MISTLETOE - A Christmas Love Story

Lights of merry colours with the dominance of red and green, were caught between snow while their dimmed rays flickered in tiny bulbs. The chill of the winter so white, set a stage of beauty as the sun's gentle rays quite warm, danced on snow flakes and gave the atmosphere a dreamy glitter. White flakes were cleared off roads and paths. Lakes once busy with ripples became lucid solid platforms kissed by ice skaters. It was a beautiful winter morning. It was the third day of December and New York City was painted high and low in swipes of white. Men and women were arrayed in layers of clothing. Fur, wool, leather and boots were more than just a fashion statement. They were necessities. Donations were constantly made and dollar notes dropped into the empty guitar cases of street performers. Xylophones were played in the loveliest tunes. Humans in elf costumes rang bells in front of shops. Santa Claus' gave out balloons and quartets blessed the streets in their melodious voices while they sang Christmas carols never too old to hear. Teenagers walked into marts with smiles on their faces and wallets full of savings. A few parents yelled after children who threw snowballs around and stuck out their tongues in desperation to catch a flake. Other parents pulled their kids from show glasses, that displayed the prices of toys, far above their pay check, and some parents left stores with grocery bags too heavy to carry. The married, unmarried and divorced roamed the streets of New York with different thoughts in mind. While many dreaded the thought of a lonesome Christmas, others thought the holiday overrated and preferred a lonely 25th. On that pretty morning of the winter season, a single lady ran through Times Square with tear drops hung on her eyelids. The twenty-six years old lady had no destination in mind and no thoughts of the holidays. If anything, she hated the splatter of green and red all over the city. She hated the endless strings of decorations that glided over buildings. She thought the decorations a sully to any form of architecture. She hated the Christmas trees on every corner. She thought the poor plants overdressed and unnecessary. She despised the jolly character 'Santa Claus'. She thought him a method of trickery used by lazy parents to keep their kids in check for the sake of expected gifts. She thought Christmas in its entirety a holiday with no cause, no impact and no true origin. She thought the holiday, over-hyped. The name of the single lady who ran in Times Square with worries in her heart was Kasey Jones, a successful, financially stable and independent woman. With black beautiful kinky hair, pretty brown eyes and caramel skin kept warm by a long blue velvet gown and black leather jacket, Kasey ran as fast as she could. Her feet stomped the snow while secured in black bootheels. Her pulse increased with every step she took. She had no reason to run, but her heart wanted her to. She had to. "Maybe running is the best way to stay calm...but I'm not calm. I hate this! I hate myself...why now when I just..." Kasey's thoughts echoed within the walls of her brain. After a hectic race with none, Kasey's lower limbs lost strength. The chill of the winds that strolled the air at winter, did nothing to cool Kasey. Sweat escaped every pore on her skin. Her tongue became dry and her throat itched. Thirst overwhelmed her. Kasey abandoned her heart's desire to run like a stallion at the sound of a gunshot. She walked into the nearest mall in search of a cure to her thirst. She bought a soda and sat at a fountain while she sipped the bubbly liquid from a thin straw. Her eyes observed the humans at the mall. Every salesperson had a Christmas hat on and a wide smile to match. Customers screamed 'Merry Christmas' as they rolled trolleys quite full in shops that advertised holiday discounts. Kids waited on a long queue to 'sit on Santa's lap' and shop lifters pleaded with security guards in the name of 'Christmas'. Disgust swam within the red in Kasey's veins. She really did despise the season. At that moment of keen observation and disgust, Kasey's eardrums caught the sound of a melody so familiar. In an amazing and soothing voice, the song 'Blue Christmas' echoed at a distance. The song brought back memories. Memories of a time Kasey loved and held dear in her heart. Tears rolled like a stream down Kasey's cheeks. She began to walk towards the source of the angelic voice. At the centre of the mall, in front of a huge Christmas tree, an old lady who could pass for eighty, held a guitar and sang into a mic while she sat on a wheel chair. The silvery strands of her hair glowed under the rays, from a huge star on the top of the perfectly decorated Christmas tree. Wrinkles crawled on her skin like webs and her beautiful eyes, quite dim glowed the prettiest shade of blue. Kasey found the old lady fascinating. As fascinating as someone she remembered at that moment. Her grandmother. Kasey's thoughts were filled with moments she spent in an old cabin with her grandmother, Ruby Jones. "I miss you, nana." Kasey said in a whisper, while tears fell out of her eyelids in hasty drops. "Here, take this." A young man beside Kasey said. Kasey turned to the young man's hand. A white hankie dangled from his fingers. She avoided eye contact and took the handkerchief with a simple "Thank you." "It's fine. I'm sure this season touches a lot of hearts." The young man said. "The season isn't the reason for my tears, the song is." Kasey corrected after a sniffle. "Well, the song was written for the season. Hence, your tears are caused by the season." The young man argued. "Sir, I'm the owner of my emotions and if I say my tears are not..." Kasey's words were cut short the moment she gazed at the young man's face. Her heart though weary earlier that day, beat twice it's norm and in a healthy way. Her soul blessed the universe for the appearance of such a being on that day. The human before her was an art work. Like the memories the song evoked in her mind, the young man beside Kasey Jones was perfect. He had the brightest shade of green for iris and both beautiful eyes were protected by long eyelashes on his upper and lower eyelids. His eyebrows were thick and too flawlessly carved to call natural. The pink of his lips called for a kiss and the tanned brown of his skin so smooth marvelled the mind. The curls of the hair on his scalp seemed like that of a new born African child. Kasey was tempted to run her fingers through the black strands on his head but for the sake of self-respect, she held her peace. "I'm sorry if I offended you. You looked sad and I thought...Pulling one's leg is meant to be a joke but I take it millennial women consider it immature. I'm sorry." The young man said. Kasey wasn't sure if it was his handsome face that affected her thoughts, or the bass in his voice that set the butterflies in her stomach on flight. "It's fine. I'm sorry I snapped at you. I just have a place in my heart for this song and I..." "Ma'am we've warned you several times and the next time this happens, you'll speak to the cops! This is a place of business and you haven't been given the permission to sing here! Please take your leave, while you're currently treated with respect and consideration of your age." A security guard yelled. Three teenage boys helped the old lady pack up her things while she rolled her wheel chair to one of the exits of the mall. The crowd booed at the security officer while they walked away in duos and trios. "Consideration of her age? Can you believe these people? That old lady's song was the only non-pretentious thing in this mall. What do you think?" Kasey asked but none answered. It took a few seconds for Kasey Jones to realize that she attempted a conversation with none but herself. The handsome green-eyed man was gone.