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Uncle Henry's Christmas

by Ken Thompson

"Fer Christ's sake, leave me alone. I bring home money when I can. There ain't no work. The gadamn wops are given all the work to their own. Even the Union Steward can't get me on. It's not like it usta be; it's not fair, not a bit."

"He told you that if you don't show up there's nothin' he can do. It's your own fault, you messed up and you're blaming it on everyone else. You said we'd have some money for Christmas for things for the children but you spent in on horses and drink. We'll just about have nothing for them again."

"Shut up, ya bitch... Ya brother will probably bring something over for us. He'll probably give me a lecture too. He's a gadamn sonovabitch. We should be callin' him Saint Kevin. Get me a beer."

"Get it yourself... you're not a cripple."

Henry was always angry and had started the day drinking as he did every day... at breakfast. It was now 4 pm on the 24th and Aunt Eileen knew that it wasn't going to be a good Christmas... not at all. It was gonna be like all the others... little joy, few gifts, and bad memories for years to come.

As Henry got up from the small kitchen table to get his beer he continued to mumble under his breath. As he passed Eileen peeling potatoes, he gave her a hard smack on her shoulder... not a slap but not a punch either... just enough to push her off balance and to leave the start a bad bruise on her small body. As she stumbled she swung back at him with her hand holding a potato. He easily stepped away but came back with an overhand punch that caught her right at her nose and corner of her mouth. Blood trickled from her nose and cut lip and she grabbed for a dish towel to stem the flow. Tears of both physical pain and the hurt of a bad marriage welled in her eyes. She did everything she could to hold them back but they ran down her face.

He stood there, sneering at her with his fist cocked to deliver another manly blow. "Say one fuckin' word and you'll get another."

Eileen said nothing. She knew that him hitting her when he'd been drinking was the only way he could feel superior in a world that seemed to see no value in him. She pressed the towel to her face and just looked at him. As she turned back to the potatoes, he opened the refrigerator and took the last beer.

"There's no more beer," he announced. "You have any money for some?"

She shook her head "No".

"You got paid Wednesday, where's the money?"

"I bought groceries and paid our account. They wouldn't extend us anymore credit. I bought one small Christmas gift for each of the children and there's about $8 left. She paused, "You were supposed to get the Christmas tree."

"Gimme the money and I'll go get a damn tree."

Eileen knew she couldn't go out with her face swollen. Though she hated him right then, she had to trust him to do the right thing at least once in awhile. She went into the bedroom and took $6 from where she had hidden it. As she handed it over she said, "Get a good tree but not too big. Be home by seven so we can set up the tree for the children. Kevin is bringing them back around eight. I kept $2 for bus fare to work.

Henry grabbed the money and made a quick motion as if to swing at her again. As she flinched, he laughed loudly, grabbed his coat and left slamming the door.

Eileen sat at the kitchen and softly wept into the dish towel. After a few minutes she regained her composure and finished the potatoes. She straightened up, tried to fix her face, and got out the few Christmas decorations she had. If it were only her son, Hank, she would not even bother but the twin girls, Erin and Irene, still believed and visited Santa at A&S, though they were in the fourth grade. This would surely be the last year for this belief.

Seven o'clock came and went and Henry was not backed. Eileen knew that he always ran late but hoped he would be back by eight to she could at least stand the tree in the corner where it would be decorated after the girls went to sleep. At eight there was no Henry nor tree. She would have to make up a story for the girls about Santa bringing it.

At 8:30, Eileen's brother Kevin and the twins, as well as Kevin's daughter Sheila could be heard climbing the stairs and singing "Deck the Halls". As they entered the apartment, the girls laughed and giggled and kissed Eileen and went into the girls room to play with dolls.

Kevin looked around and them more closely at Eileen Morrison and saw the bruises. She turned aside and he said nothing. He took off his coat and sat at the kitchen table. His sister brought him a tea without a saucer.

