Christmas with the Calvins

Chapter Thirty-Two

While Jessica and Bernard talked through their issues, Scott was at the Miller house getting ready for his first date in decades. Since the father of Christmas no longer owned clothing that wasn't part of his red and white suit, he had to borrow an outfit from Neil. If Scott didn't know any better he would swear his ex-wife's new husband had gone out of his way to find the ugliest, loudest sweater in his closet.

"Neil," Scott sighed when he joined the psychiatrist and Laura in the living room. "Are you sure you don't have any other clothes I can borrow? I mean the idea of tonight is to attract a woman."

"What are you talking about?" Neil ask, looking up from his book.

"I look like a limesicle." Scott recoiled. "What do you think, Laura? Honestly, what do you think?"

"I think that it's what's inside that really counts." Laura nodded. Scott sighed, accepting his fate.

"Alright, I've gotta go. Can I borrow a car?" He really hated asking so much from the pair of them, but he would hate giving up being Santa more.

"Well I'm parked behind Neil." Laura pointed out. "Take the minivan. I just had it washed."

"The minivan?" Scott looked between Laura and Neil not sure if they really understood the odds they'd stacked against him. "Well, wish me luck. With a needlepoint sweater and a minivan, sigh, see you in about eight minutes!" He decided before leaving for the restaurant where he was suppose to meet his date. A date chosen by his ex-wife no less.

The restaurant they'd gotten reservations at was pretty nice. The means were served on expensive looking blue dishes with matching blue goblets of wine. All around the dining room couples in fine clothes were enjoying their meals. Scott felt so out of place in his citrus sweat that looked like Lucy had knit it in her sleep. The father of Christmas tugged nervously at his collar while he waited for his date to arrive. She hadn't kept him waiting long as a tall blonde beauty in a red coat sauntered up to his table.

"Scott?" She asked hopefully.

"Tracy? Hi!" He greeted her, getting up on his feet. they exchanged pleasantries and Scott helped Tracy to her seat. He was immediately relived that Laura's friend had actually turned out to be quite attractive. He could only hope he could charm her, despite his traffic light of a sweater. When Scott sat down at his seat, Tracy began to take her coat off.

"I'm so glad we finally got to do this." She smiled at him. "Laura says that we have a lot in common. I hear that you love this time of year also?"

"It's my favorite time of year." Scott nodded. "My busiest time of year." With Tracy's coat off, he got a clear view of the sweater she was wearing. Embroidered across the chest of her sweater was his face! Technically it was Santa's face, and she had no way of knowing Scott was Santa, but it was still slightly off pointing to see your own face stitched onto a sweater. For a brief moment he was glad he had started to de-Santafy.

"Whoah!" He remarked. "Look at the sweater. That is some sweater! Like I should talk!" He joked, throwing Neil's sweater 'under the bus' as it were.

"I also brought my Christmas Charm bracelet!" Tracy offered her hand out to him where a jangling bracelet, stuffed to the brim with Christmas charms, had been latched on. "Lots if Pretty charms!" She beamed. I wear it all year long just to keep the spirit alive."

"That's beautiful." Scott smiled. Wow if she loves Christmas this much, imagine what she'd be like a the pole! He thought to himself.

"So what kind of work do you do?" Tracy questioned.

"I'm in the toy business." He replied vaguely.

"No way!" They shared a laugh. "That sounds so creative. I love creative people!"

"So what do you do?" Scott asked. Things were going well so far. Maybe this dating thing wasn't nearly as hard as he remembered. And hey, maybe if Tracy didn't turn out to be some psycho serial killer she'd make a great Mrs. Claus.

"I'm actually hoping to someday break into the music business." Tracy told him very seriously. "As a singer, songwriter.

"What's your favorite kind of music?" Things with Tracy were going very well so far.

"Country-Western. Do you like Shania Twain?"

"Yeahh." Scott nodded. She was alright. OF course he mostly listed to Carols these days but a little regular music never hurt.

"The best thing about singing at Christmas...Is the coco, caroling and fun! Do you know that one?" Tracy started to sing a song she'd written to the tune of Shania Twain's Man I Feel Like a Woman.

"Yeah I do know that song." Scott nodded.

"Ah-Whoah-Oh-Oh, Go totally Yule-tide!" Tracy continued her song, raising her voice a little. "Taking a sleigh ride!" Before Scott knew it, she had jumped to her feet and was belting the lyrics to her ripped off music. "SANTA SHIRT! REINDEER SKIRTS! AH-WHOAH-OH-OH!" People around the dining room were beginning to stare and it was starting to make Scott uncomfortable. Tracy of course was oblivious to this. Her impromptu performance was only getting more boisterous and animated as she continued.

"WATCHING THE WINDOWS FOG! DRINKING SOME EGGNOG!" She paused her song only long enough to mime the drinking of eggnog. "AH-WHOAH-Oh-OH! Fill up a stocking! I SPRAY ON SOME FLOCKING!"Tracy continued to dance around their table as she screeched out her song. "PUT UP A TREE! SPORTS ON TV! Ah-Whah-uh-oh!" She wagged her butt in Scott's face, who was still seated at the table trying to reign in his crazy date. But she was having none of that.

"I wanna be free and to feel the way I feel! MAN! I FEEL LIKE SOME CHRISTMAS!" She smiled before breathlessly taking her seat.

"Phrew." Scott breathed in relief when she finally sat down. Tracy's face fell, completely disheartened.

"What? You hated it?" She asked.

"It kind of scared me a little bit." Scott blurted without thinking. They he saw how hurt Tracy looked. "No! It's just...I...ah, I wasn't prepared for a performance!"

"You know what," Tracy began as she started to put on her coat. "I totally put myself out there doing that and that was not an easy thing to do, and if you're not the kind of man that can support a woman's ambition, then I really don't think that there's any reason to continue this date." and with that she gathered her things and left.