O Come All Ye Faithful Read online

  “What’s next on the list?” Carla asked.

  Elana scanned it for something without a line through it. “Um, let’s see. Oh, here it is. ‘Cell Phone Charger.’” She spun around in a slow circle. A thin black cord peeked out of a small pile of clothes and Elana pounced on it, gently taking the cord between her fingers and following it to the wall outlet.

  “Here it is.” She unzipped her suitcase and plopped it on top of the clothes.

  A gasp made her look up at Carla. Her friend had a horrified look on her face.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Did you never learn how to pack your suitcase? Or fold clothes at all?”

  Elana shrugged. “Yes, but I’ve never followed the conventional, breakable rules Mom and Emmie tried to instill in me.”

  “Why not?”

  “It was my little protest against their smothering advice.”

  “Don’t you mean rebellion?”

  “No, protest is the correct term.”

  “Why?”

  Elana sank onto her bed. “You grew up in a perfect home, Carla. You have no idea how lucky you are. I didn’t. I was—am—blond, picture perfect, beautiful. With that image comes certain expectations. Emmie tried to be the perfect girl, daughter, student, everything, and she succeeded. Her room was always spotless, not a carpet fiber out of place. Me? I had my looks, but I hated the expectations at home and school. So I became a geek instead of a cheerleader, I never dated anyone, and I kept my room and life messy without going too over the top with it. I never got into drugs or drinking or anything to do with that lifestyle, but pretty much everything else, I did.

  “Yes, I was rebellious, but I didn’t care and I still don’t. So yes, I know how to fold my clothes, and believe me, I know how to pack a suitcase with precision and plenty of room inside. I was shuttled between parents often enough growing up. I could probably pack a suitcase in my sleep. But just because I can do it doesn’t mean I want to. So I don’t.”

  Carla sat next to Elana and put an arm around her shoulders. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know. Why have you never told me any of this?”

  Elana shrugged. “It never seemed pertinent.”

  Carla clicked her tongue. “You are pertinent, which makes your life pertinent. I wondered why you dressed a little shabby and never seemed interested in makeup or anything that might make you look even prettier. Now I understand even if I don’t really understand what you went through. Come on. Let’s go to your closet and see if you have any pretty dresses. If not...” She stood up in front of Elana and sized her up with a critical eye. “You seem to be close to the same size as me. I think we could find something in my closet if need be.”

  Carla spent the next half hour agonizing over the state of Elana’s dresses. And found nothing. Elana was still on her bed where Carla had left her and on her way past, Carla grabbed Elana’s wrist and gave it a tug. “Come on. It’s time to raid my closet. What size dress do you wear?”

  “No clue.”

  Carla gasped. “What?”

  “I haven’t bought myself a dress in so long I have no idea.”

  Carla narrowed her eyes. “Fine, we’ll figure it out. Come on.”

  Elana let herself be led to Carla’s neatly organized room. The purple blanket had nary a wrinkle and the desk actually had room to use for writing or computer work. Carla let go and opened her mostly organized closet, which was sorted by type of clothing. She skipped all the shirts, jackets, and skirts and went straight to the dozen or so dresses.

  “So it will likely be cold since you’ll be in Montana. That cuts out the short-sleeve and sleeveless dresses. This dress is too fancy for even a slightly more fancy Christmas party.” She paused and Elana turned to see her better. “This might work if it fits.”

  Carla spun around holding a shimmery emerald-green dress. The sleeves had a white lace overlay and the skirt hem had matching red lace lining it.

  Elana resisted the urge to openly admire the beauty of the dress and decided to simply shrug. Could you strain your shoulders if you shrugged too often? She certainly hoped not. “It could do.”

  Carla’s grin couldn’t be contained by her face even if she had tried. “Try it on already.”

  Elana took a deep breath. “Okay, but turn around, please.”

  Elana caught Carla’s eye roll before her friend turned toward her closet. “We’re both girls here, you know.”

  “I know, but I still like a little privacy.”

  “Okay. Let me know if you need any help.”

