Dan's old X-Mas story

frank s

And a merry Christmas and happy new year to you and the lovely maryann and the girls. I wish you were still writing stories. Thanks again,
Frankie sev

frank s

Dan's Old X-mas story

Is there anywhere on this site that I might be able to find Dan's X-Mas story, published in contractor mag maybe 6 yrs ago? About the plumber who put the new bath in for his wife, I love that story, and it would help me get the spirit. Thanks

DanHolohan

Here you go. Merry Christmas.

Vicki and Brad had been married long enough to fill the house with teenagers. She worked nights as a waitress in a local pub, mostly to help pay the tuition bills. He was a plumber and in his own business, such as it was.
Vicki wanted life to be easier for her boys than it had been for Brad and her. The two of them had been working around the clock for more years than she cared to remember. She worked nights and he worked days (and often nights) and they met in passing. A good marriage can put up with that, though, and theirs was a good marriage.
Vicki was about to turn 50, although her body looked years younger than that. She was one of those women who could eat anything and not gain a pound. And she had these cobalt-blue mischievous eyes that could speak without words. "How's today's special?" a guy would ask as he looked over the menu. Vicki would make this comical grimace with the corners of her mouth and let her eyes say the rest. The guy would get the message in a hurry and retreat to the safety of a cheeseburger. And he'd leave her a good tip.

In her mind, Vicki was still 25 years old and she was as in love with Brad as she had ever been. She took the time to laugh, and she knew that they would never be wealthy. She had accepted that years ago. They were rich in their own way.

Brad, like most small businessmen, put in long days that often melted into longer nights. His customers would call at all hours and Brad would grumble quietly but go out there anyway. Mostly, he did it for the boys. Brad wanted what Vicki wanted, and this was the glue that held them together through the tough times. They were all about their kids. Two years ago, when Brad had turned 50, Vicki had bought Yankee tickets for the whole crew. They had gone to the game as a family and they had made a memory. It was the perfect gift because Brad loves his Yankees, and so do the boys. It was the sort of gift that you'll always remember.

After the game, when they were together in bed, Brad had said to her, "You know, Vic, sometimes I feel like we're shooting arrows into the future. You and me are like a couple of compound bows," he said. "We get all the tension, but the kids get to fly. They're our arrows, Vic."

She liked that. It wasn't often that Brad said anything romantic. He was more about hard work and a pat on the butt as they passed in the hallway. She knew he was this way when she had married him, but calling the boys "arrows" had been sweet, and she would remember this all the days of her life.

Now, this birthday was looming and it was a big one. She knew that she'd be getting solicitations from the AARP soon. As far as she was concerned, they could stuff their Senior Citizen discounts. Vicki wasn't ready to start thinking of herself in that way. Besides, all she had to do was add up her hours at the pub last week to convince herself that she was far from retired. She decided that 50 was just a state of mind. It didn't mean she was old. It was just a number.

And she knew that Brad saw things the same way as she did. He was two years past 50 and complaining every now and then about his aches and pains. Vicki figured that the aches and pains had more to do with the hard work that he did than the number of years he had lived, and she would tell him that all the time. "It's a milestone," she'd say, "But we're not really old." And he'd nod mischievously, and take a swat at her butt.
Mostly, she was hoping that he would remember her birthday by doing something romantic. Maybe he would make a hotel reservation for an overnight in the City. They could have dinner and see a show. They could walk in Central Park. They'd leave the business and the pub customers behind for a day. And wouldn't that be sweet?

But that wasn't to be. Brad's customers kept calling, and the pub was too busy to give her a couple of days off. Besides, the tuition payments were due, so Vicki put her hopes for a romantic night in the City on hold. Maybe they'd get to do it once the kids were out of school and on their own.

When she came home from work on the night of her birthday Brad met her at the door and he was smiling like a boy. "Happy birthday, Vic," he said, and he gave her a kiss. "How'd it go tonight?"

She hugged him and said, "It was pretty good tonight.
They had a cake for me."

"That's great!" Brad said, and he took her by the hand. "C'mon, I want to show you your present. Close your eyes." She let him lead her into the house. The boys were there too and they were as excited as Brad was. "Keep 'em closed," Brad said, and she did. He led her deeper into the house, the boys following at her heels. Vicki was thinking that this gift must be something very special, something romantic to make up for the missed trip to New York City.

But she also knew her house well enough to know that, when they reached their destination, she was standing with her husband and her sons, and with her eyes closed, in her bathroom. "Ready?" Brad said. "Open them!"

And she did. But she didn't see anything other than the familiar bathroom. "What do you think!" Brad said.

"About what?" Vicki asked.

"Your present!" Brad said, and he pointed to the new single-lever faucet and the handheld shower massager. "I've been working on it all night."
A part of Vicki, the part that had lived with this man for 25 years, wanted to scream. She had dreamt of flowers, and dinner out, and satin sheets, and her plumber husband had given her a new faucet.

"Here, look," he said, reaching in to turn on the water. "It's got all these different spray patterns. Vicki felt her heart breaking with disappointment.

"Isn't it great, Mom?" her oldest son said. "Dad says it's perfect for relieving tension when you come home from work. Look at the way that water comes out. Look at the way it taps. It's like getting a massage!"

"And look, Vic," Brad said. "I also got you these fluffy white towels for when you come out of the shower." He reached out with the towel, touched its softness to her cheek. "They're the big ones, like big fluffy sheets. You can wrap yourself up in them, Vic." And then Brad wrapped Vicki in the fluffy white towel, as if she were a little girl. It covered her from her blond hair to the backs of her knees. He held her in the towel, and in his strong arms. "You deserve the best, Vic. Between the new showerhead and these towels, you're really gonna be able to relax after a hard night's work. I didn't know what to get you, and then the boys and me thought of this. It's great, isn't it?"

And Vicki thought of all the years she had spent with this hard-working man. She thought of her life, and all that they had accomplished together, and she thought of her sons. He had called them their "arrows," and she did like a nice long shower.

"Isn't it great, Mom?"

She looked up at Brad and smiled with those cobalt-blue eyes.

"It's perfect," she said. And then she kissed him.

frank s

thanks Dan

That damn story made me cry again...thank you. You and I had talked once and you relayed to me that this story was somewhat true. To me it's all about appreciation, whether it be for your husband , wife , or the baby Jesus. Thanks Dan for a great life story
Frank severino

DanHolohan

Thanks

for the memory. That's also one of my favorites. I close my eyes and can see her telling me the story all over again. She's a wonderful person.

DanHolohan

I am.

They're just not in the magazines. Thanks.

frank s

the book

Sir Holohan,
when and if you ever write the book of stories I will certainly be on the list for a first copy. I miss your articles and the wall.....I live in south Florida now and the only heating here is the sun, but I keep up with all the biz with you and the walleyes. Thank you again
frank

DanHolohan

Enjoy

your rest. Thanks.

Greig McLean

Greig McLean

Christmas story

Dan thanks so much. It made my day and yes I cryed tears of joy while reading this story. In the cold winters of Alaska we are swamped and it seems that life is flying by. With 2 in collage my wife and I must keep our noses to the grinde stone to meet the needs of our family. With the arrows of flight I never thought of it that way. I can't wait to get home and have my wife read it. God Bless and Merry Christmas. Greig

Jeff Elston

Story

Dan Thank you again you always deliver great story really got me Thanks

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Bob Sweet

You are a truly

great story writer, you seem to have the ability to tap into a persons emotions at just the right angle. I only wish there were more to read. One of my favorites is " An American Cathedral " oh boy that one gets me every time.

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