Jeremy and Candy's First Christmas
Jeremy tugged at his tie as he sipped another cup of coffee. It was getting late. He hoped Candy would be ready to go home soon.
Jeremy and Candy had been married since June. They were at Shelia Worthington's Christmas party. Candy had talked to Miss Worthington at Ben's Store and at the library several times. Mrs. Bolt was thrilled when she and her husband were invited to the party.
Jeremy looked at his pocket watch. He had to be at work early again in the morning. Come on, sweetheart, he thought as he suppressed a yawn.
In the washroom, Candy had run into Shelia. They were having a conversation or rather Shelia was talking while the red head was struggling to hold her temper.
"My dear, when you told me your last name is Bolt, I thought you were married to Jason or at least, Joshua. I never dreamed you would be married to that other one! What is his name? Jerry?"Sheila asked.
"My husband's name is Jeremy! How dare you speak so terribly of him! And while we are guests in your home no less!" Candy fumed.
Shelia laughed. "Darling, surely you can't be upset about him! He isn't the same quality of people that we are! I mean, with that horrid stuttering, how could he be anything but an imbecile?"
Smoke came out of Candy's ears. She grabbed a towel off the rack and quickly wet it in the sink.
Mrs. Jeremy Bolt proceeded to slap Shelia in the face with the wet towel. Miss Worthington retreated to the corner of the room trying to cover her face with her hands.
Candy continued to hit her hostess on top of her head with the towel.
"You're right about one thing, Shelia. Jeremy is not the same quality person that you and I are. He is a much higher quality person than we will ever be!" Candy stated emphatically.
"Whatever you say, C-C-Candy! I hope you and your imbecile are very happy together! Mr. Jerry B-B-Backward B-B-Bolt!" Shelia roared with laughter.
The red-haired girl looked at Shelia in disgust. Angry tears burned her eyes. She yanked the washroom door opened. Her heart broke when she saw Jeremy sitting on the bench right across the hall. His pained expression told Candy that he had heard the fight.
"Oh, Jeremy!' She whispered going quickly to his side.
"Not h-h-here, p-p-please." He gulped.
"Alright." She answered.
Jeremy helped his wife with her wrap. They left without speaking to anyone else.
When they got to the buggy, Candy offered to drive. Jeremy said he would drive because driving up the mountain at night is treacherous.
The married couple rode in silence for a few minutes. When Jeremy tried to stifle a sob, Candy touched his arm.
"I'm so very sorry, darling. I had no idea she was that type of person. She always seemed so nice before. I will be more careful about trying to make new friends." Candy apologized. "I love you, Jeremy."
"I love you, Candy. What happened wasn't your fault." Jeremy replied.
The rest of the journey home was silent.
When they arrived at their cabin, Jeremy helped his wife out of the buggy. After he helped her get inside the cabin, he tended to the horses.
Candy built a fire in the bedroom fireplace. She washed her face and got ready for bed. She hurried downstairs to the kitchen. She prepared some Willow Bark Tea for Jeremy and for herself. Her anger and her hurt had left her with a headache.
Jeremy came inside the dwelling before the tea was ready. He poured himself a shot of whiskey in the parlor. He carried it to the kitchen. He sighed deeply as he sat down at the table.
Candy glanced at her husband. "I started the fire in the bedroom. It will be nice and warm when we get in bed."
"Good. Th-Th-Thank you. Damn!" Jeremy put his face on the table.
His wife put down the teacup she was holding. She hurried to him.
"Jeremy, it's alright. You're very tired. You and your brothers have been at work before daylight for the past two weeks. Now it's almost three weeks. Plus, I kept you up late tonight making you go to that witch's party." Candy comforted.
"It's not just tonight that's bothering me, Candy. It's years and years of not being able to talk right. Let's go to bed." Jeremy gulped his shot of whiskey.
Candy hugged him and kissed his shoulder. He hugged back as he kissed the top of her head.
They took the Willow Bark tea with them to the bedroom. After they drank it, Jeremy stripped to his longjohns, and they got in bed.
A few hours went by. Candy awoke to the sound of Jeremy crying softly. She took him into her arms holding him tightly. He hid his face against her neck and cried like a heartbroken child.
