Page 56 of Share with Me

“That’s nice of you.” Aunt Ella backed away. “Will you wrap them up for me?”

“Of course. Or we could toss them into gift bags. Whichever one is fastest.”

Aunt Ella seemed satisfied. “We should go to Walmart. There’s always a sale there.”

“Walmart it is, Aunt Ella. I’ll get my purse and coat.” And a book or ebooks to read in case she had to wait.

* * *

Ivan and Brinleyarrived at the same time at the Seaside Chapel parking lot. Ivan watched Brinley help her great-aunt—Aunt Ella?—out of the Bugatti at the covered porch entrance to the Fellowship Hall. They looked lost, like they didn’t know what to do or where to go.

Ivan pulled up behind the sleek Bugatti and stopped his clunky Chevy. He picked up the aluminum walker from the truck bed, opened it up on the sidewalk next to the truck, and helped Grandma Yun get out of the passenger side. Behind him a few more vehicles were coming up, waiting for them to drop off their passengers.

He waved to Brinley and pointed to a garden bench next to the entranceway. “Why don’t we let the ladies sit there and wait while we park our vehicles? Then we’ll come back and help them get to the Fellowship Hall.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Brinley looked visibly relieved. “Nice truck.”

“Nice car.”

Smiles.

They found parking spaces not too far from each other. Ivan got out first and waited for Brinley to lock her car. Brinley’s charcoal peacoat looked regal over matching indigo jeans. She looked like a million-dollar model while Ivan’s old barn jacket and twice-patched jeans—well, can’t have holes in my pockets—made him look like a poor man living under a bridge.

“Glad you came by when you did. I didn’t want Aunt Ella to walk across the parking lot, and I didn’t want to leave her there by herself.” Brinley filled him in on what happened Thursday night.

“We’ll be praying for her safety.”

At first Brinley didn’t seem to know what to do about that. Then: “Thanks.”

When they reached the entrance, Grandma Yun and Aunt Ella were chatting away with newly arrived senior adults from Seaside Chapel. They were all decked out in Christmas colors. All were carrying little gift bags or boxes for the ornament exchange.

Ivan was glad that the Fellowship Hall door was inside a wide hallway. He found two wheelchairs in the coatroom, but both Grandma Yun and Aunt Ella refused them. They wanted to walk on their own volition. So they did, all the way to the Fellowship Hall, where Ivan could hear “O Come, All Ye Faithful” in the background.

When Ivan ushered Grandma Yun into the hall, he realized that the music hadn’t come from a CD, but from Seaside Chapel’s youth orchestra. He thought they’d taken a winter break. He hadn’t kept up with them as much as he should.

“I see a couple of your students in the orchestra, Ivan.” Grandma beamed.

“Yes. Glad to see they’re keeping it up even when the studio is on break.”

Ivan saw Brinley put a business card in Aunt Ella’s pocket.

“Call me if you need anything,” she was saying softly. “I’ll be back in three hours to pick you up.”

Grandma put her hand on Aunt Ella’s sleeve. “Ella, I want you to meet some of my friends.”

Ivan didn’t leave because he was watching Brinley watch her great-aunt and Grandma mingle.

“We can go now, you know,” he finally said.

“I hope she’ll be okay. Nobody to watch her. Hope she doesn’t wander off.”

Ivan pointed to people at the doors. “See those volunteers? They’re going to help the seniors get around, cut their food for them, or help them go to the bathroom. So don’t worry. It’s only for three hours.”

“Your church does take care of its seniors.”

“We do ministry at the nursing home near here too. You could come along if you like. Some of my SISO friends and I are going to play some Christmas music on Christmas Day.”

“Christmas Day? Sorry. It’s the only day everyone in my family comes together.”

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