The snowstorm that hit the area did cancel school the next day and the day after, giving Skye the opportunity to argue her point again. Why couldn't she just go to work with May? It ended with the little girl spending two days with Mrs. Gibbons. It wasn't a total loss. It seemed the older woman felt the need to bake more Christmas cookies than Skye thought the entire condominium could consume, but she was happy to help…and serve as taste tester.
Thursday came much faster than the little girl anticipated and she ambled into the kitchen on that morning with Willie under one arm and a fist rubbing one sleepy eye.
"Did it snow again?" Skye asked in a scratchy voice, looking toward the large glass double doors.
May smiled and shook her head. "Nice try, kid." She sipped her tea, swallowed and placed the cup in the saucer. "We see Dr. Collins in…" she looked up at the clock, "two hours."
Skye's shoulders fell as her mouth drooped. "I forgot."
"I didn't." May sighed with a sympathetic frown.
The little girl pulled the panda into her arms and hugged it to her chest. May stood and moved to her side, wrapping an arm around her. "Look at it this way. By lunch time it will be all over and we'll be off to find that perfect Christmas tree."
May spent the next forty five minutes consoling the little girl, drying her tears and wrestling her into her clothing. Not even the promise of breakfast at Carl's perked up the child so they settled on a bowl of Cheerios and half a banana, most of which remained uneaten.
Skye sulked all the way to the doctor's office and refused to even lift her head while seated in the waiting room. When her name was called she refused to stand even when May reached out a hand. When the woman bent forward and whispered into the little girl's ear she let out a frustrated sigh and took her mother's hand but walked as slowly as possible into the examining room.
Reduced to panties and a camisole the little girl frowned at the cordial nurse and answered questions with in one word, a quick nod or shake of her head. The nurse smiled at May telling her the child had grown another quarter of an inch and gained another pound. Skye fidgeted on the table as the nurse checked eyes, ears, and blood pressure before the doctor came smiling broadly into the room and performed all of his checks telling the little girl and her mom she was 'fit as a fiddle'. Skye wondered what that meant then pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them when the nurse carried in a small tray and set it on the counter.
"Last time, Skye." The doctor smiled again and squeezed her knee. "All caught up until you're about twelve. That's four years." He held up four fingers then tapped one on the tip of her nose.
The next ten minutes were comparable to a world wrestling championship but in the end Skye received all three inoculations despite her protest. May was thankful for the time the doctor allowed her to console Skye and comfort her before leaving the office. As usual the little girl fell into an exhausted sleep once in the car and away from the medical facility.
May smiled as the little girl moaned back from slumber. "Hey, kid, feel better."
Skye blinked a few times and sat up to look out the window then sat back with a cringe. "Where are we?" She rubbed one eye and yawned. "I think I'm hungry." She sighed as she dropped back against the safety seat.
May smiled again and watched the child through her rear view mirror. "You should be," she shook her head, "no breakfast." She tsked.
"Are we in the woods?" Skye queried as she looked again at the large pines and snow drifts along the road's shoulder then turned forward. "Are we lost?" She worried.
"No, silly," May laughed. "I was told the best Christmas trees grow out this way."
"Christmas trees grow?" The little girl was somewhere between shocked and amazed.
Even the tiny tree in St. Agnes' common room was some kind of plastic that the janitor put together and took apart every year. She had watched the two men who came to Mrs. Gibbons' apartment and pieced together the giant tree that stood in her living room.
"Of course they grow, silly. They're trees. My Baba and I would go every year to find the perfect tree for our Christmas. I thought you'd like to find one we can have for ours."
"Baba?" Skye giggled.
"My father," May narrowed her eyes at the little girl. "Baba is Mandarin for daddy."
"Oh," Skye snapped to attention and chewed her lip as she lowered her head.
"It's okay, Skye." May smiled.
The little girl grew quiet as she watched the scenery. "May?" She asked in a soft voice after a few seconds. "Will in grown in the living room?"
May thought for a moment then shook her head. "No, Skye it won't grow. We'll have to chop it down to take it home."
