AS CHEERFUL AS CAN BE / A CHRISTMAS STORY

192. AS CHEERFUL AS CAN BE / A CHRISTMAS STORY:

"Busy me ! invited to an awesome party!" I heard the girl saying that from behind the counter where she was standing as someone had just given her a telephone number on a slip of paper and mentioned to her his desire for her to attend a party on the upcoming Saturday night and then I saw as she raised her hands up and said loudly "Unity! Unity!" as he was leaving - she was a regular behind that counter nearly every time I went in there and I always thrilled to see her - perfectly buoyant joyous bright and happy each time - I never knew her name nor anything more about her so to myself (for whatever it was worth) I called her Carolyn Gregg the Reverend Gregg's widow and just then a train went by the window which faced across the open field to the left and the small yet insistent presence of the three or four car train lent some strange urgency to the scene - as if we were or had just stepped into some other vignette of travelers in a mill town across from the only-occasionally busy station and then a girl came up to that same counter and gave the widow Gregg a container and said "here are some cookies for you - I baked them - Merry Christmas from me and Jeff" and with that she plopped down a small plastic container with about ten big flat home-baked cookies in it and I was surprised actually that she didn't mention getting the container back - such Tupperware having a certain intrinsic value in such societal circles as this - women after all will be women : even ones who shout 'Unity' aloud - but no more was said on that count and the two females parted ways and I continued watching as I sat there - perhaps 5 tables back from the counter area - as the widow Gregg cheerfully toyed and played verbally with everyone who came in ordering their coffees pastries teas or whatever and it was that sort of happy place where the same faces often saw the same faces and knew the proverbial routine of greeting and uplift : thus a wonderful occasion happened about every three minutes which after all really should be the way of the world.