Secrets 2: Looking Through Different Eyes

Now that classes had resumed after the Thanksgiving break, Devin and I turned our attention to the two most important issues: our class work and the Second Annual Toy Drive.  In regards to the latter, after classes ended for the day, we went over to the Campus Newspaper office to speak with the staff and thank them for the article they’d run about the upcoming toy drive. 

“I’m Anna Franklin and I wrote that article for you,” she stated.  “I think it’s a wonderful thing you guys are doing.”

“Thank you,” Devin responded, “and we appreciate the contribution that you and the campus newspaper make to ensure the toy drive is a success.”

“It’s our pleasure, and hmmm, this may sound strange, but I know students don’t always know about the local news, but did you hear about the big accident that happened just before Halloween?”

“Do you mean where the truck that ran the red-light and crashed into a car?” I countered, and she nodded her head.  “Yeah, we saw it happen.”  

“And I was actually surprised that the cop continued to chase the guy when he realized they were coming to a heavily traveled intersection,” Devin added. 

“I heard the cop had dropped back as they were approaching the intersection, but the guy in the truck kept going.  He probably did that because he had just used a handgun to carjack the truck and wanted to avoid being arrested,” she told us.  “The guy stole the truck at the Express Mart just as the owner was getting back into the truck after he’d filled it up with gas.  I know, because I was there filling up my car at the same time.”

“Wow, we didn’t know any of those details,” I stated.  “I’m glad he didn’t carjack you instead.”

“Me too, and I certainly hope the guy who owned the truck and the person whose car was smashed into both had decent auto insurance.  I saw photos of the accident online and there’s no way they’ll be able to drive either vehicle now.”

“Ain’t that the truth!” Devin followed.  

“So, you saw those vehicles then?” she asked.

“Yes, we pulled over when we heard the siren and saw it happen,” I replied.

“Isn’t that amazing?  I was there when it started and you guys were there when it ended.”

“Yes, that is a strange coincidence.” 

After we finished chatting with her, we headed over to the dining hall for supper, and on the way there we ran into Barry. 

“Hey, I think I heard about another sighting of the guy who caught the rapist during the second semester of last year,” he began.  “One of the other RAs informed me that the guy showed up at the scene of a big accident a few weeks ago.  The guy who told me this said he just heard about it over Thanksgiving break, but he also mentioned the guy nearly ripped the door off a car that had been hit by a truck so they could get the driver out.”

“Yeah, we were there,” Devin responded.  “Mac was driving and it could have been my SUV that the guy hit instead, if Mac hadn’t pulled over to the side of the road when he heard the siren.” 

“Then did you see the guy?”

“Only from a distance,” I answered.   “We couldn’t get close enough to see him clearly.”

“Was he a giant, like that girl had claimed?”

“Let me put it this way – there are plenty of basketball players that are taller than the guy, and maybe some football players too, but I doubt there are many that are as muscular as he is.  I was totally amazed as I watched him yank open the door of the car that had been hit.  It was badly damaged and even the firemen were impressed that he was able to do it, because they said they would have had to use the Jaws of Life.”

“Yeah, I’m sure they would have, but why doesn’t anyone know his name?”

“I guess it’s because he left right after the fireman and EMTs got there.  It appears he doesn’t like publicity that might draw attention to himself.”

“That’s strange.  You’d think the guy would enjoy being recognized for what he did, both at the accident and when he saved the girl from the rapist, yet both times he took off before anyone could get his name or thank him.”

“Yeah, he definitely seems shy,” Devin stated, tongue-in-cheek.

“He’s certainly not like me then,” Barry remarked, “because I would have wanted everyone to know that I’d done either of those things.”

“Yeah, same with me,” I agreed.  “It’s not every day you get to be a hero.”

I heard Devin groan slightly when I said that, but I don’t think Barry caught on to what he did, because he just kept talking.

“I hope we’ll eventually find out who he is and get to see him, or at least a photo of him.  From the descriptions I’ve heard, I’m surprised he’s not playing in the NFL.”

