A Magic Mirror of Santa Claus
A Magic Mirror of Santa Claus
Christmas short story
This year, John Blacksmith, a thirty year old programmer, plunged in the world of Christmas magic completely unexpectedly. He worked for a small software company in Billings, Montana. His father, a seventy year old cowboy with his own rancho, Bob Blacksmith, fell ill and went to the hospital that happened absolutely off the point. He got a full bunch of diseases collected by him during the whole life that popped up with high pressure and kidney failure at long last. Surely, it was unpleasant, but tolerable. The only problem, Bob has performed the functions of Santa Claus in the Central supermarket of their town for ten years. Nobody knows why, but he was head and shoulders above all his rivals in this magic profession in the whole Montana state. It was either because of his rich life experience or his natural talent that Bob hid and just only after retirement it flourished for the joy of local kids and their mothers. Year in and year out happy children shared with him their Christmas desires. Their mothers were sure that all of them were very lucky while having such funny and open-hearted Santa.
“John, I see that you are a very busy man. You planned to go to some ski resort together with your friends at Christmas, nevertheless…I ask you very much to do me a favor. Could you take my place in the role of Santa Claus this year? I really don`t want to give this job to any other man. Next year, I will be fit as a fiddle, or as a jingle bell. You will see!”
John looked thoughtfully at his father and kept silence. He rarely asked him about something. The old cowboy had a very wild and rustic character like all the mustangs he tamed in his youth.
“OK, Dad. I`ll try to do the job for you. I will join my friends one or two days later, no problem. However, I slightly imagine myself in the role of Santa. On the one hand, I am just a bit young. On the other hand, I don`t have children. I just don`t know how to deal with them.”
“Don`t worry. You have a smart phone and at any moment you could consult with me. My experience is your experience.”
“Fine, Dad.”
On the Eve of Christmas John sat at the chair of his father and observed as the eyes of children gradually lost the sparkles of the Merry Christmas. Several times the eyes of kids covered with the tears of deep disappointment when they noticed that instead of favorite Santa there was some young and completely unknown for them man.
“Where is our Santa? Last year there was a true Santa! He was good and kind…We like him very much. What happened to him? Why are you sitting here? You are so young!” Some children got really down in the dumps.
“Santa Claus is ill, unfortunately. But I am one of his aides and will convey all you wishes directly to him. I promise,” John tried to look like an honest boy scout.
“Won`t you deceive us?” Children looked interested.
“I give you my word! Let I turn into an icicle right on the parking lot of this supermarket!”
“OK, but remember, after that Christmas we will check you!”
Step by step, all children came to their senses, took seats near John and told him about all those gifts they wanted to see in their Christmas stockings.
The aide of Santa was a modern man and in contrast to his boss he put down all children`s wishes carefully in his own laptop.
At the end of the working day, tired a bit, John started packing up to go home. The dishes of his late dinner popped up before his inner view. Tea with bacon? Coffee with toasters? Fried eggs with salad? Or just a cheeseburger with Coca-Cola in the nearest fast food?
However, for a while, he had to put off all the thoughts about a forthcoming dinner. Somewhere from aside, a small five year old girl just flew to him on the wings of her Christmas dreams.
John looked at her and smiled, “Your name is Mary, isn`t it?” He read this name on her festive pink apron.
“From where do you know it?” The girl surprised.
“But I am the aide of Santa and I should know the names of all children in Montana state!”
“Yes, my name is Mary and I came to see you with my most cherished wish. I want to see my father. My Grandma told me that you have a Magic Mirror using which you could see any remotest corner of the world. Is it true?”
John thought to himself, “Does she mean Google map or something else?” Nevertheless, aloud he said, “Surely, at the Northern Pole, at home, he has such Magic Mirror; it helps him a lot, especially when he wants to see those children, who failed to see him personally.”
“Then, could you help me to see my father who left us half a year ago and did not come back?” The eyes of Mary were full o curiosity.
“Well, well, well. And you…do you know where did he go?”
“Yes I know. He went to Europe!”
“But in Europe there are many countries…Don`t you remember the name of the city where he flew?”
“Certainly, I remember. He is my Dad. He went to Kyiv!”