"Then what happens to it?" Skye was clearly conflicted.
After a few more minutes of thought, May let out a soft sigh. "How about we just check out these trees to see which is the most beautiful so we know exactly what we're looking for?"
"No chopping?" Skye asked timidly.
"None," May assured her, smiling into the rear view mirror as the cars wheels crunched on the snow sprinkled gravel of the parking lot.
Skye watched as May exited the vehicle and walked around to open her door and help her from the safety seat she still used. The little girl was hesitant as she peeked around May at the snow covered forest scene beyond.
"Do we gotta go in the woods?" She asked with trepidation as she reached for May's hand and slipped to the ground.
May smiled, noticing the little girl's death grip on her hand. "It's okay, Skye. This is a good place. I promise. Lots of people come here to find their own special tree and everything that goes with it."
Skye turned quickly at the sound of a child's squeal. She moved closer to May and looked up with wide eyes. She relaxed slightly when the sound was followed by the laughter of several more children.
"Hey there!" An older man waved and smiled as he walked toward them. He stopped in front of May, pulled off his glove and extended his hand. "I'm Ted," he introduced himself. "Haven't seen you before. First time?"
Skye moved behind May, peeking around her. May nodded as she shook the man's hand. "You come highly recommended." She smiled at his healthy grip.
"Great time of year, ma'am, specially for your little one." He wriggled his fingers at Skye who pulled back behind May.
The large man clapped his hands together and directed his comments toward Skye. "So, you here to pick out the perfect tree this Christmas?"
Skye pulled farther behind May who reached back to pat her shoulder, just as a means of support. "Well, we'd like to just look." May smiled back at her little one. "Seems my kid here is a bit of a conservationist. She's a little concerned with cutting down a tree just to have it die a few weeks from now."
Ted pursed his lips and gave a nod then pushed back his yellow baseball cap and squatted down to the child's level. May coaxed her out gently but kept an arm around the little girl's shoulders. Skye leaned into May's hip fully expecting to be admonished by this very big man.
"I'm real glad you feel that way, sweetie pie." He smiled. "But, let me tell you a little story before you make up your mind." He waited for the child to give a tiny nod then continued. "You see we grow these trees special just for people to come and pick them as their Christmas tree. We only use the ones we know won't make it to next year because they'll be too big or too old and have to be cut back to make room for new trees." He smiled at the little girl who did not look convinced then smiled up at May.
"After Christmas we have a special deal for people who bring back their tree." He told them as he stood and motioned for them to follow him toward a large barn structure.
"You put 'em back inna ground?" Skye was astonished.
The man chuckled as he opened the large door on the barn and put out a hand for them to enter. "Not exactly." He smiled.
May stood in the large structure with Skye's hand tightly in hers. They looked at the wide space and strange machines lined against one wall. Other than that the barn was empty.
"When we sell any of our trees we send along a special recycle bag. You know recycle, right?" Ted asked.
Skye nodded. "Reduce, reuse, recycle, that's what my teacher says. We gots a special blue can inna cafteerya to put plastic stuff in er stuff with the little triangle on it."
"Exactly!" Ted pointed a finger at the little girl. "So anybody who brings back one of our trees after Christmas is recycling."
Skye shook her head and looked up at May. She wasn't exactly sure it was okay to disagree with an adult. May raised her brows, she was just as curious.
"Ya can't recycle a tree." Skye shrugged. "They just get all brown and fall down."
Ted walked over to one of the machines and gave it a pat. "Not here," he smiled. "People bring them back and we put 'em in our shredders. We make mulch then use it to create compost and use that to fertilize the new trees and keep the smaller trees warm and healthy all winter. We even use it to help plant seedlings…baby trees." He offered as explanation.
"Those we don't shred we put out in the farthest parts of our acreage. The animals use them for food or shelter and well, then nature takes it course and they decompose into the earth. So nothing gets wasted or thrown away." Ted smiled then shook his head and frowned. "But you know those artificial trees might be beauties and save a couple trees but they only last a few years before they get a bit shabby and get thrown in some landfill where it takes decades for them to degrade." He smiled at May's look of skepticism. "Course, I am a bit biased on the subject."