“Yeah, I’m sure there are a lot of teams that would be happy to have him tryout so they could see what he can do, especially if he’s as big and strong as he appears.”

Now that we’d finished our conversation, we told Barry that we’d see him around, and then Devin and I entered the dining hall to get something to eat.

The following week was extremely busy, because Devin and I were trying to complete the projects that were coming due, as well as studying for exams.  However, we managed to take a little time off on Friday so we could go over to the Campus Newspaper office and collect the monetary contributions for the toy drive.  We were planning to go toy shopping the next day, because it was the only opportunity we’d have to do it and we were running out of time.  We’d be visiting the hospital in a couple more weeks, just as soon as we finished taking our exams, and we’d be spending nearly every minute before then studying.  

The editor-in-chief wasn’t there when we arrived, but we were told he should be getting back shortly.  We decided to wait, since he was the only one with the combination to the safe where they were keeping the donations.  He entered the office about fifteen minutes later. 

“I hope I didn’t keep you guys waiting for very long?”

“Nah, just a few minutes,” I replied.  “We wanted to pick up the donations so we could go toy shopping tomorrow.”

“Then you should be able to buy quite a few toys, because it looks like the various organizations have contributed a lot more money than they did last year.”  After saying this, he opened the safe and handed us an envelope with the money inside.

“That’s good, because it should help us make a lot of children happy.”

“Do you also want to pick up the toys we’re holding for you?”

“No, we’ll get those during the week of finals.  Will someone be here on that Wednesday so we can get them?”

“I’ll make sure someone is here.  Just let me know what time you want to do it.”

After we all checked our schedules for exam week, we finally agreed on a time, and then we thanked him again before leaving.

When we got back to the house, we counted the money to see how much had been donated and the editor was correct.  There was considerably more money this year than last, and we decided to buy toys that would be appreciated by four distinct age groups: 0 to 5, 6 to 9, 10 to 12, and young teens.  If we learn there are any older teens in the Children’s Ward, we’ll purchase gift certificates to give to them. 

We’ll let Santa carry the toys for the first group, and Devin will carry the toys for the second group and then hand them to Santa when appropriate.  I’ll put the toys and gift certificates for the older groups in my bag and hand them out to save some time.  I have a feeling the older kids probably won’t care if the present comes from Santa, since most of them in those age groups no longer believe in jolly old Saint Nick.  

After making a quick trip to the hunting camp in the morning, Devin and I headed out to go toy shopping on Saturday afternoon.  We drew more than a few stares from the other shoppers when they saw all of the toys we had in our carts, but we didn’t care.  We knew we were doing it for a good cause.

When we finished up, we returned to the house and began to lug the items up to the front door, we discovered the postal worker had left a package on the porch.  We assumed the caretaker had either let the mail carrier in or put the package there himself, and the package was from the same company that Devin had ordered the costumes and other items the previous year.  Therefore, I assumed Devin’s elf outfit and toy bag were inside. 

After seeing the parcel, I’ll admit that I was prepared to scream at Devin if his elf costume was different and nicer than the one he’d ordered for me, but I didn’t have to worry.  His outfit turned out to be identical to the one I’d worn when we did this last year. 

“I was afraid you might have ordered something different for yourself,” I confessed. 

“Nah, I think Santa would make sure all of the elves are dressed the same way, since they’re all working for the same company.”  He then laughed. 

“I’m glad you figured that out or it might have caused a problem.”

As soon as we carried all of the toys inside, we took them up to the bedroom that Pops generally uses, since we knew he wouldn’t be coming here for this.  Then, we got in the SUV and made another trip so we could shop for Christmas gifts for our families.  We even split up for a short time so we could buy gifts for each other, and although I didn’t know if I’d be seeing my grandparents this year, I bought them gifts as well.  I could always ship the presents to them, even if they might arrive late, because it’s the thought that counts.  Isn’t it?

Once we finished our shopping, we had those items gift wrapped at the store, because they would look better than how we could have wrapped them.  It was also to keep each other from finding out what we’d bought before Christmas Day.

