*
*
“When was the last time you came to one of these?” Pam asked, looking at him.
Jim looked nervous and uneasy. He would have rather taken upon himself the sole responsibility for changing diapers if it meant he could evade this for another year.
“Um…” Jim said frowning, watching the crowds of vaguely familiar faces ambling about. “I don’t know. Maybe the year before I left for Scranton?”
His tone matched his face, anxious and tense. Pam shifted Cece to one arm and ran her free hand up and down Jim’s back. “I think it we’ll be okay,” she assured him. “And you’re not the only one hesitant about tonight,” she added, gesturing her head to the little girl in her arms.
Jim looked at his daughter, watching her little eyes peep narrowly at the people passing by. Jim scrunched his face, making a silly attempt to bring about her smile. Cece locked her big blue eyes with his and a hint of a smirk tugged the corners of her cherub lips.
“Remember,” Pam advised him. “If we go in, there’s no coming back.”
“Actually, I’m a master of leaving parties early,” he said puffing his chest. “The key is you have to make a strong impression. So, you want to have a picture taken, you want to say some peculiar non sequitur that people remember, you want to note something unique, a talking point for later…”
“You’re making that up.”
“No, I am not. Remember last year, New Years? Yeah, I was home by nine.”
Pam narrowed her eyes like Cece had done just moments ago. “I know what you’re doing,” she said. “Quit stalling and let’s go inside.”
Jim hung his head in defeat. “Fine.”
They slowly entered the large ballroom. Cece’s head immediately popped up from Pam’s shoulder, eyeing the colorful decorations hung around the room. It was all evidence of Betsy’s careful planning. But the biggest attraction was the gigantic pine tree that stood tall with colored icicles and big red shinny balls hanging from its branches. And with all the presents underneath, it looked like a picture from a book.
“You like that?” Pam asked, watching Cece’s little finger point to the Christmas tree. Pam turned to Jim and said, “I think your parent’s outdid themselves this year.”
“Yeah, seems like it,” Jim said gazing in wonder around the room. “Oh Cee, Look?”
Cece swiveled her curly head around and saw what her dad was pointing to. “Gamma!” She shouted, quickly arched her back, and slid down from Pam’s arms. She toddled to her Grandma’s open arms as fast as her little legs could take her.
“C’mere baby girl,” Adele said, taking the small tot into her arms. “You look so pretty. Who gave you that dress, huh?”
“Mamma,” Cece said coyly.
“You guys…” Adele said, pulling Jim and Pam for a collective hug. Cece giggled, squished in the middle. “I can’t believe you came.” Spying the car seat Jim was holding she added, “How’s the little man?”
Jim lifted the car seat and said, “Sleeping.”
Adele lowered Cece to the floor and lifted the blanket covering the car seat. The small baby boy slumbered serenely. His chubby cheeks reminded her of Cece when she was that little. She pulled the blanket back down and asked, “Does Betsy know you’re here?”
“No, not yet,” Pam said.
“She’s going to be thrilled,” Adele said. “Our tables are at the front. Betsy has seats reserved in case you decided to come. I’m going to go find Joe and tell him you’re here. I’ll meet you back there.” She turned her attention to Cece and said, “Wanna go see grandpa?”
Cece’s eyes beamed. Adele held out her hand and the little girl reached out and seized the older woman’s hand.
Jim watched Adele and Cece fade amongst the crowds of people. He looked around the room and a sense of nostalgia began to slowly creep up on him. He remembered running around as a kid in search for new adventures in this same ballroom. He’d kissed the beautiful Amy Brennan in one of the coat closets one year. There was also the year that the electricity went out, and how could he forget the time Larissa puked all over his dress shoes. This place held a lot of memories for him.
“I guess we have to make our way up there, huh?” Pam said pulling him from his reverie.
“Wha…up where?” Jim asked.
“Our table. Adele said your mom has seats saved for us.”
“Oh, yeah…Let’s go,” Jim said.
As they began weaving their way through the clusters of people, Jim noticed some heads turning. Maybe he was being paranoid. But what had happened was no secret. They had all followed Jim through his rebellion, the Katie scandal, and then his sudden disappearance. He grew up in the public eye and knew his dirty laundry was washed for everyone to see. But one thing was talking about him; another was talking about his family, his kids.
As they approached the front tables, they heard the inevitable shrieks that came when Betsy’s eyes landed on them.
“Jimmy?” She asked incredulously.
“Hey, mom.”
She got up from her seat and briskly walked around the table towards them. “I’m so glad you’re here,” she said and pulled them for a hug.
Seeing the happiness radiating from her, made suffering through this year’s Christmas party almost worth it. “We all came,” Jim said, raising the car seat.
“Aww,” she said, placing a hand over her heart. “Oh, Phillip…How’s he? Is he still colicky?”
“He’s doing much better today,” Pam said.
“And where’s my Swea’Pea Cecelia?” Betsy asked.
“Adele already snatched her away,” Pam said.
