* * *
There was far too much sarcasm for this to be a tooth-achingly sweet Hallmark Christmas, but it was a happy Christmas. Melanie and her family teased each other as they opened their gifts, while the younger kids danced around showing off their newest treasures.
I tucked myself into a chair off in the corner. Piled around me were far more gifts than I expected. Looking over the tags, I smiled. All of Melanie's family gave me something. It was obvious where Melanie's generosity came from.
"Hiding back here in your chair, I see." Melanie's mom smiled at me, letting me know she didn't mind my sitting off to the side, and handed me a glass of eggnog.
"Thanks," I said, taking a sip of the festive drink; Gavin's tasted better. I sat back into the squishy beige-on-beige striped chair. "I didn't realize I had my own chair."
"Sara you have sat in this chair every holiday for the past three years. You should open some of your gifts. I know for a fact there are several books to hide behind." She patted my head and went to sit next to Melanie's father.
"Cookies," Shante cheered as she danced around with the large platter of cookies, a smear of red frosting across her soft brown cheek. "We made them last night. It was so much fun!"
“Melanie made cookies?" her sister asked, hand frozen in mid-air.
"Are they safe to eat?" Their brother sniffed his cookie.
"You two are the worst siblings ever," Melanie said.
Shante, being five, answered honestly. "Of course Melanie didn't cook. Sara helped us. Caitlin and I made such a big mess it took Sara forever to wash the dough out of our hair."
Caitlin's straight blond hair had been easy to clean, but Shante's thick curls, a mix of her mom's Mexican heritage and her dad's African, took forever to get clean.