A Christmas Gift For You Continued.....

Not knowing Jerry that well at this point in our strange relationship I didn't realize how deep of an effect the holiday season had on him. Jerry's level of sentimentality was quite out of character for a man who normally had such a hard time expressing his emotions. The depth of his sentimentality did seem to increase in direct proportion with the amount of alcohol he had consumed. On this Christmas Eve as Jerry strolled through the front doors of his restaurant his level of sentimentality could be measured at about a fifth. A fifth of what you may ask, what type of device could possibly measure someones sentiment. Well there is no device that I know of that is capable of measuring emotion. The fifth I'm talking about is a measurement of liquid, it comes in a bottle and I'm guessing the bottle was once full of brandy. Jerry had consumed so much sentiment on this particular evening that he felt he could not properly convey his feelings without donning a full Santa suit complete with beard, hat, and jingle bells on the boots. Just as I was slipping out the backdoor of the restaurant Jerry was staggering through the bar doors and breaking into his best Santa routine. He had arrived with cheer in his heart, and an empty glass in his hand to wish all his employee's, and patrons a merry Christmas. Once Jerry had worked his way through the dining area and back to the kitchen, his glass once again full, he eventually realized that his favorite neighbor was not in attendance. The night shift manager told Jerry that I was part of the crew that he had let go early since business was so slow that night. Jerry just assumed that I would be heading home, not knowing anything about my personal life. Jerry didn't dress up as Santa just for the benefit of his employee's and patrons of the restaurant, he was planning to head home to treat his children to a visit from old Kris Kringle. I did find this somewhat odd being that Jerry's three kids were all in their early to late teens. I guess Christmas is all about believing no matter what shape it comes in even if it's in a rented Santa suit that smells of brandy. After making one more stop in the bar to wish the bartenders happy holidays as they hit him with one more quick shot of holiday spirit it was into the car and off to the ole homestead. Somewhere between the restaurant and Stollwood Dr. Jerry realized he could kill two birds with one stone by stopping over across the street to to wish his favorite neighbors a Merry Christmas. That was pretty clear thinking considering how much "Santa" had consumed in the spirit of the season. Jerry wasn't the quickest whip in the corral and just this one time it might have been in Jerry's best interest to have stayed at the bar a bit longer and forgot who lived across the street from him.................