  A couple minutes later, Elana had the dress on except zipping it up. “Could you please help me zip it?”

  Carla squealed and rushed over. It zipped up easily.

  “Turn around and let me see,” Carla said, enthusiasm dripping out of each word.

  Elana did as she asked and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror on the closet. She didn’t recognize herself. This couldn’t be her. She didn’t look shabby and ordinary anymore. “It’s too fancy, Carla. Do you have anything more plain and simple?”

  “It’s perfect!” Carla exclaimed. “Megan’s brother will fall madly in love with you wearing this dress. Please, trust me and take this one.”

  Elana sighed. “I don’t know.”

  Carla set her face in an exaggerated pout. “Please?”

  Elana caved as she always did. “Fine. But I have no idea how to transport it. Knowing me, I’ll have it ruined by the time I arrive.”

  Carla’s grin returned and she hopped over to her closet. “I have you covered there. Don’t worry about it.”

  Elana opened her mouth but couldn’t think of another excuse. Pooh. Now she would actually have to bring the dress with her. And wear it. She knew Carla well enough to know the girl would call her and demand photographic evidence of her wearing the dress to her friend’s party.

  Elana hurriedly got out of the dress and into her normal clothes. Much more comfortable. Now to just get everything into the Jeep and get on her way. As it was, she would probably have to check in late to her hotel in western Minnesota. She had survived on four hours of sleep many times in the past. She could do it again.

  3

  Emmie arrived at her hotel with plenty of time to eat a leisurely supper, take a long shower, and even watch some of her favorite TV show. One thing she loved the most about hotels was that they were perfectly spotless without her having to do any of the work.

  She slept well that night and woke up early. She turned on her laptop, put her workout DVD into the drive, and went through all the moves the lady did on the screen. Looking at the clock in the corner of the screen, she saw the continental breakfast was open and headed downstairs.

  There she made some oatmeal and nabbed an apple from the fruit basket. She brought her food to her room and ate on the bed. The only time she ever did something this rebellious. After breakfast, she made sure her suitcase was perfectly packed and headed downstairs where she checked out of her room.

  Leg one of the journey, done. Only two more left. One more hotel tonight and then on to her final destination. She popped in a new CD of classical music to listen to and pulled onto the interstate toward South Dakota. She still had half the state of Wyoming to go through and enjoyed watching the new scenery.

  As she approached the South Dakota border, black clouds billowed up out of nowhere. A shot of fear ran up and down her spine. It couldn’t be that bad, could it? Black clouds could mean anything. Emmie turned her CD off and radio on. She searched until she came across an emergency weather bulletin.

  “A blizzard warning has been issued for this area; please seek shelter immediately. Repeat, a blizzard warning has been issued for the following counties: Butte, Custer, Fall River, Harding, Lawrence, Oglala Lakota, Pennington, and Perkins. Please seek shelter immediately.”

  Emmie tuned out the weather forecaster. Blizzard? Just her luck. Was she even in one of those counties? She couldn’t take the chance. But what about her reservation in Rapid City, South Dakot
a? It didn’t matter. What did matter was her safety.

  She pulled off the interstate at the next exit and drove into the small town. The snow had started to fall heavily and she slowed down, trying to see if there were any hotels or motels. She found one and breathed in relief.

  As she entered the hotel, a light caught the edge of her vision. “No Vacancy,” the sign read. Great. Just great. Maybe she could still find a way to stay there. Or at least they would know where another hotel would be.

  The hotel clerk looked at her with weary eyes. “Sorry, miss, we’re full up.”

  “I saw that, but I’ve never been to town. I wonder if you could direct me to another place or even call ahead for me.”

  The clerk leaned his elbows on the counter. “I wish I could, but the phone lines are down already. Keep driving and you’ll find something.”

  Emmie ground her teeth, a habit she had given up years ago, but one that came out when she was stressed. She left the hotel and winced against the windblown snow hitting her glasses. The only thing she hated more than her family was getting spots on her glasses.

