." Stephanie detailed the trip for him, "On the night that the lodge volunteers run the Holiday Light Display through Cosgrove park and around the mansion there, we would all hop into the Buick so Daddy could drive us through. The Elks Lodge handed out cherry flavored candy canes each year. We've done it every year since I was a little girl."
"And I'm taking my Pumpkins again." Frank said with pride.
"I hope you don't have to hold a flashlight on a display like last year, Frank," Ellen told him.
"Well, at least we got through it before that raccoon dropped a dead fish on the transformer to fry his dinner. It was cold standing there shining a flashlight on the display for people in line when it happened."
"At least the electric company were able to get the lights on before Mother's shadow puppets got too obscene!" Ellen said hoping to forget Edna Mazur helping out by doing shadow puppets on Santa's workshop.
"I was providing entertainment making a bad situation a little better," Grandma told them buttoning her coat and getting her purse for the funeral parlor.
Frank grumbled, "You are a bad situation."
"Frank, my company owns a few large SUV's, we could use one so everyone is comfortable," Ranger suggested.
While he was mulling it over, Stephanie reminded her father, "Daddy, Reilley has to be in a car seat.
"OK, we'll go for comfort," her father agreed.
"What should Grandma make for dinner tomorrow, Sweetheart? Ellen asked her grandson.
He didn't have to think long. "Can we have that soup with the baby meatballs?" he asked with his fingers making a small circle. "It will warm our bellies."
"Wedding soup? Grandma will make roast beef sandwiches to go with it."
"I like it." He peeked in the living room waving at the Christmas tree. "Bye, Pudding."
The tree made it's normal 'Meow'.
"That cat is crazy," Frank laughed looking in with his grandson.
"I hope you don't mind us taking my car, but Reilley does have to be secured in a car seat," Stephanie reminded Ranger not knowing how much experience he had with children.
"No."
She jingled her keys. "I'll let you drive."
That made him chuckle taking the keys.
Stephanie directed the way to 'Morten's Funeral Parlor" for her Grandma's viewing.
"I'm sorry you lost someone you knew, Edna," the driver said pulling over at the curb in front of the large red building.
"Willie 'Trees' Greenley I didn't know well, just from BINGO. He was a brown noser. He always got there early to get a seat near the caller so he could see the numbers first and call out 'BINGO' before anyone else. I'm just going for the socializing and cookies. Maybe Louie got a ride or I'll find me another date. There's always fish in the sea."
"Call me when you're ready to leave, Grandma," Stephanie told her for a ride back home.
She said from the backseat, "Okie Dokie!" She closed the backdoor and they watched her saunter up the sidewalk. An old man shuffled down to give her his arm.
"She is an original, Stephanie," Ranger told her adjusting the rear view mirror again.
"Is something wrong?"
"Yeah, I think my stalker didn't learn his lesson today. I've noticed a dark SUV on my way to your parent's house and since we left weaving in and out of cars behind us," he said with mirth in his voice. It looked like a Hummer which Tank drove so he wasn't too concerned. Before he left Rangeman, he caught Lester and Bobby with their heads together whispering near the stairwell and Tank was nowhere on 5. He checked the monitors all through the building and no best friend. Cal said he went out about 10 minutes before, he was slumped down behind the wheel of his Hummer a block up on a side street from the building. Instead of going straight to his Porsche in the garage, Ranger stopped at the lobby only to catch his two other employees hurdling out the front door. He gave a 'death glare' at Julius posted at the front desk saying "I was never here," stepping back on the elevator.
"Didn't see a thing," his employee declared and didn't want to know.
Parking in a empty spot right by the entrance, Ranger ran around holding Stephanie's door and waited for her to unbuckle her son and Woody in the other seat belt.
Stephanie stopped him when Ranger reached for his wallet. There was a sign inside the door 'FREE ADMISSION'. She was on a budget and Ranger understood that. He got them inside. "I'll be right back. Start checking out the displays," he whispered kissing her cheek slipping through people and out another entry door. He stayed in the shadows around the large parking lot searching the parked vehicles for one in particular. He saw not only one head from his spot but three heading towards the entrance.
