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A Christmas Carroll A scuffle in the line to see Higbee's Santa caught Officer Gilroy's attention. "I was here first," the older boy said, shoving the smaller one. Eight-year-old Davey Hancock lowered his head like the football players he'd seen on TV. His attempt to butt the other boy out of the way failed when Officer Gilroy stepped between them. "What's going on here, boys?" "That little boy tried to worm his way ahead of my son. He can wait his turn. My son and I have been here a long time." "Yes ma'am. . . I'll take care of it now." He took Davey's hand and led him to a less busy corner of the store. "What's your name kid?" "Davey." "Where's your mother, Davey? You're too little to be here alone." Davey raised his chest and shoulders. "I'm eight." "Is your mother in the store?" Davey sagged. "I don't have a mother. She's dead." "What's your last name, Davey? Where do you live?" "My name is Davey Hancock. I live in Bay Village. His lower lip trembled just a little. "How did you get to Cleveland from Bay Village?" "I took the bus. I had to see Santa." "Where's your dad?" "He's dead too. They were killed in a car crash." Oh Boy. This is gonna be a long day. "Who takes care of you?" "My sister. She's working. She works a lot so Mrs. Nelson watches me." "And does Mrs. Nelson know you took the bus downtown?" "No. Am I in trouble?" His bright blue eyes sparkled with a hint of tears. ~ * ~ Chuck Lambert, a history professor at Case Western, doubled part time as the store Santa during the Christmas holiday season. He'd witnessed the commotion from his vantage point on the raised platform. His shift ended about the time Officer Gilroy was deciding what to do with Davey. "What's going on here, Les?" Davey's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "Davey here has come from Bay Village all by himself, just to see you, Santa. He has quite a story." "Is that true, Davey? You came by yourself?" "Uh, yes, Santa. I really needed to see you, but," he hung his head and his voice dropped to a barely audible whisper."I got into trouble." "What did you do?" "I tried to push ahead of another kid." Officer Gilroy interjected at that point. "That's not the troublesome part. Davey came down on the bus alone without permission. Apparently he's an orphan." Davey bristled. "I am not an orphan." I have my sister." "And neither his sister nor the babysitter has any idea where he is. I guess I'll have to contact them to come and get him." "No! That would spoil the surprise." "Well, we wouldn't want to spoil the surprise, now would we? Do you know your address and phone number, Davey?" Santa asked. "'Course. I'm eight years old." "Tell you what. If Officer Gilroy agrees, we'll call your baby sitter and let her know that I'm bringing you home." "Really? You'd do that?" "Are you sure, Santa? I can take him to the station." "Very sure. I live in Rocky River. It's no trouble to swing by Bay Village." He looked at Officer Gilroy for approval. "Okay, Les?" "It's okay by me." He turned to Davey and said, "You go with Santa and be very good. Don't ever do anything like this again. It's just not safe for little boys to come downtown without a grownup. Ya promise?" "Yes sir. I promise." "Come on then. We have to stop at my locker." Davey trotted happily alongside his hero. "Are we going in your sleigh?" Santa laughed. "No sleigh, Davey. You see, I'm not the real Santa, I'm one of his many helpers. Santa Claus is much too busy at the North Pole this time of year. He has to get ready for his big trip on Christmas Eve." "Oh. Well, can you let him know my Christmas wish?" "Sure I can. That's we helpers do. Just what is your wish? A new toy, bike, video game?" "No. It's for my sister. She has to work a lot and when she's not working she goes to school." "I see. How old is your sister?" Click on this: next column |
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"I think she's 20 or 21, I'm not sure." "And what do you want for your sister?" "I want you, I mean Santa--to give her a vacation, like maybe to DisneyWorld or something. Then we could go together." "That's a tall order. Is there maybe another surprise you could give her that wouldn't be quite so difficult?" "Well--she'd like to see "The Nutcracker." "I'll put that in a note to Santa for you, but I can't promise." "Davey watched in awe as the man in the red suit suddenly morphed into a man in slacks, shirt and sport jacket. He hung the red suit, beard and hat in his locker, put on an overcoat and scarf. "Okay now Davey. What's your telephone number?" "It's 216-555-3104." "What's your sister's name?" "Melissa." "I'll call her from my car. It's in the parking garage. Let's go. I have a feeling she's very worried." "Yeah, but you'll make it all right, won't you?" "I'll try, but you can never do anything like this again." "I know." ~ * ~ Melissa Hancock stood in the driveway waiting when Chuck pulled his car into the driveway. She threw her arms around Davey and held him tight. She released him and tried to look stern, failing miserably. "Do you know how scared I was that something had happened to you? When Mrs. Nelson called and said you hadn't come home and you weren't at Jimmy's house, I rushed home right away." Only then did she really notice the tall man standing by the car, watching the reunion. "I'm sorry, Mr. Lambert. I don't mean to be rude or ungrateful. I'm just so relieved to see this rascal. I can't thank you enough for bringing him home." Davey whispered behind his hand. "You won't tell her about my wish list, will you?" "No, Davey. It's our secret. I'll only tell Santa." "Please come inside. I have a fresh pot of coffee." "That sounds good, and then I've got to get home to feed the dog." They lingered over coffee while Davey played in his room. Chuck learned their parents had been killed in a car accident two years earlier. Melissa worked part-time for a local attorney and attended Lorain Community College several nights a week. He told her about himself and the broken engagement when his fiancée decided she wanted a career and not a family. "Why do they call you Chuck, is your given name Charles?" "No. My name is Carroll. It's my mom's family name. She liked it and hung it on me." Davey walked in and asked, "Does that make you a Christmas Carroll? I mean, you're Santa's helper and all." They laughed. "Maybe so, Davey. Maybe so. I was thinking. It's getting late and we're all probably hungry. How would you and your sister like to go out and get something to eat?" He noticed Melissa had bright blue eyes like Davey's and a beautiful smile. "Can we, Melissa, can we go? Pleeease. Can I get a burger?" "Day-vey." One thing Melissa had stressed to Davey was the importance of good manners. "I hate to take advantage of your kindness, but it would be a nice treat." "Good. We'll stop off at my house so I can feed the dog and let him out. I live in Rocky River so I was thinking we'd go to Don's River City." Davey tugged at Chuck's coat. "You won't tell her about my wish, will you?" "No, Davey. We'll let it be a Christmas surprise. Santa just might make it a Christmas surprise for all of us.
Thanks for sharing your story, Dahris... J. Wolf
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