Generosity Returned

Note: Most of this story is not sex. If you're looking for something steamy, this is not a good choice. It is however a love story based loosely on fact.

********

My fingers had long since gone numb and white. I could still move them, but they were getting stiff. With a sigh, I decided that I ought to call it a day. I had, after all, been out in the cold for almost four hours. I tucked my bagpipes carefully into their case, brushing a few snow flakes off of the drones before zipping the case shut. I stood, brushed the snow from my kilt and pulled my worn cloak back around my shoulders.

“You aren’t leaving, are you?” a voice called from behind me. I turned to regard a young woman, bundled tightly against the cold, blowing snow that had begun to fall about an hour beforehand. Between her scarf and hat I could see a pair of intent, bright green eyes regarding me hopefully. A full mane of dark brown hair fell around her shoulders.

“I’m afraid so, ma’am,” I said. “I’ve been out here for four hours, and my fingers refuse to bend anymore.” In evidence I held up my hands, which were pale and dry. “I’ll be back tomorrow though, noon to three, if you’re in the area.”

“You poor soul. You must be freezing,” she said taking a step towards me.

“Really, I’m fine,” I assured her, stooping to pick up my bag. “I can’t feel my fingers, but the rest of me is plenty warm.”

“Okay. Promise you’ll be back tomorrow?”

“Yes ma’am. You have my word.” I gave a slight bow.

“Alright. Well, if I hear you tomorrow I’ll give you some money,” she said, patting her purse.”

“Have a good evening,” I told her, moving toward the bus stop.

“You too,” she called, starting off in the opposite direction.

*******

That was the first time I met her. At the time, I thought she was a bit of a snob, and I’d say she was. Like most people, she didn’t give money to the Salvation Army to help the poor, she gave money to hear me play. While I excepted it, I didn’t like it.

I got on the bus and settled in near the back, content to watch the other people. An old man had fallen asleep across the aisle from me, a stack of newspapers at his side, a few grocery bags full of garbage at his feet. I pulled a fifty from my wallet and wrote ‘Happy Holidays’ across the front. Then I rolled it up and slipped it into his shirt pocket. Standing up, I rang the bell and moved to the front of the bus. The brakes screeched as the bus pulled up to the curb.

“Have a good one,” I told the driver, stepping off the bus.

“You too,” He called through the doors before pulling away. I walked the three blocks to my small house, the lower level of a narrow two-story in Bay View. A few Christmas lights winked in the windows of the front room and a small tree could be seen in the back. I unlocked the door and went in, catching the light switch as I pushed the door shut behind me.

“Hey Baxter,” I greeted the orange fluff-ball I called a cat. He rubbed his chin on my leg, yowling indignantly until I picked him up. He snuggled against my neck, purring softly as I walked into the bedroom. I dropped my bagpipes on the bed and set Baxter down. He glared at me, meowed once and then stalked off to eat. “Oh relax you,” I muttered. I pulled the cloak from my shoulders and hung it in the closet. I quickly undressed, hanging my clothes in various places so they could dry. I pulled on my thick robe and fuzzy slippers and headed into the bathroom. My fingers were still cold and so I ran them under warm water until they were a healthy shade of pink once more. Behind me I heard a familiar clicking sound of nails on tile. “Kkraawwwkkkkk!” Matthias, my cockatoo greeted me.

“Hello, boy,” I said, drying my hands. I turned around and reached down to ruffle his head feathers. I picked him up and settled him on my right shoulder. “Look Matthias. It’s snowing. Perhaps we’ll have a white Christmas after all.” I walked over to the window and looked out at my small backyard, already covered in a soft white blanket. The snow was falling gently, but steadily. I glanced at my thermometer, which read 10 degrees.

“Merry Christmas,” croaked Matthias. He was no genius, but he tried and I loved him for it. He was fairly smart, just inarticulate. I plodded back into the bathroom, whistling White Christmas. Matthias perched on the rod for the shower curtain. Baxter was curled up on the toilet seat and Glom came in the door a few minutes after me. I shaved quickly and then turned on the shower. I stepped into the stream of water and closed my eyes. After a few seconds I got my hand wet and flicked some water at Matthias. He ruffled his feathers and jumped to the floor. Glom had made his way to his usual spot on the edge of the tub, were he could get a good steam.

