Chapter 4: The Empty Chair
Amber folded her arms.
“You're making this sound like I did something terrible.””
“I didn't say that.””
“You didn't have to.””
Greg finally stepped between us.
“Okay. Can we not do this here?””
I looked at him.
“Do what?””
“Argue.””
“We aren't arguing.””
Amber gave a short laugh.
“Nan, you rented a fire hall because I asked you to leave my house at four.””
The room seemed to quiet around us.
I set the gravy spoon down.
“No, Amber.””
She blinked.
“No?””
“I rented the fire hall because I didn't want my Christmas to end at four.””
Greg looked at me.
I continued before either of them could answer.
“You asked me to bring nothing. I brought nothing. You asked me to leave at four.
I left at four. You asked me not to make your Christmas bigger than you wanted it. I didn't.””
I gestured toward the room.
“This is not your Christmas.””
Amber's face hardened.
“Then what is it?””
I looked around.
“It is sixty-four meals. It's Walter sitting beneath his wife's tablecloth. It's three nurses who were supposed to eat sandwiches in a hospital break room.
It's a family whose furnace broke. It's people who didn't have anywhere to go.””
Greg swallowed.
Amber shook her head.
“You always have an answer.””
“No,” I said quietly.
“I just have somewhere to put the hurt.””
Greg's eyes lifted.
That sentence landed differently.
I could see it.
He knew.
Maybe he had known from the beginning.
He had heard himself reading the list to me. He had heard the little pauses between each rule. He knew I hadn't argued because I was trying not to make him choose.
He rubbed the back of his neck.
“Mom…”
I smiled at him.
“You don't have to explain.””
“But I do.””
Amber turned sharply.
“Greg.””
He ignored her.
“I should have told you.””
“Told me what?””
He opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
Amber stepped closer.
“Greg, we agreed this wasn't going to become a confrontation.””
His face changed.
I had heard enough.
“You agreed?””
She looked at me.
“Of course we agreed.””
Greg said nothing.
I looked at my son.
“Did you?””
He stared at the floor.
“Some of it.””
“Which part?””
He rubbed his forehead.
“The time.””
“And the gifts?””
“Yes.””
“The food?””
“Yes.””
I nodded slowly.
“And did you agree that I shouldn't bring anything because you wanted Christmas to be controlled?””
Amber's expression tightened.
“That is not what I said.””
“Then what did you say?””
She looked at Greg.
He looked back at her.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Finally, Greg said, “You said you wanted boundaries.””
Amber's voice sharpened.
“I said I wanted a quiet Christmas.””
“You wrote down rules,” he said.
“You agreed to them.””
“I agreed because I didn't want a fight.””
I looked at my son.
There it was.
Not anger.
Not cruelty.
Fear.
He wasn't afraid of me.
He was afraid of disappointing his wife.
And somehow that hurt more.
Amber noticed the same thing.
Her cheeks flushed.
“You make me sound unreasonable.””
“No one said that,” Greg replied.
“You are standing here defending her.””
“I am standing here because she is my mother.””
“And I'm your wife.””
The sentence hung between them.
I turned away.
I had promised myself I would never be the reason those two stood on opposite sides of a room.
So I reached for another tray.
“Sam, sweetheart, can you take these rolls to the table?””
He brightened.
“I can do it!””
He grabbed the tray with both hands.
Greg immediately stepped forward.
“I'll help you.””
Sam shook his head.
“No, Dad. Grandma said I can.””
He carried the rolls carefully across the hall.
Ella followed him.
Amber watched the children disappear into the crowd.
Then she lowered her voice.
“This is exactly what I was talking about.””
I looked at her.
“The children?””
“Everything.””
“What does that mean?””
“You make them think every holiday has to revolve around you.””
I stared at her.
“I haven't said one word to them about your rules.””
“I know.””
“Then what are you accusing me of?””
She looked toward Ella.
“Of making them feel guilty.””
I shook my head.
“Ella asked why I had to leave.””
“You should have told her you had somewhere else to be.””
“I did.””
“You told her her mother made it nice.””
“I did.””
“And then you told her you were feeding people who had no table.””
I felt my brow furrow.
“That was true.””
Amber's voice dropped.
“You knew she'd feel sorry for you.””
I stared at her.
For a moment, I genuinely couldn't find words.
Then Walter approached from behind her.
“Nan?””
We both turned.
He held an empty coffee cup.
“Could I have another?””
“Of course.””
He looked at Amber.
“I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt.””
“You're not interrupting anything,” I said.
He smiled.
Then he noticed the tension.
“Is everything all right?””
I took his cup.
“Everything is fine.””
Walter looked at me for a long moment.
Then he glanced at Amber.
“Your husband used to say that when everything was absolutely not fine.””
Greg gave a surprised laugh.
“You knew my dad?””
“Knew him?””
Walter shook his head.
“Leonard once pulled me out of a ditch at two in the morning during a blizzard.””
I looked at him.
“You never told me that.””
“He told me not to.””
“Why?””
“He said you'd be angry I was driving in that weather.””
I laughed despite myself.
“That's exactly what I would have said.””
Walter smiled.
“Your husband was a good man.””
The room seemed to soften.
Amber looked uncomfortable.
She stepped back.
“I think we should go.””
Greg turned.
“Amber…”
“We came to get the children.””
“They're eating.””
“I can see that.””
Sam appeared beside us with a plate in his hand.
“Dad, can I have pie?””
Greg looked at his son.
“Sure.””
“Can Grandma come home with us?””
Amber answered before Greg could.
“Grandma has work to do.””
Sam frowned.
“I can wait.””
I crouched beside him.
“No, sweetheart. You go home with Mom and Dad.””
“But—”
“There's pie here.””
He looked at the dessert table.
“How much?””
I laughed.
“As much as Marlene allows.””
From across the room, Marlene shouted, “One piece.””
Sam groaned.
“That's not much.””
“Then you'd better choose a big piece.””
He smiled.
Greg watched me.
There was something in his expression I couldn't quite read.
He bent down and hugged Sam.
Then he looked at me.
“Mom, can I come back later?””
“You don't need permission.””
He nodded.
Amber walked toward the door.
Greg followed.
Ella stopped beside me.
“Grandma?””
“Yes?””
She looked toward the head table.
“Can I sit here for one minute?””
“Of course.””
She sat in the chair beside Helen's photograph.
Walter pulled out the chair next to her.
“Would you like to hear about Helen?””
Ella nodded.
Amber called from the doorway.
“Ella.””
The girl looked up.
“Come on.””
Ella stood slowly.
Before she left, she looked at me.
“Grandma, this feels like Christmas.””
I swallowed.
“It is.””
She smiled.
Then she ran after her parents.
The door shut.
Cold air disappeared.
The hall became warm again.
Marlene came over and placed a hand on my shoulder.
“You all right?””
I nodded.
Then I looked at the empty chair beside Helen's photograph.
“No.””
Marlene waited.
“I think something happened at my son's house that I don't understand.””
She didn't ask what.
She simply pulled out the chair beside me.
“Then sit down.””
I did.
A few minutes later, my phone buzzed.
A text from Greg.
*Mom, I need to talk to you alone. Tomorrow. Please.*
I stared at the message.
May you like
Then another one appeared.
*There's something Amber hasn't told you.*
