Christmas joy is a matter of perspective. For some, it’s the happiest time of the year. For others, not so much. Twenty-nine-year-old Mick, the son of crack addicts, isn’t exactly a dyed-in-the-wool Scrooge. Mick’s been on his own from childhood. As a teen, he even lived in a shelter, where for a short time he had a boyfriend. After the boyfriend left, Mick squatted in the historic Orpheum Theater. While living there as its self-appointed custodian, Mick has watched others celebrate the holidays from a distance, never able to share in their merriment. Only his Technicolor dreams enliven his dull, clandestine life until one day the world around him begins to change. Mick is surprised when a man named Jim buys the Orpheum and plans to restore it. Something about Jim rekindles Mick’s longing for a better life and a little holiday magic for himself. Can Jim give Mick the hope he needs to accept his happily ever after?

The Orpheum Miracle

I liked watching my homemade DIY romances and domestic comedies. With them, I could fall sound asleep, only getting up a couple of times to stretch my legs and take a piss.


On those nights, I’d wake up rested, ready to meet the day, hardly missing breakfast or a real meal.


Over the years, Randy, like some of my wilder hopes and dreams, faded. I wished I could remember what his face looked like, but after all this time, it was just a hazy blur, never coming into focus.


No matter. My hero wasn’t so much a face as the feeling of being protected and happy.


The nights that the adventures and murder mysteries snuck up on me were a little more lively.


At least I could sleep through them, though I tossed and turned and more often than not ended up in a tangle on the floor. Usually, it was the sound of gunfire from outside that triggered these films.


Chapter 3