Page 77 of Christmas Comeback


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The kids laughed.

“Well, there are some clothes I think about,”one of the other boys, a big linebacker–type with a black beanie, chimedin.“Like, if I know I have a game, I have to make sure my uniform’s clean—”

“Oh!”a girl in the back piped up.“There’s also, like, prom and Spring Fling and stuff. My mom always takes me to the mall in Spokane when we have a formal.”

“Deadass,”Fel said.“I had to get a suit for a dance. I wanted to get something different, like blue, but my mom made me get dark gray because she said I’d be able to use it for more things. Like funerals.”

“Your mom said that?”Francesca laughed off camera.

“Yeah. She’s really practical.”

“My mom was the same,”Francesca said. I doubted the kids registered the catch in Maureen’s voice, but I heard it.

The same girl who had mentioned shopping in Spokane spoke up.“I can’t wait until I’m an adult and can buy whatever I want.”

“Do you think you’ll live somewhere other than Coleman Creek?”Francesca asked.

“Oh, for sure.”

“Definitely.”

“Absolutely.”

“I’m leaving as soon as I can.”

All the teens chimed in. Francesca gave them a moment to high five one another before walking away and filming herself selfie-style, close to the camera so it could pick up her words.

“I was just like those kids. I wanted to leave so badly. And I guess I had to do it—just like they’ll have to—in order to appreciate what I had here.”She pointed the lens back at the kids, clustered around one another, talking and sipping hot chocolate.“They’ll always remember growing up here. Sitting in this booth. Complaining about how things are boring or corny. But they’re excited about the holiday dance and the talent show. Someday they’ll appreciate how everyone in towncared about their futures. No one can be a nameless face in the crowd here because the crowd’s too small. That used to bother me, but now I realize it makes me feel safe. Loved. It feels like home.”

The video continued to other interviews. And there was no escaping her instinct to focus on the clothes. She complimented folks on their jackets and beanies, and voiceover Francesca asked her audience to post in the comments whether they were “team peacoat orteam puffer coat.”

Maureen couldn’t be overly sentimental for too long, either. She had to stop and have fun, take a breather with a joke. I’d learned that about her these past few days—Maureen wore her heart behind well-timed quips.

Near the Ferris wheel, Francesca caught up with Travis and Vivienne with all four of their children. The couple spoke of how much they loved celebrating Christmas with a house full of children, and how blessed they were to have presents under the tree. The older kids mentioned sledding and holiday shopping. Scarlett held up the candleholder she’d made at the craft booth. Connor—who had noise-canceling headphones over his ears—looked directly into the camera and said,“It’s an okay carnival. But the hot chocolate this year was not as good as last year. Pretty terrible, actually. The tree is better, though.”

Francesca laughed, and a montage of other neighbors played.

“I’m excited for Christmas karaoke at The Landslide.”

“We’re going to Grandma’s house for turkey and mac ’n’ cheese!”

“I like the way they play old Christmas movies at the bowling alley.”

“The Holiday Hoopla feels old-fashioned. I love that it’s the same for my kids now as it was for me growing up.”

“We always bring cookies to the hospital and the police department on Christmas Eve.”

“I like all the penguins at my dentist’s office.”

“Did you see that Mr. Bailey came back? And he’s married? Like, I can’t believe someone married him.”

I was mildly surprised Maureen left in that last one, but from what I’d gathered after meeting Mr. Bailey, he’d appreciate the humor.

At the end of the video, we were back with Francesca on the bed with the dogs.

“I hope you enjoyed this brief tour of my hometown. Maybe it’s not as cute as the little Christmas towns you see in the movies, but there’s something special about it. Or perhaps that’s just how everyone feels about the place they grew up. I hope so. I hope you all have places that make you feel like this.

“I found safety in big city anonymity. When no one knows you, there’s no one to hurt you. No one to fail in front of. But that kind of security made me lonely. And since this is a fashion vlog, let me tell you I wore the hell out of that loneliness. Wore it like a suit of armor. Absolutely slayed in it. But much like the leather fringe skirt I wore in middle school, it doesn’t fit me anymore. In this town, I don’t need to hide away. And no one else needs me to, either.