He took a sip and then stirred the tea to cool it off a bit. "Where's Henry?" he asked with total distain in his voice.

"Oh he went out to buy a Christmas tree. He's just running late."

"Is he coming back?"

She looked at him hard. "He'll be back when he has the tree."

"Those bruises look new."

"Those things happen. He's going through a tough time," she turned and looked away.

"It's not good. You shouldn't let him...

She stopped him in mid-sentence. "What am I going to do? I need the little money he brings in to make ends meet. He needs me too. When he's not drinking he's sweet and caring. It's just...

He's a mean, no good bastard. You had the priest speak to him... how did that go?"

Henry just lied to him... told him what he thought Father wanted to hear. All the same stuff every time 'I'm sorry... I'll do better... I'll come to church.' He gives a mocking smile as he leaves."

They sat slowly sipping their tea. At 9, when Hank walked in there was still no Henry. Eileen would glance at the empty space in the corner waiting for the arrival of a tree.

No one had to explain anything to Hank Morrison; he knew exactly what was going on. He emptied his pockets on the table of the money he had gotten as tips at the Buddy's Luncheonette and pushed it towards his Mom. All she could do was give a faint but embarrassed smile. He went in to see the girls playing and then returned to the table for his cup of tea. They sat in the quiet.

At 9:30 Kevin spoke, "Let me and Nora keep the girls tonight. You can get some rest and wait up for Henry. You can handle it however you want."

Eileen looked at Kevin and then at Hank who had his eyes cast down. "Could you? I'll come get them early tomorrow for church. I have a few Santa presents that you can put under the tree for them. I don't know what I'd do without you and Nora."

Eileen and Hank bundled up the kids and clothes and presents and made a big deal of them going to stay over at Aunt Nora's. The girls looked both bewildered and surprised but went along with it. While they were young and innocent, they had seen too much already in their lives.

Alone in the apartment, mother and son looked at each other and Hank asked, "What do we do?"

"We find him and make sure he's okay."

They bundled themselves up and headed out. They checked the local bars on 4th Avenue but with no success. No one even said Henry had been around. They moved up an avenue and again came up blank. Most all the stores were already closed... even some of the bars.

Talk between the two of them was minimal. Out of nowhere Hank said, "Maybe he just had to go further to get a tree." All Eileen could do was nod agreement.

When they finally reached Uncle Gene's Shamrock Bar a little after 11, it was pretty empty except for some regulars and Henry Morrison; asleep at a table in the back. Gene had stopped drafting beers for him but made him stay in the Shamrock.

Evidently Kevin had left the children with Nora and was making the rounds of the bars and had found Henry stumbling along the 5th Avenue. Failing to talk any sense into Henry, Kevin took him to the Shamrock for the protection of Henry and for the protection of Eileen.

Eileen, Hank and Gene stood not far from Henry's table and tried to speak non-judgmentally about the situation. Eileen chose to take Henry back to their apartment and let him sleep it off. Gene asked one of the customers who was about to leave to drive the family the fifteen blocks to their apartment and, in the spirit of Christmas, he agreed.

As Eileen started to rustle Henry from his sleep, Hank noticed a smallish, decorated Christmas tree near the very back of the bar. Hank explained the tree situation and Gene said that since the tree was only lit when there was a Christmas party going on he would be getting rid of it pretty soon since it was pretty dry and was undergoing "serious" needle loss. Hank asked if he could have it for Erin and Irene and Gene said, "Sure."

As Henry was coming to, he was unruly and foul mouthed; not a surprise to anyone there. He staggered to his feet and took a swing at Eileen and missed. Hank rushed him, grabbed the front of his coat and slammed him into the wall. As if they had practiced before, Gene stepped forward and swept Henry feet from under him and he went down on his rump in a lump. He seemed to shudder and threw up over himself. Sitting on the floor there, he passed out.

Eileen was again weeping. Gene looked at Henry, Hank, and then Eileen and said, I'll lock him in an empty storage room for the night and have John let him out when he comes to open up in the morning. He'll sleep it off and be okay.

