Christmas Confidential - 6. Anthony and Silas

Anthony and Silas

By Valkyrie

“May I help you?” The school’s secretary raised an eyebrow as she studied the security screen. The man standing outside the building’s front doors wore a fuzzy red Santa hat and black, buttoned-up peacoat. He smiled at the camera and held up a Christmas gift bag.

“My name is Gabe, and I’m from the local news station. I’m here on behalf of an anonymous benefactor to give a surprise gift to one of your teachers.”

“Oh yes,” she responded, clicking the intercom button. “You’re here for Anthony Gonzales. Just a moment please.” Getting visitors was a regular occurrence—parents picking up children early for appointments and such—but this was something different and exciting. She looked at the handsome man—she’d always had a thing for Asian men—for a few more seconds before pushing her chair away from the desk and standing. She smoothed her dress before heading to the principal’s office to her right. “Mr. Knowlton?” She knocked lightly on the door.

“Yes, Cheryl?” The principal turned away from his computer to look at the middle-aged woman.

“That Gabe Murray from the local news is here for Mr. Gonzales’ surprise.”

“Oh? Splendid! Where is he?”

“At the front door. I haven’t let him in yet.”

“Well let’s go welcome him.” Mr. Knowlton stood and walked over to the secretary’s desk. He briefly checked out the monitor before exiting the office.

They walked the short distance down the hall to the front door. Mr. Knowlton sized up the man standing on the other side of the glass. He was average height, slim, with Asian features and black hair. His black peacoat was buttoned against the cold, and he wore a fuzzy, red Santa hat. He held a small, colorful gift bag in his hand.

Mr. Knowlton opened the door and gestured for Gabe to come in.

“Thank you, Mr. Knowlton. My name is Gabe Murray, and I’m here to see Mr. Gonzales and give him a gift from an anonymous benefactor. I understand one of his children also attends this school. Silas?”

“Yes, and please call me Graham. We’ve been expecting you. What a wonderful thing for a very deserving man.”

“Indeed, Graham. Mr. Gonzales and his family epitomize what we look for in our recipients. Would it be possible for Silas to join us when I give this gift? It’s for both of them.”

“Uh, sure. I don’t see why not. How about we have Silas brought to Anthony’s classroom? I bet the students would love to meet you.”

Gabe smiled. “And I would love to meet them.”

“This is perfect timing, since it’s just about the start of circle time. Cheryl, why don’t you bring Silas to Mr. Gonzales’ room? I’ll escort Mr. Murray to the classroom.”

“Of course,” she replied, smiling shyly at Gabe. She walked briskly down the hall and turned right.

Graham and Gabe turned left and stopped at a door around halfway down the hall. The principal knocked lightly, then entered the room, gesturing for Gabe to follow.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, Mr. Gonzales, but you have a visitor.”

Gabe waved to the circle of students sitting on the floor, surrounding a tall man with black hair, brown eyes hidden behind black, wire-rimmed glasses, and wearing gray slacks with a white, button-down shirt and green suspenders. A red, polka-dotted bow tie completed the ensemble.

Several children cried out, “Santa!” and a few of them bounced up and down while waving their hands rapidly. One little boy ran up to Gabe and hugged him tightly. He looked up at Gabe, grinning. He made several movements with his hands, communicating using sign language.

Gabe laughed. “Why yes, we do have the same eyes,” he replied both verbally and in sign language. The boy giggled, his wide eyes narrowing as his body shook with laughter. His facial features clearly showed he had Down syndrome.

“Travis, back to your spot, please. I know this is exciting, but remember to ask permission before leaving the circle.” Mr. Gonzales turned toward Gabe. “This is unexpected, but welcome. We love visitors, don’t we, class?”

They responded with a loud chorus of ‘’Yeah!”

“My name is Gabe Murray, and I’m here on behalf of an anonymous benefactor to give a gift to Mr. Gonzales. Do you all want to see him open it?”

More affirmative shouts, accompanied by yelling and hand flapping followed.

“A gift? For me?” Mr. Gonzales frowned.

“Yes. We’ve heard about the good work you’re doing and wanted to bring you something to brighten your day. Tell me about your class.”

“Well, I’ve been teaching elementary special education for about ten years now and love it. Working with the kids is very rewarding.”

“Daddy!”

Everyone turned to look at the speaker, who had just entered the room with Cheryl. The class greeted the newcomer.

“Hi, Silas!”

“It’s Silas!”

“Look!”

The teacher smiled when he saw his son. “What’s going on? Why is Silas here?”

Cheryl pushed the boy’s wheelchair and stopped next to his father. Silas grinned and waved his arms around. His father reached out and held his son’s hand.

“Tell me about your family,” Gabe said.

“Well, there’s me, my partner Jordan, Silas, Mikey, and Olivia. Jordan and I fostered the kids first, but when we learned they were up for adoption, we couldn’t let them go back into the system.”

“I understand things have been a bit difficult lately. Do you want to tell me about it?”

Mr. Gonzales clenched his jaw briefly. “Well, with three special needs kids, the bills pile up pretty quickly. Silas has CP and a curvature in his spine, so he needs a new wheelchair, but insurance won’t cover it. We also need to renovate our bathroom because there’s not a lot of room to maneuver in there, especially as the kids get bigger. Olivia’s had some serious medical issues lately and needed surgery. So Jordan had to quit their job to take care of her full time.”

“Open your pwesent, Mr. G!” one of the students shouted.

Gabe held out the gift bag. “Maybe Silas can help open this one.”

“Sure!” Mr. Gonzales took the bag and held it close to one of Silas’ hands. He helped the boy remove the tissue paper and a rectangular piece of paper. “Let’s see what it says, bud.”

His eyes widened as he read what was written on it. “What? How is this possible?” He wiped his eyes.

“Silas’ wheelchair has been paid for. Just contact the company, and they’ll come out and take care of everything.”

Mr. G reached down and hugged his son. “Look, Si! You’re getting your chair!”

Silas vocalized loudly, grinning and waving his hands.

“There’s more.” Gabe held out a small box wrapped in bright red foil paper.

“More? My gracious, this is incredible!” The teacher’s hands shook as he took the box and removed the lid. He held up a bunch of gift cards. “I got some gift cards to Target!”

“There’s a thousand dollars on those. I understand you spend your own money on supplies for the class. This will help with that, and will also pay for Christmas presents for your children.”

“Thank you! I don’t know what to say!”

“There’s one more thing in that box.”

“Oh?” He reached into the box and withdrew another piece of paper. “Oh my… I….” He broke down into sobs, gripping his son’s shoulder.

“That’s a credit with a local contractor to renovate your bathroom. Whatever modifications you need… it’s all covered.”

“Thank you… from the bottom of my heart… thank you! I can’t wait to tell Jordan, Mikey, and Olivia!”

The kids all cheered and yelled, gathering around Mr. Gonzales and Silas. When they turned to look for Gabe, he was gone.

Gabe strikes again!  We hope you're enjoying these as much as we enjoyed writing them.