  She went into her car, closed the door, hurriedly wiped her glasses, and pulled out of the parking lot. She tried two more hotels before she found one with a Vacancy sign out. Another car pulled in the opposite driveway and they parked at the same time next to each other. She hoped the hotel had more than one room available.

  Emmie didn’t wait to see who the other person was; she hurried out of her car and into the hotel, ignoring the spots on her glasses this time. “I need a room for the night, please.”

  “So do I,” a female voice said from behind her. “And you are the only hotel in the town with a vacancy.”

  The clerk sighed and rubbed his eyes. “I’m aware of that.” He stifled a yawn. “Unfortunately, we only have one room. Would you two mind sharing? You can split the cost then.”

  Emmie turned around slowly. Before agreeing to something like staying the night with a total and complete stranger, she wanted to at least see if the woman looked like a psychopath or some other criminal type.

  She looked the woman up and down and her mouth opened to speak. Nothing came out. The woman in front of her did the same thing she had and also opened her mouth, only words actually came out of her mouth.

  4

  “Emmie? What are you doing here?”

  “I could ask the same of you,” the stylishly dressed woman said. “Last I knew, you were wallowing away in Wisconsin of all places.”

  “I...I’m on my way to visit friends,” Elana replied.

  “So am I,” Emmie answered. She adjusted her glasses and spun around back to the hotel clerk. “I will not share a room with this woman.”

  The clerk looked back and forth between the two. “I’m no expert and maybe it’s just because I’ve been working here fifteen hours straight, but it looks like you two know each other. Why can’t you share?”

  Elana let her shoulders droop. “That would be my fault. Let her have the room. I’ll see if I can find something else. Do you have a couch or something in the lobby I can crash on?”

  “No, we don’t.”

  “How about some extra blankets?” Elana asked. “I don’t mind sleeping on the floor for one night.”

  “I can’t allow that, actually. Corporate won’t even allow us to let the homeless in during a blizzard like this.”

  Elana closed her eyes. Okay, God, help Emmie believe me. “Can we have a moment alone, please?”

  The clerk nodded and went into the office.

  “Em, I know you are mad at me, but I’ve been trying to get a hold of you for years now.”

  Emmie turned around and glared at her. “Did you ever think that I changed my phone number for that very reason?”

  Elana bit her lower lip. This would be harder than she thought. “I know you did, but I still wanted to talk to you. I know seducing your boyfriend was wrong and I don’t have any excuses and don’t want to give any excuses. I’m sorry. It was wrong of me and I have regretted it for the last five years. I know how much you liked him.”

  Emmie’s fists clenched, a telltale sign she was trying not to cry. “Liked him? No, Elana, I loved him. He was going to propose to me during his salutatorian speech. I wanted to marry him. I wanted to live in a normal family. Not the dysfunctional one I had always known. Now I’ll never get that. I can’t trust him anymore. And I’ll never trust you again, either.”

  A weight pressed down on Elana’s chest. “I know. But the storm is getting worse out there. We both need a place to stay. Can we put our differences aside for one night so we can both stay warm? I’ll even pay for the room without splitting the difference. I promise to not speak unless spoken to.”

  Emmie stared at Elana for what seemed like forever before turning back to the desk. “Clerk?”

  The man appeared quicker than Elana expected. “Yes?”

  “We’ll take the room. My sister will pay for it all. I’m going out to get my suitcase.”

  “Your sister?” the clerk asked. He looked back and forth at each of them again. “I guess I do see a passing resemblance.” He clicked his computer mouse a couple of times. “Okay, you will have room 309. It’s got two double beds, a TV, and fresh sheets and towels. Only one bathroom though. Sorry.”

  Elana tried to smile. “Thank you. I’m sorry if we created a scene.”

  “Nope. It’s the most entertainment I’ve had here so far tonight. Not much happens here during a blizzard.” He clicked a few more times. “The room’ll be fifty-three dollars and sixty-seven cents.”

  Elana handed him her credit card. “Is there a breakfast?”