"There you are?" Stephanie said surprised to feel a hand on her back. Just by the smart ass smirk on the handsome face she knew his friend Tank must be lurking about and didn't say anything else. She did hear him say "Babe."
Ranger noticed her blue eyes questioned the term. "You're a 'Babe' of an Angel like Father Francis said." Before he joined them, Ranger watched for a moment the wonder on both of their faces gazing at the first train. It was a newer model that read 'Santa Express' with elves in the engine. The miniature Santa and the reindeer were in the passenger cars he saw. A polar bear was standing on the caboose. They were both mesmerized sharing in it.
Stephanie noticed a few times Ranger kept glancing over at a display of Christmas Trees in an alcove of the train station's enormous lobby as they walked around all the different trains. "Is something wrong again with your stalker?"
He was trying to keep a straight face and appear unaware to his now trio of stalkers. "Behind the trees, not only is Tank there, but my cousin, Lester, and his partner, Bobby. They are wearing disguises."
Stephanie bent down pointing out a train coming through a tunnel to her son. "Look at that train, Rye." She picked out three bodies and faces peeking around and through tree branches. "You mean the three guys with Groucho Marx mustaches?" Stephanie couldn't help giggling because she could see them and they were acting like no one could. They were wearing the round glasses with black eyebrows above attached to a fake nose and mustache. What was really funny, two of Rangemen were African-American and one Spanish watching with Caucasian noses and bushy black eyebrows. Like those didn't stand out!
"Yeah, the Keystone Cop wannabees. I need to teach all three of them a lesson that they'll never forget, but what?" Ranger said with visions of far away places dancing in his head and his three tied-up friends arriving in boxes.
"My Grandma is always up for a date," she suggested.
His eyebrow arched. "Think she can find two friends?"
Stephanie dug her cheap pre-paid cell phone out of her purse dialing her Grandma Mazur. "Hi, Grandma. Would you and two of your friends be up for a date? Carlos Manoso has three friends who are looking to go out. Really?" Stephanie turned to her male companion. "It's Polka night at the Falcons and the girls are in the mood for a little 'Chicken' dance."
"Perfect." he directed to Stephanie. "Cal," Ranger was now speaking into his cell phone, "have Ram take the Rangeman limousine and pick up three old ladies at the Morten's Funeral Parlor. Ask for Edna Mazur, then have Ram come to the train station to pick up their dates. Oh, make sure he takes pictures. Tell your Grandmother a black limo will be there for them in ten minutes." Ranger flashed a hand with five fingers twice.
Her blue eyes widened. "Grandma, a black limousine will pick you up in ten minutes and then your dates." She was laughing at the idea of her crazy Edna Mazur and friends having dates for the Polkafest arriving in a limousine. She was hoping the three unbalanced men with fake black mustaches would survive and lead productive lives again after an evening with her grandmother's dancing feet.
"Ain't that a pip!" Grandma said in her granddaughter's ear rounding up friends when she disconnected. "Is it OK if I bring a few extras? This weather has some of them going stir crazy."
Stephanie mouthed 'extras' to Ranger and he eagerly agreed. "Sure, Grandma."
"Hot damn! It a Polka Night in the 'Burg'! Bye, Baby Granddaughter."
"Bye, Grandma."
They leisurely strolled around until they were back near the entry and within seconds her Grandma Mazur and five other older ladies were walking into the train station liked they owned it having just ridden in the Rangeman limousine.
"That was classy," she said.
Stephanie turned to her Christmas guest but he wasn't beside her. She didn't even notice him moving, but caught sight of his three friends standing up straight in their hiding spot.
"Tank, you were right. Stephanie is a beauty," Groucho Lester whispered under his fake mustache.
"Yeah," he said low, "but it doesn't explain the short hair and all the mystery."
Groucho Bobby observed, "He's actually jolly and that's scary. Hey, where's Ranger?"
"Enjoying yourselves?" a voice growled behind the three large ex-Army bodies moving branches in a Christmas tree to have a better view.
The branches returned back into position with snaps and the three Groucho's stood up straight as a board.
"Ranger," all three spoke at the same instant.
