The Gift

“It's going to be a cold Christmas eve out there. Temperatures will be dipping down into the mid-teens tonight. The Morgan warming center will be opening its doors at six o'clock for those in need of a place to shelter from the cold.”

The speaker from the old transistor radio crackled with the news of freezing temperatures. Lenny turned off the radio and snuggled deeper into his sleeping bag. It wasn't the best bag. He knew he would be cold but the alternative was out of the question. The shelter might be warmer but he didn't like the company he would have to keep in order to gain a few hours of heat. To him, it just wasn't worth the trade-off.

As he hunkered down for the evening someone called from outside his tent. “Hello, is anyone in there?”

Lenny reluctantly stuck his head out from what little warmth he was holding in his bag. “What do you want?” He gruffly replied.

“I have the gift of a blanket for you and an invitation to come down to the warming center.”

“I'll take the blanket but pass on the invitation,” replied Lenny.

The head of a middle aged man poked through the flap. “It's a warm quilt. I'll just spread it out over your bag. Why don't you want to go to the warming center?” He asked.

As Lenny answered, the young man looked intently into Lenny's face. He interrupted him in mid sentence. “I know you,” he remarked.

“No you don't,” Lenny quickly shot back.

“I do. You're Lenny Wakeland. You live next door to me. At least you did until you disappeared two years ago. Am I right?”

“You might be. And who are you?”

“I'm Dan, your old neighbor. Your kids are looking for you, you know.”

Lenny recognized him but didn't let on. “Well that's just too bad. I want to stay disappeared. Thanks for the blanket and don't come back.” Lenny abruptly ended the conversation by sticking his head back down into his bag.

“Merry Christmas,” replied Dan as he left the tent. Lenny thought that was the end of the encounter. The blanket was a welcome addition. Even though he didn't thank Dan for it, the gift was appreciated.

As he lay in his bag he recalled Dan to be a nice enough guy. Always friendly and smiling. The encounter made him think of his kids. They were old enough to be on their own when he left. He was under the false impression they blamed him for what had happened. The car accident that killed their mother and his wife wasn't his fault. Even so, he never forgave himself. He had always felt he didn't do enough to try and save her. Two years ago he wandered off too heartbroken to live and too cowardly to end it all. He soon found himself living on the street.

Lenny was awakened from his thoughts when he heard a loud noise outside his tent. It sounded like a vehicle pulling up right next to it. “Great, the cops have come to drag me off to the shelter,” he thought.

Eventually the sound stopped. A head poked into the tent. “Lenny, it's Dan. You won't go to the shelter so I brought a shelter to you.”

Lenny poked his head out from his bag. “What are you talking about?”

“It's Christmas eve and it's freezing out here. I'm back with some warmth and a comfortable bed for the night. Come and see.”

Lenny was reluctant but the thought intrigued him so he decided to take a look. He crawled out of his bag and stuck his head out of the tent. In front of him was a travel trailer.

Dan was all smiles. “It's stocked with food, has a warm heater and a soft bed.”

Lenny couldn't believe someone would do this for him. Dan held the door open as he climbed in. He closed the door behind Lenny, jumped in his truck and drove off leaving the trailer behind.

When Lenny came through the door he discovered he wasn't alone. To his surprise he was greeted by his two sons. They hugged him tightly. Lenny didn't fight it. His children had welcomed him back into their lives. The night drifted well into morning as they talked and made plans for Lenny's future. When Dan returned for the trailer, Lenny thanked him for the best Christmas gift of his life. The gift of family.

© Copyright 2024 by Scott A. Gese All Rights Reserved.

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