Unexpected Guests
By Virginia Dare
It was Mallory and Jimmy’s first Christmas as a married couple. They moved into their new house just three weeks ago. Even being so far from family couldn’t damper their excitement. Christmas Eve morning, they facetimed both families back in Florida and showed them all the newly falling snow. West Virginia had lots of snow but their first ever White Christmas just added to their joy.
Just after 1 in the afternoon the doorbell rang. They looked at each other questioningly since they didn’t know anyone in West Virginia. They were both scheduled to start their new jobs in January, and none of the neighbors had come by to meet them. But it was Christmas, so they were probably going to meet them now.
Mallory fluffed her hair as Jimmy went to the door. “Surprise” came several voices as the door opened. The voices faded as the four of the visitors saw that Jimmy wasn’t the person they expected to see.
“Hello,” Jimmy began tentatively. “What can we do for you?” By this time Mallory was at his side.
The man answered for the group. “Um, doesn’t Sue and Ollie live here? Wait maybe we have the wrong address.”
As he fumbled to get his phone out, Mallory whispered to Jimmy, “That’s the couple we bought the house from.”
“Ah, yes. I’m sorry but they moved out last month.”
The man’s brow furrowed. The old woman with him frowned. “I’m freezing out here. Let’s go inside.”
“No, Mama, we can’t go inside. Sue and Ollie don’t live here anymore.”
The young girl was squirming. “Daddy I need to pee. I can’t hold it anymore.”
“Hang on Darlene, we’ll find a bathroom in a few minutes.”
Mallory touched Jimmy’s hand before she offered to let the child use their bathroom Jimmy was reluctant but well she was just a kid.
“It’s okay, she can use ours.” Mallory reached for the girl’s hand and as she came inside so did her father, mother and grandmother.
“Oh, thank you,” the mother exclaimed. “I need to go too.”
The old woman said “We’ve been driving around for hours and this asshole wouldn’t stop to let us go. My back is killing me.” She walked straight to the living room and plopped on the sofa.
Jimmy stood there with the door open, not sure what to do next. Eventually he closed it as Mallory showed Darlene to the bathroom.
The mother followed, “We’re sorry to bother you, we had no idea Sue and Ollie moved. I wonder why they didn’t tell us?”
Jimmy thought “I can guess. I wouldn’t tell you either.”
“Oh, you must think we’re horribly rude. I’m Bertie, my husband is Randy and Granny is, well we all just call her Granny.”
Mallory smiled weakly, “Well we were just getting ready to go out, so once everyone has used the bathroom, we can all leave together.”
Darlene came out of the bathroom and burst into tears. She appeared to be about fifteen, or so they thought.
Bertie reached for her “What’s wrong, honey?”
“Where are we going? I like it here with Sue and Ollie.”
Randy said gruffly “They aren’t Sue and Ollie. This is… I’m sorry, who are you people?”
“I’m Jimmy and my wife’s name is Mallory.”
Darlene sobbed. “But Daddy I’m so hungry.”
Randy nodded and whispered to Mallory “We didn’t have money to stop for breakfast. We’ve been driving all night. Left home yesterday afternoon and drove straight through. Figured we’d sleep when we got here. I guess I should have called to let them know we were coming. Can I plug my phone in somewhere so I can call them? It’s deader than roadkill.”
Mallory shrugged. “I can plug it in for you.” She took the phone and plugged it in at the kitchen counter.
Granny was the next in the bathroom and by the time everyone had finished using the restroom, Darlene had convinced Mallory to give her a sandwich. Not wanting to be rude she offered sandwiches and drinks to everyone. Jimmy raised an eyebrow and Mallory shrugged. They were both lost as to how to handle this invasion. They seemed like nice people, and obviously had made a long trip for nothing but how did it become their problem? All they did was open the door.
By the time everyone had eaten, Granny was asleep on the couch. “I hate to wake her. We have such a long ride home.” Bertie sighed. “Would you mind terribly if she just rested here for a while?”
“Well, we have an appointment.” Mallory said tentatively.
“You all should just go on and go. We’ll be fine here until Granny wakes. We can lock up as we go.” Bertie smiled.