Tank elbowed Lester moaning, "You swore no one would spot us in disguises."
"They worked on Halloween."
Ranger laughed, "It's Christmas. Move."
The three men still wearing their fake faces walked over to where Stephanie, her little boy, and a group of old women were leering at them like they were hungry.
"This is Stephanie, Reilley, her son, Edna, her Grandmother, and friends. This is Tank," Ranger said swatting his bald head. "This is Lester and Bobby." He smacked them, too.
"Hi," they said with nasally voices sounding like Rudolph with his false nose in the TV show.
"Close your eyes, you three idiots, and imagine your worst nightmare," Ranger hissed. "Multiply it by three! That's what I will do to you!"
All three large men shuddered.
"Edna and her lovely lady friends are in the mood to Polka and, Grouchos, you will be their dance partners unless you want to experience that worst nightmare in triplicate!"
Tank, Lester, and Bobby looked at each other through their fake round glasses.
"I'm in the mood to Polka," they said in unison.
"Good. Edna, they are all yours," Ranger waved at Stephanie's grandmother and handed her a couple of twenties. "Buy a few brewskies on me and your dates."
"Hot damn!" Grandma Mazur shoved the money in her handbag. "At the Lodge, we can get sloshed a few times over with that."
"Great-Grandma, you're lucky! You're going to play with Power Rangers!" the naive little boy cheered.
"Don't I know it," she clicked her false teeth together smiling.
"Have fun," Ranger told them holding open the door. Ram, a Rangeman employee, was holding open the door of the long black car at the end of the sidewalk. "Edna, please return them unharmed. They have work tomorrow."
Grandma Mazur giggled like a lecherous school girl, "They'll be fine!"
Tank, Lester, and Bobby whimpered behind their disguises trudging after the six women like they were making those final steps to stand in front of the firing squad. Stephanie thought they looked about to bawl.
"I thought these disguises would work," Lester said in total disbelief passing his boss.
Ranger glared after him then caught Stephanie's blue sparkling eyes full of amusement. "On who, Santos? Groucho Marx maybe! Ram, remember I want pictures!" Ranger yelled out the door as the employee closed the limousine door waving at his boss.
Going out first, he warmed up the Baha. Stephanie and Reilley ran to her SUV when the car pulled up to the same place where the Rangeman limousine was moments ago. She buckled her son in and jumped into the warm car. Both passengers in the front burst out laughing when they looked at each other.
"Wow, there was more Power Rangers," Reilley was happy and amazed at seeing more of those special Black Army Power Rangers.
"Where to now?" Ranger asked. He was hoping the evening wasn't ending just yet.
"I promised Reilley ice cream, but since it's cold how about a fondue pot? Mary Lou told me about a little coffee shop that opened. Kenny's school class sang their one night before Christmas. They ordered a fondue pot to share between them."
"What's a fun-do, Mommy," Reilley questioned never hearing the word.
"I guess it can be fun, too, Rye," Stephanie giggled at how he pronounced the word. "It's fon-do. Its usually either melted cheese or chocolate sauce that you dip fruit, bread, vegetables, or cake into to eat."
"That's neat, Mommy."
She looked over to their handsome companion. Ranger gave a hands up signal.
"Tell me how to get there."
They found it which wasn't too far from the train station heading towards the 'Burg'. 'Give Me A Stir' wasn't overly crowded, but the Wi-Fi section was full with college students. A waitress just finished wiping off a booth near the electric fireplace which they claimed. It was a nice touch on a cold evening. The three of them ordered a chocolate fondue pot with fruit and pound cake squares for dipping. Ranger had coffee, Stephanie opted for a caramel latte with whipped cream, and Reilley a hot chocolate.
The little boy with Stephanie's permission went over to the bookshelves to look at the books and the table of after-Christmas items on sale. Stephanie could watch her son sitting there with the man warming her hands.
"Your poor friends," Stephanie couldn't hold the giggle of those three big men doing the 'Chicken' dance towering over practically all the Polka-goers.
"That was better than them waking up in a box somewhere in the middle of a jungle and having to get here without any money and my help," he growled. Ranger tried to sound mean but his brown eyes didn't have it in them. There was humor in them.