When we got back to the house, we took those things up to our bedroom, and then we spent the rest of the weekend studying for our finals.  I’ll take a little time out on Thursday to verify that the hospital is expecting us to be there the following Thursday afternoon, after we finish taking the last of our exams.  The person I spoke with assured me the staff was looking forward to our arrival, and they were certain the kids would appreciate seeing us as well, although they were keeping our visit a surprise. 

We spent the following week going over different things in class and then studying on our own at home.  The week seemed to drag on, even with our abbreviated trips to the dog park during the week and quick visits to the hunting camp on the weekend.

The beginning of finals week was absolutely nerve-wracking as we began taking our exams.  Each evening, we would commiserate with each other and agree that the exam we’d just taken had been quite difficult, but we were glad that we’d spent so much time studying for it.  After we finished taking our exams on Wednesday, we walked back to the house to get the SUV, and then we drove over to the newspaper office to pick up the toys and any remaining money that had been dropped off.  We were amazed when the editor showed us how many toys there were. 

“Damn, we thought most of the groups had donated money this year, rather than buying toys, since you handed us so much cash when we were here before,” I remarked.  “We certainly didn’t expect there would be this many toys!”  

“Most of these came from the sororities,” the editor stated.  “They seem to get a kick out of shopping for the kids.”

“It appears that Toys for Tots will be getting a larger donation from us as well,” Devin added. 

“I can’t wait to hear about your visit and get to see the photos of this year,” the editor commented, “since last year went so well.” 

“I’m sure there will be plenty of photos and they’ll be just as amazing as last year,” Devin concurred. 

Since there were so many toys, the editor helped us carry the boxes the toys had been stored in to the SUV.  As soon as everything was loaded in the back, we thanked him for his help and headed back to the house. 

We were surprised to find a strange car parked in the driveway when we got there, and then we found Gramps waiting for us inside.  He had even transitioned into Santa already, or should I say Mac’s grandfather? 

“Whose car is that?” Devin asked after we said hello to him and both of us had given him a hug. 

“It’s a rental.  Since its Mac’s grandfather that is supposed to be doing this, I rented a car to drive here so no one would see my SUV parked in the driveway.  And since he is supposed to look like this, I transitioned on the way here.”

“Ah, that makes sense.”

“I was just wondering when you boys would get here.” 

“We wanted to see who was here first, before we unloaded the toys.”

“Do you need a hand?”

“Yeah, that would be great, if you don’t mind.”  

“If I minded, I wouldn’t have offered.” 

After we carried all of the boxes of toys into the house, Gramps made another comment. 

“Did you just go shopping?”

“No, these are the donations from the various student groups.  We made our final shopping trip last Saturday and those toys are in Pops bedroom.”

“Wow, this would probably have been more than enough for what you’ll need.”  

“Yes, so Toys for Tots will benefit greatly from the excess.”   

When we’d taken everything inside and set them down in the living room, we went up to Pops bedroom to get the other toys and bring them downstairs as well.  Once they were all there, we selected the best toys for each age group and placed them in the appropriate bag that we’d be carrying while at the hospital.  As soon as we finished doing this, I made a comment. 

“We didn’t think you’d be here until tomorrow.”

“That was my original plan, but I really missed you boys since I hadn’t seen either of you during your Thanksgiving break and I was looking forward to doing this.  I decided to come a day early and spend a little time with you before we did this.  Have you eaten yet?”

“No, not yet,” Devin answered. 

“Good.  Have you dined at Dominick’s lately?” 

“Not since you were here last.”

“Then what if I take you there?”

“That would be great,” we agreed. 

After we’d all freshened up, Gramps used the rental car to drive us over to Dominick’s, and since he didn’t appear as himself, no one recognized him.  However, a lot of people stopped him as we were being led to our table so they could comment about how much he looked even better than the illustrations they’d seen of Santa.

After we’d ordered our meals, and while we were waiting for them to be delivered, we decided to update Gramps on some of the things that had transpired with the neighbor lady after he and Pops left. 