"Teacher says plastic takes a hunred years to be gone." Skye nodded.
"Well," Ted sighed. "I guess it's up to you and your mom, sweetie pie. You spend some time here. We've got lots to see." He moved them back toward the door. "Got some great displays in the Christmas Tree Village Shop right over there. You can pick out special ornaments, lights, even trains if you're interested" Ted pointed toward a long low building to the right. "Snow Land is just over that little rise," he nodded past the building. "Kids love our winter play ground." He gave a quick wink. "Course you can always take the trail," he jerked a thumb to the left, "and check out the trees, might just find your perfect match." Ted removed his cap and pushed back his wiry gray hair as he waited for May to perhaps make a choice, then smiled again and nodded toward a red cottage with white trim. "Maybe you'd like something to warm you up first. The kitchen's got some great soups and stews to keep a body warm out here in these parts." He winked at Skye. "Hear they make the best hot chocolate on the mountain and you get to choose how many marshmallows to plop in for tastin'."
Skye looked up at May with wide eyes. "Can we?"
May raised an eyebrow. "I get the final say on how many marshmallows you plop." She tugged the little girl's hand gently and headed toward the cottage.
xx
May drew the line at five, but Skye was thrilled to have even one of the fluffy homemade marshmallows in the steaming cup of hot cocoa the waitress set in front of her. Of course it wasn't until after she downed a bowl of soup and half a grilled cheese sandwich which the waitress recommended as the number one choice of every kid that entered The Cottage. May settled for a cup of hot tea and a tuna sandwich.
After warning the little girl that her drink was extremely hot because it needed to melt the mallows, the waitress repeated most of what Ted had told them about the other activities at the Tree Farm. Skye sipped her treat carefully as she swung her feet under the table. She watched as families went in and out of the homey-style restaurant. Some hurried in from the cold, sat down and ordered hot food while chattering about everything they had done on their visit while others opted for cups of coffee or hot chocolate, covered them and headed back outdoors. Everyone seemed in good spirits and every child was more excited than Skye could ever remember seeing anyone. Christmas wasn't much to get all bubbly about at St. Agnes. Mostly the Sisters told the children about the birth of Christ and said extra prayers they called novenas. Skye did as she was told, but mostly just repeated the words cuz she was pretty sure God didn't hear her anyway…well at least until He sent May. She watched a little girl walk by holding her mother's hand and turned to smile at May.
"Could we recycle one of them trees?" The little girl asked around a swallow.
May raised an eyebrow as she leaned forward to wipe the chocolate from the child's chin. "Changed your mind, hmmm?"
Skye looked out the window for a moment, deep in thought, then turned back. "Plastic takes a lot time to go away but Ted says the trees get used quick." She looked down into her cup and spoke softly. "I don't wanna tree to just die inna forest cuz we didn't take it home for Christmas."
May smiled back a laugh. "I really don't think Ted would let any tree die, but I think he made his point." She nodded as the little girl lifted her head. "I think we can commit to bringing back a tree for recycling."
Skye smiled broadly. "A big one, like Mrs. Gibbons gots…has." She quickly corrected herself with an approving nod from May then gulped the last swallow of her cocoa and turned to grab her coat.
"Whoa there, kid." May stopped her. "First we freshen up a little, okay?" She nodded toward the ladies' room and Skye acquiesced.
A few minutes later they were standing in the brisk cold. "So what first?" May grinned, allowing the little girl to make the choice.
Skye raised her brows in surprise. Rarely did she get to decide anything, but May gave her lots of choices like what she wanted for dinner or what story to read or which shoes she'd like to wear today. That was the best because she had four pair to choose from now. She never had more than one pair and that had to last until there was another pair her size. Every pair was brand new. Nobody ever wore them before she did. Skye liked that. She even had real snow boots to wear and today that was a good thing because there was a lot of snow.
