The next day, Martha used makeup to cover the cut on her cheek, but she couldn't conceal the black eye so she had to deal with it. In the cafeteria, she sadly stared at her food, not even bothering to touch it. Franklin suddenly came in and slowly went over to her table.
"Is something wrong?" He asked. "You hardly touched anything on your plate."
"I don't wanna talk, Franklin." Martha muttered.
"Eating will help."
"Leave me alone."
"Not until I see you eat something."
Martha rolled her eyes, dipped her grilled cheese sandwich in her bowl of tomato soup, and reluctantly took a bite.
"Happy now?" She asked with her mouth full.
"Yes." Franklin said, a little grossed out at the sight before noticing the black eye. "Martha, dear, what happened to your eye?"
"I don't want to talk about it, Franklin." Martha argued, swallowing her bite of sandwich; she held back tears.
Franklin kept quiet; he knew better than to pry any further.
Back at the office, Martha sat at her desk in silence. But she wasn't working on anything; no, she was looking at something in her lap beneath her desk. Heather suddenly came back with a small stack of papers. She glanced in Martha's direction and sneered before going over and taking what was in Martha's hands.
"Hey! Give it back!" Martha cried.
"Not until you tell me what this is." Heather hissed, holding up the framed photo of Martha and the Grinch together. "What is this green thing? When was this taken? And why do you look so happy with it?"
"He is NOT a thing." Martha snapped, snatching the photo from her co-worker. "He is the Grinch... he's my friend."
"Your friend? That? You can't be serious." Heather scoffed.
"I am serious, Heather." Martha sat back down and sighed. "He and I met when I was a little girl. It was Christmastime and my parents and I were on vacation in Whoville."
It was then that Martha told Heather the entire story. She told her of how she first met the Grinch, how he saved her, and every encounter she had with him, including the time he helped her during the Christmas Pageant when that very picture was taken. Heather was taken aback; she honestly couldn't fathom how and why Martha could care for this thing.
"After that Christmas, my folks and I went back home and I never saw him again." Martha sighed, gazing at the picture sadly.
"...Have you ever tried going back?" Heather asked.
"I begged my parents to go back to Whoville when I was in middle school, but they always refused. They said that they can't afford a big vacation like that anymore, especially during the holiday season and I guess that is pretty understandable. But when I reached my senior year high school, I stopped asking."
"But... you're a grown woman now. You can make your own decisions."
"So?"
"So you can go back to Whoville whenever you want."
"Believe me, I tried... and August wouldn't have any of it."
Heather grimaced at the mention of August May-Who; she somehow knew he would have something to do with this.
"Girls?" Johanna's voice called.
Heather and Martha looked at each other before reluctantly heading into Johanna's office. She gave them a look they couldn't quite decipher.
"I need to tell you girls something very important." She began. "You know about Fashion Week in Thneedville next spring, right?"
They nodded.
"Good. Because I made a pretty big decision." She paused. "...I need you both to come with me."
The two girls looked at each other, then back at their employer in shock and confusion.
"But I thought only the first assistant went to Fashion Week with you." Martha said.
"Well, I wanted to do something different this time. And Martha, if you're going to be working here... this place going to need some serious changes." Johanna replied.
"Changes? Like what?" Heather nervously asked.
"First of all... we need to make this place feel more like Christmas. Meaning, this place needs decorations. Not just for Christmas, but for all holidays. And Martha is pretty coordinated and streetwise when it comes to decorating and organizing. So, Martha... you are now Who Runway's head decorator and fashion consultant."
"Me?" Martha asked.
"What?! That's not fair!" Heather argued. "I've been here far longer than she has!"
Johanna glared at her before Heather went quiet. "But it's all up to you, Martha. Decorating for Christmas would be right up your alley. What do you say? You wanna give it a try?"
Martha stood in stunned silence, unsure of what to say. She didn't like working here, but she absolutely loved to decorate for the holiday season. And helping bring Christmas spirit to this boring, egotistical place seemed like a fantastic opportunity to start a new change in her life. She looked back at Johanna.
"I'll take it." She said.
"You will? Great!" Johanna practically cheered and shook Martha's hand. "You can start right away, if you want."
"Okay, whatever works." Martha smirked and shrugged her shoulders as she went to her desk to pick up her things.
Johanna handed her a large wad of cash. "Okay, I need you to go get as many decorations you can buy with this, enough to make everyone in this building feel enough holiday cheer to last until next Christmas. Can you do that?"
"I can try."
"That's the spirit. Now get going; you've got a lot of work to do."
"Okay, but I'm expecting some kind of help when I get back."
"Of course." Johanna nodded before Martha left.
Heather stared at her boss with wide eyes.
"You asked Martha to decorate? For Christmas?" She asked. "We haven't done that in years."
"I know." Johanna answered. "But if Martha's going to be staying here, we need to make it feel like a place she'd want to work. And that means making some changes... including make this place feel like Christmas."
0-0-0-0-0-0
A few hours had passed and Martha had returned with all of the Christmas decorations she can carry. As soon as she made it back, she immediately set to work. She strung up multi-colored lights, put up a few fake trees (green and white), hung sparkling ornaments, and added figures of snowmen, reindeer, and even a Santa Claus or two. It took a long time, but in the end, she felt it was worth it. Franklin, Heather, and Johanna gawked at Martha and the courtyard in awe; they could hardly believe what they were seeing.
"...How?" Heather asked.
"When it comes to Christmas, I always know what to do." Martha proudly replied.
"I must say, Martha, I am... very impressed. And I don't impress easily. Well done." Johanna said, slowly clapping her hands.
"Thanks, Johanna. Oh! I almost forgot." Martha said before giving a whistle. "Okay, you can come out now." Then, as if on cue, a group of teenagers came in. "After all, what would Christmas be without some Christmas carolers?"
"You... really went all out for this, didn't you Martha?" Franklin asked.
"What can I say? It's how I roll." She shrugged her shoulders.
"Don't worry, folks. We don't work for money or fame." One of the kids said, stepping forward. "We only sing to spread Christmas cheer and joy. And luckily, Martha May here has taught us the perfect song."
Martha smiled and turned around to face the kids; she raised a hand above her head. "Ready, everyone?"
They nodded before one of them took out a CD player and pushed a button that started to play. Then, they all began to sing with Martha at the lead.
"Oooh, ahhh..." They started.
"Fahoo fores, dahoo dores
Welcome Christmas, come this way
Fahoo fores, dahoo dores
Welcome Christmas, Christmas day
Welcome, welcome fahoo ramus
Welcome, welcome dahoo damus
Christmas day is in our grasp
So long as we have hands to clasp
Fahoo fores, dahoo dores
Welcome Christmas, bring your cheer
Fahoo fores, dahoo dores
Welcome all Whos far and near
Welcome Christmas, fahoo ramus
Welcome Christmas, dahoo damus
Christmastime will always be
Just as long as we have glee
Fahoo fores, dahoo dores
Welcome Christmas, bring your light
Oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh..."
Franklin, Johanna, and Heather could only stare at Martha in awe, unable to find the right words.
"Is this what Christmas is supposed to feel like?" Heather whispered to Franklin.
"I have no idea... but it's beautiful." Franklin muttered.
"It is, it really is..." Johanna added, a tear rolled down her cheek.
Martha smiled as she sang; for the first time in a long time, she felt true Christmas joy. Right now, she felt nothing could possibly ruin this moment for her...