I washed the sweat and grime from my skin. It had been a long day. I had been up early to work, covering the 5am to 2 pm shift. After that, I had gone over to cathedral square and started playing. A lot of homeless people pass through there, so I knew they would enjoy it, but a lot of business men are also in the area. Everyone seems to enjoy Christmas Carols in the bagpipes. I stepped from the shower and toweled myself dry, walking into the bedroom and pulling my robe on once more.

I spent the night curled up on the couch reading, and rose early the next day to do repeat my routine. It was only the week after thanksgiving, and I would be doing this through Christmas. The next day I was in Cathedral Square as promised and the woman from the day before stopped by to listen for a while. After about twenty minutes she pulled a dollar bill from her purse and put it in the bucket. I didn’t want to jump to conclusions, but the jacket she wore looked expensive and I was willing to bet she could have spared more than a dollar. Despite my doubts, I was still polite. “Thank you, and Happy Holidays,” I said with a grin.

“You too,” she replied. “I’m Stephanie by the way.”

“Alex,” I said, holding out my hand. “Pleased to meet you." I went back to playing and when I stopped next she was gone.

Every day that week she would stop and listen, and every day, she would give me a dollar. By the end of the week I had gotten to know her a little. She was a student at UMW, studying biology. This was her junior year. Her family lived in California, but she and her parents didn’t really get along. She was interested in medicine as a career and was a crazy old cat lady in the making (she owned three already). Things went on this way for three weeks. She would stop by and when I wasn’t playing we would talk. Finally, it was the weekend before Christmas. I worked a later slot on Saturday, catching people as they came downtown for dinner. As I packed up, I saw a now familiar pair of blue eyes watching me.

“Hey,” I said.

“Hi,” she replied.

“How are you?”

“Alright, you?”

“Pretty good. It’s almost Christmas.”

“Are you going home?” she asked.

“I am home,” I replied. “This is as close as it gets. Hey, listen, you want to grab a cup of coffee?”

“Sure,” she said eagerly, her eyes lighting up. We set off toward a coffee shop nearby.

“Hey Rachel,” I said, greeting one of the regular baristas. “I’ll have the usual,” I turned to Stephanie. “For you?”

“Oh, I can pay for myself,” She said, stepping back.

“But you’re not going to. I’m stubborn. It’s easier to just give in,” I told her with a smile.

Sighing, she stepped up to the counter. “Small cappuccino,” she said. I handed Rachel a twenty.

“Keep the change.”

“Are you sure?” she asked.

“Yeah. Merry Christmas.”

“Thanks. You too.” We got our drinks and sat down at a table in the window. I cradled the cup in my hands, sipping at the foam.

“So what do you do? For a living I mean,” Stephanie asked. I suddenly remembered that I wasn’t alone and had to make conversation.

“I’m a vet. I do some wildlife rehabilitation and work part time for an animal research ethics board. Between that and playing I make a reasonable amount. Do you work at all?”

“I do some work for some researchers on campus. Pays pretty well.”

“Lab rat in the making,” I said with a grin. She stuck her tongue out at me. “Hey!” I said defensively, “I’ve pulled many an all-nighter in the lab. So what do you want to do when you get out of school?”

“I’m leaning toward med school, but we’ll see. I have another year.” We sat in silence for a few minutes, looking out the window at the huddled shapes walking by. Suddenly I got that feeling that someone was watching me. I turned to find Stephanie looking at me intently. When I caught her eyes she looked away.

“What?” I asked.

“Nothing… I was just wondering, well, what makes you tick, you know?” I cocked my head to the side. “Why are you out there, playing? Clearly you’re cold. And why are you so generous?”

I nodded, understanding. “I have everything I need,” I began slowly. “So many people out there either have nobody to care for them or have lost sight of what Christmas is all about. Maybe I make a difference, maybe I don’t, but I still try.” Stephanie nodded, but seemed distracted. We finished our coffee in silence. “Well,” I said. “I’d best be going. My dog probably needs to use the bathroom.”

“Okay,” Stephanie said, getting up. We walked out the door and I turned to her.

“I’ll be here again tomorrow, probably around ten, until I can’t feel my fingers.” I waved goodbye and walked off toward the bus stop. The next day, I didn’t see Stephanie. It was the first time since I had met her that she hadn’t been there to listen to me. I packed my pipes up and was just getting ready to leave when something caught my eye. I turned to see a familiar figure jogging toward me. I stopped and waited, and when she realized I had spotted her she slowed to a walk.

“I was hoping I hadn’t missed you,” she said as she reached me.

