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Show PAGE THE ZEPHYRDECEMBER 89 Mother and daughter were waiting when Frank appeared around the corner. He was almost running when he hit the front steps. Susan lifted the hat from his head and brushed off the snow that was just beginning to fall. Frank smiled and reached into his coat pocket... Td better turn this over to you before .... He stopped short. He reached deeper into his pocket but the bill was not there. "Check your other pocket, my grandmother suggested, and he did. But he knew where hed placed the $20 bill. He went back to the pocket and probed every inch of it. And he felt along the seam where the threads had worn out and separated and created a ragged hole just large enough for a piece of paper money to silently slip through and fall to the ground. lts gone, my grandfather said. lts gone. His lips formed the words again, but he made no sound. He sank down in the couch and buried his face in his hands. For a moment, no one said anything. But 13 and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "Anyway, he went on, figured youd be back. He lifted one worn out leather shoe with a flapping sole from the sidewalk. There was something beneath it. "Merry Christmas, said the man. It was the twenty dollar bill. 1 Darkness had chased away the last light of day, my grandmother peered through the frosted window panes Into the blackness, but It was her daughter who first saw the two figures, dimly lit by the street lights, trudging through the snow and slush. Out of the silence of a snow fall, came the sounds. It was the sound of two grown men singing Jingle Bells, at the very top of their lungs. On Christmas Day, the Montforts had a guest for dinner. Pennies From Heaven A long time ago, A million years B.C., The best things in life, Were absolutely free. But no one appreciated sky that was always blue, And no one congratulated A moon that was always new. A So it was planned That they would vanish now and then. And we must pay Before we get them back again. Thats what storms were made for, And we shouldnt be afraid for ... t my grandmother, an eternal optimist, broke the silence. Maybe you can find it, she said. Maybe its still lying on the sidewalk. Frank looked scornfully at his wife and shook his head. She had to be kidding, he thought. That money probably never had a chance to reach the sidewalk before someone else grabbed it. But Susan insisted that he at least try, and for lack of a better idea, Frank agreed. My grandfather scoured the sidewalk and gutter as he dashed up He walked in a sort of crouch, his eyes glued to the Birchwood. ground, and he must have looked very strange to the pedestrians he passed. When he reached Frankfort Avenue, he knew It was hopeless. Before, the sidewalks were relatively empty, but here the foot traffic was heavy. There were people everywhere. But for forms sake, if nothing else, he continued onward toward the theatre. He moved slowly along the sidewalks edge, hoping the bill had fallen over the curb where it might not be noticed. He was still in that crouch staring intently at the concrete, when a voice spoke to him from over his shoulder. Frank spun around. Lookin for something? He was still leaning It was the man with the cheap bourbon against the lamp post My grandfather shifted his weight uneasily and tried to explain, but he was embarrassed and disheartened and tired and he could not speak. "Forget it, said the man with the bottle. He took a swig, winced Hoping for Peace in 1990 from Tom and Marcy Till Energy Bldg. E. Center St. Moab, Utah Every time it rains, It rains Pennies from Heaven. Dont you know each cloud contains Pennies from Heaven? Youll find your fortune falling All over town. Be sure that your umbrella Is upside down. Trade them for a package of Sunshine and flowers. want the things you love, You must have showers. If you So when you hear it thunder, Dont run under a tree ... Therell be pennies from Heaven For you ... And me. BurkeJohnston kb mjvrn VIDEO UBRARYl (801)259-884- 7 Coming in December: Adventures of Baron Munchause See no EvilHear no Evil When Harry Met Sally Miracle Mile Lock up Weekend at Bernies Renegades Roadhouse Great Balls of Fire Third Degree Burn Breaking Up is Hard to Do and... BATMAN MOW WJLb IHSt' me me boYvtwtejL our arm |