The next morning, Jeremy was still asleep when his wife woke up. "Oh, darling, Candy thought as she stroked his hair. You are going to stay home to rest today.
When Jason and Joshua stopped by on their way to the camp, Candy told them that Jeremy wasn't feeling well last night, and he was sleeping late this morning.
Jason was alarmed. "Jeremy doesn't have a fever, does he? You know, Candy, he has dangerous fevers sometimes. You must be certain regarding our baby brother and a fever."
"Calm down, mama hen. Candy knows our youngest brother quite well. That includes knowing about those gawd awful fevers he gets." Joshua spoke.
Jason smiled nervously. "I suppose I go overboard a bit. However, we have come close to losing Jeremy to a fever so many times."
"I understand, Jason. I assure you that Jeremy doesn't have a fever. Last night…." She paused as she glanced upward at the balcony railing.
"What's going on, Candy? Something is wrong with Jeremy; I can feel it." Jason spoke.
"Well, I guess it's alright to tell you and Joshua." She looked up again at the railing. "Let's go in the parlor and sit down.
Jason and Joshua sat down on the sofa. Candy sat in her rocking chair that Jeremy made for her as part of her wedding present.
The two brothers listened as their sister-in-law told them what happened last night including Jeremy's reactions.
"Oh, no!" Jason sighed wearily. "I've noticed that he's been stuttering more lately. I have been working him too hard."
Joshua shook his head. "Poor kid! Cruelty never ends, does it?"
"No, Josh, it doesn't. We can't stop people from being mean but we can do something about working too hard. I'm going to give everyone the rest of the week off starting today. This is Wednesday so being off until next Monday should give the loggers and the owners a nice break." Jason replied. "Don't you agree, Josh?"
"I sure do, brother! I have been unusually tired myself these last few days." Joshua answered.
"Thank you, Jason! A few days rest will help Jeremy a great deal." Candy spoke.
"You and our brother are welcome! Let's go, Josh! We need to give the men the good news!" Jason exclaimed.
After the two brothers left, Candy went to the kitchen to prepare a late breakfast.
A short while later, the delicious smells of fresh coffee brewing and bacon frying tickled Jeremy's nose. He opened his eyes and yawned.
When he looked through the window at the sunshine, he panicked. Late for work! Jason's gonna k-k-kill me! Great! Now I'm stuttering to myself. He thought.
Jeremy jumped up and got dressed quickly. He ran downstairs.
"Candy! Candy! I'm late for work! Why didn't you wake me up?" He called as he rushed into the kitchen.
His wife walked up the cellar steps into the kitchen. She had gone down there to get another jar of apple butter.
"Relax, sweetheart. Your brothers were here earlier. Jason is closing the camp until next Monday to give everyone some time to rest. He said he realized that the men had been working too hard." His wife explained.
Candy's husband raised an eyebrow at her. "Did Jason say the men, or did he say m-m-m-me?"
"Jason said you." Candy admitted in a whisper.
"Why did he say me, as if I don't know?" Jeremy whispered sarcastically.
"Please don't be upset, darling. They are your brothers. When they stopped by to pick you up, I had to tell them you were still asleep. One thing led to another, and I ended up telling them about last night. Jason said he had been working you too hard. Then he decided to close for a few days. You know they won't say anything about you to the men." Candy replied sweetly.
"You are right, Candy. It will be good to have some free time. You know what I want to do?" He winked at her.
"What, as if I don't know?" She cut her eyes at him.
Jeremy walked toward her as a playful growl came from his throat. His piercing blue eyes sparkled.
"Right now?" Candy squealed with delight as he began kissing her neck. "We haven't eaten yet!"
The husband stopped kissing the wife's neck to gaze into her lovely eyes.
"I'm not hungry for food, woman!" Jeremy teased. "I'm hungry for you!" He scooped his beautiful wife up into his arms and ran upstairs with her.
Their lovemaking was so sweet and so tender, they wept in each other's arms as they drifted off to sleep when it was over.
The next few days, the young couple was busy cleaning the cabin and beginning to decorate for Christmas. Jeremy would chop the Christmas tree the day before Christmas Eve so that it would be fragrant and fresh throughout the holiday. He had found a beautiful large pine back in October.
