It was years since the car accident, but Christmas brought the loss back each time. He tried to avoid activities focused on kids, like the Santa Claus stuff. But, he couldn’t avoid the theme entirely. The holiday afterall, was centered around a babe in a manger.
Standing on a snow covered Boston Common, he watched children skating with their parents at the Frog Pond. Christmas was a week away. He still thought of himself as a parent though it was ten years since he lost his son. His wife Amy was gone too, several years after that. Brian would be playing high school hockey now.
He was just standing there, watching, lost in thought. Nikki the investigator was with him. She understood. It was getting late. She was done sending texts. Time to go.
“Let’s get something to eat,” she said.
“Chinese?”
“Pizza.”
“I know just the place,” he said, “It’s cheap but the owner doesn’t pay for ventilation so your clothes will stink like a steak and cheese when you leave.”
“Really,” she said a bit skeptically.
“Last time I ate there, three dogs followed me home from the T.”
She really didn’t believe the last part but now she wanted to see this place. They walked off the Common to Downtown Crossing for the cheap eats. He was glad to be back in the here and now.
And he looked forward to clean, cold, empty January.
copyright 2016 Christopher Donahue