“You made it just in time. Is everything okay?” I asked. She nodded.

“My cat was sick this morning. I had to take it to the vet. He should be okay though.”

“You know, you could have called me. I am a vet if you’ll recall,” I teased.

“And you may recall,” she replied with mock severity, “that you never gave me your phone number!”

“Oh…” I trailed off. “Well…” I pulled a business card from my wallet and scribbled my home number on the back. “My work and cell numbers are on the front, the back is home. If you call the house and get silence, my parrot decided to answer the phone again. Just try again in a few minutes.”

“Thanks,” she smiled, taking the card and tucking it into her pocket. “So, coffee?” she asked.

“How about dinner? I’m starving.”

“Sure,” she agreed.

“Any preferences?”

“Not really. I don’t have any plans for the night, so wherever you want to go.”

I thought for a moment. In my stubbornness, I’d probably pay for both of us, so basically I just had to decide how much I was willing to spend. I finally settled on an Indian restaurant on the east side. We caught to bus and soon had a cozy table by the window. It was three days before Christmas, and despite my earlier hopes all of the snow that had fallen right after Thanksgiving had melting. It looked like it would be another gray, dreary holiday. Sighing, I turned back to Stephanie. “So I take it you’re not going home?” I asked.

“Nope. What are you doing?”

“Maybe going over to my neighbors, otherwise sitting at home with my animals. Are you doing anything special?”

“Hopefully dinner with a friend, but we’ll see.” We ordered food and tea and settled in. There’s something comforting about Indian food. Conversation was light and infrequent, and we left pleasantly full and warm. Stephanie’s apartment was only a few blocks away and so I offered to walk her home. We cut down a dark alley and she hooked her hand loosely around my arm. Instinctively I moved a little closer to her. We got to her apartment and I turned to say goodnight to her. I opened my mouth to tell her I would see her the next day, but never got the words out. I stopped and studied her instead, the deep green eyes, the full, red lips, the cheeks flushed with cold, and the perfect nose, all framed in a rich brown mane of hair. Without thinking, I slowly lowered my mouth to hers, brushing my lips to hers. I brought a hand up to cradle her chin and deepened the kiss. I gently teased her lips with mine, parting my lips and touching hers ever so lightly with my tongue. Suddenly I came to my senses and pulled back.

“I…I’m sorry,” I stuttered. Stephanie looked away and I was afraid she was mad at me. “I don’t know what came over me. I think I’d better be going now.” I took a step back and when Stephanie didn’t say anything I turned and walked away, realizing after a few steps that I was actually walking away from the bus stop. Not caring, I kept going, simply wanting to get away from what I had done. I was angry at myself for allowing a brief moment of passion to jeopardize a friendship. I finally found my way back to the bus and settled in, unhappy for the first time in weeks. I rang the bell for my stop and got up. “Have a good evening and a Merry Christmas,” I told the driver, dropping a few singles into his lap.

“Huh?” he said, startled. “Th…Thanks, you too!” he called as I stepped from the bus. I let myself into my house and flopped down on the couch. Baxter jumped onto my chest and curled up under my chin. I rubbed his chin absentmindedly as I thought about what had happened. I wasn’t really sure why I did it, but I knew I shouldn’t have. I poured myself a scotch and was soon sound asleep on the couch. I awoke the next morning stiff and feeling decidedly unrested. I was also still rather depressed, which was very unusual for me. I showered quickly and left for work. After I finished there, I headed for Cathedral Square to play. I stayed longer than usual, even though my fingers were painfully stiff for the last hour. Much to my dismay, Stephanie never came by. I went home that night and once again fell asleep on the couch. The next day was Christmas Eve. I woke up and showered, then sat down on the couch with a cup of coffee. I read for a few hours since I didn’t have to work, then I left for the square. I got there around noon and started to play. The day was cold and gray, and from my point of view rather disheartening. I usually play with my eyes closed and it was during one such period that I felt the first tiny cold bite on my cheek. I opened my eyes to see that it had started to snow. Suddenly, I was much happier. Smiling widely, I started up again. The snow picked up and it was soon a veritable blizzard. The afternoon flew by and it was soon five o’clock. I packed up and headed home, once again feeling a pang of regret that Stephanie wasn’t there.

The next morning I awoke to a thick blanket of fluffy white down. A few flurries still gently fell and the Christmas lights on my neighbor’s house glowed happily. I grabbed Baxter and held him up so he could look out the window.

