Cranberry Season (December) Part 4

 "Are you going to get a business loan?" he asked. She looked at him.

 "Should I?" she asked. "You have a say in this, too. You'll be my husband -- this is something we should be discussing together." She opened the refrigerator and brought out butter, cream cheese, eggs, and some citrus fruit.

 "Lisa, I would like nothing more than seeing you do something that you love and being successful at it. I think you can do it, and you definitely have Franco in your corner, so you wouldn't need to worry about intimidating business stuff."

 "It is sort of daunting," she said. She retrieved a springform pan from one of the lower cupboards.

 "I would suggest that you see people who can help you with everything that makes you feel that way," he told her. "For instance, Franco would happily do your books. You know when the time comes Rodney will help you find a good car that will serve you well. I would suggest talking to Amy about promotional stuff. You don't really see it, but you already have a thriving business, Lisa. But both you and it have grown. By all means get the loan and take the next steps."

 "I'll miss the diner," she said. "Eventually this business is going to grow to the point where I won't have the time to work there any more."

 "Think about the parts you won't miss," he suggested. "Like certain truck drivers who aggravate you and act like a jerk." Lisa laughed, but at the same time felt a chill inside, remembering what Annie had said. She now kept Buster in the garage when she was baking, on a rope he could easily escape, just in case. She kept the door from the garage to the kitchen just off the latch so that if Buster wanted to get to her, he could.

 "Thank you for not being a macho idiot who threatens his miserable life," she said.

 "Not that the thought hasn't crossed my mind," he replied, "but he's not worth it. Besides. Dante already did."

 "What?" Lisa was shocked, but surprisingly felt a lot better. She heard Fatima's voice again: "Remember your friends. you have many." Apparently she had guardian angels, too.

 "A few days ago," Fabian said, "Dante overheard him harassing you and decided to have a little talk with the lad. Most people listen when Dante talks to them, but Carl seems thicker than most. We'll see if it becomes necessary to speak with him again. What do you want to do for Christmas?"

 Lisa smiled, thinking about that as she melted butter. This was the first year she'd had a relationship at Christmas. Fabian had decorated his vardo with small lights around the eaves and wheels. Inside, he had a little tree. She needed to get started decorating. She didn't know what was wrong with her that she hadn't gotten to it yet.

 "I usually have a lot of pies to deliver," she told him. "It's kind of neat -- I get to visit just about everyone on Christmas Day."

 "Could you use a driver?"

 "I'd like nothing more." Lisa added the melted butter to graham cracker crumbs and started to press them into the springform pan.

 "Is there anything I can do to help?" Fabian asked.

 "Yes, please. See the fruit there? I need one tablespoon of juice and a teaspoon of zest from each of those. I have containers set out ...."

 "Yes, I see. No problem." He set to work on juicing the orange. "I could come over Christmas morning," he told her. "We could exchange and then set out on your deliveries."

 "I like that idea. Want to go to midnight mass at St. Mark's with me?"

 "I like that idea." He smiled. "Greg was telling me that there's usually a New Years party in the mess hall at the camp." Lisa nodded.

 "It's a good one. The Chamber of Commerce usually throws it. They've asked me for some desserts."

 Fabian laughed. "Of course they have. They have also asked if Subtle Origami might be interested in playing a set or two before midnight. Are we?"

 "I'm in," Lisa shrugged, starting to put together the actual cheesecake in the mixer bowl. "We can ask Annie and Keith later on. They usually ask local music groups to do a set or two. So music at the party can be a mite eclectic."

 "I can imagine," Fabian laughed, now finishing the lemon and moving on to the lime.

 "Thank you for helping today," Lisa said. "Autumn is very busy at home." 

 "Did your mom make the cream cheese?"

 "Yes. And the butter. I like working with mom's cream cheese, and she really loves to make it so much! I think she's as grateful as I am that Pablo wants me to make cheesecakes."

May Wong took a suffering public library and turned it into something that really works. She added a bookstore with a coffee shop, called it Bibliomania, and the place really took off. She's super-organized; you'd have to be to keep the library and the books for sale straight.

 Fabian loved the library. May Wong had public computers and wifi in addition to an impressive selection of books, so it was always full of quiet industry. Because he lived in the vardo and had little space, he usually favored borrowing books and was very grateful there was such a wonderful library in town. It was full of comfortable chairs in addition to the desks and computer workstations. He considered his library card one of the best things he'd done since moving to town, besides Lisa. He'd already picked out a stack of books for the next few weeks and couldn't wait to start reading. He had just settled into one of the comfortable chairs to do just that when his cell phone vibrated in his pocket, startling him. He got up again, left the main room and went into the hallway near the restrooms.

 "Hello?"

 "Fabian? Where are you?" It was Lisa.

 "Hi, honey. I'm sorry -- did I lose track of time?"

 "We're in the coffee shop in the bookstore waiting for you. Where are you?"

 "According to my calculations," Fabian did some quick geometry in his head, "you're directly above me right now. I'm downstairs in the library basement. I'll be right up." He signed off, picked up his stack of books, and went upstairs. Lisa, Annie, and Keith were waiting for him in the coffee shop. Fabian kissed Lisa, then joined them at the table.

 "Wow," Keith said, eyeing Fabian's armload of books, "Bored?"

 "I like to read," Fabian said. "You'll find, after you graduate, that reading becomes fun again when you don't have to do it."

 "I'll take your word for it." Keith rolled his eyes. "How many more months until graduation again?"

 "Five," Annie said. "You should know that. You have the days counted down on your calendar."

 "Tell me again why I agreed to teach high school biology."

 "Because you like gross, disgusting things and you know how to hold teenagers' attention, dear," Annie answered obediently. Fabian laughed.

 "Trust me, you guys. It gets better. Your lives will improve. And it can't come soon enough for me. The schools really are short-handed right now. It's hard to get subs to come here, so I've been pulling double duty just about everywhere. One of the high school history teachers is out with a bad back, so I'm even back and forth between the buildings. I enjoy the variety, but it would really be better with a few more teachers."