Reilly came running over with a box in his child's hands. "Mommy, look what we could do?"
She took the box reading "pre-cut paper crafts for your own paper sculptures."
Excited by his discovery, Reilley pointed to pictures on the box. "It got a hooty owl and a squirrel."
Ranger knew what Stephanie was doing, she looked at the price on the box then over at the sale sign reading the items with the green dots were 60% off. The box had a green circle sticker on it.
"I think you and your Mommy need to make these," Ranger told them and before Stephanie could utter a syllable of protest, he was halfway to cashier with long strides and Reilley running after him saying. "Power Ranger, you can help, too."
In between dipping fruit into the fondue, the local Bad Ass was folding the brown designed paper and connecting the pieces to make a three dimensional pine cone while Stephanie and her son were building the owl.
An asleep Reilley was carried up into the Plum house by strong arms and he followed Stephanie straight up the steps to put her son and Woody to bed. He barely woke up when his mother was removing his jacket, but enough to walk to the bathroom with her.
The blue Power Ranger pajamas replaced his jeans and 'Toy Story' sweatshirt his mother bought shopping with Mary Lou earlier in the day. Slipper socks with his friend 'Woody' on them would keep his feet warm on the cold night. Ranger watched the little boy drifting back into sleep murmuring "Night, Mommy. Night Power Ranger."
Pudding came out of the tree curling up at the top of his pillow.
"Sweet dreams, Reilley," Stephanie kissed him tucking the blankets around him.
When she turned out the lamp beside the bed, Ranger saw a cat shaped nightlight glowing softly low on the wall.
"My grandson asleep?" Frank Plum questioned when his daughter and their frequent guest came into the living room.
"Yes. He's sound asleep, Daddy. Grandma's not home yet is she?"
Ellen Plum looked up from a cookbook, "No. Mother called saying she and her date were in the Polka dance-off at the Falcon's Lodge. She had a ride, but didn't know when she would be home."
"I wonder if she's with that short guy missing his knee caps. How can anyone dance without kneecaps?" Mr. Plum wondered out loud.
Stephanie and Ranger looked at each other laughing. Stephanie would let her Grandmother tell her parents about her date.
"Good Night," Ranger told the Plums.
Ellen Plum reminded him, "Dinner is at 6."
"I'll see you tomorrow."
Ranger stood in the entry fixed on the blue eyes twinkling up at him. Both their bodies were shaking with quiet humor.
"I hope your men can function tomorrow," she giggled.
"They're trained Rangers so they should be able to handle just about anything," Ranger clarified. "Well maybe."
"This is my Grandma. The same woman who has been tossed out of funeral homes for trying to peek in closed caskets and usually the police bring her home regularly for one thing or another."
'They've been trained, but not in Polka commando. I may need to sign them up for that one. Thank you for another every enjoyable." His deep voice was soft and he was brushing knuckles along her cheek.
"Thank you for the fondue, coffee, paper folding, and providing dates. I know Grandma is dancing her toes off."
Very gentle lips touched her. "You're welcome to all the above, Babe."
"Don't forget this," Stephanie said holding up the paper pinecone he put together. "Reilley told you this was yours."
"That's mine."
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Walking into his quiet apartment, Ranger went straight to his small Christmas lit with the tiny white lights. The Power Ranger was looking at him from his branch. He picked another branch adding the brown paper sculpture. Each ornament had it's own special association and each added to this Christmas memory.
He left the small tree twinkling on the hearth having turned off the light in the kitchen. It was just right decorated with the handmade tree and the Power Ranger. With the addition of his acorn, a symbol of patience, a meaning of great things coming from small beginnings, it was truly perfect. His friends might not understand his changes, both inside and out, but he did. The handmade tree was the simple, the Power Ranger, the goodness he was shown, and the acorn. It took him coming though a blinding blizzard with almost baby steps in deepening snow, cold, miserable, and alone to understand all that he was Ranger made himself and with nurturing just like the oak seed, he would continue to grow. Ranger was established, now it was Carlos Manoso's turn.