Over the next few days, Georgie busied himself with his snow globe business.
After selling out his first batch, he reinvested his earnings and bought another two hundred units. However, there were only so many houses within walking distance. Unless Georgie expanded his sales territory, selling out this second batch in the neighborhood would be pushing his luck.
Because of this, he approached Mike again, suggesting they hit the main streets together to peddle the snow globes.
It had been three days since their appearance on the Christmas Jubilee TV special.
Thanks to Mike's good looks, the camera operators had focused on him—the songwriter and accompanist—more than on the girls from the dance group.
Consequently, Mike's flawless appearance was beamed into thousands of households across Texas via the broadcast. This sparked a sudden surge in popularity for him right here in Medford.
Unlike his previous fame on the football field, which was limited to sports fans, appearing as a musical artist on a widely-watched variety show made him much more recognizable to the general public.
The result? Now, when he walked down the street, enthusiastic girls would actually come up and ask for his autograph.
This was exactly why Georgie wanted Mike to come sell snow globes with him. According to Georgie, with Mike's current level of fame, he could price the snow globes at ten dollars a pop, and girls would still be fighting to buy them.
However, Georgie's wishful thinking was quickly shot down.
Compared to shivering on a street corner hawking snow globes, Mike much preferred to spend the special holiday season hanging out and having fun with Katie and the other girls.
---
Time flew by, and soon it was the seventh day of the Christmas break.
After spending the day out with Lena, Mike returned home to find a surprise in the living room: Paige and her sister.
"Merry Christmas!"
After offering her holiday greetings, Paige smiled and said, "Mike, I watched your performance on Christmas Jubilee. The song was actually really good."
Coming from Paige, that was high praise. She had seen the sheet music before and thought it was decent, but she hadn't expected the live performance to be quite that effective.
It was no exaggeration to say that after the broadcast, Mike's new Christmas track had become a phenomenon across Texas. If a record label were willing to pick it up, they could easily turn Mike and the dance group into genuine stars.
"Thanks."
Mike, however, had little interest in becoming an entertainment celebrity. He chuckled and asked, "What are you guys doing here? Where are Mr. and Mrs. Barry?"
Christmas is usually strictly for family reunions. Unless something unexpected happens, families usually stick together, whether traveling or staying home. Yet, Paige's parents were nowhere to be seen.
"My parents wanted a romantic Christmas getaway for just the two of them, so they dropped my sister and me off here..." Paige explained with a smile.
She didn't seem upset about being "abandoned" by her parents for the holiday. On the contrary, she seemed happy that her parents' relationship was so loving.
"Oh, right. Mike, my parents know about the anniversary event you planned for them," Paige said, pulling a beautifully wrapped gift box from her bag and handing it to him. "This is a thank-you gift from them."
Inside the box was a Parker pen—the classic kind General MacArthur was famous for using.
When elders give a pen to a younger person during Christmas, it usually symbolizes a wish for academic success. Of course, coming from the Barrys, it was likely also a sign that they approved of Mike's character.
"Please thank your parents for me. I really like it," Mike said with a smile after testing the pen's weight in his hand.
While the monetary value of the pen didn't match the effort Mike had put in, the underlying message was clear: the Barrys now considered Mike one of their own. It felt good to have his kindness reciprocated.
"Mike, Paige, stop chatting! Dinner's ready!" Meemaw Connie called out from the dining room.
Connie was delighted to have the Swanson sisters over for the holiday. For one, the more people in the house, the livelier the celebration. For another, the fact that the Barrys left their daughters here showed just how much they trusted her.
Soon, the sisters joined everyone at the table for a hearty Christmas feast.
Amidst the cheerful atmosphere, Mary suggested that everyone go to church together the next morning. Tomorrow was Saturday, but it was also a special service following Christmas.
Seeing the expectant look on Mary's face, everyone agreed.
Since Mike had spent the last few days running around with Katie and the other girls, he decided to take a break tomorrow and join the family for the service.
---
The Next Morning.
At the church, Pastor Jeff led the congregation in prayer and blessings.
When the service concluded and Mike's group was preparing to leave, Mary spotted Veronica sitting in a corner, looking heavy-hearted.
The girl, who was quite close to the Cooper family, was sitting all alone, looking isolated and helpless.
"Wait, she looks like she needs help." Mary observed her for a moment before walking over.
"Veronica, what's wrong? You don't look so good," Mary asked with concern.
Lost in thought, the girl looked up to see the Coopers, Mike, and Meemaw Connie surrounding her.
"I..." Being the center of attention startled her. Then, as if recalling something difficult to talk about, her expression became complicated.
There were still many congregants lingering in the church; clearly, this wasn't the place to discuss private matters.
Sharp as ever, Meemaw Connie picked up on the vibe. "Veronica, honey, why don't you come back to my place for a cup of hot chocolate?"
The girl, burdened by secrets and desperate for someone to talk to, found the offer impossible to refuse.
A short while later, back at Meemaw Connie's warm house, Veronica sat holding a mug of hot cocoa and finally poured her heart out.
It turned out that over the Christmas holiday, her single mother had found a new boyfriend.
The man wasn't just rude and aggressive; he was creepy. He had even sexually harassed Veronica behind her mother's back.
The worst part was that this man must have charmed Veronica's mother completely, because the woman was infatuated. When Veronica tried to hint that the man was bad news, her mother had actually scolded her for it.
Veronica didn't know what to do. Not wanting to stay in that house a moment longer, she had used church as an excuse to run away for the day.
"That's too far! I'm going to your house right now to teach that guy a lesson!" Georgie exploded with rage after hearing her story.
Although Veronica had rejected him in the past, Georgie still couldn't quite let go of his first love. The idea that the girl of his dreams was being bullied by some scumbag was more than he could stand.
"Calm down, Georgie," Mary said, stopping her son immediately.
While she sympathized deeply with Veronica, Mary had enough life experience to know that this was a messy domestic dispute. It was very difficult for outsiders to intervene effectively—unless Veronica's mother woke up to reality on her own.