“He is in Kyiv. How interesting. And what does he do there?”
“He sells American combine harvesters and tractors used by our Uncle Tom on his farm.” Mary tried to add something and on reflection kept on, “The combine harvesters are big, and the tractors are small!”
“I see. I would like to ask the last question, what the name of your father is.”
“Jack Blacksmith!” The eyes of Mary shined with the sparkles of hope.
The aide of Santa suddenly choked and coughed.
Mary got worried, “Is something is wrong?”
“No, it isn`t. Everything is all right, but your Dad`s surname is familiar to me, I even don`t know why.” John took a glass of water and drank it to calm down a bit. After that he addressed to Mary once again, “Listen to me, Mary. Unfortunately, I failed to take this Magic Mirror with me. I left it at home. However, I took a computer with me and I will try to do your wish right now. For five minutes you could play somewhere there and after that come back to see me. Mary, I don`t promise, you understand my computer is not a Magic Mirror, nevertheless, I will try.”
“No, I will not go anywhere, because my mother could find and take me with her to home. I`d better stay with you,” Mary looked around and took a seat not far from John.
“OK,” John plunged fast in the world web network seeing nothing except the icons of many web sites. Either the Northern winds crossed in Montana state this day, or it was just the Christmas magic, but five minutes later he clicked the Skype nick of Jack Blacksmith. Having sent his inquiry, he drank one more glass of mineral water, and sighed with a relief. His computer suddenly flashed and on the other side of the screen he saw the frightened face of a young man in his early thirties.
“Hello, I am Jack Blacksmith. I listen to you…”
“Hi, I am John Blacksmith from Billing, Montana. Now I work as an aide of Santa Claus and try to help your daughter Mary to come in contact with you.”
“Father! Father!” Mary rushed to the screen of the computer and started crying, “I am so happy to see you! Why did you leave us? Mother blubbed and sobbed for the whole month after your moving away,” Mary just got breathless from agitation.
Uneasy silence reigned for a while. At last Jack mumbled, “My poppet, excuse me. I found another woman and I moved to live with her.”
“But you could come to see us at Christmas. We miss you so much!”
“To come at Christmas?” Jack got lost in thought. “ I guess that at Christmas it is impossible…as for the New Year day…I can, yeah I can come together with my woman. Her name is Anna, but I call her Ann.”
“Father! Father! We will be waiting for you! I don`t need any gifts, I just want to see you! I miss you very, very much!”
“I want to see you too, my flower, but you should promise me that you won`t offend my girlfriend Ann. Do you promise me?” Jack smiled a bit.
“I do. I`ll tell my Mom about it. She will behave like a decent girl.”
“OK. I guess we got agreed, my dandelion. On the New Year, we will fly to see you and after that we`ll go skiing to some mountain resort. And now bye-bye, Mary! ”
“Bye-Bye, Dad!” The eyes of Mary just shined with happiness she tried to embrace John while saying him, “You are a real aide of Santa!” But at this moment appeared her mother who yelled out in a worried way, “Mary, I have sought you for ten minutes! I`ve searched all the sections of our supermarket so far! Did anything happen to you?”
“No. That is John, the aide of Santa Claus. Though he is young, he just performed one of my Christmas wishes,” Mary pointed at John with her index finger.
John smirked a bit, “You mean that you have a second Christmas wish, don`t you?”
Mary caught the sleeve of his jacket, “I know John that Santa performs just only one wish, but I ask you very much. Besides, next near I will ask nothing from you I swear!”
“That is the word of a future girl scout, is not it?”
“Yeah, the word of the honest Mary!”
“Ok. Got agreed. Surely, I won`t promise, but I will do my best! You know I am not Santa Clause, I am just his Montana aide. Here is my visit card with a telephone number. Don`t lose it, please. But even if you do it, you should remember that my surname is the same as the surname of your father – Blacksmith. As for my name, you know it – John. I work not far from here, there is my address. Your mother could find me at any moment.”
“Come flood or fire, I will never lose it,” Mary put his visit card in the pocket of her festive apron.
Having looked at the scene, the mother of Mary, an attractive red-haired woman with many facial freckles just grabbed her daughter and rushed away, not forgetting to say in a hurry-scurry way, “Thank you, John.”