Candy was beside herself with excitement. She kept talking about how this was their first Christmas as a married couple and how there would be many more first events at Christmas in their future.
Jeremy was nervous and excited about Sunday. It was his turn to read the scripture passage that the pastor's sermon was on. This week it was the Christmas Story Luke Chapter Two verses one through twenty. Jeremy was honored to be able to read it for the congregation. He had practiced a lot and he prayed every night that he would do a good job and that his stuttering wouldn't be a problem.
On Saturday, Jason and Joshua came for a visit.
"Candy, would it be alright if Josh and I invited ourselves to spend the night? Tell us the truth! Don't feel obligated because we are here. Jeremy, I know you won't agree just to be polite. Is it alright with you? We thought we would go to church all together tomorrow as a family." Jason spoke.
"If it's alright with you!" Joshua smiled.
Jeremy grinned at his siblings. He knew what they were up to. They wanted to provide moral support and encouragement for him regarding his reading the scripture in church.
Young Bolt glanced at his wife. She nodded and smiled in agreement.
"Of course, you two can spend the night. We are glad to have you anytime. You don't need an invitation." Jeremy said happily.
Candy cooked Joshua's favorite, rabbit stew and dumplings for supper. Jeremy had done some hunting during his break from work.
After a wonderful family meal with lots of love and laughter, everyone sat in the parlor. Jeremy wanted to read the scripture one more time aloud before tomorrow. His brothers and his wife were eager to listen.
The youngest brother did an excellent reading. He read with enthusiasm and reverence. Jeremy stuttered on one word, Cyrenius. He was disappointed in spite of doing so well. His family assured him that he would do fine tomorrow. Jason said that name is hard for most everyone to pronounce.
"You sounded great, Jeremy! Don't be discouraged over one name." Joshua said.
"Jason and Joshua are right, sweetheart. You will sound so wonderful telling the greatest news that ever happened, the birth of Jesus." Candy clasped his hand as she smiled at him.
"I suppose I did pretty good. Thank you, Candy. Thank you, brothers." Jeremy told them.
The next day, the Bolt family arrived at church a few minutes early. Several other people were there talking amongst themselves. From the expressions on some faces, their subject appeared to be a sad one. Jason inquired of one of the loggers. He told Jason that Reverend Adams had to go out of town last night due to the death of a friend in Olympia. The family had wired the pastor requesting that he preach the funeral today.
Reverend Adams had wired his friend, Reverend Wilford Hamilton to deliver the message in Seattle today. Jeremy found the visiting pastor and introduced himself. He explained that he was supposed to read the Christmas Story today. Reverend Hamilton advised that his message is on that passage as well today so everything could go as planned. Jeremy was glad to hear that.
"It's all working out great!" Jeremy told Candy as he sat down next to her on the pew.
"I'm so happy for you, Jeremy." Candy held his hand tightly.
The youngest Mr. Bolt was eager to get to his reading. He waited patiently through the announcements. The opening hymns and prayers were comforting. He helped collect the offering so it went by quickly.
Finally, it was his turn. Jeremy had brought his mother's Bible for the occasion. He thought she would have been pleased by that if she could have known.
Jeremy stood up straight behind the lectern. He looked at Candy as he began reading.
"And it came to pass in those days…." Jeremy began.
He read fine with no stuttering until verse fifteen.
"And it came to p-p-pass as the angels w-w-were g-g-gone away f-f-from them into h-h-heaven, the s-s-shepherds s-s-said one to an-an-another, let us n-n-now go even un-unto B-B-Beth-B-B-Beth-le-h-h-hem…." Jeremy stammered.
"Oh, for heaven's sake! Sit down and be quiet! Why in the world, Lindsay allowed someone like you, an emotional cripple, to read God's Word before the congregation. I'll never understand!" Reverend Hamilton barked.
Jeremy closed his eyes for a moment. He felt his face flushing blood red with embarrassment. He opened his eyes looking at no one except Candy. He closed his Bible as he walked directly to her.
Jeremy took his wife's arm to help her stand. They made a quiet quick exit from the church.
Jason and Joshua stared at the church door as it closed behind their brother and his wife. They glanced at each other briefly. Both their mouths formed angry thin lines. They looked at Reverend Hamilton.
