Jack was a sad man today. The weather was cold and crisp but he was still perspiring.

The economic crisis had hit his company as well. It was a small IT company and because the customers who owed money didn't have the cash to pay, the company was going bankrupt. They had known, it was coming, but still, they were hoping that a miracle would save it. But it collapsed with a thud.

He had been so happy with his secure job and a small family, comprising of a devoted wife and two lovely children. He lived in a suburb but worked in a city. He had a Vauxhall Astra, which he had bought from the used car market. They had everything that counted as luxury, thanks to the credit cards. They were in their early thirties, life was smooth and the future looked rosy. 

But now, the economic crisis had hit him hard. Daily sustenance was going to be a hard task with some debts yet to be cleared. And Christmas was just a month away!

He had thought of gifting his six year old son David, with a new bicycle and some new dolls for his four year old daughter, Susie. Rose, his wife had always been sweet and loving. She always sacrificed her desires, to help him bring up the family nicely. Jack had thought of surprising her with new cook wares for the Christmas and an evening gown for the New Year party, to show his love for her, as his wife and a wonderful mother to his children!

All his dreams had crashed with the market.

He remembered the instant shock and numbness he had felt, on knowing the company had closed, this morning. His co-workers were shocked too and they all had gathered outside the office, to protest. But he knew it was futile. Instead of standing there, he had felt an overwhelming desire to be with his family, to take them in his warm, protective hold, to shield them from the coming disaster.

He had rushed back home.

His house was small, consisting of: a two bedroom set with a small well kept lawn in the front and a backyard. They both loved open spaces so they had opted to live here instead of, in the city, having small apartments. He was still paying the installments for it.

He drove in and entered through the back door.

Rose was stunned to see him back so early. She was still feeding David and Susie, in the well lit kitchen. Her heart missed a beat as she tried to read his blank face. The kids jumped in joy, to see their dad back home. Susie left her breakfast and ran up to him and clasped his legs in a tight embrace. He patted her tousled hair as David, pulled his other arm, to invite him to play ball with him. Jack tried to smile but his lips were frozen with the grief of losing the job and the security of his family.

Rose knew about the global economic crisis but hadn’t realised that it would hit them too. She now prayed hard that his job wasn’t lost. She cleaned the small table and took the kids out into the lawn and gave them toys to play. She returned soon to find Jack sitting on a chair by the window, staring vacantly at the kitchen wall. She tiptoed, behind him and rested her head on his shoulder. She wrapped him in her warm hug and kissed his neck. Jack sat still like a stone, not reacting as he often would, by taking her in his arms and kissing her.

She pulled a chair and sat near him. Her heart pounded loudly as she took his hands in her small hands. His hands were cold and limp. The lifelessness in her warm and boisterous husband sent a shudder through her. She panicked and cupped his face and looked deep into his bluish-gray eyes. There was a deep helplessness in them.

Her heart sank deep into the pit of her stomach, and knees wobbled as she tried to balance herself on the chair.

“Is everything fine, honey?” she asked softly.

Jack kept looking at her, feeling at loss of words. He couldn’t muster the courage to tell her that their world had crashed too; that he had lost his job and finding a new job wasn’t easy as the market was in recession.

How he wished, he could vanish or could turn the clock back to the happier times! How he wished that, what was happening was a nightmare and he would get aroused from his sleep soon, to find his world intact and happy as ever!

Rose was still waiting for his reply. But is throat was parched and his tongue stuck to his palate. How he wanted to be in the warm hug of his wife! He wanted to cry and lighten his brow but big boys don’t cry!

How he wished he were a small boy again, who could rush to his momma and bury his head in her lap and cry his heart out, as she would caress and kiss his forehead! 

How he wanted the warmth of the bear hug of his strong dad, who would pat his back and say, “All will be well, my boy!”

He missed his parents, who were old now and lived in a village. They would be broken hearted to see their little Jackie, so weak and shattered. His family looked up to him for moral and financial support. He had to be strong to survive this tornado.

He remembered the saying, ‘Tough men last, tough times don’t!’

A sigh escaped his lips. His eyes softened and got filled with tears. He let the tears roll down his pale cheeks.

Rose was shocked to see her strong Jack, melt. She had never seen him cry. He would always boost others with a wave of his hand and say, ‘There will be another day!’

She touched his warm tears and caressed his cheeks. He could stand it no more and collapsed into her arms. He cried incessantly as Rose trembled and held him tight. It was difficult to say, who was more broken, but they held each other in empathy.