“Merry Cristmas,” John closed his computer and went home not forgetting to drop in to his father in hospital and to tell him about all his adventures as Santa`s aide.
Bob listened to his son carefully and said finally, “Good job, my son. Go on in the same way.”
Several days after in the circle of his friends John almost completely forgot about all this Christmas story. He just enjoyed the magnificent mountainous landscape, sparkling ivory snow, and the good mood of all his buddies.
However, Mary did not forget him. On the 31st of December, somewhere at 7 o’clock AM he heard an unexpected call from his smart phone. The picture of Mary suddenly popped up in his head. Intuition did not betray him.
“Hello, John. That is the mother of Mary. I must apologize but today my Mary is not quite herself, I am afraid. Her father Jack together with his girlfriend Ann came to see us and the whole morning Mary is chasing and haunting me. She wants to discuss something with you.”
“OK, I listen to you Mary,” - John heard as Mary picked up the telephone.
“John, you promised me. Do you remember? Today you should come to see us by all means.”
“But I am at a ski resort!” John got confused.
“Santa and his aides never lie!” Mary insisted.
“All right, I will be there in 4-5 hours. Just ask your mother…By the way what is her name?”
“Margaret.”
“Well, just ask Margaret to send me a SMS with your address. Deal?”
“Deal,” Mary calmed down.
“The last moment, Mary. What will you say about Ann? Do you like her?”
Mary made a pause and answered, “When you come, you will see.”
“Nevertheless, I know you are a smart girl. What will you say?”
“Uhm…she is an athletic woman, strong, blonde and beautiful…”
“Does she have a kind heart? Is she good or not?”
Mary kept silence and after that said, “She is a good woman.”
“Why do you think so?” John persisted.
“She cooked tasty pies with apples. I like them. Moreover, our dog, Woolfie, does not bark at her. He is always barking at bad people.”
“So, Mary, what is the matter?” John got interested.
“What`s the matter, what`s the matter!” Mary mimicked John. “She is a good woman. But my mother is better! That`s the matter!”
After saying good-bye to all his friends John took a bus and went back to his native town. Several hours later he sat at a table of his father who had already left the hospital at that time and stayed at home.
“What should I do with all this Christmas stuff, father?” John asked.
“Where do I know it from?” Father laughed and patted John on his shoulder. “You gave a promise, you should do it.”
“But you a bearded and experienced Santa, as for me I am just a young aide.”
“Here, you are completely right,” father brought a cup of green tea. “At first, you should find out, what Mary wants, and after that you could call me. I would be happy to help in any way I can.”
“Everything is clear as this day. I am not supposed to be a think tank and look in your Magic Mirror to understand that she wants to bring Jack back in her family.”
Bob sighed heavily, “Most likely, that is the way it is.” He sipped his tea and fell to thinking. “You said that Ann is a sportive woman…She is strong and splendid…My experience says that athletic women like athletic men. Amazons like Hercules.”
“And what follows your conclusion?”
“You should surprise Ann with one of your tricks. Though you are a nerdy programmer, you are a pro in skydiving, in alpine skiing and snowboarding. Besides you were an excellent boy scout,” Bob smiled.
“You`d like to say that I should hit on Ann and bring Jack back to his family?” John knitted his brows. “Frankly speaking, I dislike this idea.”
“That`s for you to decide. In any case, you should go to see all of them, take a good look around and after that to take a decision. In any case, you promised Mary to visit their house,” Bob snapped his fingers.
“That`s right. I gave my word,” John sighed heavily and left the house of his father.
A half an hour lately, John drove to a decent two-storied house in the yard of which he noticed Mary, and her parents Jack and Margaret. Having seen Jack, getting out of his jeep the five-year old girl ran towards him.
“Mother! Father! That is John, the best aide of Santa! Come on! Here he is!”
John smiled and shook the hands of all members of the family. Jack felt confused, “Surely, I can`t but say, ‘Thank you.’ I flew several thousands of miles thanks to your efforts and I don`t regret it.”
“I should thank you too. If you had seen her happy eyes when she came in contact with you through Skype, you would have remembered it for all your life!”
“Yeah, she can do such things. I always called her as our sparkling ball of fire,” Jack estimated John with his eyes.