“It seems that she’s going to be a real pain in the ass, so we’ll have to find a way to get her off our backs,” I said after I finished.  

“Just don’t do anything to raise her ire that she can trace back to you and ignore the petty things she does in the meantime.  If you’re lucky, you just won’t run into her very often.”

“Ok, we’ll do that, but she seems to find us even when we’re trying to avoid her.”

After our meals arrived, the conversation switched to what we’d be doing at the hospital. 

“I basically know what’s involved, but I’m curious about how long we’ll be there and if there’s anything in particular that I should be aware of.” Gramps said.

“Just be jolly and as affectionate as you can be with the kids, and that will depend on the reason why they’re in the hospital in the first place,” I replied.  

“So, they’re not too sick for me to do that?”

“A few might be, but you’ll be able to make physical contact with most of them.” 

“And your bag will contain the toys for the youngest children, those five-years-old and younger” Devin added.  “Before we enter each room, we’ll share all the details the hospital gives us about each child in that room, but it’s mainly their name, age, and the reason they’re in the hospital.” 

“I’m glad you’ll have that information.”

“Then, each time you move to a different child, we want you to ask them what they want for Christmas, and then we will all look through the appropriate bag until we find a gift we feel is suitable for that child.  But if the child looks disappointed when they see it, then we want you to ask them if there was something different they were hoping that you’d give them.  After they tell us what it is, we’ll look again, and if we don’t have that item then you can remind them that they’ll be getting other presents from you at their house.  Tell them they may get it then, or possibly their parents will give it to them instead.”

“Ok, I can do that,” Gramps responded.  “I just hope the kids don’t say something like, ‘I thought Santa always knew what we wanted, cuz we sent you our Christmas list’.”

“Yes, it would be kinda rough if they said something like that,” I agreed, “so just tell them you have a great many children to keep track of and you didn’t expect to find them at the hospital.”

“Ok, that sounds reasonable.”

“While you’re doing that, if I see any older kids,” I continued, “I’ll go over and give them their gift without you.  That’s because most of the older kids no longer believe in Santa and don’t care who gives them the present, as long as they get one.  It will also allow you to spend more time with the younger children.”

“And how old is the group that you’re referring to?” Gramps wanted to know. 

“I’ll have the gifts for those ten and older in my bag.”

“And you’ll know their ages because the hospital is giving you a list with all of that information on it.”

“Yes, even though they told us previously how many children in each age group will be there when we arrived, it might have changed.  We have put extra toys for each age group in the appropriate sack, just in case other children were admitted after we talked to them.”

“Ah, that’s good planning and it will give us some leeway on selecting presents for them.” 

After we finished eating, we headed back to the house, and once we went inside, Gramps asked another question.

“Are you boys planning on heading home right after we finish up at the hospital?”

“No, we’ll go over to the Toys for Tots donation center after we leave the hospital so we can drop off the remaining toys there.  Once that’s taken care of, we’ll return to the house and change out of our outfits so we can leave them here for next year.” 

“That makes sense, because we don’t want to draw any more attention to ourselves than is absolutely necessary on the way home.  Are you planning to leave for home after we change?” 

“No, we won’t do that until the following morning.  It’s too long of a drive and we’ll be beat from studying and taking our exams, as well as going to the hospital.”

“That’s even better, because we won’t have to hurry in case we run across another situation.”

“Yes, we’ll have plenty of time to help someone if we run across an unusual situation,” Devin agreed. 

“Just so you know, Devin usually goes to my house and spends a little time with my family before he heads to the cabin, but we try to arrange it so he’s not driving there after dark.  I worry about him making the trip alone, because I know the roads are winding, narrow, and quite desolate, and we both feel it’s better if he makes it while there is still some light out.” 

“I agree.  That’s a wise precaution,” Gramps conceded. 

“Since you have your own car, you can start back after you change out of the Santa suit if you want, or you can follow us back in the morning.  You’ll also have the choice of just continuing on when we make the turn to go to my house, or you can continue following us so you can meet my parents.”