May pulled the little girl's hat down over her ears and zipped her coat up to her chin. "Warm enough?" She smiled before standing back up and reaching for the little mitten covered hand. Skye gave a nod and pointed to where she had heard the children's laughter earlier. She didn't tell May she was super warm, almost sweaty warm or that the three spots the nurse had stabbed that morning were throbbing. She didn't want to ruin the time they were having or miss one minute of it. May might get mad. She might take her home and forget about the whole thing. This was the best place the little girl had ever seen. She didn't even know stuff like this existed. She wasn't gonna let a little poke ruin their day.
xx
It was past dark when May pulled into her parking space in the basement garage of the condo. She smiled at the sleeping child in the back seat and let out a long sigh. The tree tied to the roof of her SUV was just as wide as the car and probably weighed twice as much as she did. Oh hell, who was she kidding it was probably three or four times that. It took three young men to get it up there. She'd have to call maintenance to make arrangements to have it brought to her apartment tomorrow. Hopefully they would be just as willing to set it up in the large red bucket Ted had provided to hold it.
She turned off the ignition and leaned back against the head rest. May had had some wild days that left her achy and stiff for few hours but never a work out like she'd had this afternoon. The tree farm provided patrons with large inflated tubes to bounce more than slide down snow covered mounds in what Ted referred to as Snow Land. May lost count of the number of times Skye pleaded with her to 'go one more time' and she did not have the heart to say no. Seeing the little girl so enthusiastic about anything was heartening because Skye rarely let down her guard and always seemed afraid to have too much fun. Even if she did get excited she would quickly rein in her emotions and apologize for acting out or making noise. They slipped and slid down those little hills until Skye's mittens were wet enough to wring.
A quick trip to the Christmas Tree Village shop produced a new pair of red mittens emblazed with hand embroidered pine trees. Skye's eyes lit brighter than the thousands of mini twinklers when she stepped into the decoration room. She lightly caressed the selection of ornaments but stopped when she spied a display of gold and red baubles. Reaching out she barely touched one that hung from a dainty hook. It resembled a red lantern decorated with golden Koi and Chinese figures. A small red tassel hung from a gold eyelet at its base. Skye let it tickle her palm.
"It's just like Mrs. Gibbon's." She whispered in disbelief.
May put her hands on the little girl's shoulders and admired the ornament. She had to admit it was beautiful. She wasn't sure if the beauty came from the object or Skye's fascination with it. "How 'bout we pick out a tree and come back for decorations."
Skye nodded, but looked back at the ornament several times before reaching the door. She stopped and looked up at May. "What if somebuddy gets it before we come back?"
May wasn't sure if it was fear or disappointment in the child's voice. She took Skye by the hand and headed back to the display motioning for one of the elf costumed clerks and insisting the Red and Gold lantern be held until they returned. Skye smiled her satisfaction and eagerly accompanied May to the Tree Path. The next hour and a half was spent checking and rechecking every tree.
Ted finally came to the rescue telling Skye he had been saving a special tree for a special customer and he was pretty sure she was just that. He gave May a quick wink, took Skye by the hand and walked to a small gate that he opened with a large key. The walked a few hundred feet on a circular path and stopped in front of a large tree May was sure she'd already pointed out two or three times. Ted walked the little girl around it and lifted her up to feel the soft needles. He told her it was a Scotch pine and they'd been taking special care of it for a very long time just waiting for the right little girl. May actually rolled her eyes at the guy's 'bull' but appreciated the yarn he was weaving for Skye. When the child looked at May with that look that meant she would never ask but she really liked this tree, it was a done deal.
They spent the time it took the Tree Elves to collect the tree, bind it and secure it to the SUV, choosing lights, ornaments and a wreath for the apartment door. May smiled at the rosy cheeks on her little girl and made a note to spend more time in the great outdoors. It seemed to bring out the best in the child. Skye could barely stand still as the checkout person packed their purchases. When it came to the small green box that held the lantern, May stopped the girl. Skye's face fell, thinking May had changed her mind but smiled broadly when she told the clerk Skye would be holding that one herself.