“If you don`t mind I will have a little talk with Mary, because she keeps her eyes fixed on me.”
“I have nothing against. If you don`t mind, could you join us at this New Year party today. Without you Mary will not feel the real joy of it.”
“With great pleasure,” John failed to finish this phrase because of Mary. She grabbed his sleeve and pulled somewhere in the yard.
Having looked around, she whispered on his ear, “I want my father stay at home and does not fly anywhere!”
John glanced at the girl with slightly sad eyes and answered thoroughly choosing his words, “You see, it does not always work. The laws of adults differ a bit from the laws of kids.” Having seen the tears on her deeply disappointed eyes, he kept on cautiously, “By the way, do you have a plan?”
“Yes, you should take Ann to the supermarket to go shopping and sightseeing. She does not leave our father even for one step.”
“OK. I believe that at least something I can do in this situation.” John entered the festive house, praised the shimmering Christmas tree and took a seat at a fireplace together with Ann. That was a self-confident young woman with long blonde hair in a stylish sportive suit. Her slender and sportive figure just shined with the energy and power of a gracious cheetah.
“My name is John,” he introduced himself. “I guess you know that this year I am the aide of Santa.”
The young woman gave him a once-over and said, “I am Ann. Last year I also performed the role of Snegurka, the Snow Maiden, and the aide of our Father Frost. I am glad to see you, my winter colleague.”
“So am I. I see that you are a professional athlete. In what kind of sport do you beat your opponents?”
“In biathlon, I am the silver champion of the latest world cup,” Ann smiled.
“Therefore, you are from those women who shoot like cowboys and after that run away like a blizzard,” John estimated her legs.
“No, like a hurricane,” Ann covered her legs with a woolen blanket.
“The professional sportive woman is seen from a mile-long distance,” John cheered up. “You did not come to us in vain. Here we have such marvelous mountains, such gorgeous landscapes, such splendid skiing tracks which can compete even with the Alps.”
“Oh, John! Don`t toot your own horn. The Alps are the Alps, and the Montana ranges are just Montana ranges,” Ann stretched her hands to the fire.
“Wow! You offend me. You just kicked snow in the face of a Santa`s assistant from Montana. How Rudolf are you! I bet that in our mountains there are so exclusive skiing tracks that not every professional will pass just only bearded amateur locals.”
“Any mountain is unique in its nature and nobody is going to underestimate the local flavor. But the professional sportsman is professional even in the middle of nowhere. Though I am a specialist in biathlon, giant slalom is my hobby-horse. That`s why I think that I can give a head start to any local bearded amateur as you said.”
“OK. In such a way, let`s make a bet. Though I am an amateur, but I am a local guy, therefore, I will bypass you on a combined track from a slalom part and five miles long skiing track by 30 seconds.”
Ann burst into laughter, “I know that here the difference between a ski instructor and a ski student is just three days. Do you imagine what 30 seconds mean for a professional skier? Have you ever taken part in some, I even don`t know, Montana state competitions?”
“No, I am an amateur,” John answered modestly.
“Where do you take such self-confidence?” Ann was ready to stand up.
“You see, I am the aide of Santa. That is my year.”
Ann laughed once again, throwing her head back in an elegant way, “So, you insist on your bet?”
“Yeah! Certainly!”
Ann moved her armchair closer to John. She looked interested, “What are the conditions of your bet?”
“If I lose I pay you $5,000.”
Ann moved her armchair to John once again, “Now I start understanding this joke about the American skier who became a millionaire.”
“Unfortunately, I forgot it,” John looked surprised.
“He started out as a billionaire,” Ann smirked. “OK, and if I lose?”
“Well, in this case you will present me your kiss and your lucky ski champion hat!”
Ann laughed again, “You are so unpredictable. John will be jealous! Nevertheless, I accept your bet! Let`s avalanche!”
“Let`s avalanche!” John snapped his fingers.
“But it will be tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. What will we do today? Don`t you know what Margaret and Jack plan today?”
“A hundred to one, they will fry several stakes on their barbeque grill and will arrange a festive party. As for us we can go shopping to buy some fruit and vegetables. I heard that you are an excellent chef.”
