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

But I have always believed in feeding myself good food when I could afford it. I had a teacher once who explained nutrition, and I believed her. It was supposed to be better for me, right?


Of course, I had my own teeth and could chew something harder than donuts. So maybe I hadn’t understood what George was going through.


Mostly I resented him taking my money because I’d always been into saving. I had dreams and knew that only money could make my dreams real.


So now I’d lived and worked here at the O for a while. I was the most reliable one on the cleaning crew, which was made up of a lot of guys I knew from the shelter.


One day in mid-November, the new owner showed up. After a quick look at what the crews had accomplished, he praised us for doing such a good job and paid us our daily wage in cash.


Chapter 4