Bible study started at 5:30 and was over by 6:30 so that the choir—or this time of year, those who would be participating in the Christmas Festival—could get an hour’s worth of practice in before little ones needed to head off to bed. Melody had made several friends in her study group and knew others from high school, but she was so busy these days trying to keep the shop open, she rarely saw any of them outside of their Wednesday night meetings and Sunday service. This time of year, it was hard for her to focus because the lessons were always about how to be thankful and appreciate the ones you loved, the sort of themes that went along with the Christmas spirit, and since she spent most of the hour thinking about her father, she was seriously considering skipping from now until after the new year.
A few of the girls in her group called her over to chat once the leader, Dan, dismissed them, but she made an excuse and headed out the classroom door, hoping to get out of the building without having to talk to anyone else. She just wanted to go home and immerse herself in work, forgetting all about her father, Christmas, everything.
She saw her mother across the vestibule as she neared the door and waved at her. Her mom would stay and sing in the adult choir, like she had every year for as long as Melody could remember, except for the year her father had passed. Losing her father hadn’t effected Sarah exactly the same way as it had Melody when it came to music, but her mom understood and waved at her with a small smile as Melody headed for the door.
Stepping out of the way for an older couple coming in, Melody was shocked when she heard a familiar squeaking voice shouting her name. She looked back, and bounding down the hall behind her was none other than her sweet friend Michael.
“Miss Melody!” he shouted, his arms open wide as he plowed into her. “I’m so glad I got to see you before you left.”
“Michael!” she said, wrapping her arms around him. “What are you doing here?” Instinctively, she looked around for Reid, but when she saw Mrs. Gregory walking up slowly behind Michael, a smile on her face, she thought she knew why he was there.
“I came to sing with the other kids,” he explained, stepping back and looking up at her with a big grin on his face. “Dad said I could.”
“How fun!” Melody exclaimed. “Did you ride with Mrs. Gregory?”
“Yup,” he said, turning to smile at the woman who was standing behind him. “I got to learn all about the shepherds in Bible study, and now I get to go in there and sing on the big stage,” he said pointing into the sanctuary where other children were starting to gather on the stage.
“How are you, Melody?” Mrs. Gregory said, smiling and leaning across Michael to hug her.
Melody returned the embrace and said, “I’m good. It’s so nice that you were able to bring Michael. I know he’s going to love singing in the festival.” She looked down at him and giggled at the broad smile on his face.
“I remember another little girl who loved singing in the festival,” Mrs. Gregory said with a sharp wink, and Melody steeled herself for a possible confrontation, hopeful that Patricia Gregory was wise enough to leave it alone. “Michael is also going to have a line to recite, aren’t you?” she continued, resting her hands on his small shoulders.
“Yup!” he repeated. “I can’t wait!”
“Well, you have a wonderful time,” Melody smiled, seeing that the group in the other room seemed just about large enough for Mrs. Gregory to get in there and get started.
“You’ll come watch won’t you?” Michael asked, grabbing hold of Melody’s coat sleeve. “You gotta.”
“Oh, I’ll definitely come and see you sing in the festival,” Melody assured him. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
“No, not the festival,” Michael clarified, adamantly shaking his head, “tonight. At the practice. There’s lots of seats in there, and all the other kids have parents here.”
“Not all of them,” Mrs. Gregory offered. “And most of them are in the adult choir, sweetie.”
“Please, Miss Melody?” Michael continued, slipping his sticky little fingers into hers. “Please?”
Melody opened her mouth and closed it, not sure how to explain in a way that he would understand that the last thing on earth she wanted to do was watch a group of children sing the very Christmas songs she was trying to run away from. And she had so much work to do now that her mother was selling the inventory so quickly. Still, when she looked into those bright blue eyes, the declination wouldn’t come, and before she knew what she was saying, the words came pouring out of her mouth. “All right, Michael. I’ll come and watch.”
“Yay!” he exclaimed, and heading over toward the sanctuary, he tugged her along for several steps before one of his friends shouted his name, and he took off running to join her on the stage.
“That boy,” Melody said, shaking her head. “I don’t know how his dad ever tells him no.”
Mrs. Gregory chuckled. “Reid is so good with him though, isn’t he?”
“Yes,” Melody said definitively. “I can’t imagine how difficult it is to do that all on his own.”
“It can’t be easy,” Mrs. Gregory agreed. As they reached the aisle that ran between the two sets of pews in the sanctuary, Mrs. Gregory put her hand on Melody’s arm. “I’m so glad you decided to stay, Melody. It means a lot to Michael. And I think it will do your soul good.”
Melody forced a small smile, thinking Mrs. Gregory had no idea just how wrong she was, but it would be good for Michael, so she followed her up a few rows and then slid into one of the pews, taking a seat so that she would have a good view of the stage. There were a few parents here and there, some in groups chatting quietly, others absently looking at their phones, a few even paying attention to their children, and Melody wondered what kind of a parent she might be. Would she have kids someday? Would she be able to keep up with all of them? Would she be the kind who was looking at her phone or the kind that never took their eyes off her child?