Ann smiled suspiciously, “I have such impression that you know everything about me. Aren`t you an agent of the FBI, CIA, or the Police of Texas?”
“Why did you mention Texas?”
“Because in American films they are the toughest!”
John grinned, “You were desperately deceived, don`t trust the films.”
“Really?”
“The toughest police officers are in Montana!”
“Why do think so?”
John pointed at the small figure of mustang standing on the fireplace plate. “That`s very simple. Almost all of them are hereditary cowboys!”
“And in Texas?”
“Just only every second. Well shall we go shopping and sightseeing?” John stood up.
Ann raise from the armchair too, “I have nothing against, but we are to say about it to Jack and Margaret.”
After going outdoors they met Jack and Margaret when they smoked one cigarette after another.
“Smoking is dangerous for your health? Don`t you mind if we go shopping?”
Jack lit a new cigarette, “I have nothing against, but I ask you not to hesitate.”
After the departure of John and Ann, Mary decisively came to his father and started her long prepared speech, “Father, I want to speak to you, seriously.”
Jack took her to his hands and put a curl of her stubborn fair hair in order. “You speak like an adult girl. Who taught you to speak so?”
“My mother.”
“What do you want to discuss with me?” Jack asked with a sad voice.
“We love you very much and together with my Mom, we think that you should live with us, with your family!”
Jack looked in some far away direction, “You see, my flower, I don`t want to cheat on anybody. I love your mother, that`s why I married her more than five years ago. But now I love Ann just a bit more. I promised to marry her in a week or two.”
“And how about me? Do you love me?” Mary was going to burst into tears.
“As for you, I love you very much too. I will visit you several times a year.”
“But, look, Father. Ann is the only one. As for us, there are two of us. I mean me and my mother! Your love to us should be bigger!”
The eyes of Jack were gradually covered with tears. “All right, my dandelion. I will think about your words. And now let`s set our New Year table together. You could go and help your mother. As for me I`ll cook several stakes outdoors.”
********************************************************
Before getting into his jeep John called somebody and verified the route of movement. After looking at his watch he invited Ann to take a seat too.
“Whom did you call?” Ann got interested.
“I called my father. Maybe, he needs something from vegetables and fruit.”
“And how about your mother?” Ann noticed a photo of some middle-aged woman stuck to the dashboard.
“Unfortunately, she passed away twenty years ago. It was a car crash…” John started his car and smoothly drove away from Mary`s house.
“John, my deepest condolences about your mother,” Ann looked sadly at him. “It is so difficult to live without your mother. Especially, for children and teenagers.”
“You are right. But all my life long I feel that she is somewhere nearby. Maybe, it is her spirit or soul, I don`t know.”
“Even now?” Tears pricked the back of Ann`s eyes.
“Even now.” In a while John turned to Ann, “I loved my mother, nevertheless, today, we should not forget about the Christmas spirit!”
John made several sightseeing circles in the central part of their glorious city. He showed Ann the panoramic view of their downtown, the Festival of trees, the Christmas Stroll, the First Interstate Center, the tallest building in their state, and the shop with the best choice of vegetables and fruits, in the outskirts of Billings.
While coming back, John pulled over his car at the intersection with traffic lights. Together with Ann they enjoyed the cityscape through the open windows of their car. Suddenly two gloomy guys rushed right to their car and thrust their old-fashioned revolvers under their noses.
Ann got shocked, “And what does it mean?”
“Carjacking at gunpoint! Get out! And don`t forget to leave your key!” One guy tried to open the door.
John caught the hand of his opponent and jerked it in the opposite direction. Ann tried to do the same. Though she did not do it so smartly as John, her rival started yelling out, “You broke my wrist! DNB!”
John pressed the accelerator pedal and just in a second, together with Ann, they were on a safe distance from two criminal guys. In a wing mirror he noticed that one of the attacking men was lying on the asphalt writhing in pain, while the second one took the collar of his accomplice and pulled him hurriedly from the pavement.
At last Ann caught her breath, “I thought car theft could happen just only in New York or Chicago.”
“Unfortunately, they could take place in any part of the world, even in our Yellowstone paradise.”
“You turned out to be a real macho. Where did you learn to wring the arms?”