Looking down at his father, Hank said to no one in particular in a low voice, "I hate him, he's a piece of shit. All he is is now".

Gene and Hank pulled Henry to the storage room and got him out of his fouled coat. They laid him down and covered him with two blankets. Gene left the light on in the room and locked it from the outside. As Gene was clearing the bar and cleaning up he made tea for Eileen and Hank and they just chatted and even tried to laugh a little.

When the "volunteer" drive finished his beer he motioned to Gene and Eileen got her coat on. Hank didn't move but said to his mother, "I'll be 15 minutes behind you. When you get home make some tea for us." Eileen wasn't sure what was going on but had trust in Hank.

When Eileen had left, Hank asked for the key to the storage room. Gene just looked and said, "Don't do anything stupid", as he handed it over.

In the room, alone with his father, Hank spoke in a firm low voice. He spoke of his Mom, the girls, the heartache and pain, the disappointment and shattered dreams. He paused and stepped towards his father. In a fast, deliberate motion he stomped as hard as he could on his father's right hand and said, "Don't you ever hit Mom again."

Henry winced and quickly drew the hand back toward his body. He was still out-of-it and remained asleep.

Gene had wrapped the Christmas tree in an old blanket and as Hank finished locking the storage room Gene put the tree in his arms. In silence they walked toward the front door of the bar and Gene opened it to let Hank out.

Just outside the door Hank turned and said, "Thanks Uncle Gene... for everything. Someday I hope I can repay you."

"It's okay. Just be a good man and take care of your Mom and the girls."

They exchanged small smiles and Gene said "Merry Christmas."

When Hank got to the apartment, his Mom had the tea on and had put out some cookies. Hank put the tree in the corner and plugged the lights in. Eileen took her ornaments and put them on the tree. It was Christmas.

It was about 3 when Eileen finally got to bed and Hank fell asleep on the coach.

At seven she woke him and said, "Get dressed. I'll call Nora and we'll meet them and the girls at church. I laid out some clean clothes for you to take to the Shamrock," She paused and then continued, "Thanks for the help last night. I love you and don't know what I'd do without you." They hugged.

As Hank went to the bathroom to shower, shave and get dressed; Eileen went across the street to the pay phone at the ESSO garage to call Nora. When they had a chance they sat and had tea with some cake. Eileen gave Hank a sweater for Christmas and Hank gave her a card with about $100 in bills in it.

Hank and Eileen put the few presents they had for the girls and Henry under the tree.

When Hank got to the Shamrock, Henry was sitting at the bar with a cup of coffee in front of him. He was somewhat cleaned up but was shallow and shaky. His right hand was wrapped in a bar towel with ice. John was mopping the floor and out of earshot. Hank put the clothes he brought on the bar and said, "We're going to mass and then to Kevin's for breakfast. We'll be home around 2. Mom has a small ham to put on. If you're not going to make it a good day for the girls, then don't come home.

"Pretty uppity and judgmental aren't you. Look what happened to my hand; I may never be able to use it again."

"And don't hit Mom again; another accident may happen to ya."

Ignoring his son's remark, Henry said, "I'll be good for the girls. I'll be home 'round 3. Do ya have a fiver to get me one small drink for Christmas?"

Hank took out his wallet with maybe $8 in it and took out 5 singles. He called John over and gave him the $5 and told him it was for coffee only and maybe a sandwich for his father.

Henry sneered and said to Hank, "Ya little bastard... actin' so high and mighty and denying me a Christmas drink. Merry Christmas to you ya little fucker.

Hank just turned and left the Shamrock on this most unpleasant of Christmas days without saying another word.


Henry didn't come home that Christmas till 10 pm and was quite drunk having bummed drinks in honor of the birth of God's son, the savior of the world, and his banged-up hand.




[end] © Copyright by Ken Thompson - 2006 (Revised 03-2008).