It is the heart of Christmas
Jenny sat in the living room and looked through the big window and watched the snowfall. She sighed deeply as she watched the kids play in the streets with their friends and big smiles on their faces. She looked down at her lifeless legs that hung down in the wheelchair she was sitting in. Jenny had blonde hair and pale skin with freckles across her nose. The reason why she was in a wheelchair was because she had gotten in a car crash 5 years ago. She wheeled herself into the kitchen where her mother sat on the couch watching the news. Her father had died in the car crash and now her mother was in an emotional lock down…Basically she was very, very, depressed. Jenny and her mother hadn’t had a nice conversation since her dad died so Jenny basically was on her own. She picked up an apple that sat on a low table and took a small bite out of it. Her mother looked towards her,” What do you think about inviting the family over for Christmas?” she asked flatly,“I dunno?” Jenny replied in the same tone, “Well, I already called them so they are coming in three weeks.” Her mother said in the same tone as her eyes were still glued to the T.V sometimes Jenny thought her mom was a robot that did the same thing everyday, her mother would get up, eat, then watch T.V all day. “Oh, okay then.” Jenny replied as she looked at her mother who was watching “A Christmas Story” on the television. Her mother didn’t reply back. Jenny wheeled herself back to the big window and stared at the kids in the streets sadly.
Jenny woke up the next morning and picked up the clothes that sat on the dresser nest to her bed. When she was done getting dressed she moved herself into the wheel chair as carefully as possible. She looked at the alarm clock that was blinking 6:00 A.M. “I guess I should get some food.” She sighed as she wheeled herself out of her room. Today she was wearing a pair of grey sweat pants and a big pink sweatshirt. As she wheeled herself past the big window she saw something that was very different, it was bright outside. Usually it was dark out sill, but there it was the sun halfway to the top of the sky. She thought she was hallucinating so she wheeled herself into the kitchen where her mother was buttering her toast and putting it on a plate. Her mother looked at her and said,” The sun is out.” And pointed with her butter knife at the window. ”Yeah.” Said Jenny. Her mother moved her plate and herself to the couch where she clicked on the T.V and stared at it like it was the best thing to look at.
Weeks Later
Jenny’s alarm clock started to beep constantly until she finally was ready to hit it with a rock. The clothes on her dresser this time were a red dress with white tights and black buckled shoes. When she was done getting dressed she placed herself into the wheel chair and wheeled over to a mirror and tied a red bow into her blonde curly hair. Her mother was wearing a black skirt and a white blouse. Her mom’s hair was tied back into a tightly braided bun. Her mother let the first of the guests into the house. Jenny greeted them. This went on until the whole family was there. Everyone was just average and being themselves. The cousins Brady, Carol, Linzzie, J.J, and Buddy all wanted to play in the snow, but of corse Jenny couldn’t go outside with them so se stayed inside with the adults who weren’t as much fun as the cousins, but they weren’t even that fun either all they wanted to do was play tag and hide-and-go-seek. All the adults did was sit, drink, eat, and watch football. Jenny wheeled herself into the room with the big window, it had always made her feel happy when she watched the kids play in the snow and she almost felt like she was playing with them as well. Well, when everyone was gone she had been thinking for a while she was staring through the big window and what she was thinking was something big, she wanted to give her mom a hug. Now I know that is normal to you, but her mom hadn’t given her a hug for a really long time and she felt like she needed to be the one to say,” I give up. You win. I love you mom.” So when all the guests were gone and her mom was cleaning up she wheeled herself over to her mother and gave her a squeeze around the waist. Well, her mother bursted into tears and bent down and gave Jenny a big hug and said,” I miss your father. I really do Jen and I am sorry I don’t do anything anymore.” And Jenny was crying as well and said to her mom,” I forgive you and I miss him too.” They sat there for a really long time hugging and crying like there was no tomorrow until Jenny let go,” My eyes hurt.” She said laughing and crying. Her mother laughed,” I think it is time for bed.” She said for the first time in 5 years in a happy comforting mom voice that any kid treats like a special gift from the gods. Jenny smiled because her mom was smiling. Jenny got out of the wheel chair and out of her clothes and into her small bed. Her mother kissed her forehead and whispered,” This is a very good Christmas.” Jenny replied ,”The best yet.” She whispered back to her mother and when her mother left Jenny was smiling in her sleep.