Carol for Another Christmas (21 page)

Monica awoke to find herself clutching the French Provincial dust ruffle on the sofa, the words, “I have . . .” on her lips. She looked around her at the bleak, sleek little office apartment, at the screen saver building castles out of Legos on her computer screen, at the television, where Bambi Billings's cheerful face was mouthing muted words. She immediately clicked off the tele vision and picked up the phone, dialing the time and weather number. “Merry Christmas,” it said. “The time is seven o'clock A.M. The temperature is thirty-two degrees.”

“I have a lot to do!” Monica exclaimed to herself. She dialed the extension of the project coordinator for the Get a Life project. “I want the whole team assembled in my office in fifteen minutes,” she told the fellow without waiting for a reply.

“Now for good old Bob,” she said, dialing the senator's home number.

“Hello?”

“This is Monica Banks calling for Bob,” she said. “May I speak to him?”

“This is the maid, madam. Senator and Mrs. Johansen are on their way to Hong Kong on business. Would you care to leave a message?”

“No, no, I'll take care of it later,” she said, disappointed. Ebenezer Scrooge had been able to get more immediate results. “Now then, a little last- minute Christmas shopping.”

She was still on the phone when she heard the scuffle of feet in the outer office. “I'll get back to you,” she said to the phone, hung up, and marched to the door. She flung it open and glared at the employees gathered around.

“So,” she said. “You thought you would have a little fun at old Money Banks's expense, did you? You and your supernatural friends.” They gaped at her and started jabbering at once, but she held up her hand. “You've been sitting around here on
my
dime all through this holiday with the computers down, doing absolutely nothing. Well, it ends now.”

Curtis Lu cleared his throat so hard his Adam's apple threatened to bounce out the crown of his head. “But, Ms. Banks, what about Get a Life?”

“Get a Life is a nonstarter as you very well know, Mr. Lu, as all of you know and”—she pointed her finger accusingly at him—“tried to tell me all along. I'm pulling the plug, refunding the monies. This means cutbacks, of course.” And she gave them her nastiest smile.

The team groaned.

“Unless, of course, we can quickly come up with another big new consumer-based program that will have such appeal as to make up the losses. And whether or not we do, you people are just kidding yourselves if you think I'm going to take the losses and risks of this business all by myself. From now on, all Databanks personnel, starting with yourselves, will jointly share the majority of corporate stock holdings. That is, anyone will who wishes to exercise the stock options you will find in your virtual Christmas stockings, as soon as someone shows me how to create them. And of course, the papers will have to be drawn up. Can anybody recommend a good lawyer?”

The team began applauding, and Melody impulsively left her spot by the door and enveloped Monica in an enthusiastic hug, which was immediately joined by everyone else.

“We knew you'd come through it okay, Money Banks,” Curtis said.

“You did? You weren't just laughing at me when you saw me in Christmas Present?”

“Nah,” said Harald. “We thought you just hated us because we were geeks but we saw—at least I did—in Christmas Past that you were a geek, too. That was what made you so prickly. It was just that Doug outgeeked you, and it gave you—”

“A geek block,” Miriam finished up.

“But we're not gonna let you get away with that, Monica,” Sheryl said sternly. “If you're going to be one of the major shareholders here, you gotta know the territory.”

“Which
we
happen to know rather well,” Phillip said, hooking a modest thumb around his suspenders.

“So, I've been thinking, gang. Especially now that Monica here has made us all associates, how about we start an educational program ASAP to bring the boss up to speed on what she is now going to be doing for a living?”

“Good idea, Sheryl. We could call it Operation Ground Up because she'd be learning everything from zip. Are you willing, boss?”

Monica nodded, her eyes shining with tears. “If you think I can even ever begin to understand it. I've always known I wasn't a genius like—”

“Cut that out. Anybody who can understand the ins and outs of income tax is plenty bright enough to understand anything. You've clearly got the math gene.”

“Listen, I was wondering. One other thing. I thought at first I wanted to sell Doug's mansion to put some of the money back into the company, but now it occurs to me—well, I don't want to say anything yet, but any of you who are good teachers may have an extra assignment. However, that is not why I've called you all together now.” She assumed her General-Patton-at-ease stance. “Right now, I need your help making pickups and deliveries of Christmas gifts and dinners for some people. Some of the store managers are driving delivery trucks themselves, but we have to go pick up the rest of it. Are you with me?”

Curtis snapped a salute. “Yes, Fearless Leader.”

“My Christmas is your Christmas to command, Fearless Leader,” Dave mimicked.

“
Except
you, David. You are to go here and collect this.” She gave him a sheet of paper. “And then go home and spend all of your remaining time plus two weeks comp time with your daughter.”

When the troops dispersed a moment later, Monica was still blushing from the kiss Dave planted on her before he left.

Sixteen

Early Christmas morning, Tina was up and looked in her empty stocking. No candy. No kitty. She wasn't surprised. Her mama had heard her get up and scooped her into her arms and said, “Oh, honey, I'm sorry. Santa missed you this year, didn't he?”

Tina gave Mama a hug. “No, Mama, he didn't. I had so much fun playing with Doug and making that present for Miss Banks it was a really, really good Christmas. Almost like I'd been making my own present.”

“You tell 'em, tiger,” said Uncle Jamie, making mock punching motions at her, which she parried. “I really like my origami Mechanoman, Tina, especially the way you made it out of the Sunday funnies.”

