Love's Real Stories

As I was saying in the last column, this Christmas season has been particularly sentimental and emotional. Partially, as I said, because I miss KDV, my old Real Estate mentor.

KDV was Mr. Christmas. He was the guy who tied the wreath to the front of his car and drove around wearing a Santa hat, shouting “Ho, ho, ho!”  through a speaker mounted to the car roof. He was also the guy who rolled his own smokes and flicked the ashes out the sunroof as he cruised through town, giving the impression that he was possibly a Bad Santa. But he always came through with generosity and smiles, delivering presents to friends, especially kids of friends, and even kids he didn’t know but met along the way. KDV was eccentric, unpredictable, and irreverent, but he was a Good Santa.

“Listen, babe,” said KDV back in the day, “This is the time of year when we are on a mission to forget our troubles and help others forget theirs.”

As I was also saying in my last column, I inherited KDV’s place at the podium telling Christmas stories to the hundred or so Realtors at the final meeting of the year of our Realtors weekly Multiple Listings meeting. I inherited the position six years go when KDV passed away.

This year’s final meeting of the year was yesterday. In addition to missing old KDV, I also had that sentimental and emotional feeling because of Paradise lost in the Camp Fire last year; the people we know who suffered then, the people we know suffering now, the ongoing PTSD and anxiety throughout our community. Yes, we are excited and determined to rebuild Paradise and we are involved in the effort, but the one-year anniversary made the disaster fresh.

So, my Christmas story this year at the Multiple Listings meeting was once again about KDV and his holiday antics throughout the years; but also about KDV’s wife and widow, dear Alla, who passed away two weeks ago. Alla was 95 years old. The conclusion of a good life and a great run, for sure. A cause for celebration, even. But just days before she slipped away, Alla was still her smiling and laughing self, so you can’t help pondering the fragility of life.

At the conclusion of my story-telling, the curtain on the stage behind me rolled back, and there stood our Band, the Richard Moore Memorial Chico Association of Realtors Holiday Band. There stood six members of the Band in their Santa hats, with guitars, horns, keyboards and drums. I jumped up on stage, making it a seven-member band, and we kicked it off with Blue Christmas, which was KDV and Alla’s favorite Christmas song. We played five Christmas songs, finishing with Feliz Navidad, and Santa jumping into the room from behind the curtain at stage right, handing out sombreros and maracas and throwing candy canes and chocolates. Santa led a Conga line around the room and the place was aglow in Christmas spirit.

Underlying the festive mood for me was the knowledge that during this very merry moment, my sister was visiting with her oncologist to get the results of the previous day’s scan. It’s been three years of scans and surgeries as she battles her cancer. The doctors warned her to keep her expectations down, because of the nature of her particular cancer, and the knowledge that tumors in her lungs were still present and likely growing after her last surgery.

We broke down the equipment, stuffed it in the truck, said our goodbyes, and I checked my phone. There was the text from my sister: “NO GROWTH & ONE DISAPPEARED!!!! Next scan in 6 months!” Replies followed on the 8-person family text line: “Christmas miracle!” “Tears of Joy!!” “Thanking God!!”

Mission accomplished. Troubles forgotten. Happy Holidays!