Jack was exhausted now. She supported him as he got up to wash his face. He had never felt so weak and vulnerable. But Rose was numb with shock not knowing what had befallen them.

Jack returned a bit composed and led her into their simply decorated living room. He held Rose tenderly in his arms and softly broke the news.

“I have lost my job. The company went bankrupt and there is little chance of finding a new job!”

Rose looked at him in disbelief. The shouts and laughter of the kids sounded so alien and jarring to her. She looked around in a detached manner. Her head was swirling now. How were they going to survive this disaster?

Her tears flowed as she slumped on the sofa. Jack took her hands and caressed them. He wiped her tears with his handkerchief and held her tenderly.

They were quiet for a long time. It was past noon and David and Susie were tired and hungry but Rose didn’t have the energy to prepare lunch for them. She sat limply, staring at the shouting kids.

Jack got up and gave them some bread-jam and milk. They gobbled it up without protest. He took them to their room to make them rest.

He prepared coffee and sandwiches for themselves. Rose kept observing as Jack went about the chores. How she loved this man for being so considerate towards them.

There had to be a way out, she couldn’t bear to see her family go bankrupt, emotionally and financially. But she had no clue as to how! She knew they still owed some debts for the house and for the things they had acquired over the years. 

How simple was their life, when they had just got married!

She was working in the bakery and Jack was a carpenter. He was a regular customer and they had taken an instant liking for each other. Rose, the tall, brown eyed, brunette had taken the breath away of Jack, a tall and handsome young man. She was mesmerized by his bluish-gray eyes and his laughter was infectious. She could feel the bakery lit up with his mere presence and always looked forward to his visits, which were not always related to buying the products. He would just drop in to chat with the proprietor Tom, who knew the real reason of his visits. They started dating soon and were engaged and married within a year. But Tom wasn’t very happy with the alliance. Rose was skilled in her work and was the reason of his success and she was leaving the job!

Jack was good in his wood carving skills and made furniture but it was a tough job. He soon found work as a mechanic in the IT Company run by his friend. The job was easy and meant more time and money for his family. He worked hard and learnt new skills and was promoted as a supervisor. Rose was happy being a new mum to David, who was born soon after the marriage. They were a happy couple and bought a new house in an upcoming area. Rose loved gardening and doing chores around the house. Soon Susie was born, fulfilling the dream of Jack, of having a lovely daughter-a brown eyed brunette like her mum.

Rose was a wise woman, much like her grandmother, who had seen the recession of the forties. Rose often heard her stories of how she had managed to bring up her large family when the men folk had lost their jobs. And she was facing a nearly similar situation now!

Rose lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling. Her eyes were still wet. She had planned to surprise Jack with an iPod on Christmas, from the money she had saved all the year, from her kitchen allowances. She would need this money now for the kitchen expenses, she sighed. Jack had always been a great husband and a father but often would cut on his personal expenses to pay the bills. He loved listening to music from the pocket transistor, as he worked in the kitchen garden or around the house with the kids. So she had thought of gifting him an iPod for his personal use. 

She sighed and looked around. Jack was sitting on a chair by the window, watching the sun descend slowly in the crimson horizon. The birds were chirping on the Cherry tree, in the backyard. The kids were still asleep. Rose got up and made some coffee and kept it on a side table near Jack. They hadn’t exchanged a word since mid-morning. They slowly sipped the coffee, without looking at each other. Jack had nothing to offer as solace and Rose didn’t want to hurt her husband with any unintended curt remark. She knew, he was a proud man with a huge male ego and wasn’t easily cowered by any adverse circumstances. But this time it was different!

The kids were up and were running around, in the house, shouting and laughing. Jack was watching the television, as she prepared dinner. Soon, it was news time, and the first news was of the closure of Jack’s company. Jack switched off the television. Rose stopped her work and came into the living room to see him saunter out of the room, into the lawn. Her heart missed a beat as she saw his ashen face. She quickly followed him. She feared that the crisis might affect his mental and physical health. She didn’t want him to slip into depression. She found him sitting in the lawn, on his favourite, wicker armchair. His head was thrown back as he looked at the half moon in the dark sky. It could have been a lovely night, any other day, when they often sat there, whispering soft nothings to each other. But today was a doom’s day. All looked so sombre to her! 