“Look Baxter, snow!” I said. “Merry Christmas!” Baxter glared at me over his shoulder with the ‘I am above this treatment’ expression on his face.

“Merry Christmas!” Matthias croaked from behind me. I dropped Baxter unceremoniously on the couch and swept Matthias up, ruffling his head feathers. Reggie too came trotting in, oblivious to everything but the fact that I was paying attention to Matthias and not him. After a few low barks I gave in and scratched his head. Glom was in the window, ignoring us. After the initial excitement wore off I made a pot of coffee and breakfast. After I finished eating I bundled up and headed out the door. I shouted Christmas greetings to everyone I saw. The day was brisk, with the temperature hovering around zero and a stiff north wind. Not one to break with tradition, I caught the bus to Cathedral square and played for an hour or so. At the end of that, my fingers were numb. I packed up the pipes and stopped by the coffee shop. I sat in the window, in the same place Stephanie and I had sat that afternoon, and thought. My spirits were dampened slightly knowing that I had chased away such a good friend. I thought about stopping by her apartment, but wasn’t sure if it would do any good.

Deciding against it, I caught the bus home. I spent the rest of my day reading, with a pot of tea and my animals curled up around me. Around five I was starting to think about food. I never made a traditional dinner, but I was considering cooking something special. I got up from the couch and stretched when there was a timid knock at my door. I pulled the door open to find Stephanie standing on my porch.

“Hi,” I said, unsure of what to say.

“Merry Christmas,” she said quietly, staring at her feet.

“Thanks, you too,” I replied, still feeling somewhat uncomfortable. The fact that she had stopped by was encouraging, but I still wasn’t sure how she felt about what had happened. “Listen, about the other night,” I said, rubbing my eyes. “I don’t know what came over me. I didn’t mean to offend you.”

“Really, it’s okay. I was just, well, surprised,” she replied, looking up at me for the first time.

“Would you like to come in?” I offered.

“Sure, thanks,” I stood back and motioned her into the house. She saw Reggie and let out a squeal of delight, running over to scratch his head.

“That’s Reggie,” I told her, closing the door. “The cat’s name is Baxter. He’ll turn up soon. This is Matthias,” I picked him up and settled him on my shoulder, “And somewhere there’s an iguana named Glom.”

“He’s adorable,” Stephanie said, gesturing to Baxter as she stood up.

“Thanks,” I said. “So I thought you were spending the evening with a friend,” I wondered out loud.

“Well, yeah…” she trailed off.

“If you don’t want to talk about it that’s fine,” I added quickly.

“No, no. Its just that, well, that’s why I’m here,” she said quietly, avoiding eye contact the whole time. “If you don’t have any other plans, I thought maybe we could…” she trailed off. “If you don’t want to, it’s okay.”

“I’d love to,” I said, smiling.

“Really?” she asked, looking up at me and smiled.

“Yes. As a matter of fact, why don’t we eat here. I can cook something quick,” I offered.

“If you really want to, sure, but we could go out.”

“No, I like cooking. Any preferences?”

“Nope.”

“Make yourself at home,” I told her. “Here. Let me take your coat.” I hung her jacket up in the closet. “Can I get you something to drink?”

“Sure, what do you have?”

“Water, coke, wine, red and white, and assorted liquor. What’s your preference?”

“A glass of red wine would be great, if you have a bottle open.”

“I’ll open one. Merlot or Cabernet?”

“Ummmm…Merlot please.” Nodding, I uncorked a bottle of a Chilean Merlot and poured two glasses.

“Merry Christmas,” I said, handing a glass to Stephanie and then tapping hers with mine. After scrounging around in the kitchen, I pulled together everything I needed for a good hearty meal. I had a piece of beef tenderloin in the fridge, which I put in the oven to roast with some potatoes and onions. I set the timer and returned to the living room to find Stephanie sitting on my couch with her feet tucked up under her. Matthias was perched on the back of the couch, next to her, and Baxter was curled up in her lap. Reggie lay next to her. I was struck by how well she seemed to fit in. I studied her for a moment. She was wearing a pair of jeans with a red turtleneck. She had a slight build and stood perhaps five foot six. Her hair hung down just past her shoulder. Not wanting to stare, I sat down on the other side of Reggie.

“They seem to like you,” I grinned. “Has Glom turned up yet?”

“No. I haven’t seen him. I love these three though,” She said with a smile.

“I’m glad you came over,” I said after a moment. “I was afraid that I might have offended you the other night.”