Monday, November 30
Rita and Norman walked up the steps of the Washington Park Children's Home. Norman knocked, and the door was answered by a tall, slender young man with bright red hair and a face liberally sprinkled with freckles.
"You must be the Dormans," he said. "I'm Drew. We spoke on the phone. Please, come in."
Drew closed the door. "Let me take your coats."
Rita and Norman removed their outerwear and hung them in a small closet.
"The kids are waiting in the community room," Drew said.
Rita and Norman followed Drew down the hall and into a large room lined with shelves containing a variety of toys, games, and books. Several tables with chairs stood around the room. Seven boys and five girls between eight and twelve years of age sat cross-legged in the middle of the floor.
"Everyone, this is Mr. and Mrs. Dorman," Drew said.
Rita waved at the kids. "Hello. I'm Rita, and my husband is Norman."
"Hi, Rita and Norman," the children said.
"Mr. and Mrs. Dorman will be helping us with our Christmas preparations this year. They have some wonderful ideas," Drew said. "Sammy, please bring chairs for our guests." One of the boys stood up.
"We don't need chairs," Norman said, smiling at Sammy. Sammy didn't return the smile. He lowered his eyes and sat back down on the floor.
Norman and Rita sat on the floor in front of the kids.
"Now we can see all of you," Norman said.
A boy folded his arms in front of him and looked at Rita and Norman through narrowed eyes. "So, what dumb things are we doing this year?"
"We don't do dumb things," Norman said. "We have some suggestions, but this isn't about our Christmas, it's about yours. What's your name? What do you like to do?"
"Matthew. I like to eat," Matthew said.
The rest of the kids laughed. Matthew's cheeks turned red and he started to get up. Drew walked over and put his hand on Matthew's shoulder.
"Eating Christmas dinner is one of my favorite things," Norman said. "I like to cook, too."
"I'm Sarah. I like to make cookies," Sarah said.
"I do, too," Rita said, smiling at Sarah.
"What if you kids cook the Christmas dinner?" Norman asked.
"I'm Danny. Can we do it all by ourselves?" Danny asked.
Drew spoke up. "You would require some assistance, but we will let you do as much you can."
"Let's make a list of our favorite foods," Rita said. She took a small notepad and pen from her purse. "Matthew, you start."
"Mashed potatoes," Matthew said, patting his stomach.
"Danny?" Rita asked.
"Hot rolls."
"We know Sarah likes cookies," Rita said.
One by one, the remaining boys and girls added foods to the list. All except Sammy.
"Sammy, what's your favorite?" Norman said.
"Silent Sammy won't tell you anything," Matthew said. "He doesn't talk."
Sammy stood up and ran from the room. Drew followed him.
"This is going to be a delicious dinner," Rita said, putting pad and pen back into her purse.
"That's just the food," Danny said. "What else we going to do?"
"How about we put on a Christmas pageant?" Norman said.
"My name's Carrie. Is a pageant like a play?" Carrie asked.
"Yes."
"Can I be Mary?"
Norman held up his hands. "Just a minute," he said, looking around the room. "What do the rest of you think?"
Ten heads nodded and everyone started talking at once.
"I want to be the angel. Can I be Joseph? I'll be a shepherd. Can we have real animals? Do we get costumes?"
Drew and Sammy came back in. Sammy went over and sat in a corner.
"Tell you what," Norman said. "When we come back next week, we'll bring the script for the pageant. Each of you can read one or two of the lines from the part you want."
Norman stood up and gave his hand to Rita so she could get to her feet.
"We had fun tonight. We'll see you next week," Rita said. "Bye."
"Bye," the kids said in unison, waving their hands.
"I'll see you out," Drew said.
Rita and Norman put on their coats.
"Could we talk to you privately for a minute?" Norman asked Drew.
Drew opened the door and stepped outside. Rita and Norman joined him.
"Why doesn't Sammy talk?" Norman said.
"He can, but chooses not to," Drew said. "He has a mild speech impediment. There were problems in the home he came from. Teasing. Bullying. Name-calling. He has speech therapy several times a week and is making some progress. When he and I talk alone, his speech is clear, but when he's nervous, or scared, or sad, the stuttering returns. Having a speaking part in the pageant, and doing it well, would be a tremendous confidence booster for Sammy."
Norman nodded slightly. Rita took his hand and squeezed it.
"We'll do everything we can," Rita said.
Drew shook Rita's hand, then Norman's. "Thank you, so much. See you next week."