“No!” Jimmy shouted from across the room. Granny slept right on in spite of the noise. “No, we’ll cancel but you all really need to get on the road soon.”
Randy nodded. “We will just as soon as we get Sue and Ollie on the phone and find out where they are.”
"I’ll make coffee.” Mallory said softly.
Bertie asked “Have you got any tea. I hate coffee.”
Darlene whined. “I want a coke.’
Randy clapped Jimmy on the back. “I could go for a beer, how about you Jimbo?”
“Jimbo???” Jimmy thought “Well no, it’s only ten thirty in the morning.”
Nodding Randy said “Never a bad time for a beer. You got any?”
Jimmy had enough. “No, actually we don’t, and I don’t think you should be drinking when you have to drive soon. I think your phone works now. Why don’t you give your cousins a call and find out where you need to go?”
Mallory wanted to cheer for her husband. She was desperate to get rid of them. Just then Granny let out a huge snore and stretched out on the sofa.
Randy dialed the number then shook his head. “That phone is disconnected. We can’t get hold of them. I don’t know what we’re going to do.”
“Well, I guess if you leave now, you’ll be home for Christmas.” Jimmy said sharply.
Darlene wailed “I don’t want to go home. I like it here!”
“Hush up, Darlene.” Randy said crossly then whispered to Jimmy. “I don’t know what we’re going to do. We don’t have enough gas to get home and we’re out of money. I was going to hit Ollie up for a loan when we got here.”
Jimmy’s eyes went wide. He was beginning to think this was some kind of scam. But maybe they really were stranded.
There was a sharp knock at the front door. “Police Department.” A voice called out. Randy looked around for an exit, Darlene hid behind a chair. Bertie began crying and Granny slept on.
Jimmy opened the door for the second time that afternoon. A policeman stood there, “Mr. Hill, may I come in?”
“Sure,” Jimmy responded. “Why not?”
“Well, Randy, I see you people are still at it. I hope I got here in time, Mr. Hill. Did you give them any money?”
Mallory looked at her husband, not sure what was happening “No,” Randy answered. “Just some food and drinks.” But he knew the money request had been on the horizon.
“Looks like another Christmas in jail for you all.” The policeman smirked as another knock came to the door. “Your ride is here, Randy.”
Jimmy opened the door, and two more cops came in, followed by a middle-aged woman clutching her coat around her.
Mr. and Mrs. Hill, these people are con artists. They look for property that was recently sold and show up looking for family. They work their way into the home and convince the homeowners to help them out. Mrs. Landry, your neighbor happened to see them at your door this morning. They visited her a couple of years ago. They have an RV somewhere around town, I’d guess at the campground near the river. And little Ms. Darlene is not a child. She’s twenty four, isn’t that right Darlene?”
Darlene crawled out from behind the chair and shook her head. “Oh, shut up Milton. You know exactly how old I am.”
The cop laughed. Her real name is Gladys and she’s always been small. They used to live here but left town about two years ago, just before we would have arrested them. I’m a bit surprised to see them back but you never know about people. Well Gladys, why don’t you wake up Granny. We’ll drop her off at the nursing home on our way to the jail.”
Darlene shook the old woman. “Time to go home, Granny.”
The cop shook his head. “Granny lives at Shady Acres. Poor woman has no idea what’s going on. She barely knows who they are, they never visit. But the folks at the nursing home thought she was going home for the holidays when they picked her up. They would have tried to convince you to let them stay the night, then they’d steal whatever they could and be gone before morning. Probably stopping just long enough to get rid of Granny.”
The cops marched them out of the house to the wagon just as the tow truck arrived to pick up their car.
Mrs. Landry cleared her throat. “I’m Wanda Landry, I live three doors down. I’ve been on a business trip until last night. I had planned to come by to meet you today but not like this. I couldn’t believe it when I saw them at your door. I called the police right away.”
Jimmy put his arm around his wife. “Well thank you so much for coming by. We haven’t met any of the neighbors yet.”
“That was why I was coming by; I’m having an open house and all the neighbors will come by for a drink. I was hoping you’d join us about seven?”
Mallory smiled. “thank you, we’d love to.”
“Great, well, I’ll see you this evening. It was nice meeting you.”
Jimmy grinned. “Thanks again Wanda.”