The little girl took the box as if it were fragile treasure and cradled it all the way to the car, surrendering it to May only when she had to be buckled into her safety seat. May placed it back in her arms before stacking their packages in the hatch and heading for home. The almost two hour drive had brought them to now and May let out a breath before opening the door. The packages would have to wait. She couldn't carry them and the little girl but would be back as soon as Mrs. Gibbons could stay with her for a few minutes.
May smiled as she lifted the child who still embraced the small green box. She hefted the skinny child to her shoulder and marveled at how this tiny kid could be so heavy just because of winter garb. Once inside their apartment she dropped her keys on the foyer table and kicked off her boots then wriggled the little girl's footwear loose and let them drop to the floor. She made her way to the bedroom and laid Skye on the bed then gently took the box and set it on the nightstand. Again she smiled at the little girl's rosy cheeks, but only for a moment before thinking it odd that after all this time they were still so red.
May put a hand to the girl's forehead as she tugged off her hat. Alarmed at the heat she felt there she quickly unzipped her jacket and pulled her to sit then slipped it off. Before letting Skye back to the mattress she pulled the heavy sweater she wore over her head then tugged off the woolen socks she had insisted the little girl wear under her boots.
The heat had been on in the car and Skye had been bundled to keep warm at the tree farm. May hoped the little girl was overheated but couldn't help recalling the last time she'd visited Dr. Collins for three inoculations. That was four months ago. She was healthier now. She'd gained weight and lost those dark circles under her eyes.
May wasn't taking chances. She pulled off the rest of the little girl's heavy clothes and felt the heat in her arms and legs, clammy and rosy colored. Throwing a thin blanket over the child she reached for her phone. Mrs. Gibbons was there, thermometer in hand, within minutes.
"One-o-three," the older woman announced.
May put a hand to her forehead. "I never should have taken her out today. I should have just come home. What the hell was I thinking?"
Mrs. Gibbons stood and put a hand on the smaller woman's shoulder. "You were being a mother to that little girl." She smiled as she nodded toward Skye. "We both know how she is about doctors and all those nasty injections. You wanted to help her forget all about it and there is nothing wrong with that. There is no way you could have known…"
"After last time?" May stopped her. "And why didn't she tell me she didn't feel well."
Mrs. Gibbons grinned at the sleeping child. "Probably having too much fun doing things she never dreamed of to notice." She gently patted May's back. "Now, let's get that fever reducer into her and let her sleep for a bit. If it hasn't gone down in an hour we'll run a cool bath, but I think she'll be fine."
An hour later Skye was sleeping soundly, her fever down to one-o-one. Mrs. Gibbons shared one last cup of tea and helped with the dishes while May retrieved her packages and made a call to the maintenance office. Mrs. Gibbons checked the little girl, directed May to give her another dose of medication in two hours and not to hesitate to call her if the fever returned. With that she said good night and left May seated on the child's bed.
She tucked the blanket around Skye and softly rested her lips on the little girl's forehead, thankful for the warmth but not heat that met them. Skye whimpered a little as she turned on her side and curled into a ball. May pulled Willie from the opposite pillow and slipped him into the child's arms. Skye hugged him to her chest. Looking at her watch, May made a mental note of the time and calculated the minutes until she'd need to use the fever reducer again. It was just enough time to heat some soup and noodles. She was sure this little one would wake hungry.
Leaving Skye's bedroom door open she padded to the kitchen and began to prepare what she needed. A soft knock at the door had her puzzled. She smiled thinking Mrs. Gibbons was more than likely worried and back to check or perhaps had forgotten something. She hurried to the door after a quick glance toward Skye's room.
May unlocked the knob then the deadbolt before pulling open the heavy door. "She's fine. Did you for…"
"Hello, Mellie." The man spoke softly as he pulled the hat from his head and shifted the bag on his shoulder.
"Baba…" May breathed as her jaw dropped.