“In that case, I’ll be happy to wait and follow you boys back in the morning, because I’d love to meet your parents.  I’ll merely transition into myself during the drive there, but I’ll do it slowly and when there isn’t much traffic.”

“We were hoping you’d follow us to my house, because we’re going to tell my parents that we told the nosy neighbor that we’re both your grandsons, which means my mom would have to be your daughter.  We felt that would be best, since we don’t have the same last name and our names will probably appear in the newspaper when they report on the hospital visit and our donation to Toys for Tots again.”

“That’s very good thinking and very clever of you.”

Now that this had been cleared up, we laid out our outfits on Pop’s bed so they’d be ready for when we returned from our last exam.  Gramps and Devin decided to try on their outfits first, and then they looked at me for approval. 

“What do you think?” Gramps asked, since he wanted to see if he looked the same as Devin had the previous year. 

“It’s perfect and we’re so grateful that you agreed to do this with us?”

“Yes, we are,” Devin concurred, “but now I’m gonna be dressed to look like a dork.”

“Hey, you were the one who selected these outfits,” I reminded him, “and I always thought you’d chosen this one so I’d look like a dork, so touché.”

“I didn’t do that,” Devin protested.  “I just felt it was the best one I could find.”

“Well, I think you two will look perfect in those outfits.  I saw the photos of you and Mac from last year, and it certainly looked like the kids appreciated that you were going all out like this for them.”

“Maybe, but I think they were mostly happy that we brought them toys,” Devin countered. 

“And I’m certain they will enjoy having Santa and his elves bring them toys this year as well,” Gramps stated.  “It definitely beats the three of us showing up in street clothes.”

“Yeah, I suppose you’re right about that,” Devin relented. 

Since they were both satisfied that the outfits looked good on them, they took them off and laid them out for tomorrow.  Devin and I then said goodnight to Gramps before going to our room to cram for the last of our finals, which we’d be taking the following morning.

We were exhausted after we finished studying, but I took a minute to set the alarm on my phone so we’d get up in time, and then we went through our nightly ritual.  As soon as that was taken care of, we got into bed and fell asleep.

When the alarm went off the next morning and rudely awakened us out of our slumber, we got dressed and headed downstairs.  Gramps was already up and he spoke when he saw us. 

“I wasn’t sure how much time you’d have, but I heard you talking about what time you’d have to get up and I knew you’d be in a hurry before you had to leave.  That’s why I went out and bought breakfast for all of us, because I thought you’d do better on a full stomach.”

“Wow, thank you,” we both stammered.  

“We were planning to make a quick stop at the dining hall, but this is way better,” I added. 

He’d brought each of us waffles, scrambled eggs, link sausages, and bacon in a to-go box, along with packets of butter and disposable containers of maple syrup.  There was also a carton of orange juice for each of us, and it definitely hit the spot and filled us up!

“Do you want me to drive you to the campus?” Gramps asked. 

“Nah, we have time to get there and the walk will help to keep us from falling asleep during the exam,” Devin responded. 

“Ok, if you say so and good luck.”

“Thanks,” we replied, and then we grabbed our jackets and headed out the door, ready to complete the final task of this semester.   

Since we didn’t know how long our exams would take, we agreed to just return to the house and meet up there afterward.  I got back before Devin and Gramps wanted to know how it went. 

“It was a tough exam, but I think I did well and last night’s study session definitely paid off.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

 Devin didn’t show up for another half hour and he looked totally beat when he stumbled through the door. 

“I knew you’d beat me back,” he greeted me.  “You’ve always been faster at taking tests than I am.”

“Yeah, but that’s because I just put down everything I know that will answer the question, and I don’t add anything I’m not positive about.  When you try to add too much, that’s when you make mistakes and put down things that might be slightly off, and that causes points to get deducted.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right, but I always thought I had to write a lot so it looked like I knew what I was talking about.” 

“Like I said, only put down the information you’re positive about.”

“That’s probably why you have a higher G.P.A. than I do.”

As soon as Devin and I finished our discussion, Gramps asked a question.

