Captain Braddock smiled. “Yes, just there.” He paused for a moment, then gave a heavy sigh, and said, “Well, I guess we’d best get to our work now.”
* * * *
The clock chimed five just as Captain Braddock locked the front door and pulled down the dark green window shades. He poked at the fire in the wood stove, then turned and stood in the doorway to the office, watching his assistant.
Katherine sat on the floor, surrounded by piles of fragrant green branches, working busily away. She looked up and met the captain’s gaze.
“What are you thinking about?” she asked, picking up another branch to tie onto her garland.
“I was just remembering the days long ago when I was the one sitting on the floor, tying branches together.”
Katherine smiled and looked back down at the knot she was tying.
“You know, Katherine,” Captain Braddock continued, “I sure am glad you came to the Harborside this year. I never would have had the heart to do all this on my own, and yet, Christmas wouldn’t have seemed quite right without it.”
“I wouldn’t have missed this for the world,” Katherine held up her garland. “Does this look right?” she asked brightly.
“Perfect. Now it’s time to hang them. Let me show you where they go.”
By the time they had finished, there were garlands over the windows and doorways, along the counter, and even along the top and sides of the shelves. The whole room was filled with the fragrance of the fresh branches.
The two stood back to admire their work. “It sure does seem like Christmas now.” Katherine said.
“We haven’t even put up the tree yet,” Captain Braddock replied.
“Oh, I almost forgot about the tree. When is it coming?”
“Any minute now. I told them to deliver it at five-thirty. I’ll bring in another chair, and we can both sit by the stove while we wait.”
* * * *
At last, the tree arrived, and Katherine helped Captain Braddock set it up in the large shopfront window.
“It’s the perfect size!” Katherine exclaimed. “I’m glad you got such a tall tree. It fills the window so well.”
“I like a large tree, myself,” The captain replied. “The last few years before my parents turned the Harborside over to Serena and I, they only had a short tree, over on the corner of the counter, but when I was young, we always had a tree this big.” He motioned towards the picture of him and Serena. “This is where that picture was taken, you know. Right in front of the window, with the tree.”
“I wondered what was so familiar about it. I didn’t even think to look at where it had been taken. I’m glad we’re making it look just like you remember.”
“Me, too. Now, let’s get that box of ornaments from the storeroom.”
Katherine found the box of ornaments and carried it back in.
“What was Christmas like when you were a boy?” asked Katherine, as they began to unpack and hang the ornaments.
“What was it like? Well, I suppose it was just as full of fun and wonder as any child’s Christmas. We would decorate here and back at the big house, and when school got out, we would spend almost every day here with my grandparents. This was as much a home to us as anywhere, so I suppose it was just as much a part of my Christmas as my own home.”
“It’s strange how a place can have such a large part of someone’s Christmas memories. When my family moved, I felt like I could never have a real Christmas again.”
Captain Braddock looked over at her, his eyebrows raised, “And did you?”
“No, but I think I will this year.”
“Because you’re back in Harborhaven?”
“Not exactly.” Katherine looked at the captain, trying to decide how much to say. It suddenly seemed very important to express herself clearly. Taking a deep breath, she began.
“You see, when my family moved, I felt angry and hurt. My parents took me away from the place I loved, from everything that was familiar to me. And then, they both had to work so hard, it seemed like they didn’t have time for me anymore. I knew in my head that they were just doing what they had to, but in my heart, I felt they had abandoned me. For years I felt hurt, angry, and miserable.”
“What changed?” asked the captain, his hand paused, holding an ornament in mid-air.
“I did,” said Katherine simply. “I came here, hoping it would erase the hurt, but it only reminded me of it. Then Miss Harriet helped me find the old paths.”
“Old paths? What does that mean?”
“I’m not quite sure how to explain it… In the Bible, God says that if we seek the old paths, the way He said to do things, we will find rest for our souls. That’s what I wanted: rest from all the misery of how I felt about the past. So I began praying and reading the Bible, and God showed me that I needed to forgive my parents, and that I was the one who had built up the wall between us in the first place. All those years I had blamed my parents, but in reality, I was the one who had made it so that things between us were never the same again. It wasn’t easy, but I knew I needed to forgive.”
“And did it work?”
“Yes.” Katherine smiled happily. “Yes, it did work. I talked with my parents at Thanksgiving, and I feel like I suddenly have them back again, though perhaps I’m really the one who’s back. And what’s better, I’m not miserable anymore! I feel like I’m finally free from all the hurt and the anger.”