She returned to her kitchen work, without disturbing him. She fed David and Susie and put them to bed. They were still feeling playful. She told them a bedtime story and in a few minutes, they were fast asleep. Tears rolled down her eyes, as she kissed her kids goodnight. They looked so lovely in their sleep. Childhood was so sweet and innocent, without a care in the world. Their calm, frightened her as she thought of the coming days, when they would have to struggle for survival. They were waiting for Christmas gifts and she had planned celebrations with her friends and relatives. But all must be hit by this crisis, she mused. This Christmas was going to be a low key affair!
Rose hurried outside to look for Jack. It was chilly and he was lost in his world. She touched his hand, it was cold. She rubbed his hands and kissed them and led him back into the warm living room.

Jack felt grateful for her empathy. Any other wife would have created a storm in the house. He trusted Rose and looked at her expectantly, as if she knew the way out of this maze.

They sat together on the sofa. Rose was looking around the room, at the things they had bought on credit: the television, the music system, the computer and the costly furniture. All looked so superfluous to her now! 

Suddenly her gaze settled on the mantle piece, where rested the lovely picture of Lord Jesus. It looked radiant in the soft yellow light of the room. He stood, smiling compassionately at her, as if giving her some clue! She thought of the life story of Lord Jesus, how He left His father’s work of carpentry to be the Fisher of men and spread the gospel of love. Suddenly, the word carpenter, sounded familiar! Why even Jack was a carpenter once and did reasonably well! She got the clue Lord Jesus had put in her mind!

Suddenly everything was clear and rosy, just like a rainbow after the deluge!

She turned around to see Jack resting with his eyes closed. But it didn’t matter. 

She jolted him back to wakefulness and shrieked aloud, “Jack!”

Jack woke up with a shudder to see Rose excited!

“Jack, I know what to do, to tide over this tornado!”

Jack looked at her in astonishment.

“Jack, you can go back to your wood work again and I will go back to my Bakery!”

“What? Are you mad, Rose? I haven’t touched the tools for years now. And what will I do? And who needs your baking skills? Tom closed his bakery years ago. He shifted base!” Jack shook his head in dismay and closed his eyes again.

“No, Jack, I won’t have any of your excuses now. We have to do something for dear David and Susie. God helps those, who help themselves. We have the talent and we can do it again! And you know who gave me this idea? Lord Jesus! Even He was a carpenter, once! And Jack, I believe Him!”

Jack looked at her in disbelief, “Who gave you this idea?”

“Lord Jesus! And this is the best Christmas gift from Him, we have ever had!” Rose said excitedly.

Jack sat dumbfounded, trying to digest what Rose had said. He wasn’t a very religious man. He went to Church regularly, more so, to keep Rose and kids happy. Rose was a very religious and spiritual person. It must be one of her ‘those quirks’ thought Jack. But nevertheless he believed in her hunches. And there could be no harm in agreeing to her this solution too!

He sighed and came over to Rose who was kneeling before the picture of Lord Jesus. He bowed too out of reverence and gratitude with tears in his eyes. ‘God is indeed, man’s best friend,’ he thought.

He held Rose by her shoulders and said softly, “Rose, I am so fortunate and blessed to have you as my wise and loving wife!” 

Rose was touched by his sudden expression of love and gratitude. She felt happy and fulfilled. She shouted with her fist in the air, “Together we will conquer the world!”

Jack laughed for the first time in the day, “But what are your plans, darling?”

“Look, your tools, unfinished wood work and some wood are still lying in the attic. Sharpen your tools, hone your forgotten skills and get to work from the backyard! Christmas is just a month away! We can sell your wares in the market. I will start our home bakery and bake lovely cakes for Christmas and New Year, for the community. I can stitch as well so I will start stitching classes, later. You will renew your old contacts and go about selling your work! And all this means we can work from home, take care of our kids and save our daily fuel cost too! And no boss and economic crisis can crush our spirits again!”

Jack looked at Rose with new eyes. Her confidence was infectious. He agreed to her plans!

Yes, it was going to be fine after all! All the plans they had for Christmas, would be fulfilled, to some extent.

After dinner, they sat in the lawn, gazing at the moon and the stars hanging in the dark sky.

“They look so beautiful!” whispered Rose.

“Yes, as beautiful as you are!” whispered Jack.

And they both smiled. Together they had conquered their fears!

Tomorrow was going to be a new day!

And this was going to be a special Christmas, as the Universe smiled over them too!