Copyright © 1999 Walt Zientek

The old man started to grumble out loud.

"Damn shoppers!" he growled to himself as he tried fruitlessly to
find a parking space in the crowded mall lot.

Pushing his tired body through the crowd, he finally made his way
into the store. He was assaulted by twinkling, blinking lights, canned
holiday music, plastic holly and garish garland.

"Merry Christmas!" shouted a beaming, pimple faced clerk.

The man just scowled.

"Happy Holidays!" called a chubby cashier in a ridiculous Santa hat.

The man just stared and paid his bill, shoved his change into a front
pocket and "harumphed" as he risked life and limb, trying to return
to his car.

After a plain meal, the man settled into a battered chair and let his
body and mind calm down as he sipped a sweet, red wine. The heat
from the ancient woodstove felt soft against his face as he drifted
slowly to sleep...

"Here Duke!" he heard a child's voice call from far away.

"What?" he wondered in his sleepy state.

"C'mon Duke ole boy," he heard again. Closer.

He opened his eyes and saw a familiar youngster standing next to a
powerful black lab. The boy and dog didn't seem to notice him in his
old chair in that barren livingroom.

The boy knelt next to the dog and put his arms around his neck.
hugging gently yet firmly.

"I love you Duke," the boy whispered without embarrassment or
shame.

"C'mon Big Guy, Mom's calling and supper's ready! Let's go."

The old man watched through half opened eyes as the two figures
strode away and seemed to fade away. He let the warmth of the fire
lull him back to sleep.

"Hi Honey!" he heard a sweet feminine voice call to him. "Merry
Christmas!" it said with much excitement.

He slowly opened one eye, just enough to see a beautiful woman
in an old-fashioned dress and hairstyle, stand up on her tiptoes and
throw her arms around a strong, handsome young man. The man
beamed back at the woman, wrapped her in his powerful arms and
swung her around.

"Merry Christmas Baby!" he replied in kind as he held the woman
until their images began to fade from the old man's sight.

"Santa has been here!" he heard the child's voice exclaim. "I must
have been a good girl this year!" she shouted as she ran around
the brightly decorated tree. The big yellow dog followed merrily
behind, its fat tail clapping happily against the lower branches.

Through his damp and barely opened eyes, the old man watched
the child and her dog explore the wonder of a Christmas morning.
He watched them as she open all her simple gifts and showed
them proudly to her friend. The big dog sniffed each one politely
and seemed to smile at his owners glee.

The man blinked to try to clear his eyes. Each time he did, the little
girl and her dog, seemed to blur a little more, until finally, they were
gone.

The man sat up in the old chair and rubbed his face with his dry,
chapped hands and slowly pushed himself to his feet. He ignored
the cold from the used-up stove and found his way to the kitchen
and the phone that hung there on the wall.

He dialed a number from a memory he had thought he'd lost.

"Hello?" a woman's voice said on the other end.

"Hello?" it repeated.

"Merry Christmas, Honey," the old man barely whispered.
"Merry Christmas."

"What?.... Who?" the woman asked softly.

"Merry Christmas, Honey," the man said in a steady voice.
"Merry Christmas. It's your Dad."