“When should we try to call Beth?” I asked.

“Later today. Right now it’s not even Christmas for her. It’s still Christmas Eve,” my father said.

“Maybe we should start to try now,” my mother said. “Given the trouble with the phones, it might even be worthwhile to try to call her twice, once now and once when Christmas has arrived for her.”

“That sounds like a plan,” my father said. “I’ll go and talk to the front desk and see if they can put a call through.”

“I’ll do it,” I said as I quickly got to my feet.

“Don’t you want to stay for the Christmas carols?” my mother asked. “They’re just getting ready to start singing.”

Yet another reason to leave. “I think I’ll pass on that.”

“You might ask them to try her cell number,” my father said. “It’s about ten in the evening so I’m sure she’s out.”

“Makes sense.”

As I started away, Santa and the elves began to sing “Jingle Bells.” The words were right but the rhythm was really off. Everybody sitting around the pool joined in and the rhythm seemed to correct itself.

“Merry Christmas!” the desk clerk sang out as I stopped at the counter.

“Merry Christmas.”

Behind him was a life-size Santa Claus cutout. Santa looked very happy. Actually, take away the beard and he had an almost Buddha-like expression. Santa as Buddha…an interesting thought. One I wasn’t going to be sharing with any Buddhists.

“I was hoping you could try to put through a telephone call.”

“I can certainly try. But I have to apologize, I am not having much success today. Please, what is the number?”

I wrote down Beth’s cellphone number and handed it to him.

“How long do you think it might take?” I asked.

“It could be a long time. I am still trying to connect a call to Chicago. It’s been three hours.”

“We’ll be down by the pool if you get through.”

“Thanks…and merry Christmas!”

“Yeah, merry Christmas.”

—

I rolled over, awoken by the loud, sharp sound of a ringing telephone. I looked at the digital clock on the table. It was four in the morning. Who would be calling us now? I grabbed the receiver.

“Hello,” I mumbled.

“We have a call for you from New York,” the desk clerk said.

“A call…New York…” It had to be Beth, but why was she calling in the middle of the night? She had to know the time…something had to be wrong.

“Put it through.”

The line buzzed and then clicked.

“Hello, Beth?”

“Sam, what’s wrong?” Beth asked. “Has something happened to Mom?”

“Mom? She’s sleeping…she’s in bed. What’s wrong in New York? Are you okay?”

“Of course I’m okay. Everything is fine here.”

Then why had she called? Maybe she did have the time change confused and didn’t realize how late it was…or early. “Beth, it’s four in the morning here.”

“I know the time. That’s why I was so worried when I got the call.”