Penny for your thoughts. Fritzie voice fall to a whisper. Sandy coming. When? Any day now. Oh, my gods! And she don’t want KarlLee to know. They go up to the apartment and Indira hear about Fritzie dilemma. I wouldn’t want to be in your position. It’s not going to be nice for you when the mark buss. Both sides could blame you. So what to do? You could do as Amber says and let them deal with they own problems. You don’t have no other suggestion? Indira sees her friend’s forehead is as furrowed as a canefield in June. Instead of weeping and wailing we could work out some scenarios. Fritzie steups, a short fed-up steups. What I want is a way of avoiding those scenarios altogether. As far as I can see, the problem is Sunity. If she wasn’t in the picture, we wouldn’t have this problem. If there was some way of getting rid of Sunity? Kinda drastic, you don’t think? Fritzie bark a harsh laugh. Well, in a less permanent way. W hen is school closing for Christmas? Next Friday. Sunity has family in Canada, yes? A sister in Ottawa. The one who always inviting her for Christmas. This could be the year? Indira pick the newspaper and flip through to the travel section. Check out this, Fritzie. Fritzie read out: Caribbean Airlines: Dreaming of a White Christmas? Special fares to Toronto for travel between 15th and 29th December. Offer ends 6th December. Visit our website. What’s the date today? Fourth . . . Hmm, two more days . . . Indira gone over to the CD rack, pull out, push back, then pull out a Bing Crosby album, White Christmas. Bring the papers, Fritzie. We’re going downstairs. Play along, OK?
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ownstairs, Indira kill the volume on the radio, put in the CD and is Bing singing, I’m dreaming of a white
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Christmas, just like the ones I used to know . . . Indira dueting with Bing. Fritzie say loud-loud, White Christmas. That is something I always want to see. Indira! You ever see a White Christmas? Indira answer. Solo and I spent a year in Frankfurt. You can’t believe White Christmas unless you actually experience one. Pure magic. It’s like all the angels in heaven came down to cover the world with their wings. KarlLee say, I spend years in London and I see plenty Rainy Christmas, Sleety Christmas, Fogg y Chr istmas, Coldno-arse Christmas, but never White Christmas. Bostic say, All I ever see is Red and
Five years is a long time to be in a relationship with somebody at long distance, Amber thinking. Even if yuh coming and going regular Green Christmas. Sunity say, her voice wistful, My sister always bothering me to come up for Christmas but I always leave thinking about it until school close. By then the airlines booked up and all they have is executive class at top dollar. Where your sister living? Fritzie ask. Ottawa, Sunity say. Indira say, last night TV show snow deep-deep in Eastern Canada already . . . At this juncture, Bing burst through with Sleigh bells ring . . . in the lane snow is glistening . . . walking in a winter wonderland. Indira look up from her newspaper. Would you believe this? Fritzie, look! She hand the paper to Fritzie who read aloud, slowly, as if she seeing it for the first time: Caribbean Airlines: Dreaming of a White Christmas? Special fares to Toronto . . . Sunity rush over to Fritzie and read aloud: . . . for travel between 15th and 29th
December. Offer ends 6th December . . . Sunity whip out her phone, go to the website, click and click and she say, oh gosh, only two seats left. What to do? All you, help me out, what to do? KarlLee say, you sure it w ill be convenient for your sister? Indira and Fritzie want to slap him, but exercise self-restraint. Indira say, only one way to find out. Contact her. Phoning now, say Sunity, as she scrolling, finding the number. A loud squeal. Jassodra, is me. Quick question, is OK for me to come up for Christmas? Sometime between — she looks at the ad — fifteenth and twenty-ninth. Gosh, just imagine, I only now see this ad, is like Fate taking a hand. Yes. We still the same size. Everything. Boots, coat, gloves, hat. I will book now. Gosh, only hope those seats not gone already. Mwah, mwah . . . see you soon . . . bye. She pull out this card, that card from her wallet, and in just twenty minutes after Bing’s first warble — I’m dreaming — Sunity pay for her ticket to Toronto and onward to Ottawa. It’s done. Fifteenth to twenty-ninth. You leaving me for a whole two weeks? KarlLee objecting. Over Christmas? What I going to do with myself? Indira come over and put an arm around his shoulder. What you usually do for Christmas, KarlLee? I come here for a Ger man-style Christmas Eve dinner, then Trinidad-style Christmas Day breakfast, then later on English-style Christmas dinner complete with crackers and plum pudding. Indira, he says, taking her hand and kissing it, I am remiss. Forgive me. Thank you for all the years of making my Christmas happy. So, you’re not going to be neglected when I’m gone? You go and visit your sister. Folks, we better be going now. A lot for us to . . . ahem . . . discuss before Sunity leave. Fritzie go over to give Indira a highfive. Yippee! Girl, you is class. Bostic say, what was that about? Woman business, say Indira. n