Grandpa appeared at the door of the room he and Jamie shared. He was still in his undershirt and pa jama bottoms, stretching, yawning, and scratching his side.

“Merry Christmas, Grandpa,” Tina said.

“Merry Christmas, baby—all my babies.”

Brianna got up and bustled over to the hot plate. “How's special Christmas pancakes sound to everybody?” she asked cheerily.

“How're they any different from the pancakes we have every day?” Jamie asked.

“Well, I'm fixin' 'em on Christmas but—”

Just then there was a loud knocking at the door. Grandpa answered it, peeking in the little glass eye first to see who it was. He turned around and said in a scared voice, “It's Ms. Banks.”

“Stop fooling, Dad. You're scaring the kids,” Mama told him.

“No, it's really her,” he said.

The pounding increased and Ms. Banks's unmistakable voice called, “Mr. Timmons, do you intend for me to spend this entire holiday banging on your door or will you for Pete's sake let me in?”

Grandpa shrugged, unfastened the chain, and let her in. A man stood beside her holding a computer. Tina's heart sank. Had she broken it accidentally?

“Mr. Timmons, if I may enter?” Ms. Banks said, all stiff and formal and madlike.

“Surely you may, Ms. Banks. Merry Christmas. You, too, Curtis.”

The man who held the computer gave Grandpa a stiff little nod.

“Won't you . . . sit here, Ms. Banks?” Grandpa asked, motioning to his own chair, which nobody ever sat in but him.

“Thank you, I prefer to stand to say to you what I've got to say. Mr. Timmons, it has come to my attention that you have a granddaughter—”

“Y-yes, ma'am, this is Tina.”

“And that you have been bringing this child to work with you where she has been messing around with computers.”

“I didn't know about that until last night, ma'am. See, I have to bring Tina to work with me when Tiffany is working nights. Tiffany's my oldest girl there, and that's Brianna, my next girl, and Jamie, my boy. But Tina's heart doesn't work so good and—”

Grandpa looked like he was about to cry. Tina was about to yell at Ms. Banks not to be so mean when the lady broke into a big grin.

“On the contrary, Mr. Timmons, Tina's heart works very well indeed. One of the best I've ever seen. Any small mechanical problems that require medical attention will be dealt with by the very best doctors as soon as we can arrange it. As for the computer, since she's already familiar with this one, I thought she should have it to learn on. Since she may have to take time out for her surgeries, I thought she ought to start before the other students.”

“I'm darned if I know what you're talking about, Ms. Banks.”

“Time to drop the high-handed thing now, maybe, Monica,” Curtis said with a big grin, which Ms. Banks, of all things, returned. “Don't want to put Noah's back up or he might not let his kids anywhere near your new project—”

“But he has to, Curtis!” Ms. Banks said as if she was really upset. “Unless Noah agrees to take the job, I can't possibly keep that building running—”

“What job?” Grandpa asked.

“Can I set this thing down?” Curtis asked. Brianna cleared the table off for him and Jamie helped him plug it in. Then Curtis left.

“Wait!” Grandpa tried to stop him, as if he was still afraid to be with Ms. Banks. “Where you going?”

“He just went to get the software,” Ms. Banks said. “Now, as to the job. I want to . . . that is, my associates and I . . . and by the way, you are as of this Christmas a stockholder in Databanks, but I still have to have the legal papers drawn up, as soon as I've retained a new attorney to fire my old ones.

“Anyway, as I was saying, my brother's house is really too big and kind of inhuman for me. But it's an enormous house with nice grounds, and I thought perhaps it would make an adequate school. The only problem is, the whole thing is electronically run and not just anyone could manage it. But I happen to value you as an extremely conscientious and caring employee, and I would like to hire you away from the subcontractor you've been working for, have you train with one of the experts who installed Doug's system, and learn to run the house. Then I want to turn it into a sort of a technical prep school for people of all ages who need work and training for work. Like your granddaughter and your children there.

“Of course, I can't have the children unsupervised in that large, complicated house, and you will be busy with your duties, so I'm delighted to see you have an adult daughter.”

She turned to Tiffany. “I wonder if you might be willing to train with us, too, Tiffany. At first, I could only offer you half of what I would one of the teachers to supervise the children, but if it works out, we could get you further training and you could either remain with them as an instructor or go on to some occupation of your own choosing, though of course we hope you'd look at Databanks first.”

“Ms. Banks, I'm overwhelmed. I really don't know what to say,” Grandpa said.

Ms. Banks said, “I've got another favor to ask you, Mr. Timmons. I got this great big ham as a Christmas present with all the fixings, and I'm way too busy today to fix it. I'd feel so relieved about the waste if your family could take it for me.”

“Yes,
ma'am
,” Brianna said, rubbing her hands together.

“It's in a basket in the hall,” Ms. Banks said. “Oh, one more thing. I hope you won't think it too personal, but since I don't have a family anymore, I thought I'd bring a few gifts for yours.”

At that moment, a lady appeared at the door with several wrapped presents in her hands as Curtis reappeared.

“Ms. Banks, we can't take presents from you,” Grandpa said. “You've done so much already. I can't believe this is real—”

“I should have done it a long time ago,” she said. “I'm catching up on a lot of things today. But go on, take them; it's not much really—”

“Monica,” the lady in the door said. “While I was out getting the presents, I stopped by the pound to give Bonita your donation like you asked, and she had just found this on the doorstep.”

“Let's have a look,” she said, and brought the box over to the window where Tina was. “Tina, if I open this, will you please remove the contents?”