Chasing Christmas by Steven Hunt

Author:Steven Hunt
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Christian fiction
ISBN: 9781611161755
Publisher: Pelican Ventures Book Group
Published: 2012-06-30T16:00:00+00:00

19

Teddy’s first view of the city reminded him of a larger Jubilee.

Spotting two bars and a gentleman’s club named Nasty’s on the edge of town, he realized this was not like Jubilee at all. A family-friendly town, Jubilee didn’t have any clubs or bars—at least not within the town’s limits.

Next came the blue collar businesses and shops, such as auto mechanics, construction companies, and small owner factories. A few cars and trucks were parked near these buildings but not as many as at the more libertine businesses down the street.

Following in line were rows and rows of big, middle-sized, and small houses painted in a cornucopia of colors. Blues, greens, reds, yellows, and whites filled each block, only to start over again on the next block. Each house displayed Christmas lights, often blinking in a fluky synchronization with lights from other houses. Christmas trees, snowmen, sleds, and other seasonal ornaments adorned the lawns and roofs.

The city’s business district showed a desire to compete with the larger, more modern cities. The asphalt roadways that had been prevalent in the blue collar and housing districts evolved to cement roads complete with decorative, oversized basketball-shaped street lights. Black cast-iron poles that curved near the top supported the lamps so their light illuminated the edge of the street. Contrasting golden stripes encircled the posts in a candy cane-esque look. For the holiday season, additional green and red Christmas lights crisscrossed the posts, splitting the ebony metal into numerous five-inch quadrants.

The public library sat just where Christy had described. An elaborate—yet old—three-story building with stone pillars guarding the entrance; its gray block construction gave it the appearance of a historic Civil War-era building. The twelve-foot, wooden, French doors added a sense of class to an otherwise boring city block.

As he turned into the alley, an assemblage of smells rushed to meet him. A stench from discarded food, urine, and the occasional vomit activated his gag reflex. Choking against the smells, he hurried down the alley, monitoring his steps so as to not step into something disgusting. Without having the opportunity to change or wash his clothes since his journey began, he wasn’t the sweetest smelling man around, but that didn’t keep him from wanting to stay as clean as possible.

The blue dumpster rested near the middle of the long alley. Although its lid was closed, the funk from discarded Chinese food seeped through the metal like alcohol through a drunkard’s pores. Strategically located next to the kitchen door of a Chinese restaurant, he wondered if the cooks used its close proximity to haphazardly toss in food remnants from the kitchen. By the look of the alley floor, the staff missed more than hit their intended target. Wontons, half-eaten egg rolls, and a splattering of rice and noodles formed a sea of discarded food on the alley’s deck.

An enclave of cardboard boxes used as shelter sat against the alley wall far enough away from the jettisoned buffet to allow a flow of semi-fresh air. Parked next

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