Page 11 of Grinchland
Before I could ask Pamela what the deal was with this town, Maria’s door opened.
“Yes, Silas, I understand,” she said as she stepped out of her office and off to the side so Silas could follow after her.
They shook hands and then Silas turned, his gaze sweeping over me for a moment before he walked out of the office. The air felt lighter once the door swung shut behind him. Maria puffed her cheeks as she slowly blew her breath out. Her gaze landed on mine and she raised her eyebrows.
“Hey, Clara,” she said, her voice soft and inviting. It was just what I’d been looking for ever since I’d driven into Grinchland. Something familiar. Something welcoming.
“Hey, Maria,” I said as I stood and hurried over to give her a hug.
Thankfully, she was still the hugger I remembered her to be. She didn’t hesitate to pull me in and give me a big squeeze.
“How are you getting along in Grinchland?” she asked as she let me go and extended her hand toward her office.
I blew my breath out extra loud so she’d pick up on my exasperation. “Well, I thought it was going well until the mayor threatened to fine me for playing Christmas music in my kitchen.” We were standing in her office now with the door shut.
Apparently, just talking about Silas St. Nothing—that man didn’t deserve a last name that good—was a no-no. A worried look came across Maria’s face as she glanced around like hidden cameras were everywhere.
“So I’m not crazy,” I said as I plopped down on the armchair. “Your mayor is off his sleigh.” I smiled at my pun.
Maria must have felt it was safe because she rounded her desk and sat down. “Silas is…interesting,” she said as she grabbed a stack of paper from the sorter in front of her and tapped them on the desk a few times before she handed them over to me. “This is your HR pack. Let me know if you have any questions.”
I took them from her, but instead of flipping through them, I set them on my lap. “Is that legal?”
Maria frowned. “What?”
“Banning Christmas? Like, this is America, right? There has to be some sort of freedom he’s infringing on.” I wished I had actually paid attention during my college history classes.
“Clara…”
“What does the sheriff think? Has anyone tried to fight this in the courts?”
“Clara…”
I glanced up to see that she was leaning on her elbows and studying me. She had the same sympathetic expression that I remembered from my student teaching days when one of her students would start to spiral because they couldn’t draw a Thanksgiving turkey correctly.
Great. She was using kid gloves with me. I sat back and folded my arms.
“Grinchland is just that, grinch land. The town council signed the bylaws. There’s not a lot we can do about it, so we’ve just accepted it.” She shrugged. “I don’t mind it. I’m not gaining holiday weight or overworking myself to decorate and entertain. I leave in the middle of December after school gets out, and when I get back, I have nothing to put away.” She sighed. “It’s not that bad.”
I blinked. Once. Twice. Three times.
Grinchland was in America, but it was like she was speaking a foreign language. I understood the words she was saying individually, but the way she was linking them together created concepts that were alien to me.
“Canceling Christmas is not that bad?” I used air quotes to repeat her words back to her, hoping if she heard them, she’d realize how ridiculous they were. “I have daily traditions to uphold. What am I going to do about that?”
My chest squeezed, making it hard to breathe. What world was I living in? Was this hell? It felt like hell.
“I think you’ll be okay.” Maria offered me a consolatory smile.
She had no idea what she was saying.
I tapped my foot on the ground as my mind started reeling. I was not going to be okay. If I didn’t have Christmas, then who was I? There had to be a way of changing these ridiculous Grinchland laws. I mean, I’m sure it would never become Christmasland, but there had to be a middle ground where everyone could be happy.
“Maybe Silas just needs to grow his heart a little,” I said, more to myself then to Maria. “Maybe he needs to rekindle his love of the holiday.” I glanced up and met her gaze. “Like Scrooge in A Christmas Carol!”
“Clara, I don’t think that’s a good idea. Silas is serious about this. If you step out of line, he’s going to fine you.”
I waved away her worry. “Once he’s fully immersed in my holiday antics, he’ll waive all the fines.” I shrugged. “It’s worth the risk.”