  “It’ll be sparser than normal unless the snow lets up, but yes. We’ll have cereal, oatmeal, and waffles. No eggs, though, since there aren’t enough to go around. If the snow slows enough, someone might come with a grocery delivery, but I wouldn’t count on that.”

  “Thank you,” Elana said.

  The clerk handed the two keys to her. “You’re welcome and try to enjoy your stay.”

  Elana forced a laugh. “Thanks.”

  5

  Emmie waited in the lobby for Elana to come back inside. Her suitcase looked stuffed to the gills as always, and Elana had something in her hand that she reached out with toward Emmie. Emmie shied away until realizing it was the key card.

  “Room 309. You pick the bed you want. I’ll be up in a minute.”

  Emmie nodded. She thought her anger had dissipated while she had been outside, but seeing Elana again fueled the rage. If the snow hadn’t made it hard to find her car, she probably would have left.

  Instead of straining the electrical grid with the elevator, Emmie took the stairs to the third floor. At the top, she pulled her cell phone out of her coat pocket and dialed a number.

  “Marleen? Hi, it’s Emmie... No, I’m fine, I just needed to talk.” She paused as Marleen prattled on for a minute about how worried she had been when she heard the news of the blizzard and was Emmie in a hotel before the storm hit? “Mar, I’m fine. I’m in a hotel until the storm passes and then I’ll be on my way to your house. I... It’s just that... Well, my sister and I are spending the night in the same hotel room because it’s the only one left.” She stopped, not sure what else to say. The other end was silent and Emmie checked her phone to make sure she hadn’t lost the call. “Marleen?”

  Emmie found the room and slid the key card in. After the light flashed green, she opened the door and made a cursory look around the place after setting her suitcase on the rack. Marleen finally responded in disbelief and demanded the whole story. Emmie told her everything she knew as she made a quick inspection of the room. Nothing seemed too dirty and Emmie flopped herself down on the bed farthest from the door.

  She stared at the ceiling while listening to Marleen drone on about how this could be God’s way of trying to get the two sisters together and work out their differences.

  “She stole my boyfriend from me,” Emmie interjected. “I’
d say that is more than just differences.”

  Marleen kept talking and Emmie finally interrupted her after hearing the click of a key card going into the slot. “I have to go, Mar. I’ll talk to you tomorrow when I hopefully know more about when I will be leaving.”

  Elana stepped into the room. “No lights?”

  Emmie hung up the phone. “No. I didn’t want to see all the dirt I’m sure is here.”

  Elana grimaced. “Of course not. Lights out is fine with me. You okay with that bed?”

  “Yes.”

  An uncomfortable silence filled the room as they both unpacked a few things and tried to make the room a little homier.

  “Wanna watch TV?” Elana asked.

  Emmie resisted the urge to shrug. If she did, she would be stuck with the home and garden channel instead of something more interesting. “If we can agree on something, sure. If not, we should leave it off.”

  Elana snatched the remote from under the TV and pushed the button on the TV before plopping onto her bed. “Let me know if anything trips your fancy.”

  Her sister cycled through all of the channels once and was almost halfway through the second time before a scene on a movie caught Emmie’s attention. “Stop. Is that Miracle on 34th Street?”

  “I think it is. Want to watch it?”

  “If you don’t mind.”

  “Nope. I haven’t seen it in years.”

  Emmie glanced at Elana. Her sister had changed since the last time they had seen each other right after high school graduation. She still looked the same, but there was something different about her.

  Emmie turned her attention to the TV.

  6

  Elana’s mind wandered each time the commercials came on. Her talk with Carla while downstairs waiting for Emmie to settle in had changed her perspective on this blizzard disaster. At first she thought the delay would be irksome, but then meeting up with Emmie reminded her that it could get worse.

  When she told Carla those thoughts, her friend’s response was “Think of it as being better, not worse. You’ve wanted to reach out to Emmie and apologize. Now is your chance. Sure you said you just did it, but do it again. And again. The whole time you are there. Don’t avoid the topic; keep bringing it up in different ways without it getting too annoying. Pray that God will show you how to bring peace between you two.”