Dear Santa Claus,
Before I tell you what I want this year for Christmas, I want to thank you for bringing me that super model of a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bomber plane last year. It took me a long time to put it together and now itâs hanging over my bed.
This year Iâve got something harder in mind, but itâs something I want really, really bad. Iâd like it if you could please do whatever you can to get my mom and dad back together again. I know, itâs going to be a tough job, but they belong with each other. We need to be a family again and I know you can pull it off if anyone can.
Iâm just a kid, but I know Mom and Dad still love each other. Grown-ups can be pretty dumb, huh? I would really be happy if you could do this for me as soon as possible.
Yours truly,
Danny Morgan
âSherri, you canât be serious about this,â Margaret, Sherri Morganâs best friend, said in dismay.
âIâm very serious about it.â Sherri poured Margaret another glass of iced tea, then rejoined her at the kitchen table. âYou know what this means to Danny.â
âYes, but a cross-country trip in a motor homeâ¦in the winterâ¦with Lukeâ¦itâs madness, sheer madness.â Margaret frowned and twirled a strand of her shoulder-length blond hair. âMark my words, itâs madness.â
Sherri smiled ruefully. âIt probably is, but Luke and I have agreed that if this is what Danny wants, then weâll give it to him. Besides, with three weeks of Christmas vacation from school, itâs the best time to go.â
âBut I thought you and Luke barely speak to each other, that there was all kinds of bad blood between you.â
âWe speak,â Sherri replied. âWe donât see each other often but when we do weâre always civil and polite. As far as bad bloodâ¦itâs been five years since our divorce. I donât hold any grudges. I have my life and he has his.â
âI still say the whole idea is crazy. What are you going to do if you get snowed in someplace?â
âDig out,â Sherri returned with a grin.
Margaret frowned. âWhat did the doctor say? Is Danny really well enough to make the trip?â
Sherriâs smile trembled slightly. âDr. Winthrope says if weâre going to do it, now is the time. Dannyâs stabilized for the moment, but who knows how long it will last?â A sharp stab of pain pierced her heart as she thought of her nine-year-old son.
Sweet Danny with the sunshine smile and overwhelming enthusiasm for life. Cheerful Dannyâ¦her life. His diagnosis of leukemia a year before had thrown her world topsy-turvy. âAnyway,â she continued, shoving these sad thoughts aside, âitâs all set. With both Danny and me on Christmas vacation and the weather so unusually mild, thereâs no reason not to go. We leave first thing in the morning.â
âWell, I think the whole thing is crazy,â Margaret repeated once again. âCan you put up with Luke for three weeks in the cramped confines of a motor home?â Margaret eyed her skeptically.
Sherri slowly nodded. âSure. I can put up with anything for any amount of time for Danny,â she replied with grim determination. âEven Luke.â
âHey, Mom, itâs here!â Dannyâs excited voice drifted in through the kitchen window. âCome out and see. Itâs here. Itâs here!â
âGoodness, whatâs he talking about?â Margaret looked at Sherri curiously. âYouâd think the Goodyear blimp just parked on your front yard.â
Sherri laughed. âNot the Goodyear blimpâ¦the motor home. The people from the Dream Producers said it would be delivered some time this morning. Come on, weâd better get out there or Danny will have a fit.â
Together the two women grabbed their coats, left the kitchen and walked out into the early-morning Connecticut sunshine. Sherri stepped off the porch, then stopped and caught her breath as she eyed the shining vehicle parked along the curb in front of the house.
It was bright blue, with the Dream Producerâs logo on the side. It was huge. It was a monstrosity. It looked more like a house than a vehicle. And thatâs exactly what it would be for the next three weeks, their home on wheels.
âHi, Sherri.â The driver, one of the volunteers from the Dream Producers Charity, got out of the motor home and gave her a jaunty salute.