Stuck With My Christmas Crush (Sweet Christmas Kisses)

9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Jason

I had just said goodnight to Charlie when the lights go out. We’re in total darkness until I turn on my phone.

Charlie holds onto me as we make our way back to the living room where Rocko, sensing something is up, is alert and ready for a command. I tell him to wait, then Charlie says, “Oh, okay,” and sits on the couch. Rocko jumps up beside her.

“I know I have candles and a lighter in here somewhere,” I say as I keep walking to the kitchen, shining my phone light ahead of me. I pull open one drawer and then another. “Ah, here they are on the counter where I left them.”

I open the box, pull out a candle, and light it with the Zippo. Then I find a small plate. I drip some hot wax onto the plate, then push the candle onto it so that the candle stands up straight and doesn’t fall over. The tiny flickering flame throws out its brave yellow glow that fills the kitchen. I take the plate with the candle, shielding it with my hand, into the living room and place it on the sideboard. I turn to Charlie who has her arms around Rocko.

“I’ll have a look at the fuse box to see if anything’s blown in there. I’ll be right back.” I head back into the kitchen and open the cupboard door where the fuse box is located.

“Okay, we’ll be right here,” Charlie calls after me.

The fuse box is old, but the switches are all in the ‘on’ position. Everything looks okay. I turn off the main power then pull out each fuse to check. They look fine. I carefully put them back, but I don’t turn on the mains in case of a power surge which would surely knock everything out when the electricity returns.

“Nah. It’s nothing I can fix,” I say, returning to the living room with another lit candle. “Must be a powerline down somewhere.” The wind whistles down the chimney. Thumping and bumping, a tree thrashes its branches around, just outside the window. “I have more candles, but we don’t know how long the blackout is going to last,” I say putting the plate on the sideboard but blowing out the candle. Charlie listens. Her eyes are large dark shadows in the dimness. “So, we’ll use them sparingly.”

“Okay,” Charlie says getting up to check her phone that’s still plugged into the wall. She turns it on. “Oh, no. There’s no reception. I have an error message.” She holds it up for me to see. “ Try again later. Have a nice day .” She laughs. “The storm must have knocked out the cell towers as well as the power.” She puts down her phone on the sideboard. “But well done having candles. Were you planning a romantic evening? With Rocko or… ”

“Nope. It’s just best to be prepared.” I sit on the other side of the couch next to Rocko who takes up most of the space in the middle. “Especially when you’re out of the way. In a place like this with ancient wiring.” A snort of laughter. “And ancient everything else.” I pat my dog’s head.

“Sounds to me like you’ve been in this situation before.” Charlie resumes her position on the other side of my dog. She pulls up her feet and faces me. Rocko lies down between us and yawns .

“Not exactly. But military training and time in the forces makes you…” I take a deep breath. “It hardwires your brain to survive in any environment.”

“Wow. I’m glad you’re on my team.” Charlie wraps her arms around her knees. “So, where were you stationed? Is that right? Stationed?”

“Yes. You can ask that. But if I tell you, I might need to kill you.”

“Ha! Really?”

“No. Just jokes.” I reach down to stroke Rocko’s velvety ears. He sighs and smiles with his tongue out. “I was stationed in a few places.”

“That’s not descriptive or helpful at all.”

“No. You’re right.”

“Okay. Let’s try this one.” Charlie sits up and looks at me directly. “Where was the last place you wore a military uniform? When was that?”

I’m quiet for a minute, then I say, “Kabul. Afghanistan. The airlift out after the Taliban takeover.”

“You were there?”

“Yup.”

“That must have been insane!”

“On one level. Yes. There’s no denying the madness in a situation as complex as what was going on there, but… we, the servicemen and women, when we’re called in to do a job, well, we just go ahead and do it…” I shrug and ruffle Rocko’s ears as a distraction. “It’s hard to explain.”

“You must have seen some…” Charlie pauses. She breathes out. Then she says, “Jason, you’re a hero.” She shakes her head. “I couldn’t be somewhere so chaotic. So violent.”

