A Christmas Carol, Part 1

Shawn Tedrow

Over ten years ago, Jenny and I were visiting some old friends of ours, and we all decided to take a ride to the coast for the day.

It was a very relaxing day and, as evening approached, we decided to go and eat dinner in a small town called Yountville, in Napa Valley. The restaurant that we ended up going to had a great homey and bistro-like atmosphere, having a road house style building with a peak open-beamed wood ceiling. The food was great. Our waiter was a little weird though. He looked like he had a real tough go at it in life. His face looked worn with the telling lines of suffering, and the natural color of his eyes were diminished and replaced with the look of death.

After we finished eating, the waiter came by and dropped off the bill on our table. I happened to be in a good mood that day and I decided to pick up the tab, so I handed him my credit card. He left, but within minutes came back with my credit card in hand, and stood starring at me, with his eyes hauntingly fixated upon my eyes, as if he was looking at a ghost.

He then asked, “Did you live in Oakland and had flaming red hair when you were six years old?” I was stunned and in shock by his question, as I did have dazzlingly red hair when I was a young child. So I told this waiter, “Yes, I had red hair and lived in Oakland”. He then said, “I am Robert Bannert. We use to play with each other. I lived around the corner from your parent’s house”.

I was caught off guard, without notice, and any defense to withstand what began to unfold. It felt like I was being carried away, hurling back in time. Everybody at our table could feel this powerful eerie magic that began to fill the room, as I sat there with my breath sucked out of me, trying to keep composure, and holding on from what was coming, out of the blue, at me. Robert Bannert then left to finish the credit card transaction.

He then came back and stood in front of me again and said, “I invited you to my birthday party and you didn’t show up. You broke my heart. Back then, you and Barry were the only kids that would play with me in the whole neighborhood”.

These words struck with electrifying force, as I was transformed back in time to when I was a young child. This was an enigma- blast from the obscure-past, as I began seeing what I was feeling and thinking back in time.

This phenomenon that took place, was as if an aroma from esoteric incents could be sensed in the air from a latent sensory within, that was chillingly felt within my bones. Then its fragrance filled the room and swept me completely away. Now I knew what Ebenezer Scrooge felt like when the Ghost of Christmas Past visited him.

To be continued…….

You can check out Shawn's other musings here.