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29
AARON
Aaron lifted the string lights onto the evergreen as he balanced on the ladder.
“A little to the left,” Marge, the resident mother hen and main chef for Hope Facility, instructed.
Aaron moved the lights accordingly. “Here?”
“Perfect.”
He twisted the rest of the tiny bulbs around the corner and plugged the end into the star at the top. “Okay, Tommy, plug it in and we’ll see if it all works.”
The young boy at the base of the ladder walked to the outlet and plugged the end of the cord into the wall. The lights blinked on, lighting the whole tree.
Marge clapped first and then several of the teens around the rec room whooped and joined her. Aaron carefully climbed down before he stepped back to review his handiwork.
“Not bad.” He motioned to the plastic storage bins stacked off to the side by the pool table. “Alright, guys, those bins are full of ornaments for you to decorate the tree.”
Tommy smiled. “We can put them anywhere?”
“Anywhere on the tree, or heck, even the greenery around the room.” Aaron motioned to the boughs hanging along the walls.
“This is so cool,” one of the other kids said, lifting the lid from a bin.
Aaron’s gaze swept the large festive space. Most of the teens wandered closer, peeking at the ornaments, some of them grabbing armfuls.
Crash!
Two of the kids closest to Aaron flinched before their gazes dropped to the broken glass ball on the ground.
“I’ll grab the broom,” Marge offered, heading out of the room.
The redheaded boy looked up to him, his eyes wide. “I’m sorry, Mr. Ridley.”
“Me too.” Kent shuffled nervously.
Aaron lifted his hands up. “Hey, no worries, guys. It happens. Just be careful so you don’t get cut. I’ll clean this up; you guys go decorate the tree.”
“O-okay.” Kent backed away, going around the other side of the bin, but his cautious gaze remained on Aaron.
Marge returned, broom in hand. Aaron grabbed it from her and swept up the mess.
“It looks fantastic as always. I’m sure it will be even better once the kids get the ornaments up.” Marge smiled at the scene in front of them. Twenty or so teens surrounded the tree, decorating it while laughing and joking around. A small crowd had gathered at the table of hot cocoa and cookies Marge had laid out for everyone. More young men and women scattered about the giant room, on couches or at tables, some playing games, others with their headphones on, scribbling away at their notebooks. A few of the volunteers had tables set up with ornament-making crafts, or other activities. It was just another day at Hope Facility during the holidays. This was the hardest time of year for most of the kids, especially since they didn’t or couldn’t be around their families. Every year Aaron did his best to make it a joyful occasion. And on Christmas morning, they’d each have a gift with their name on it under the tree before they all enjoyed a giant holiday brunch.
I need to talk to Brynn about that. Now that he was a married man, he had to include her and Dani’s traditions in his day. Would they want to come with him to the center? Maybe they could celebrate together early on Christmas Eve instead.
Aaron walked the dustpan to the nearest garbage, and Marge grabbed the broom from him.
“I got it,” he argued.
She shook her head, her grey locks swaying with the motion. “No, no. I got another batch of cookies coming out of the oven, so I’m going that way anyways.”
“Alright, thank you.”
“Wow. This place looks fantastic,” Bently said as he walked through the entrance of the facility, his arm around his wife.
“Just wait until the tree is all decorated.” Aaron chuckled, stepping towards them.