The pastor stood behind the lectern. "I must apologize for submitting you good people to such a butchering of God's Word. As I said, I don't know what my colleague was thinking allowing that pathetic young man to speak in church. I suppose The Lord loves even one as him."
"POW!" Jason Bolt punched the pompous windbag right in the nose. The Reverend hit the floor.
Jason turned to face the congregation. "That was a wrong thing to do and I was wrong to do it. I can't tolerate someone hurting one of my brothers. I failed to turn the other cheek, and I failed to forgive. This is an illustration of what happens when someone doesn't obey God's commandments. So, I suppose the message for today is follow The Lord's Word and not the example of Jason Bolt."
As the people were leaving the church, Jason went to help Joshua with the pastor. He was coming too. Reverend Hamilton was startled when he opened his eyes to see the Bolt brothers hovering over him.
The preacher stood up fast by himself. "I should file charges against you! "
"You have that right. However, if your case went before a judge, everyone would hear how you treated Jeremy. Is that what you want?" Jason asked calmly.
Reverend Hamilton looked disgusted. "No! I have my reputation to think of!"
"Reverend, perhaps if you thought more about people's feelings and treated them like God loves them instead of like He endures them, you wouldn't have to be so careful regarding your reputation." Joshua spoke firmly.
Hamilton glared at both brothers. He stormed down the aisle, and out the door muttering under his breath.
"Let's go find Jeremy. I hope he and Candy are at Lottie's." Jason put his arm around Joshua.
"I'm sure he is there. He takes great comfort in Lottie when he is upset." Joshua replied as they left the church.
The brothers ran across the street to the saloon. As they went inside, they didn't see Jeremy or Lottie. They heard muffled crying upstairs.
Rushing toward the sound, they found their brother in the washroom floor between Candy and Lottie. He was sobbing into his hands.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" He choked out the words.
Jason and Joshua exchanged a sad glance. They crouched in front of Jeremy.
"Jeremy, you have nothing to be sorry about. You didn't do anything wrong." Jason said quietly.
Jeremy looked at Jason. "I made a f-f-fool out of myself. I embarrassed Candy, and you, and Joshua. What made me think I could read scripture in front of the whole church? I guess that's part of being an emotional cripple."
"Oh, Jeremy, please don't talk about yourself like that! You are not crippled!" Lottie pleaded as she placed her head on his shoulder.
"You didn't embarrass any of us either. That so called minister was the embarrassment." Candy said.
"They are right, Jeremy. That man was at fault not you. Jason took care of him!" Joshua grinned. "He punched the guy in the face! That joker hit the floor like a sack of rocks!"
Jeremy and the ladies were shocked. Slowly, Jeremy began to laugh. Candy poked him in the ribs with her elbow. However, she giggled as she jabbed him. Then Lottie sputtered trying not to laugh. Finally, the three roared with laughter.
"Oh, Jason, I wish I could have seen that!" Miss Hatfield exclaimed.
"Well, Lottie, even though I had a good reason, I was wrong to do that. I explained that to the congregation too." Jason replied.
"Right or wrong, I'll bet it felt good to let that old windbag have it, didn't it, Jason?" Lottie smiled.
Jason gave her his dazzling smile. "You know me so well, Lottie. It felt great!"
"Thank you, Jason for taking up for me." Jeremy said as he got off the floor and helped the ladies stand up.
"You're welcome, Jeremy." Jason said as he and Joshua got up.
The group left the washroom. Lottie and Candy encouraged Jeremy to eat lunch. He agreed to try.
Downstairs, the Bolt brothers sat at a table. Candy helped Lottie bring their plates from the kitchen.
When his wife set his lunch in front of him, Jeremy caught her hand in his. She looked at him smiling. "I love you, Candy." He spoke softly.
"I love you, Jeremy." Candy whispered.
They locked eyes for a long moment. Candy laughed when she saw her husband's nose wrinkle at the scent of the fried chicken on his plate.
"Smells good, doesn't it? Let me get my plate so we can eat. Be right back." She scampered to the kitchen.
In no time, the young wife returned to the table. Lottie came in right after her. The group enjoyed an excellent meal. Jeremy ate well in spite of his painful experience earlier.