“Come, come,” Betsy said, pulling them by their hands. “I have seats reserved for you. They’ll be serving dinner soon.”
“Good, ‘cause I’m starving!” Pam said.
After they settled, Adele returned with Cece, who toddled towards dad as soon as she saw him. She reached Jim’s legs and pulled on his pants, chanting, “Uupp!”
“C’mere,” he said and pulled Cece up on to his lab, planting a smacking kiss on her cheek. “So, how far along are we on the program, mom?” Jim asked.
“Your father’s about to give his speech,” Betsy said and immediately saw the ripple effect on Jim’s face.
“I thought he wasn’t giving a speech this year,” Jim said.
“Jimmy your dad won’t try anything tonight. He knows better than to do that.”
“I thought he knew better at our wedding, at Cece’s baptism…” Jim heaved a sigh. “I know what he’s trying to do.”
“He wants to right the wrongs.”
“By making himself be the victim. And where better to do than here, amongst his greatest allies?” Jim said gesturing around them.
Pam placed her hand on Jim’s leg, urging him to ease down. Jim looked at her and took a long breath before saying, “If he wanted to right the wrongs, why didn’t he come to the hospital when Phil was born? He hasn’t seen him and he doesn’t seem to want to be a part of his life. Does any of this ring a bell?”
People were beginning take notice of their conversation. Pam interjected, changing the subject. “Is Larissa coming?”
“Her flight got in this morning. When I left the house she was getting ready. Tom is meeting her there and she’s coming with them.”
“What about Pete?”
“He and Marcy are running a little late, but they are on their way.” Betsy pulled her chair closer to Jim and whispered. “Jimmy, give your dad a chance.” She waited until Jim met her gaze before she said, “I did.”
Jim ran a hand over his face and said, “I tried.” He kissed the top of Cece’s head and added, “And I did it for them, not me.” Jim looked around and he could see the tension he had created. Pam’s demeanor had shriveled and Adele just sat across from them watching the scene as it unfolded. “I think I’m gonna show Cece around,” Jim said in an attempt to dissolve whatever ill feeling had begun to materialized.
“Jimmy,” his mother called. “I’m really glad you came.”
***
Pam watched Jim bounce Cece in his arms as he slowly walked away from the table. She knew coming here would stir feelings that they’d forgotten, events that seemed so far in the past that it was almost as if they’d dreamed and not lived through them. But time passed and even after the addition of a new little member in their family, Gerry had remained constant. His attempts to mend what was broken, only added flame to an already burning fire.
The real reason why they had come to the Christmas party this year was because Gerry had called her a few days ago, insisting that they come. His request felt genuine. He said he wanted one more chance to patch things between him and Jim. It wasn’t so much the reasoning for his request, but the way he said it. Unlike other times, Gerry seemed calm and unpretentious. Pam believed him wholeheartedly. Maybe she was wrong to have insisted that they come.
“I think I’m going to go find him,” she said. “Can you keep an eye on Phillip?”
Both grandmothers nodded.
Pam walked in the direction that Jim had gone minutes before. She swiveled her head around looking through the crowds of people ambling by. She walked towards the bathrooms, the hallways, but she didn’t’ find them. She was almost giving up her search, when someone touched her shoulder.
She turned around and saw Gerry standing before her. “Hey, Gerry.”
“Hey, Pam. I’m so glad you came.”
“I’m glad to be here too,” Pam said, gazing past Gerry to see if she could spot Jim.
“Did Jim come?” Gerry asked hesitantly.
“We all did, Gerry,” Pam said.
“Are you looking for someone?” Gerry asked, watching Pam eyes search around the ballroom.
“Yes, actually. I’m looking for Jim.”
Gerry looked around the room and said, “If he’s not here, he’s at the foyer. There’s a mosaic on the far wall. He loved that thing.”
Pam’s face softened.
“I meant what I said to you on the phone,” Gerry said. “I’ll see you around.”
Pam watched the older man fade into the crowd of people, who acknowledged him with lots of pump and circumstance. She turned on her heels and made a bee line towards the foyer. She walked to the far wall and saw Jim standing before the mosaic Gerry had mentioned. It was structure made of colorful glass shards and depending where you stood the pictures changed.
Pam walked up to Jim and stood next to him. “What do you see?” Pam asked.
Cece’s head swiveled to the sound of Pam’s voice. She stretched her little arms towards Pam and Jim carefully let her slide into mom’s open arms.
“I see a tree, you?” Jim asked.
“Umm… I think I see a cat?” Pam said.
There was a moment of silence while Pam tried to conjure the right words to say to him.
“If you stand three steps to the left, you can see the Italian flag. At least I think it’s the Italian flag. It could be Mexico’s though,” Jim said.
Pam smiled and finally summed up the courage to ask, “You okay?”
Jim looked at his wife and planted a kiss on her temple. “I know what he’s trying to do and as much as I try to put everything in the backburner, I can’t. It’s really, really hard for me to try to understand how he could’ve done what he has to his kids.” Jim shook his head add and added, “I could never do that.”
