A Sad Elf's Holiday Lament

“Last drinks, Holly. Need something for the road?”

“Sure, why not? It’s Christmas. Be a doll and pack it up in one of those sweet little travel mugs for me?”

“Anything for you, darlin’.”

Holly wished the wink Abe sent her way might’ve evoked a little excitement from her stone-cold demeanour. He was such a sweetheart, always looking out for her at the bar and making sure she got home safe. They had lots of cute, flirty banter. In another life, one where she hadn’t handed her whole heart to the wrong, unavailable guy, Abe might’ve made a wonderful husband.

Abe slid the steaming mug of mulled cider across the bar as she stood and tightened the strap on her candy-cane red trench coat. She hesitated, waiting for the offer that usually came, but Abe just shot her a gentle, sad smile and wished her Merry Christmas.

Looks like I’m walking home alone tonight, she thought to herself as she exited the tavern, bracing for the bitter cold. She held on tight to the warm mug and decided she’d take the long way home and detour through the main street to take one last look at the lights.

As she meandered down the snow-covered, cobblestone path, she came to a stop at the window of her Dad’s old workshop. The guy that had taken it over had done a fine job with the display, although the hand-crafted toys that adorned the windowsill lacked her father’s perfectionist touch.

“Holly! Hey, Holly! Wait up!”

“Abe?”

“I’m sorry I didn’t offer to walk you home tonight,” Abe spoke through heavy breaths.

“Oh gosh, don’t give it a thought, honey. It’s Christmas Eve, and I’m sure you’ve got places to be.”

The pair stood awkwardly in the street in front of Holly’s Dad’s old workshop. She tucked a stray hair behind her ear and adjusted her hat, trying to avoid eye contact with Abe, who hadn’t broken his gaze since he caught up with her.

“Abe, is there something you need? Did I forget to pay the tab?”

Abe looked at her, his expression turning from awkward to determined.

“You sat at my bar all night, downing anything I put in front of you, wearing that completely distracting little trench coat. I’d have thought Christmas had come early if you didn’t look so darn sad all night.”

He wasn’t asking her what happened, not directly anyway. But Holly knew he was giving her the opportunity to tell him exactly what brought her to his bar on Christmas Eve, of all nights.

“You free for a nightcap? It’s kind of a long story, and I could stand to tell it somewhere a little… warmer,” Holly said sheepishly, wrapping her arms around herself in an attempt to keep warm.

Abe had walked her home more times than she could count. Not once had she invited him in, and not once did he mind. He still offered to walk her home every time she found herself drinking away her lonely heart at his tavern.

As they crossed the threshold into her cottage, she gestured at the entry nook.

“Coat on the rack and shoes by the door if you don’t mind. I just had the floors done.”

“Need a hand with your coat, Hol?”

“No, thanks. I’m still a little chilly,” Holly replied, leading the way into her cosy living room.

Abe took a seat on the couch closest to the fire while Holly poured them a drink. She handed him the generous glass of sherry and sat down at the other end.

“I think it’s over, Abe. I did something pretty stupid, and I can’t take it back.”

“Would that be the worst thing?”

Holly stared straight ahead at the fire and took a gulp of her sherry. She knew Abe was right, but that didn’t mean she wanted to hear it. She cursed under her breath as she wiped the stray tear that had slipped down her cheek.

Abe let out a sigh and moved over just close enough to place a reassuring hand on her knee.

“Sorry, Hol. I’m not judging, you know that. Tell me what happened?”

Holly placed her hand over Abe’s, giving it an appreciative squeeze and running her thumb over his worn knuckles.

“I wanted to surprise him. He gets so stressed out at this time of year. I guess I thought I could help him let off a little steam before he had to get to work, you know?”

“Mhmm,” Abe responded curtly.

“Sorry… this is weird….”

“No, no. It’s fine, go on. I said I was here for you, and I am, so tell me.”

“I was waiting in his office over at the workshop. That’s our usual place. But when the door opened, it wasn’t him who came through. It was… her.”

“Wait, not?”

“Yeah… his wife. He followed, of course, about five seconds later. I didn’t hang around for what came after, but I could hear the screaming halfway into town.”

“Yikes.”

“Yeah, yikes.” Holly chuckled. It was the first thing resembling a happy feeling she’d felt all night. “I always knew it had an expiry date. I guess I just thought it might last a little longer. Or you know, a miracle might happen and he’d wake up one day and choose me.”

“It’s his loss….”

Abe’s tone and the look on his face made it more of a question than a statement. After a year of watching her play the other woman to Santa Claus, the sweet, handsome, friend-zoned owner of the North Pole Tavern was shooting his shot.

“Abe, I….”

“Holly, look, I think you know how I feel about you. I mean, you’ve got to know, right?”

Holly nodded.

“Good, so please just let me get this out.”

Holly noted that they were still holding hands at this point, so she gave his a reassuring squeeze, urging him to continue.

“I’m not asking you for anything right now, maybe not ever. But I want you to know that you’re the prettiest elf in the Pole, but not just that, you’re funny, and you’re smart, and I would give anything for you to be mine. But if that’s not how it’s to be, then at the very least, I’m not going to have you feeling sad and unloved on Christmas eve, Holly. He might not see what he had in front of him, but I do. Have a wonderful Christmas.”

Before Holly could respond, Abe stood up abruptly and headed for the door. She followed hesitantly and stopped in the doorway, looking on as Abe pulled on his coat and boots. The glow of the fire created a gentle silhouette behind her.

“Abe?”

Flustered, Abe looked at Holly, his face holding a mixture of embarrassment and hope.

“Don’t you wanna know how she found out? I mean, I’m his secretary. It’s not so strange that I’d be in his office, even after hours.”

Holly slowly pulled the strap of her trench coat as the knot began to unfasten.

“It’s because when she walked in, this is what she saw….”

Holly spoke huskily as she gave the strap one last tug causing the coat to fall open. She shrugged her shoulders as it fell to the floor.

Abe cocked his head to the side, his hands falling from where he was fastening his coat and his mouth agape at what was unfolding before him. Holly stood before him in a pair of thigh-high, red and white candy stripe stockings, secured with two buckled garters that ran to her sheer, red lace underwear. Her top half was completely bare, except for two red bows covering her nipples.

Abe gulped and took a few steps, closing the gap between them. He placed a hand on Holly’s cheek and kissed her—it was one, long kiss, as though he was both promising more and preparing for it to be their last. He kissed her neck, which caused her to arch her back, and he slowly made his way down to his knees.

Holly closed her eyes and let out a small sigh but was startled back into the present when Abe stood once again, face to face with her, draping her discarded coat over her bare shoulders and pulling it closed around her body.

She couldn’t hide the hurt she felt at Abe’s rejection, but his next words cauterised the wound.

“Tomorrow, when your head is clear, and your heart is a little less fragile… If you still want this, you know where to find me….”

With that, Abe turned and headed out the door. Before he pulled it shut, he looked back at an embarrassed-looking Holly.

“And Hol?”

“Yeah, Abe?”

“If you do… you know. Well, wear the coat. Only the coat.” He smirked, then, winked before shutting the door behind him as he left.

Holly let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding and smiled. She’d started the night wrapping herself up like a present for a married man who would never really be hers and somehow ended up being rejected twice.

She wasn’t sad anymore, though. While Christmas Eve might’ve been a series of unfortunate events, Christmas Day was set to deliver exactly what she’d been searching for all along.