The Bolt family visited with Lottie remaining at the table for over an hour after dessert was finished.
Several people came to the table to tell Jeremy that he did good reading the scripture. They said it was understandable that he stuttered on that long verse. Some said they couldn't even consider getting up in front of the church due to fear or shyness. A few folks said how sorry they were that the pastor was mean to him. Jeremy thanked them for their kindness and encouragement.
Lots of the men bragged on Jason for punching the preacher in the nose. The oldest brother smiled and asked them to remember what he said afterward.
"Josh! I would have thought you would be the one to let that jackass have it!" Mr. Burnette spoke.
Joshua smiled at the old gentleman. "I was going to, Mr. Burnette, but my brother beat me to it."
Mr. Burnette patted Joshua's shoulder before he returned to his table.
Later when everyone was getting ready to go home, Jeremy asked Jason if they could speak privately. Jason said yes and they went to Lottie's office.
"Jason, I know we have just had several days off, but I wanted to ask you if it would be okay for me to take tomorrow off, please. I have something important to do. I'd rather not say what it is, please." Jeremy explained.
"Certainly, you can be off tomorrow, Jeremy. Do you need some help from Joshua or myself?" He asked.
"No, that's okay. It's going to be a busy Monday since the camp has been closed. I'll be there bright and early Tuesday morning. Thanks, Jason." Jeremy answered.
Jason gave his little brother a side hug. "I know you have had it rough the past several days. If you ever want to talk, you can always come to me or Josh, alright?"
"Sure, Jason, thanks again." Jeremy told him.
When Jeremy and Candy got home that afternoon, he told her he was going to Tacoma tomorrow. He said he would tell her the reason for his trip tomorrow night.
Monday night when Jeremy got home, Candy had supper ready. They ate making polite conversation. Mrs. Bolt was bursting to know why her husband had gone out of town. She was trying to be patient and let him tell her when he was ready.
Candy didn't have to wait much longer. When they finished eating, Jeremy asked her to sit with him on the sofa.
Jeremy pondered his hands for a minute. His wife could see that he was nervous. She was growing more curious every moment.
Jeremy inhaled sharply as he stood up. He turned to face her.
"Candy, I want you to remember that I love you deeply and I always will." He spoke.
"Always will? Jeremy, what is going on? Tell me right this second why you went to Tacoma today! I have been patient! I want to know right now!" Candy demanded.
"Alright, Candy, I'll tell you. Wait just a second, please." Jeremy replied.
Her husband crossed the parlor to the table where he had left his suede jacket. Jeremy reached into the inside pocket pulling out an envelope. He returned to the sofa and sat down facing her.
Candy's eyes moved from his face to the envelope and back again.
"What is that?" She asked hoarsely.
He tilted his head back slightly as he closed his eyes. He gulped a chest full of air. Jeremy opened his eyes. He stared at her with so much love she almost cried. Then he spoke in such a soft voice, she could barely hear him.
"Candy, I'm giving you a divorce for Christmas." Tears filled his big blue eyes.
Candy Bolt felt as if she had been punched in the face. She couldn't believe this was happening.
"Jeremy, I don't want a divorce. We have never talked about divorcing. We have only been married six months. What have I done to make you want to leave me?" Candy asked in a trembling voice.
"I don't want to leave you, Candy. I want to set you free of all obligations to me." Her husband answered.
"What? So, you can have obligations to some floozie? Tell me the truth, Jeremy Bolt! You are in love with another woman!" The red head shrieked.
"No! I would never cheat on you, sweetheart. I love you." Jeremy said calmly.
"You love me so much you want to divorce me!" Candy exclaimed.
"That's right, I do love you that much." Jeremy spoke from his heart.
Candy stared at her husband. "Oh, dear God! You truly mean that, don't you, Jeremy?"
"Yes, I truly mean it." He held her gaze.
"Why? Please explain to me why you think divorcing me would be setting me free." She replied.
"Okay. It's easy to explain. I'm not good enough for you, Candy. You deserve better than me. You shouldn't spend your life with an imbecile who is also an emotional cripple." Jeremy responded sadly.
Candy burst into tears. "Oh, Jeremy! That is not true!"
TBC