Kinesha zipped up the old anorak and pulled the hood up over her head. The snow had started with just a few flakes about twenty minutes ago, but now was coming down so heavy that she could barely see a foot in front of her. The bus had let her off a couple of blocks earlier than where it usually stopped and Bernie, the driver apologized as he opened the door and told everyone this was as far as he could go.

“Sorry, folks! Dispatch just told me the streets are icing and I need to head back to the depot. Can everyone work with that? I can take you back to the depot with me if that is better, but you might get stuck there.”

Several of the regulars, the younger ones, opted to just walk to their destinations from there, but she heard old Mrs. Winston and her friend Florrie ask to be taken back to the depot.

“It’s a warm place and a bench to sleep on. Not sure I could depend on these old legs to get me and Florrie to my daughter’s”, Mrs Winston said, sighing. “What a Christmas Eve.”

Kinesha, being somewhere between the young ones and the old ones, decided she could get to the shelter. It was her night to help out, and being Christmas Eve, she felt she just couldn’t let those people down. She had been homeless for a long time, and the people at the shelter had stepped up and helped her so many times.

“Merry Christmas, Bernie,” she said as she stepped off the bus. “You get home safe, you hear?”

“I plan to, Miss Kinesha. And a Merry Christmas to you too. You hurry along, now. It’s cold out there!”

So Kinesha slid and sloshed her way to the Downtown Shelter that was in the basement of the City United Church of Christ and pulled the door open. The place was already packed, and she quickly shed her coat in the kitchen and hurried out to the intake desk. There was a woman about her age sitting at the table that served as a desk and she looked overwhelmed. Kinesha had never seen her before, and she paused and looked over the woman. She was wearing a fur coat over a red wool dress, and Kinesha noted the manicure and the artfully highlighted and cut hair. Oh just great, Kinesha thought. A do-gooder out to save the world.

The woman suddenly looked up at Kinesha and grinned. “Are you checking in? You are in luck! We have one more cot in the women’s section. Name? Age?”

Kinesha crossed her arms over her chest and glared at her.

“I’m Kinesha Ward and I am supposed to be in charge tonight. I ain’t lookin’ for no bed. And who are YOU?”

“Oh dear. I am so sorry. I just assumed.....”

“That ‘cause I was Black I was a client.”

“Well, yes, I guess I sort of did.”

Kinesha noted that at least she had the decency to look flustered. “What you doin’ here anyway? I ain’t never seen you here before.”

The woman paused. “Well I am Madison Whitney. My husband is on the Board of the church and Pastor Angela called today and said they were desperate for people to help out tonight to get people signed in. It being Christmas Eve and all, and with the weather, they were getting volunteers canceling all over the place. So here I am!”

Kinesha just harrumphed and pulled over another chair.

“How many we got?”

“Thirty men and twenty-nine women. Full house. The cooks did manage to get here and dinner smells wonderful. I almost wish I could ditch this party with my husband’s firm and eat here tonight,” she said, laughing.

What time you got here?”

“My driver dropped me off about 4:30. I checked in with the cooking crew and then suddenly we were getting slammed with people. I’m guessing it must be a cold one tonight.”

“You been out lately, Miz Whitney?” Kinesha said with a small smile.

“Heavens no! I haven’t hardly had a chance to breathe. And please. Call me Whitney.” She stuck her hand out.

Kinesha tentatively shook her hand. “Uh....Miz Madison? Doubtful you goin’ anywhere tonight. It’s pretty bad out there.”

“Oh. Well. I’m sure my driver can get me. He’s always prepared for bad weather.”

“Uh-huh.” Kinesha decided to not say anything else. She just picked up the sign-in sheet and began checking to make sure all the regulars were signed in. Madison watched her for a minute and then pulled out her purse and found her phone.

“I guess I should check the weather.”

“Uh-huh.”

There was a small intake of breath from Madison. “Good lord! It’s a full blown blizzard out there! And the Weather Channel says the police have closed down the streets due to ice!”

“Uh-huh.

“What am I going to do? My husband will be furious about my missing the firm party. He told me to make SURE I got out of here early enough and now he’ll be very upset. “ She was wringing her hands and was visibly upset.

Kinesha reached out and laid her hand on Madison’s clenched hands. “Miz Madison? It gonna be okay. Doubtful that much of anybody gonna be at that fancy party. And we got turkey an’ fixin’s an pecan pie an’ a whole bunch of people just grateful for something good in their bellies and a warm place to put down their heads. It gonna be fine. Now you relax, take off that gorgeous coat, an let’s go get us some of the best cookin’ in this city.”

“It’s all good, isn’t it?”

“Yes, ma’am. It all good indeed.”