“I was just a good boy scout. That`s all. As for some wrestling tricks, my father is an old cowboy; he did not waste his time in my childhood.” John smiled, “And you did not look like a girly girl too. I felt sorry while looking at this miserable victim of some Cheetah-Broosie-Margarita.”
Ann laughed, “It happened spontaneously. I looked at you and just decided to copycat you. By the way he called me DNB. What does it mean?”
John mused on it a bit and after that remarked, “Exactly, I don`t know. It is a kind of some abbreviation meaning, maybe, some insult. But for me that abbreviation means some ‘definitely nice blonde’.”
“That you for the compliment,” Ann looked at John with interest.
“You are welcome.”
*********************************************************
The New Year party in the house of Margaret and Mary was quite successful. Everybody shared the best memories of the passing year. Everybody had some funny story in the stores of the memory. Everybody celebrated the fest, except Mary. In spite of all efforts none of the jokes of her parents, John and Ann, could set her laughing. For hours she was tensely waiting for something. And at last this something occurred. John went to the bathroom. In a minute she left the table and caught the hand of her friend when he closed the door of the bathroom.
“Hey, John. Now it is your turn. Do you have some plan?”
John squatted joyfully and slightly snapped her nose, “You see, though the situation is fifty-fifty, and I even think just fifty-fifty-ninety, I think I can help you. Your task is just not to interfere, OK?”
“OK, John.”
“And don`t forget to relax and to start laughing. Sourpuss girls attract too much attention and suspicions.”
“OK, John.”
As one would expect the bet of John and Ann about the combined race on the slopes of the nearest touristic skiing resort was supported by all participants of the New Year party. Next day, somewhere at sunset, when the golden sun rays forced the mountain snow to sparkle with ivory colors, John and Ann looked at the map and thoroughly scrutinized the route of their forthcoming competition.
John pointed at some spot on his map, “That is the place of our whereabouts.” After that he drew several lines with his pencil, “And that is the route of our movement.” On reflection he added, “At first goes the giant slalom track. There are many skiers and tourists; it is difficult to get lost here. At the end of the slalom route, you should turn left. There goes the five-mile track for cross-country skiing.
The finish of our race is right across the two-storied hotel Montana Inn. Is everything clear?”
“Yes,” Ann put on her ski goggles and made a short warm-up for her arms and legs. “Who will meet us at the finish?”
“My father, Bob. He just arrived there with a flask of hot coffee,” John gloved his hands. “My Grandma knitted this woolen miracle. Don`t you think that they look lovely?”
Ann made a pause and after that asked, “And your father, does he stand for fair play rules, or he will start favoring you?”
“He is an old and bearded cowboy, excuse me,” John smiled.
“And how about Jack, Margaret and Mary?” Ann looked at them.
“You should not pay much attention to us. We`ll go sledding together with Marry, and after a turn we`ll give her a fast ride,” Jack embraced Mary.
“Therefore, you could start your sledding marathon,” John smiled. “As for us, together with Ann, we`ll start our race in a minute or two.”
“OK,” Jack and Margaret put Marry on a funny sleigh and with cheery hollo-hollas they rushed down the slope together.
In two minutes Ann approached the starting line, “Now it is our turn!”
John came closer, “Ladies first! I give you a 30 second head start right now. That old gentleman will be our witness!”
Ann grinned a bit, “Besides everything, you a snotty member of some Big Boys` Club!”
“Yeah! And I don`t hide it!”
“Then, I go!” Ann dashed like a lightning leaving after her just a whirl of sparkling snow rising up as a hazy herald of an avalanche.
John looked at her quickly disappearing figure and came to a gentleman standing at some bush with a parachute backpack under it. “Don`t judge me too severely. I just want to impress this girl.” The old man said nothing, just only smiled. John put on the parachute on his back and fixed it professionally. Several seconds later he looked at the splendid skyscape and with the words ‘Yahoo!’ he jumped head first in an alarming abyss from the steep mountain slope. John pulled the ring of the parachute and after a specific clap he soared like an eagle on his multicolored elliptical ram-air parachute to the slightly seen Mountain Inn Hotel. “Ten years of skydiving were not vain in my life”, he thought to himself.
