“It looks half raw, but it has a lovely, subtle taste,” said Amy sounding all-knowing like a food critic. Eating the game bird was a food experience she could check off her never-ending bucket list – if she ever included it.
“Ah, yes, subtle like you,” said Merissa with a slight chuckle.
“It’s probably loaded with calories,” Amy complained.
“Only about two-hundred and twenty, for a roasted bird of that size,” said Sache.
“With everything else I’ve eaten, I should give up dessert,” said Amy rubbing her belly.
“Oh, no, Miss. This is your first night of the Twelve Days of Christmas. You must try the Pear Cake delight!”
“Pears! Dah – Now I get the whole name-theme of the menu,” Amy spouted while rolling her eyes.
The foursome set up singing the first line of the well-known Christmas ditty. “On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me – a partridge in a pear tree.”
When guests from the surrounding tables joined in the merriment, the entire dining hall erupted into laughter. Merissa laughed the hardest, and it provided such a relief to unload the heaviness inside. She took a sip of her wine. “Oh, my that felt good.”
Amy piped in. “Probably that’s because you haven’t laughed in over a year.”
Chad looked at Merissa with new interest, and she squirmed under his scrutiny while her face reddened with embarrassment. He looked away and addressed Amy.
“I prefer a woman who doesn’t giggle about every little thing in life. It shows depth and character.” He focused on Merissa again. “I hear laughter does the heart good, like a medicine.”
“Touché! Sounds like he’s a perfect match, Merissa,” said Amy as she giggled and nudged Skip. He was eating up the attention, and it was plain to see they would become an item – at least for the next thirteen days.
Merissa was certain her face could not get any hotter. She vowed to set her friend straight on suitable comments when they got back to their room.
Before they’d finished eating, Skip and Amy had planned the entire evening – as a foursome. Merissa gazed out the window at the sun that was almost ready to drop below the horizon.
“Perhaps we can meet you at the show,” said Chad, “I’d like to get some air, on the deck.” He turned to Merissa. “Would you care to join me?”
How could she say no? Anything was better than sitting here – prime targets for the children across the table who did not know how to guard their tongues. It appeared Skip had Chad on his chopping block same as Amy whittled away at Merissa. They’d drooped the ax on both of them multiple times during the meal.
Out on the deck, Merissa drank in the smell of sea salt and held her face to the wind to taste it in the air. The waves, according to the captain, were a mere four feet, great weather to embark upon the journey. Chad remained quiet for the longest time, and she appreciated that he did not demand center stage and seemed content to stand side by side to marvel at nature.
“I love to stand at the water’s edge with my parents and watch the sunset. I never tired of it,” Chad reminisced as if talking to himself.
“You grew up on the ocean?” Merissa asked.
“North Carolina. My folks still live there,” Chad said.
“How wonderful. Mine are both gone,” Merissa said.
“Sorry to hear that. You’ve known much grief in your young life.”
“Too much.” Merissa glanced at him and wondered if Amy had spilled the beans to the men about Kyle and her most recent grief. No, probably not. At dinner, her friend had danced around Merissa’s struggles, but to her credit, focused on the outward results in plain view for anyone to see. At least she had enough grace to let Merissa tell her own stories when, and if, she chose to.
“I have a sister and a niece that fill my life with unexpected surprises.” Merissa laughed. “And then there is Amy.”
“Understood.”
Chad’s smile reached up and touched the corners of his eyes, and the red hue from the sky reflected into the blue depths within. The sheer volume of intensity stole Merissa’s breath. She looked away.
The woman intrigued Chad. Amy hinted at her need to be plucked from the abyss, but he didn’t understand what that statement could involve. Merissa portrayed the image of an angel, perhaps with a broken wing, but definitely not living anywhere close to the abyss.
“So, are you ready for the theater? I liked the plan involving the show and then hanging out in the lounge later,” said Chad.
“I think country music is on tap tonight. I enjoy bluegrass, old and new country. Seems like our friends chose a fun evening.” Merissa laughed. “I’m sure it will surprise Amy when I show up at the theater with a man I haven’t scared off, yet.”
“I don’t scare easy, Miss James.”
Spectators packed the room and when Merissa and Chad arrived, they ended up sitting in the risers, a few rows up from Amy and Skip. The couple below waved when they noticed they had secured two of the few remaining coveted seats. The lights dimmed, and the curtain opened on Act one. Following a religious theme, the first day of Christmas symbolized God as true love and Jesus Christ as the partridge. It held all the elements of great entertainment – emotional highs and lows floating through the room until every spectator understood the allegory of God’s love and His Son’s sacrifice in a refreshing and rather creative way. The room thundered with applause when the final curtain closed and the house lights came on. She noticed Chad wipe a tear from his eye but turned away so as not to embarrass him.
They waited by the elevator for Amy and