As the door closed, the newlyweds fell into each other’s arms and laughed.
“Well Merry Christmas.” Mallory exclaimed. “And God bless us everyone.”
Just after 1 in the afternoon the doorbell rang. They looked at each other questioningly since they didn’t know anyone in West Virginia. They were both scheduled to start their new jobs in January, and none of the neighbors had come by to meet them. But it was Christmas, so they were probably going to meet them now.
Mallory fluffed her hair as Jimmy went to the door. “Surprise” came several voices as the door opened. The voices faded as the four of the visitors saw that Jimmy wasn’t the person they expected to see.
“Hello,” Jimmy began tentatively. “What can we do for you?” By this time Mallory was at his side.
The man answered for the group. “Um, doesn’t Sue and Ollie live here? Wait maybe we have the wrong address.”
As he fumbled to get his phone out, Mallory whispered to Jimmy, “That’s the couple we bought the house from.”
“Ah, yes. I’m sorry but they moved out last month.”
The man’s brow furrowed. The old woman with him frowned. “I’m freezing out here. Let’s go inside.”
“No, Mama, we can’t go inside. Sue and Ollie don’t live here anymore.”
The young girl was squirming. “Daddy I need to pee. I can’t hold it anymore.”
“Hang on Darlene, we’ll find a bathroom in a few minutes.”
Mallory touched Jimmy’s hand before she offered to let the child use their bathroom Jimmy was reluctant but well she was just a kid.
“It’s okay, she can use ours.” Mallory reached for the girl’s hand and as she came inside so did her father, mother and grandmother.
“Oh, thank you,” the mother exclaimed. “I need to go too.”
The old woman said “We’ve been driving around for hours and this asshole wouldn’t stop to let us go. My back is killing me.” She walked straight to the living room and plopped on the sofa.
Jimmy stood there with the door open, not sure what to do next. Eventually he closed it as Mallory showed Darlene to the bathroom.
The mother followed, “We’re sorry to bother you, we had no idea Sue and Ollie moved. I wonder why they didn’t tell us?”
Jimmy thought “I can guess. I wouldn’t tell you either.”
“Oh, you must think we’re horribly rude. I’m Bertie, my husband is Randy and Granny is, well we all just call her Granny.”
Mallory smiled weakly, “Well we were just getting ready to go out, so once everyone has used the bathroom, we can all leave together.”
Darlene came out of the bathroom and burst into tears. She appeared to be about fifteen, or so they thought.
Bertie reached for her “What’s wrong, honey?”
“Where are we going? I like it here with Sue and Ollie.”
Randy said gruffly “They aren’t Sue and Ollie. This is… I’m sorry, who are you people?”
“I’m Jimmy and my wife’s name is Mallory.”
Darlene sobbed. “But Daddy I’m so hungry.”
Randy nodded and whispered to Mallory “We didn’t have money to stop for breakfast. We’ve been driving all night. Left home yesterday afternoon and drove straight through. Figured we’d sleep when we got here. I guess I should have called to let them know we were coming. Can I plug my phone in somewhere so I can call them? It’s deader than roadkill.”
Mallory shrugged. “I can plug it in for you.” She took the phone and plugged it in at the kitchen counter.
Granny was the next in the bathroom and by the time everyone had finished using the restroom, Darlene had convinced Mallory to give her a sandwich. Not wanting to be rude she offered sandwiches and drinks to everyone. Jimmy raised an eyebrow and Mallory shrugged. They were both lost as to how to handle this invasion. They seemed like nice people, and obviously had made a long trip for nothing but how did it become their problem? All they did was open the door.
By the time everyone had eaten, Granny was asleep on the couch. “I hate to wake her. We have such a long ride home.” Bertie sighed. “Would you mind terribly if she just rested here for a while?”
“Well, we have an appointment.” Mallory said tentatively.
“You all should just go on and go. We’ll be fine here until Granny wakes. We can lock up as we go.” Bertie smiled.
“No!” Jimmy shouted from across the room. Granny slept right on in spite of the noise. “No, we’ll cancel but you all really need to get on the road soon.”
Randy nodded. “We will just as soon as we get Sue and Ollie on the phone and find out where they are.”
