Darkness had settled over the town as a thick blanket of snow began to fall. The night was silent as midnight began approaching. This portion of town was usually quiet even during the busiest of days. The only noise in this particular alley could be heard from the buzzing of a neon sign, hung on the front of an old local bar, tucked against the end of the street.
Though most of the patrons inside were quiet as they sat at the bar or at tables throughout the building, a low murmur could be heard in the room. The bartender turned up the radio before he flipped a cup onto the bar.
"The usual, Jake?"
The man he was talking to let out a heavy sigh as he nodded. His messy brown hair fell against his forehead and cheeks as his head moved.
"Rough day?" The bartender poured his drink before leaning foreword against the counter.
Jake smiled ruefully. "No more than usual. It's just..."
The bartender nodded. "Christmas Eve. I understand." He picked up an empty glass and began washing it. "This one's on The House." Many of the people here tonight didn't have anywhere to go for Christmas. Their families were either dead or didn't care about them anymore. Jake was no different. Though he was still rather young, his parents had cut him off when he began drinking. He hadn't seen or spoken to them in years.
"What time are you closing tonight?"
The bartender shrugged. "As long as there are people here, I'll stay open. I have nothing to hurry home to." The bartender was a middle-aged man with light brown hair which was turning grey around the temples and though his kind blue eyes were always smiling, they held a trace amount of sorrow. His late wife died at a young age leaving him a widower in his prime. Instead of finding another person to share the remainder of his life with, he threw himself into his work and spent his time with those who needed a willing ear to listen.
The bell above the door rang as it opened and a sudden hush fell over the already quiet bar as the newest patron stepped over the threshold. He wore snow boots, dark jeans, and was bundled up to his chin with a thick grey coat and a dark blue scarf. He couldn't have been older than 10. His platinum blonde hair shone brightly against the blue neon sign near his head and his eyes scanned the room till they rested on the bartender. He walked over to the bar and climbed onto a stool next to Jake.
The child said nothing for a moment, just sat there watching the bartender.
"You shouldn't be here, Son." The bartender leveled the kid with a kind but firm look. "Where are your parents?"
The kid looked out the window, then back to the bartender. "Did you know that there's a child outside in the snow?"
Jake glanced towards the window before looking at the kid again. "What child?"
The boy kept his gaze on the bartender. "A young girl. She's standing by that old payphone across the street, under the street lamp."
The bartender turned towards the window and found the payphone he knew all too well. A girl around 14 stood underneath the lone street lamp, beside the phone in question. Her long dark hair had snowflakes caught in it. She was hunched against the cold with a thin jacket and tennis shoes. Her frail frame shook as the snow fell around her. "That payphone is broken. Has been for about ten years now."
"She doesn't know that. She can't get home to Connecticut,"
The bartender continued watching the girl across the street. "Do you know the girl?"
"No."
"Then how do you know she needs to get home?"
The boy once again looked over the room before resting his eyes on Jake. "If a person had a family to go home to on Christmas Eve, they'd be with them tonight."
The bartender turned away from the window. He glanced around the room and quietly opened the register drawer. Jake noticed his hand swipe quickly across the contents before he grabbed a brown paper sack and closed the empty drawer.
"Let's go have a talk with this girl." The bartender motioned for the boy to follow him and together, the two walked out of the bar toward the old payphone.
Many of the bar's customers walked over to the window and watched as the bartender began speaking with the girl. She gave a nod before lifting a hand to her eyes to wipe away her frozen tears. After a moment she wrapped her arms around the bartender's waist and buried her face against his chest. He gave her hair an affectionate tussle before looking down the street.
As the bartender whistled, a cab turned down the street and stopped in front of the three. The bartender walked towards the driver side window and began talking with the cabbie. He gestured to the child before saying "JFK". The bartender held out some money to the cabbie only for him to shake his head and reach up to turn off his meter. He pulled a piece of paper out of his glovebox and gave it to the bartender who began to write. Returning the paper to the cabbie, the bartender opened the car door and helped the girl inside. Giving the cabbie a firm handshake, the bartender waved as the cab drove away.
The bartender looked around and frowned when the young boy was nowhere to be seen. Jake smiled as the bartender scratched his head and walked back towards the bar, empty handed. He walked through the door and silently returned to his place behind the counter.
"Did you see where the boy went?"
Jake shook his head. "He disappeared."
Hours passed as people continued to chat the night away. The bartender continued serving drinks until the phone rang and the bar fell silent once more.
"Yes, Hello?" The bartender frowned. "Yes. Yes. Okay. Thank you. Have a good night. Merry Christmas." He hung up the phone before letting out a sigh of relief. "The girl made it to the airport and security made sure she got a ticket and made it safely onto the plane. They also called her parents to inform them of her landing time in Connecticut." He took a tag from under the counter and nodded to himself.
"How much do I owe you?" An older man walked up to the bar and pulled out his wallet.
The bartender smiled. "No charge."
Jake looked up from his own drink.
He locked the register drawer. "It's Christmas Eve. Drinks are on The House tonight. Merry Christmas, friends."
For a moment no one made a sound then an older man stood from the corner of the room and began clapping. It didn't take long for the rest of the bar to join in the applause.
"Can you afford this?" Jake raised his eyebrows as the bartender laughed.
"It's Christmas and we're all friends here. How can I afford not to?" His eyes crinkled. "Merry Christmas."
Jake chuckled as he shook his head. He reached behind the bar and pulled out an old mason jar. Placing it on the counter, he pulled out his wallet and dropped the contents into the jar. "Merry Christmas."
"I don't take tips, Jake."
"This isn't a tip. It's a Christmas gift. Buy yourself a new set of glasses. These ones are a little cloudy." Jake nodded his head and rose from the bar. "I'll see you later. I need to go speak with a couple of people who are very important to me."
Another man came up to the bar and pulled out his wallet. "That ceiling fan is missing a blade, maybe you could get a new one."
One by one, other customers rose from their seats and started placing money in the jar till bills were sticking out of the top.
Tears filled his eyes and the bartender let it an emotional huff as the last man walked up to the bar. "I don't deserve this."
The last man nodded. "You're right." He agreed. "You deserve so much better. Merry Christmas. We'll all see you tomorrow."
Outside the bar the snow had slowed till it was falling softly from the sky. Unseen by those sitting in the bar was a young boy, bundled up in a grey coat and a dark blue scarf. The boy stood under the old street lamp with a small smile upon his lips. "Merry Christmas." He turned down the street and walked past the
buildings, leaving printless footsteps in the snow until he disappeared into the night.
~~
I've been wanting to write out a short story about this song for a long time. Merry Christmas everyone!