“Do you boys want to run out for a quick lunch before we change?”

“Yeah, but let’s go to a fast food place this time so we won’t hold things up.  They’re expecting us at the hospital this afternoon.” 

“Ok, we can do that,” Gramps agreed. 

After purchasing and downing a quick lunch, we returned to the house and changed into our outfits.  As soon as we were ready, we carried the toy bags and the boxes with the extra toys out to Devin’s SUV and then we hopped inside.  I let Gramps sit in the front seat next to Devin, while I rode behind them. 

Similar to what had happened the previous year, we caused quite a stir as we made our way to the hospital.  People could see Santa and his elf in the front seats, since those windows weren’t tinted as darkly as those in the rear.  I got a kick out of watching people shout, wave, and even toot their horns as we passed by. 

When we arrived at the hospital, we got out and retrieved our toy bags from the back before going inside.  As soon as we entered the lobby, we drew even more attention, but we didn’t stop to chat.  We merely smiled and waved as we headed up to the Children’s Ward.  When the doors of the elevator opened, the nurses beamed when they saw us. 

“None of these children were here when you came last year, so this should be a total surprise for them.”

As we made our way to the far end of the hallway so we could start in the rooms there, Gramps let out a deep and rumbling, “Ho, Ho, Ho, Merry Christmas!”   

This not only got all of the kids’ attention, but it caused one of the nurses to make a comment as she looked at Santa. 

“I see someone has been practicing for this moment and you’ve acquired a second elf.”

“I wasn’t feeling well last year, so I didn’t come,” Devin responded. 

Once we arrived at the end of the hall, we began making our way from one room to the next as we handed out the presents.  You could tell Gramps was enjoying this as much as the kids and he went into Santa mode as soon as he entered each room.  He would always start out with a hearty “Ho, Ho, Ho”, and then he’d add something else, such as “Who do we have in here?” or “Have you all been good this year?”  He would also give each child a hug, unless there was a medical reason that made it impossible, and then he would tousle their hair after he gave them their gift.  The kids were eating it up and having a great time, even the older children were enjoying it, so I let Gramps hand those gifts out as well. 

In one room, after Santa had given a hug to an eight-year-old boy, the kid’s eyes lit up and he began to speak.  “This is the real Santa, not just some guy in a costume.” 

“How can you tell?” someone else asked. 

“He has a real beard and that’s his real hair, and it’s his real tummy too, not some pillow stuffed inside the suit to make him look fat.”

I believe this impressed the other kids as well, even the older ones, and this news soon spread to the other rooms, both the ones we’d already visited and those we hadn’t gotten to yet. 

During the entire time, various nurses, parents, and even doctors asked if they could take a video of us or if we would pose for photos, and we always agreed.  I also left my email address and asked them to forward the photos and videos to me so we could see them as well.  Doing this slowed down our progress, but we didn’t mind. 

As soon as we’d visited every room, Santa made one final comment before we left.  “Merry Christmas to all and to all a good day!”

As we made our way back down to the lobby, Santa would wave at everyone we passed.  Once we got in the SUV, we headed over to the Toys for Tots donation site.  When we got there, we loaded our bags up with the toys from the boxes so we could empty everything into their collection bins. 

One little boy ran up to Santa and hugged his leg before we got to the donation area, so Santa bent over and gave him a hug.  Santa also looked in his bag and pulled out a toy to give to him, and the boy looked at it and beamed before running over to show it to his mother.  I hope store security doesn’t hassle him about it. 

We continued on to the house and got even more reactions as we made our way along the streets.  Once again, Gramps and Devin waved at the people we passed, which added even more holiday cheer.  And as soon as we reached the house, Devin parked the SUV in the driveway and we all grabbed our empty toy bags and the empty boxes before we headed inside. 

“That was even more fun and rewarding than I was expecting,” Gramps said with a huge grin plastered across his face. 

“And you did a great job!” Devin responded. 

“Yes, you did,” I agreed. 

“And I’d also like to do this with you in the future, if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all, we’d love to have you do that as well.”