“You don’t know if he’s going to do anything tonight,” Pam said, adjusting Cece in her arms.
“I know he called you.”
Pam was taken aback. She opened her mouth to say something, but the words vaporized on her tongue.
“It’s okay. I came because I want to put this to rest. C’mon,” Jim said, taking her hand. “People are going to start looking for us soon.”
***
Jim tugged at Pam’s hand, guiding her through the ballroom once more. They reached the table just as Gerry was taking the stage. At the table, Pam sat with Cece while Jim reached for Phil, who was fussing in Betsy’s arms. Jim laid the little man against his chest and padded his back softly. “I think he’s hungry?” Jim whispered to Pam.
“Umm… His bottle is on the side pocket,” Pam said, pointing at the diaper bag.
Jim reached for the bag and fished out the bottle out. He adjusted Phil on his arm and gave him the bottle. The little boy sucked at the bottle with all his might, so urgent and desperate that the sight of him made Jim laugh. “Yup, he was hungry.”
The microphone made a high pitch noise, followed by two strong thumps. Everyone turned their heads towards the stage to see Gerry fiddling with the microphone.
“Testing 1, 2...” Gerry said to the microphone. “Can everyone hear me?” After a conscientious ‘yes’ from those in the room Gerry began his speech. Jim looked at Pam and she smiled. Just like previous years, Gerry started with the joke about the wobbly stage. Then he continued mentioning the partners present in the room and all the associates. Then he told a retrospective anecdote about the company and how it started with one investee, adding his famous line, “It only takes one.”
Jim looked at Phil and he was half asleep, but still going strong with the bottle. Pam had her eyes on the stage, bouncing Cece on her lap. Jim looked at Phil again and pulled the bottle slowly from his lips. He propped Phil on his shoulder and began patting his back. He was going to reach for a burp cloth when the room broke up in applause. Jim looked up to the stage and saw Gerry walking off.
Jim frowned and looked at Pam, “Is it over?”
“Yeah, I guess. They are serving food next.”
Jim’s brow furrowed a little and he lost himself momentarily. The feeling that he had been wrong about tonight was pulsing in his mind. He’d been sure his dad was going to pull his best trick out of the proverbial magician’s hat. But he hadn’t. Jim was so caught up with the swirling thoughts in his head that he didn’t see Phillip spit up on his jacket.
“Jim...Phil did it again,” Pam said grabbing the burp cloth and wiping the oozing liquid.
“Oh Phil, we talked about this,” Jim said. He kissed Phillip on his belly and settled him back on the crook of his arm. “It’s fine,” he told Pam. “It’s clean enough.”
Just then, Gerry approached the table and everyone became silent.
“Is this little Phillip?” Gerry asked, looking down at the squirmy baby in Jim’s arms.
Before Jim had a chance to answer, Pam said, “Yes, this is Phillip James Halpert.”
“And where’s Miss Cecelia?” Gerry asked, gazing at the curly haired little girl peering her big blue eyes at him. “You know, I have something for you.”
“Ooh Cece,” Betsy chimed in. “Grampa’s got a present for you!”
Cece’s eyes twinkled.
Gerry reached behind him and produced a worn out book. It looked like it had been read and re-read over and over again.
Looking at the cover, Cece immediately piped up. “I seeee bown beah!”
Gerry chuckled. “I see you’ve read this book.”
“It’s one of her favorites,” Pam said and quickly gazed at Jim, who stared blankly at the book. Pam cleared her throat and added, “Jim reads to her every night.”
“You know,” Gerry said to Cece, who extended her little hands to grab the book. “I used to read to your dad every night too.”
Although, Jim was doing a tremendous job at digesting and concealing the emotions bubbling within him, Pam could see a slight glassy film covering his eyes.
Gerry handed the book to Cece and she immediately opened the book. Inside, Pam saw written: To Jimmy. Love, dad.
Jim was still silent, cradling Phillip in his arms. Gerry then placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and said, “Congratulations on the new bundle.”
“Thanks,” Jim said, finally ending his silent streak.
“I’m really glad you guys came. Enjoy the rest of the party. Don’t forget there are treats for everyone under the tree.”
With that, Gerry left. Jim dabbed the corner of his eyes and said, “I can’t believe he kept that all these years.”
“If he kept it, there was a reason. He cares Jim.” She reached over and rested her hand on his leg.
Jim adjusted Phillip on his arms and said, “Maybe he does.” Jim released a gush of air and added, “I’ll take it.”
“Glad you came?” she asked.
Jim nodded. “It’s a step in the right direction.”
Pam smiled. Definitely a step in the right direction.
*Fim
Author's Chapter Notes:
I own nothing.
Chapter End Notes:
This was a long time overdue. I know. I hope you guys liked it. Thanks for reading! Till next time! -D
Dedeen is the author of 20 other stories.
This story is a favorite of 15 members. Members who liked Set Fire to the Rain also liked 2542 other stories.