After successful landing, John grabbed his parachute and threw it in the trunk of his car. His father who was nearby helped him to do it.
“The curiosity is just burning me from inside,” said Bob while pouring hot coffee from his flask in the metallic cup of John. “Still now, I can`t imagine how she looks like.”
“As one Bob Marley sang ‘Don`t worry, be happy!’ You will see her in twenty or thirty seconds,” John took binoculars and yelled out, “Wow! I was wrong! Look over there!”
Father noticed a stylish sportive woman sliding to the finish line like a gracious cougar.
“Is it Ann? I mean the woman in a blue and yellow ski hat?”
“Yeah! That`s she. I call her to myself Cheetah-Cheetah- Margarita!” John smiled.
“But she looks so elegant and gorgeous. Didn`t you have some sort of spark?”
“I guess we had such moment,” John plunged into reflections.
“Then, what is the matter? You are a big boy. Why don`t you try to conquer her heart?”
“It is a bit complicated. She came here with Jack. They plan to get married. Besides, I am not sure that she is the woman I sought all my life long…”
Bob smiled, “Before I found your mother I felt the definite difference between American and European girls, between the girls from New York and Alabama. Don`t chicken out!”
Several seconds later red cheek Ann rushed to the finish. After taking a breath she took a cup of coffee from the hands of John. Being completely surprised she looked around, “And what does it mean?”
“It means that you lost me your kiss and your champion ski cap!” John decisively approached Ann and gave her a long kiss. After that he took off her ski cap and put it on his own head.
“But I did not see as you bypassed me!” Ann was completely confused.
John opened the trunk of his jeep and showed her his parachute, “I just decided to go skydiving and to look at you from an up down perspective. Besides, I made several aerial shots and they belong to you,” John tried to kiss Ann once again.
She did not permit him to do it, “Hey, hey! Don`t get carried away! Don`t you forget that together with Jack we plan to get married in a week!” Ann managed to escape the hands of John.
“Ann, I think that you should belong to me!”
“Because you are from a Big Boys Club?” Anna screwed up her eyes.
“No. Because I feel a spark of love and sympathy to you!” John presented her a red rose which he bought in advance.
“John. Thank you for your attention. But I am not a relay race baton, which you try to take from the hands of Jack! Let`s stop this talk,” Ann looked just a bit irritated.
Ten minutes later, Jack, Margaret and Marry appeared on the horizon. They were laughing happily and threw snowballs at each other. After approaching John and Ann, all of them stopped talking.
Jack cast his eyes down and took the hand of Ann, “Do forgive me Ann but I won`t leave Montana. I made a wrong step and I want to stay with my family.”
The tears streamed down the eyes of Ann. In a while she said, “That`s good that you said it before our wedding!”
Jack tried to embrace her, but she did not let him do it, “I will buy you the ticket to your native city for any date.”
John interfered, “Don`t worry. I will take care of her.”
Ann kept silence. Jack coughed awkwardly, “OK. If Ann is not against, I have nothing against too.”
One month later, in the airport of Kyiv, a young man in a cowboy hat with an inscription ‘Montana’ appeared in a crowd of international passengers. He was met by a slender blonde woman in a blue and yellow ski hat with a poster ‘John Blacksmith’.
“John, take off this Stetson. You are not a cowboy, you are a programmer.”
John embraced the young blonde woman and said, “First of all, Ann, I am the aide of Santa. Secondly, at the bottom of my heart, I am from Montana. And thirdly, I came here to solve our wedding question not as a programmer but as a cowboy!”
Ann smiled, “You came here to fight with your rivals for my heart, aren`t you?
“Sure. That`s why till our wedding I won`t take off my Stetson.”
Ann came closer, “I noticed at once that you were from a Big Boys Club. By the way, don`t you have children? If I get the second call from some nice 5-year-old girl, I will not live it down.”
“I don`t have children. But I plan to get them, surely, with your personal help. I want them look like you. You see my ears are too big, my nose looks like a potato, my arms are too long.”
Ann smiled, “But for that you should try very well.”
John kissed both her cheeks, “That`s why I came to Kyiv! I showed you my Billings, now it is your turn. I want a sightseeing tour in Kyiv!
