Christmas decorations hung from the ceiling and walls making their home look like Santa’s grotto.
Janice let go of him and went into the kitchen, pulling the fridge door open. The shelves were stacked with festive goodies, surrounding an enormous turkey. Unable to believe what they were seeing, Jack watched as Janice went from one cupboard to the next, opening doors and then pausing to take in the full shelves.
When the last cupboard stood open, Janice turned to face her husband. “How did you afford this, Jack? Please tell me we’re not in debt for all this, just to keep me happy.”
He could understand her concerns, Jack was mystified himself but he shook his head quickly. “I wish I could take the credit for this but I have no idea where it all came from. I got the tree, but this wasn’t here when I went to bed last night,” he assured her.
Janice gave a small, worried laugh. “Then how Jack? How did it get here?”
He walked towards her, still marvelling at the scene surrounding them. Resting his hands on her hips, Jack looked at her: “There was this old guy; he was sitting by our shed. I felt sorry for him and invited him in.”
“He was a tramp?” Janice interrupted him.
“Looked like it. It was freezing out there, so I brought him in and gave him something to eat and drink and left him sleeping by the fire when I went to bed. That was it until I woke up this morning and you turned up.”
“Do you think he had something to do with this?” she asked slowly.
“I don’t see how. He was old and scrawny, hardly capable of doing all this on his own,” Jack remarked.
“Maybe he could perform magic,” Janice said, smiling.
“What? Like Father Christmas?”
THE END
© 2013 Sonya C. Dodd
The Best Gift Ever
By
Shemeka Mitchell
Tahara sat in the dark trying to come up with some sort of plan. Instead, her mind was blank. All she felt like doing was crying. No matter how hard she tried, things always managed to fall apart around her feet. How could she teach her children to be successful adults when she could hardly keep food on the table and the utilities on? As she continued sitting there wondering how she was going to come up with the money to pay the bill, she heard a car pull up.
She opened the door without looking out the window. She smelled his cologne as soon as he entered the house.
“Hello Tahara, how are you?”
“Hi Mike, I’m great. How are you?” She attempted to put on a happy face for his benefit. She didn’t want him to worry about his son staying with a weak and wimpy woman. She had to show him that she was responsible.
She knew that Mike saw the sadness in her eyes. She did a nice job of trying to cover it up, but he’d known her too long for it to go unnoticed by him.
***
“Why don’t you tell me what is really going on?” he said as he dropped down on the couch. The living room was dark. He figured that her daughter was in the bed and the boys were in the room probably playing video games.
Mike had been on his way to club with his friends. With him being a single father, he did not have a lot of time for hanging out with his friends. They were always trying to get him to hook up with different women and he wasn’t really into all of that. He was ready to settle down and have a family, a complete family. As of yet, however, he was still single. And it was thanks to his son’s mother who felt like being a mom was cramping her style. So, she left him and their son to move to New York and live the city life. His priorities had changed drastically and his friends couldn’t seem to understand that. His main focus was taking care of his boy. That is how he met Tahara, through their boys. They had been best friends for a while and had been in the same class since the third grade. They were like brothers. In fact, when people saw them out in public, they automatically assumed that they were. Mike and Tahara had managed to form a budding friendship because of the time that they spent together. Little did Tahara know, Mike’s feelings for her were past that of just a friendship. He wanted so much more, but he didn’t quite know how to approach her. He knew that she was damaged, but he was willing to take a chance and show her how good they could be together. He adored spending time with her. They always had a great time on their outings with the kids. Lately he had begun to imagine building a life with her. When they went out they made a stunning couple. She may not have realized it, but he did. He saw the looks people gave them, the smiles at seeing them together. They fit. She was around 5’4 to his 6 feet. Her skin was the color of milk chocolate and he so desperately wanted to taste her. Her body was voluptuous and thick in all of the right places. Her curves were dangerous and he wanted to explore each and every one of them. He just didn’t know how to tell her without scaring her off.
“Everything is good. I told you that. I’m just thinking about Christmas and how we are going to celebrate it.” Which wasn’t a complete lie, she was thinking or better yet, praying that the utility company wouldn’t turn her lights off at Christmas time.
“Are you sure? You know you can talk to me about anything, right?” He wanted her to open up to him and let him in. He knew that she was stressed majority of the time. With hardly any help from her children’s father, she was handling it all on her own. He admired the strength and dedication she had for her family.
“I’m sure. Would you like something to drink?” She had to change the subject before everything spilled out and he knew it. Mike was a single parent also, but the difference was that he had a career. He made a decent enough living to provide for his family. Tahara did not feel like being judged by him, nor anyone else for that matter. He would never do that to her, but he knew that was how she felt because she’d told him that on plenty of occasions.
