Holding on to Nothing by Elizabeth Chiles Shelburne

Author:Elizabeth Chiles Shelburne [Shelburne, Elizabeth Chiles]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781949467208
Publisher: Blair
Published: 2019-09-15T04:00:00+00:00

“THAT ONE,” LUCY said, pointing to the tree, as tall as herself and perfectly shaped. But when they turned it around, there was a ragged lump sticking out from the back like the tree trimmer had walked away from his job and forgotten to come back. Lucy didn’t care. Misshapen or not, this was their tree. Jeptha lugged it to the car and up to the trailer on his back, where it left a sticky trail of resin on his jacket that would likely remain for months afterward. He set it down with a grunt into the stand that Lucy had already filled with water. When she tried to drag her belly onto the ground to put more water in, Jeptha had laughed, taken the pitcher from her, and hauled her back up onto her feet.

“You look like a beached whale,” he said. “A beautiful beached whale, but one that definitely ain’t supposed to be down that far. Why don’t you get the lights out? I’ll finish that.”

She waddled over to the boxes of lights, the baby’s weight swaying her body from side to side. Her feet and hips had naturally turned out in the last month, making room, she guessed, for how much more was to come. She collapsed onto the couch with a sigh of exhaustion.

“We can finish tomorrow,” he said. “If you’re tired.”

She shook her head. “No. I want to see it with the lights on tonight.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said, with a salute that made her laugh. “Hand me that first string and I’ll get going.”

He plugged the string in. Warm, soft light filled the room.

“Do you mind if I turn out the big lights?” she asked.

“Nope. Makes it easier.”

The trailer looked more beautiful than it ever had. Lucy turned on a Dolly Parton Christmas album she’d been listening to nonstop, like every Christmas, and sat back on the couch. She watched Jeptha in the semi-darkness, as he stretched up to the top of the tree. He curled the first end around the top, nestling some pieces deep into the branches and some out closer to the edge. Every few turns, he’d step back from the tree, examine the lights, and fine-tune the arrangement. With each string she handed him, the tree grew brighter and more beautiful. After a bit, she pulled out the boxes of red and gold balls they’d bought earlier that day, five dollars for a dozen, and attached the wire hangers. She hung them on the parts of the tree he’d finished putting lights on, smiling at him as they crossed paths. When every branch held as much as it possibly could, she stood back to admire it all. Jeptha joined her.

“Never had a tree in here before,” he said. “How’s it look?”

“Beautiful,” Lucy said as her eyes filled with tears. “Why’d you do this?”

“Do what? The tree? Just thought it’d be nice. And I remember you saying you don’t never get a real one anymore. Thought we could do that, maybe start a new tradition.

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