Christmas Eve Bay City

They weren’t there that night, the cynics; but we were. The five of us saw it happen. And we believed.

That was the night it snowed for the first time in Bay City since 1962. It was Christmas Eve and we had gathered inside a bar called The Pits, where we were playing cards and sharing a pitcher of beer. We were a group of friends with nothing to do and nowhere to go that night, and none of us wanted to be alone.

The owner, who went by the rather endearing name of Huggy Bear, was tending bar that night because he had given most of the waitresses time off to spend with their families. Sitting at the bar chatting with him were two men whom we knew to be cops. We also knew them to be lovers, but none of us minded. They were strangers to us; it was none of our business. Some people would say it was wrong. But not us.

I mean, don’t we all wish we had someone who loved us even half as much as those two loved each other?

It was around 11 pm when the door opened wide and a child entered, alone. He couldn’t have been more than ten, and he wasn’t wearing a coat, despite the unusually cold weather we were having. But he didn’t seem to be chilled at all. In fact, his cheeks were ruddy with warmth and his eyes sparkled with joy……….

********

“Hey, where did that kid come from?” asked Starsky, looking towards the door as a blast of cold air entered the room.

“Don’t know, never seen him in here before,” Huggy answered.

The boy walked towards the bar and stood in front of Starsky and Hutch. He pointed towards the open door and asked plaintively, “There’s a young woman outside, near the payphone. She’s cold and lost. Can you help her?”

“Where did you come from, son, are your parents here?” asked Hutch as Starsky and Huggy peered towards the entrance trying to get a glimpse. The boy shook his head and kept pointing at the door.

“Maybe we should take a look?” said Starsky, and they walked towards the open door, the child following behind them. Huggy watched them as they left.

Outside, they were surprised to see it was snowing. A bright neon star outside the bar across the street flashed on and off. Sitting on the floor inside a nearby phone booth was a young woman. She was in her late teens or early twenties and was crying softly.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Starsky said as Hutch knelt down beside her. “We’re police officers. What’s your name?” asked Hutch as he showed her his badge.

“Hannah,” she replied in a shy, quiet voice, as she hesitantly made eye contact with him.

“Nice to meet you, Hannah. I’m Detective Hutchinson and this is my partner, Detective Starsky. Why don’t you come inside with us and warm up?”

“I just want to go home,” was Hannah’s reply, as she tried to hold back the tears.

“Where’s that, sweetheart?” asked Starsky.

“That way,” said Hannah, as she pointed in the direction of the star. “But my parents won’t let me come home and I have nowhere else to go.”

“Why won’t they let you?” asked Hutch.

“Because they don’t like who I am. We had a big argument yesterday and they said I disgraced the family. Then they kicked me out of the house.”

Starsky and Hutch looked at each other and held a silent conversation with their eyes.

“Who are you?” asked Starsky.

“Someone they don’t want me to be. Someone they don’t accept.”

“But it’s Christmas!” Starsky exclaimed.

“How about if we drive you home and talk to your parents?” asked Hutch. “They’re probably worried sick about you right now.”

“No, they’ll just slam the door in my face,” said Hannah sadly.

“Maybe they won’t. Let’s give it a try and see what happens.” Hutch held out his hand and helped the young woman to her feet.

“I’ll let Huggy know we’ll be back in a few,” said Starsky as he headed back inside.

“Hey Hug, gimme some orange juice and a burger to go.”

“You two aren’t leaving me so soon, are you, Starsky? I thought you’d stick around for a while.”

“We’ll be back; we just gotta drive someone home. Hey, where’s that kid?”

“I don’t know,” answered Huggy. “I thought he was with you?”

Starsky looked around but the child was nowhere to be found. He went outside and peered down the street in both directions. He saw wind and snow and papers swirling along the sidewalk, but no sign of the boy. Maybe he went home with his parents, Starsky thought, as he handed the food to Hannah. “Here,” he said, as they climbed into the Torino. “It’s okay, you can eat in my car. Just try not to make a mess, like my partner does.”

Hannah gave Starsky her address and the three of them headed east towards her house. They sat in silence as she ate her dinner, the only meal she’d had that day.

As they drove, Starsky thought about the snow. The boy would have left footprints outside. But he realized there had been none.

It was a twenty minute drive to Hannah’s house, which was a typical split-level on a typical suburban Bay City street.

Starsky and Hutch walked Hannah up to the front door, which was adorned with a festive wreath, and rang the doorbell.

An older woman opened the door and immediately started crying when she saw Hannah standing there in the snow. Her husband joined her and placed his hand on his wife’s shoulder.

“Ma’am, sir, we’re police officers. We found your daughter alone on the street and brought her home,” said Hutch defiantly.

“It’s cold outside and she was all alone on Christmas Eve. Anything could have happened to her,” added Starsky in a slightly menacing tone.

Hannah’s mom began to cry as she embraced her daughter. They had been worried sick about her ever since she left. Hannah’s dad asked for her forgiveness for how they had treated her.

Then they thanked the two men who had gone out of their way to return their daughter safely home. Starsky and Hutch said goodbye and started walking back towards the Torino. Hannah waved and smiled. “Thank you!” she cried out after them. “Merry Christmas!”

Starsky and Hutch returned to The Pits shortly before midnight. The group of five men they’d noticed earlier was still there, playing cards and drinking beer. At another table, an elderly couple was enjoying each other’s company over a bottle of wine. A few other stragglers and bums were conversing at tables scattered about the room.

“You plannin’ on closin’ early tonight, Hug?” asked Starsky.

“Nah. As long as I’ve got customers who call this place home, I’ll stay open. What about you two? You thinking of heading home?”

Starsky looked at Hutch and asked, “We can stay for a bit, right?”

“Sure, pal, let’s have another round of beer,” answered Hutch. “Play some pool with us, Hug?”

“Sure thing, Hutch. I ain’t goin’ nowhere…..But first,” Huggy announced suddenly, “A round for everyone. On the house!”

A cheer erupted from the patrons of The Pits who had gathered here on Christmas Eve, just as the clock struck midnight.

As Huggy brought rounds of beer and wine to his customers, Starsky and Hutch clinked their glasses as they sat squashed beside each other at the bar, shoulder to shoulder. “Merry Christmas, partner,” said Hutch as he kissed Starsky on the lips in full view of everyone. “Merry Christmas, blondie,” said Starsky, kissing him back.

Huggy walked over and stood beside them. “Merry Christmas, Hug,” his two friends said, as they all walked together towards the pool table, their arms around each other.

********

That was the last time it snowed in Bay City, as far as I know.

It was also the first and last time we ever saw that child. We all suspected who he was, although none of us actually said it aloud. But we all knew we were thinking the same thing.

The next day was Christmas Day, and the five of us gathered together again. But this time it was at the mission, where we went to help feed the poor souls who had gone there looking for a hot meal and a warm smile.

See, we figured, if those cops could do their small part to change the world, then so could we.