While she was in the kitchen getting the drinks, he noticed a notebook lying open on the end table. His curiosity got the best of him as he glanced at the paper. It looked like it was a budget sheet or something. He moved closer so that he could get a better look. He guessed this was what was wrong with her. He looked at the figures and knew without a doubt that this right here was the problem. She was up to her head with bills and wouldn’t have any money for gifts. He couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t come to him if things were this bad. He wouldn’t mind helping her out. She was precious to him, a true friend. Plus, his son spent plenty of hours here. More than he actually spent at home, if Mike was honest about it.
Tahara walked back into the living room and handed him the drink.
“I thought you were on your way out?” she asked as she sat down beside him.
“I was but the closer I got to the place, the more I wanted to be anywhere else besides there.”
“And what made you choose to come here?”
“I really didn’t feel like being alone and my son is already here. It seemed like a good idea at the time. I was thinking that we could watch a few movies, listen to some music. You know, just enjoy one another’s company for a little while.” He watched her reaction to his words, hoping to gather some sort of inkling about how she felt towards him.
“I’m glad you came back. I really didn’t need to be alone myself,” she admitted to him.
“So tell me, why are you still single?”
“I haven’t found that one yet.” She said as she turned her body to face him.
“Are you one of those picky females with the long list of requirements?” He already knew for a fact that she was not that way.
“Whatever Mike, you know better. I cannot believe that it is almost Christmas,” she exclaimed as she sat back on the sofa. Her body was stiff and he knew that she was mentally exhausted.
“Have you done your shopping yet?” he asked even though he knew that she didn’t have the money for it.
“No, not yet.” Her voice was low, almost a whisper.
“What are you waiting on? You know everything is goi
ng to be gone soon.”
“I’ll get to it eventually,” she said and changed the subject, “What do you want to watch, a chick flick, horror, comedy, holiday movie, what?” she asked him as she browsed through the DVDs?
“I’m cool with whatever you pick. I know you love those scary movies.” Mike said.
“Sure do. Okay, let’s watch Insidious.” She said as she picked out the movie from the pile.
***
Her earlier despair had slowly tapered away thanks to Mike. He was a godsend. His presence always lifted her spirits in a major way. She could not imagine why he was still single. He was a handsome man. He had hazel eyes and lashes that women would kill for. His skin was smooth and the color of honey. He was always playing ball with the boys or doing some sort of physical activity and his body was the result of it. It was rock hard in all of the right places. He had deep dimples in both cheeks that she loved playing with. He always laughed when she stuck her finger in his dimples when they showed up. She was sure he could get any woman he wanted. When they were out together, she always saw women looking his way. Once when they were at a pizza joint, a lady cornered her in the restroom and asked if they were a couple. When she told the woman they were just friends, the woman wrote her name and number on a napkin and begged her to give it to him. She did and she was amused at what he did with the number. He smiled at the woman to acknowledge the fact that he received it, but on the way out of the restaurant he threw the napkin in the garbage without a second thought.
“So when are you getting back on the dating scene?” Tahara asked him. She had volunteered on more than one occasion to let his son stay over while he went out on a date. He never took her up on it though.
“I’m not into all of that.”
“How are you going to find the woman of your dreams? You can’t find her while sitting over here watching movies with me and listening to me whining about my day.” She rambled on and on, not really paying attention to the look on his face.
“Do you think I spend too much time here?”
“Yes,”
“Am I getting on your nerves or cramping your style?”
“No, of course not. I meant that you might miss your future wife by sitting deep up in the house with me. You know I’m a recluse. I don’t want it to rub off on you,” she said as she rubbed his thigh slightly. He felt that familiar pressure returning.
“Guess what?”
“What?” She looked at him waiting for him to speak.
“I have already found the woman I want to be my future wife.” His smile was bright and his dimples deepened as Tahara saw the light in his eyes. She didn’t know why her heart constricted like it did. It wasn’t as if they were even remotely close to being anything more than friends.
“That’s great news! When did you propose?” She tried to be excited for him, but she couldn’t. Even though he had no idea of her feelings for him, she felt crushed all the same.
“Oh I haven’t proposed yet. In fact, she doesn’t even know how I feel,” he admitted to her while twirling his glass between his fingers.
She was stunned, “She doesn’t know? Aren’t you nervous that she might say no?” Even though she could not imagine any woman in her right mind saying no to Mike.
“Of course I am, but the man chooses the wife and I chose her. I just need to convince her that I’m the man of her dreams, the man that can quench each and every one of her desires,” he informed her.
“Well, okay then! That’s some deep stuff right there.” She wished she could one day find a man to say those words to her, to make her feel loved and adored. She guessed it was not meant to be for her. It had been so long since she’d felt a man’s touch that she hardly remembered what it felt like.
“I know. I’m madly in love with her. I think she is the most beautiful woman in this entire world. Her strength amazes me. The love and dedication she has for her family is ….” He shook his head without completing the sentence.
“Wow, you love her that much that she makes you speechless.”
“Yes, I do.” He told her. She looked into his eyes and saw a flash of something, but before she could determine the meaning, it was gone.
***
“Mom, can we have a snack?” Tahara’s son Kyle asked as he entered the living room followed by Mike’s son Dylan. They stopped short when they saw Mike stilling on the sofa.
