a plan, and it’s under way. We’re going to lose a few early-morning hours, but my suggestion is we all stay open around the clock. Good luck, everybody.”
Josh whirled around to hug Angie. “Now where in the hell do you think my old man came up with this idea? Oh, who cares! Let’s just hope it works.”
“Oh, it’s going to work. All people have to do is get to the central points and leave the rest up to us. Your dad saved the day, Josh.”
Josh’s eyes misted over. “Yeah, he did, didn’t he,” he said softly.
“Mr. Eagle! Mr. Eagle! Annette Profit here. I have the salon in the east wing.” She held out her hand and smiled. “I just want a minute to tell you my mother used to bring me to Eagle’s when I was little. It was always such a special treat. Especially when it was time to go back to school. Your dad always stood at the door and gave each one of us kids a free box of crayons and a tablet. On the Fourth of July he’d give us a gift certificate for a free ice-cream cone. At Easter it was a chocolate egg, and at Christmas it was a silver bell to ring so Santa would know where we lived. They were wonderful memories. Eagle’s was a tradition. I’m glad you were able to turn the store around. Good luck, Mr. Eagle.”
Josh was so choked up he couldn’t get his tongue to work. He reached out to hug the young woman and smiled. He finally managed to choke out the words, “I’ll bring that tradition back next year if you promise to bring your kids.”
“Count on it, Mr. Eagle.”
Angie linked her arm with Josh’s as they turned to go back to the store. “That was so nice. I vaguely remember Mom talking about it, but the store was too expensive for us to shop. Mom did that discount thing. If it wasn’t on sale, we didn’t buy it. It’s all about goodwill and family.”
“These last few months have certainly been an eye-opener,” Josh said. “I learned things about my father I never knew, I found the love of my life, and I now know I can run this store.”
Angie laughed. “I think I’m going to go back to the food court and find out if one of the vendors will be willing to honor hot chocolate vouchers for our customers. And those big fat sugar cookies for the kids. If Bess isn’t busy, ask her to make up some vouchers and run them off. See if you can find someone to go over to the south wing where that huge candy store is. Buy up all the candy canes and hand them out at the door to the kids.”
“Super idea! Where do you come up with these ideas? I think I’m going to be marrying a genius.”
“I’m thinking you’re right.” Angie laughed again and waved her hand as she headed back to the food court.
It was the noon hour when Josh flipped on the television in his office. As local television cameras caught the wagon train heading for the mall he watched the unfolding scene with his mouth hanging open. Even the anchor seemed to be beside himself, his words running together. Josh turned when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
“Dad! How’d you get here?”
“I came on the first wagon. Eva is down in gift wrap. What do you want me to do?”
The lump in Josh’s throat was so big he thought he was going to choke to death. “What you do best, Dad. What you did for years and years. Stand by the door and hand out treats—we have candy canes and vouchers for hot chocolate and cookies at the food court. Bundle up, Dad.”
“You remembered I used to do that?”
Josh felt shame river through him. “No, Dad. Some lady came up to me and told me how you used to do that. She told me it was an event for her when she was a kid. I’m going to do that again. Want a job?”
Angus swung his scarf around his neck. “Depends on how much the job pays,” he said craftily.
“I was hoping you’d do it for free.”
“Sounds about right to me. You got yourself a new employee, son. See you later,” Angus said, picking up the stack of vouchers. “Where are the candy canes?”
“In a big barrel by the front door. The candy people just delivered them.”
Josh leaned against the door when it closed behind his father. His eyes were so wet he knew in a second that tears were going to roll down his cheeks. It’s not a bad thing, he told himself. He knuckled his eyes before he opened the door, knowing in his heart that he was blessed. Maybe all this that was happening was the miracle everyone talked about during the Christmas season.
By four o’clock the mall was so busy that people were bumping into each other. Camera crews, photographers, and reporters from all the local news channels contributed to the gala that seemed to be going on. Everyone was being interviewed. Only smiles and camaraderie could be seen.
The food vendors worked at breakneck speed to prepare food to be given to the drivers of the wagon trains. The coffee shop was almost out of coffee they were brewing by the gallon. And, one reporter put it, everything was free.
The primary channels ran with the story on the six o’clock news, referring to the event—the wagon train, the freebies the mall was giving out, along with the camaraderie of the shoppers—as Marketing 101 at it’s best. By the time the eleven o’clock news came on, they were calling the wagon train a phenomenon. Within seconds the story flashed around the world via the Internet.
It was midnight when Josh walked to the front door to relieve his father. When he saw Angus being interviewed by CBS News he stepped back to listen. He knew he was eavesdropping, but he didn’t care. The interview would play out in real time instantaneously.
“Now, you listen to me, young fella. What you’re seeing out there is not about money or the bottom line. This is about people coming together to help each other. Those farmers and their wagons aren’t getting a penny for all their hard work. They’ve been out there bringing shoppers back and forth since early this morning. It’s Christmas, son, a time when people help each other. Every merchant in this mall is my friend and my competitor. I want to help them as much as I want to help myself. But more important, we don’t want to disappoint anyone and we want everyone to have a wonderful Christmas, especially the children.
“Mother Nature served us a hard blow today, but we all pitched in and did whatever we could to save the holiday. There aren’t any shining stars here today. Everything is a group effort as you can see. You want a candy cane or a voucher for hot chocolate, young fella? It’s time for my break now, so I’ll be seeing you tomorrow. I don’t want to be interviewed anymore.”
And that was the end of that.
Josh grinned. “Guess you set them straight, huh?”
“Son, I didn’t say anything but the truth. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m heading upstairs to that rocking chair that has my name on it.”
“Dad…I…I need…”
“No, you don’t need to say anything. We need to talk more, son. Here!” Angus said, shoving a candy cane into his son’s hand.
Eva wrapped an afghan around Angus’s shoulders as he lowered himself gently into the padded rocking chair. A cup of hot chocolate found its way to his hand. “It’s been a heck of a day, Big Popper. I just saw your interview on TV. You were wonderful.” When he didn’t answer Eva realized Angus