“Yeah. Peacekeeping in a hostile place isn’t for everyone. That’s for sure.” I smile and flick a sideways glance at Charlie. “I’m not a hero. I was one of many who were there because it’s what we do. It’s tough. No question about that, but I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything.”

“So, now you have all these military survival skills to use on your derelict hotel.”

“That’s right. And as you can see, Charlie. I’m putting them to good use tonight.”

We laugh quietly in the warmth of the living room with a giant dog between us: I’m stroking Rocko’s ears and Charlie’s feet are wedged under his big furry body.

“I’m going to take a candle and go to bed now, if that’s alright,” Charlie says slowly extracting her feet, one by one, from beneath the sleeping dog.

“Okay. Well, take the Zippo and careful with the flame. The last thing we need tonight is a housefire.”

“Got it.” Charlie salutes, then picks up one of the plates with a candle on it. “Good night… Again. ”

“Goodnight, Charlie. Sleep well.”

It’s been a while since I’ve thought about Afghanistan. Sometimes the past is almost as clear and real as the present. Sometimes my military experience feels as if it belongs to someone else; as if I’m watching a newsreel on TV or something. Sometimes the sights, sounds, and smells of the Kabul evacuation crowd in on me. The airlift out, on one level, feels like such a waste. I guess I’m still processing what went on there. Of course, our units on the ground only knew what we needed to know. Our job was to carry out orders with efficiency and discipline. To keep people safe. To protect the vulnerable. To do our job. It was only afterward that I got a sense of the bigger picture.

Adjusting to a normal civilian life is tricky to navigate sometimes. I approach each day with a personal assessment of vital statistics, pulse, and heart rate: a monitor of well-being on an app on my wrist. It’s comforting to see that physically everything is A-OK. I get a green check mark on a screen. And somehow it matters. It helps. It means I’m alive. A normal functioning human being. I can relax… a little bit.

I tap the screen on my wrist device and look at Rocko who has rolled onto his back, stretching out to occupy the whole couch. I’m wedged into one corner. His head shoves me further against the armrest as if I’m taking up too much space on my own furniture.

“Alright, boy?” I stroke Rocko’s enormous head.

I much prefer sharing my space with a dog. In fact, I prefer animals over people any day. Life is generally easier. You don’t need to explain yourself. There’s no discussion. I’m free to do my own thing any time I choose. And Rocko, he’s just happy going along with whatever I want.

Then, phew! Rocko has relaxed a little too much in the posterior area and, bam, the smell hits me full in the chest. I cover my nose and mouth and retreat to the kitchen to find a can of air freshener.

Good old Rocko, huh? I wonder if the smell has woken Charlie. I hope not. She might think it’s me with the smelly bowel issue. Not the kind of impression I’d like my guest to have.

My mind drifts to thoughts of Charlie. The way she shivered at the gate. Her makeup streaked down her face. The pathetic inside-out umbrella. Such a sorry state. Something about her reminded me of a baby bird that has fallen out of its nest. I wanted to scoop her up and keep her warm and safe. How could anyone trail so much glitter? I’m still seeing it twinkle everywhere in the candlelight. She’s only been in my house a few hours and I feel as if she has fully taken over .

But somehow, I can’t be annoyed. I want to be, but Charlie looked so adorable swamped in my sweatshirt and track pants. Even without her wings and glitter, she looks like a fairy. If fairies were real, that is. I like her hair. And her cute smile.

I don’t know why I’m thinking about my house guest when I’m searching for air freshener in the kitchen. Would I be having the same thoughts if she was a guy? Lenny, for example.

Eventually, I locate the can of air freshener in a bucket under the sink. I didn’t buy it. Meredith did. She said it was for her and Maddie when they come to visit. I allowed her to put it in my kitchen. But there’s no way I’m ever going to admit to using it.

This thought makes me laugh. I spray the can of floral essence in the air as I wander back into the living room. Then, I hear Charlie shout out. Rocko isn’t on the couch. He isn’t even in the room. I think I can guess what has happened.