The Christmas Joy Ride Read Online Free Page B

your chance, my dear. Count on it.” Joy reached for her boom box, something her grandson had left behind after a visit one summer because it was “outdated.” She slipped a Dean Martin Christmas cassette into it, then openedthe RV door and carefully made her way down the steps. “Why don’t you unload the bins that I wrote ‘MM’ on—for Mansfield Manor?” she called to Miranda. “I’ll go ahead inside.”
    â€œYou got it.”
    Joy found a very blasé-looking receptionist and explained why she was there. A couple of minutes later she was greeted by a large African-American woman and the biggest smile Joy could ever remember seeing. “LaShanda!” Joy exclaimed as they exchanged a big hug. “I’m so happy to meet you.”
    â€œBless your heart for coming to us,” LaShanda said as she led Joy to the “activity room,” which looked rather inactive just now. “Not a moment too soon either.” LaShanda explained how one of her favorite residents was feeling extra blue today. “It would’ve been Madge’s seventieth anniversary this week, and they always celebrated with a Christmas party, with family and friends,” she said. “But her husband passed away a couple years ago.” She lowered her voice. “No one expected Madge to still be around this long, but she’s turned out to be a real trouper.”
    â€œPerhaps I can pay her a visit after I get my helper started on the decorating.” Joy looked around the stark activity room. “Mind if we work to music?”
    â€œNot a bit.”
    Joy set the boom box on a counter. “Did you get the tree like we planned? A big one?” Joy had sent checks and instructions ahead of time to some of the winners so they could have trees ready to decorate.
    â€œI did. Thank you so much for sending the check for it. I gotta say, it was not cheap. It’s out back. I’ll ask the maintenance guy to bring it in.”
    Joy pointed to a large blank wall. “I think we’ll put the faux fireplace right there with the tree over to the left of it.”
    â€œSounds great.” LaShanda beamed at her. “Just tell me what to do. My boss said I can help you for an hour or so. Fortunately this is the quiet time of day.”
    Joy spotted Miranda walking down the hallway with a couple of bins, waved her into the large room, and introduced her to LaShanda.
    â€œI’ll go get another load,” Miranda said as she set the bins on a coffee table. “Looks like there are seven bins with ‘MM’ on them.”
    â€œThat’s right. And then one of those cookie baskets inside the RV—the biggest one.” Joy turned back to LaShanda. “Now let’s see what’s in these bins.”
    As Joy opened the first bin, she told LaShanda that the items she’d chosen for Mansfield Manor were the oldest Christmas decorations she had. “I thought that your residents might relate better to decorations from the 1940s and ’50s. It might bring back some memories.” She extracted a set of colorful bubble lights. “These aren’t really old,” she explained as she stretched them out on the table, “they just look like it.”
    â€œIt feels just like Christmas,” LaShanda exclaimed as they removed more and more items from the bins.
    Joy laughed. “That’s the point.”
    With Joy directing, an old set of nearly life-sized Santa and reindeer went up on the wall behind the TV. LaShanda and several curious residents went to work on the tree that the maintenance man positioned next to the cardboard faux fireplace that Miranda was taping into place. Meanwhile, Joy, with the help of a resident named Thomas, arranged an old plaster of Paris nativity scene on top of a low bookshelf. As they carefully unwrapped the pieces from tissue paper, she told him how this nativity set was one of many that she’d