“Dad, what are you doing here? I thought you were going out with Uncle Lou?” Dylan asked his dad. For two teenage boys, they were very perceptive where their parents were concerned. They had each suggested that they needed to go out and have fun instead of always staying home.
“I changed my mind at the last minute.”
“Awww man, does that mean I have to go home? Me and Kyle just got to the hard level.” His face had fallen with the thought of leaving.
“No, you don’t have to leave. In fact, I’m going to hang out here for a while and watch some movies with Tahara.” he informed the boys. They both yelled in excitement as they made their way to the kitchen to raid the fridge.
“You know I’m going to have to buy you groceries one day,” Mike said to her.
“What for?” She was confused by what he said.
“I know my boy eats like there is no tomorrow. He is like a bottomless pit.” He shook his head thinking about the way the boys ate.
“Oh that’s no problem. I know my son does the same at your house, so it’s even.”
“Yeah, but my boy is over here a whole lot more than yours is at my house. As a matter of fact, we both are over here a lot.” She thought about what he said. It was true. They did see a lot of one another. They even communicated on the phone and computer. There was hardly a day that went by that they didn’t have some sort of exchange.
“It’s all good. What are friends for?” That was his thought exactly. What are friends for? Immediately he knew what it was he needed to do.
***
It had been a few days since Mike hung out with her. He hadn’t called or text her or anything. She was wondering if she had done something to upset him. Maybe he was really busy with work she thought to herself. She was going to be off of work for the next two weeks. Even though the time off work was needed, it wasn’t wanted because it was going to send her further in debt.
She picked up the phone, took a deep breath and prepared to beg the rep to let her make some sort of arrangement for her utility bill. Once she was connected to a live person, she went into the spiel that she had practiced. Before she could finish, the rep interrupted her, “I’m sorry Ms. Jones but my computer is showing that you have a zero balance.”
Tahara thought she was hearing things, “Excuse me, what did you just say?”
“Your balance is zero. Someone made a payment on your bill yesterday and it covered the whole account,” the woman on the phone informed her.
“Are you sure?” She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Someone had paid her $500.00 utility bill. That was not a small amount of money.
“Yes ma’am. I’m positive.”
“Can you tell me who paid it?” She would have to thank whoever had done it in a major way.
“No ma’am, I can’t. They wanted to remain anonymous.”
“Oh my goodness, I can’t believe this! Thank you so much and have a lovely Christmas,” she told the lady.
The woman’s voice shared Tahara’s excitement, “You too dear and enjoy your holidays also.” She hung up the phone and danced around the living room. She was going to have money to at least get her babies a few gifts for Christmas after all. She dropped to her knees and said a prayer for the blessing she had just received.
When she told her kids about the good fortune, they danced around the room and hugged one another. That was the best gift ever.
The next day, she was cleaning the house when she heard her phone ringing. Once she got to it, she noticed
that it was Mike.
“Hey Mike, what’s up?” she asked him. She was happy to finally be hearing from him.
“Nothing much, what do you have going on right now?” he asked.
“I’m doing a little cleaning. Why, what’s up?” she was curious now.
“I need you to go shopping with me. I have quite a few gifts to get and I need a woman’s opinion. What do you say? Can you help me out?” He pleaded with her.
“Yeah sure, I can do that.” She was in a good mood. Shopping with her friend could only improve that mood.
***
She was amazed at all of the items they had in the carts. He had so much stuff that she had to get a cart to help him out.
“Wow Mike, this is a lot of toys,” she told him.
“Yeah, I know. You remember me telling you about my future wife, right?” He looked in her direction and waited for her to confirm remembering.
“Yes, I do.”
“Well she has kids and I want to do something nice for them. You know, since I’m going to be their step father and all.”
“You are serious aren’t you?”
“Yes, I told you that I was.”
“I know, but I didn’t think it was like this. I mean, wow, when can I meet this woman that has captured your heart like this?” She needed to see what kind of woman it took to make a man like Mike desire her in such a way.
“Sure you can. How about on Christmas Eve? How about if we all spend it together? You know, bring it in together, drinking egg nog and maybe going to church. What do you say?” She saw the excitement in his eyes as he spoke. She really didn’t want to spend her holidays watching him and his lady all in love but she could see that it would mean a lot to him.
“Okay, that’s fine. The more the merrier.” she said knowing that it was possible she would end up feeling like a third wheel. But she knew that she had to be there for her friend.
On the way back to her house, she told him about the mystery person paying her bill and he was excited for her. She told him that was why she bought the toys to donate, to sort of “pay it forward”. After a few minutes, she had a sneaking suspicion that he was the one that paid it but she didn’t ask him though.
***
Tahara cooked up a storm for Christmas. Usually it was only her and her children. This year she had guests coming over. It was around seven that evening when Mike finally arrived with a truck full of gifts. The boys helped him bring everything in while Tahara looked on.