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“I’ve been here five days, and I couldn’t agree more. I’m excited to see the park for real this time. Everyone talks about the gazebo with so much love.”
“That’s for sure,” I agreed. “It’s wonderful year-round, but from what I hear, it does have a legend.”
“A legend of the gazebo?”
“Yep,” I said, popping the P. “As the legend goes, the gazebo picks a Christmas couple each year. If that couple kisses under the roof of the gazebo while the Bells Pass Christmas tree is lit, they’ll be married by the next Christmas.”
“That’s quite a story,” she said, chuckling as we turned right into the park’s parking lot.
“Legend,” I reminded her. “You don’t want to call it a story in front of Ivy Lund. You’ll get an earful!”
She giggled, and the sound was melodic and joyful on a beautiful fall day. It reminded me of bells chiming at Christmastime. Hazel Cane had a way about her that immediately put you at ease and made you want to stay in her atmosphere. I didn’t know her past, but it was easy to see that she’d already seen a lot in life. She saw people and understood that everyone’s backgrounds were different and that impacts who they are present day. Something told me that was true even for herself.
“Of course, I will never be one half of the Christmas couple,” I said as we started up the path toward the gazebo.
“Never say never, Irving.”
“Well, unless they somehow make it accessible, I’m safe to use never,” I explained. “It was so embarrassing the last time I was under that gazebo roof that I assure you, I’ll never be again.”
“What happened?” she asked as the sun shone down on our backs, warm and relaxing. “You’ll have to forgive me. I haven’t seen the gazebo, so I don’t know how it’s set up.”
“It’s up off the ground with a full AV room under it,” I explained. “There are stairs that lead to the entrance, but there’s no ramp. When Mayor Tottle introduced me last year during the tree lighting ceremony, I had to be in the gazebo, so he got two guys to carry me and another guy to carry my chair up the stairs.”
“I’m sorry,” she said with a frown. It was easy to notice her joy for the day had dissipated. “There is so much in life that isn’t accessible.”
“You’re not kidding. There have been many situations where I’ve passed on participating to avoid that type of manhandling, but that was one time I didn’t have a choice. I hoped they would add a ramp after seeing how inaccessible it was. Needless to say, my hopes were dashed at the last board meeting when they tabled it.”
“Wait.” She stopped and turned to me. “You were there and they still tabled it?”
“Star, wait,” I commanded, and he stopped walking. “The concept was easy, but they kept getting hung up on the aesthetics.”
“What was the concept?”
“Come on, and I’ll show you,” I said, motioning her and Star forward.
We rolled up the path another hundred feet before the structure appeared.
“Oh, wow,” she sighed. “It’s gorgeous. How old did you say it was?”
“It was built in the 1930s but has been lovingly cared for ever since.”
“That’s obvious,” she agreed when we stopped before it. “That tree is beyond huge. Is that the one they light up?”
“You guessed it. I’ve only seen it lit up once, but I look forward to it this year. From what Becca tells me…” I paused when recognition didn’t cross her face. “The little one with the prosthesis and the baby bump.”
“Oh! Yes, she’s delightful. I put my foot in my mouth with her and didn’t realize it. Hope she doesn’t hold it against me.”
“You didn’t know she had PTSD or that cameras set it off. Asking for a selfie isn’t unusual these days. I was proud of her for reacting calmly and being able to ask you to put the camera away, even if she shook while she did it. From what I hear, before she met Cameron, she would have run. Cameron helped her get the help she needed to live a more comfortable life.”
“I like how you didn’t say a better life,” she responded as she lowered herself to one of the gazebo steps.
My shrug was slow but purposeful. “When you’re in my position, you understand the difference. Becca told me that a few years ago, when she and Cameron were the gazebo’s Christmas couple, the tree had been damaged by a storm. Cameron is an arborist and made a graft for the tree until it healed. As you can see, he did a bang-up job with it. The tree is stronger than ever, and I swear it’s grown since I was here last time. Could just be that I’m down here instead of up there,” I said, pointing at the gazebo floor.
“That would do it,” she agreed with a smile. “I can just picture all the picnics, family reunions, and weddings this gazebo has seen.”
“Probably thousands,” I agreed. “That’s why I wanted it to be more accessible for everyone, but the board feels it’s too much of an undertaking.”
“What do you think?”