"I’ll make coffee.” Mallory said softly.
Bertie asked “Have you got any tea. I hate coffee.”
Darlene whined. “I want a coke.’
Randy clapped Jimmy on the back. “I could go for a beer, how about you Jimbo?”
“Jimbo???” Jimmy thought “Well no, it’s only ten thirty in the morning.”
Nodding Randy said “Never a bad time for a beer. You got any?”
Jimmy had enough. “No, actually we don’t, and I don’t think you should be drinking when you have to drive soon. I think your phone works now. Why don’t you give your cousins a call and find out where you need to go?”
Mallory wanted to cheer for her husband. She was desperate to get rid of them. Just then Granny let out a huge snore and stretched out on the sofa.
Randy dialed the number then shook his head. “That phone is disconnected. We can’t get hold of them. I don’t know what we’re going to do.”
“Well, I guess if you leave now, you’ll be home for Christmas.” Jimmy said sharply.
Darlene wailed “I don’t want to go home. I like it here!”
“Hush up, Darlene.” Randy said crossly then whispered to Jimmy. “I don’t know what we’re going to do. We don’t have enough gas to get home and we’re out of money. I was going to hit Ollie up for a loan when we got here.”
Jimmy’s eyes went wide. He was beginning to think this was some kind of scam. But maybe they really were stranded.
There was a sharp knock at the front door. “Police Department.” A voice called out. Randy looked around for an exit, Darlene hid behind a chair. Bertie began crying and Granny slept on.
Jimmy opened the door for the second time that afternoon. A policeman stood there, “Mr. Hill, may I come in?”
“Sure,” Jimmy responded. “Why not?”
“Well, Randy, I see you people are still at it. I hope I got here in time, Mr. Hill. Did you give them any money?”
Mallory looked at her husband, not sure what was happening “No,” Randy answered. “Just some food and drinks.” But he knew the money request had been on the horizon.
“Looks like another Christmas in jail for you all.” The policeman smirked as another knock came to the door. “Your ride is here, Randy.”
Jimmy opened the door, and two more cops came in, followed by a middle-aged woman clutching her coat around her.
Mr. and Mrs. Hill, these people are con artists. They look for property that was recently sold and show up looking for family. They work their way into the home and convince the homeowners to help them out. Mrs. Landry, your neighbor happened to see them at your door this morning. They visited her a couple of years ago. They have an RV somewhere around town, I’d guess at the campground near the river. And little Ms. Darlene is not a child. She’s twenty four, isn’t that right Darlene?”
Darlene crawled out from behind the chair and shook her head. “Oh, shut up Milton. You know exactly how old I am.”
The cop laughed. Her real name is Gladys and she’s always been small. They used to live here but left town about two years ago, just before we would have arrested them. I’m a bit surprised to see them back but you never know about people. Well Gladys, why don’t you wake up Granny. We’ll drop her off at the nursing home on our way to the jail.”
Darlene shook the old woman. “Time to go home, Granny.”
The cop shook his head. “Granny lives at Shady Acres. Poor woman has no idea what’s going on. She barely knows who they are, they never visit. But the folks at the nursing home thought she was going home for the holidays when they picked her up. They would have tried to convince you to let them stay the night, then they’d steal whatever they could and be gone before morning. Probably stopping just long enough to get rid of Granny.”
The cops marched them out of the house to the wagon just as the tow truck arrived to pick up their car.
Mrs. Landry cleared her throat. “I’m Wanda Landry, I live three doors down. I’ve been on a business trip until last night. I had planned to come by to meet you today but not like this. I couldn’t believe it when I saw them at your door. I called the police right away.”
Jimmy put his arm around his wife. “Well thank you so much for coming by. We haven’t met any of the neighbors yet.”
“That was why I was coming by; I’m having an open house and all the neighbors will come by for a drink. I was hoping you’d join us about seven?”
Mallory smiled. “thank you, we’d love to.”
“Great, well, I’ll see you this evening. It was nice meeting you.”
Jimmy grinned. “Thanks again Wanda.”
As the door closed, the newlyweds fell into each other’s arms and laughed.
“Well Merry Christmas.” Mallory exclaimed. “And God bless us everyone.”