Strange charity service in the Neighborhood door – 04

I hugged her. “I should be thanking you. I never thought I could enjoy Christmas again.”

She smiled. “That would be horrible,” she said softly, “if Santa couldn’t enjoy Christmas.”

I thought we were finally done, but Hannah went behind the tree and returned with two gifts wrapped in newspaper comics. She gave her mother one, and gave me the other.

Victoria and I looked at each other, then she opened her gift. Inside was a hand-made ornament, a picture of their little family, Victoria, Hannah, and the missing father, smiling as if everything was perfect in the world. The picture was framed in popsicle sticks, with pipe-cleaners glued to it. It was too cute for words.

“If we hang it on the tree, then Daddy can share Christmas with us from heaven,” Hannah explained.

I saw Victoria choke up, then give her daughter a big hug. “It’s beautiful.”

“Hang it up, mom!” Hannah insisted.

Victoria got up and placed it in the middle of the tree, carefully arranging it so it faced the room. “I love Hannah, thank you.”

Hannah was standing in front of me, hopping from foot to foot. “Your turn,” she announced.

I opened the paper carefully, and saw a hand drawn picture, colored in crayons on some light colored cardboard. It took me a second to realize what it was. “It’s us painting the door, isn’t it?”

“Yep. And that’s momma, trying to look angry.” She pointed to a stick figure at the side.

It must have taken her a while. The picture was pretty big, more than a foot tall, and she’d carefully drawn the door in great detail, coloring it blue, and she had little Christmas decorations all around it. She was kneeling down painting the bottom, and I had this ridiculously long body, bent over at the waist, painting the door just above her head.

I pointed to the figure to the side. “If she’s angry, how come she’s smiling?” I asked.

Hannah laughed. “She’s only trying to be angry. She’s really happy. She just isn’t allowed to show it. She has to act sad because Daddy’s gone.”

I held the picture up, then made a show of hugging it. “It’s my very favorite Christmas present. I’m going to frame it and put it on my desk.”

Hannah climbed up on the couch and hugged me. “Will you hook up my PS3?”

“Of course I will,” I told her, returning her hug.

“And I’ll start breakfast,” Victoria announced. I looked up, and she was wiping tears from her face again. What a roller-coaster of emotions.

It only took a few minutes, and we had the game system hooked up and Hannah was debating which game to start with. She barely got it loaded before we were called over for breakfast.

“Mo-om!” Hannah pouted.

“It’s not going anywhere. You can play after breakfast.”

It was surrealistic, sitting there at the table, with eggs, toast and sausage on my plate, and a glass of orange juice at the ready. Hannah had cereal in her bowl and a tall glass of milk. Like a normal family.

I was still stunned by how talkative Hannah had become, as she told us all about her gifts. “Can Taylor come over later and play?” she asked.

“We’ll see,” Victoria told her. “It’s Christmas, her parents may want her to stay at home today.”

“What are your favorite gifts?” I asked.

She seemed to think about it, and I watched her hand move up to the locket around her neck. It was cute watching her face scrunch up as she really thought it over.

“I think it was your sleepover,” she finally announced, catching me off guard and almost making me spit my orange juice across the table.

Victoria was just as surprised, “Really? Better than the PS3?” she asked.

Hannah nodded vehemently. She looked at me, “Momma’s happy.”

I looked over at Victoria, and saw her blushing furiously.

I reached over and tousled Hannah’s hair. “I’m happy too. Happier than I thought I could be.”

Hannah nodded solemnly. “I know. Your girls went to heaven too. These were their presents, right?”

I nodded. “I knew they’d want you to have them.”

She took a bite of her cereal. “Alida was nice. We made a poster for her in class. I drew an angel.”

Hearing her name was tough. Suddenly everything felt wrong. I should be sitting at a table with her and Rihanna, listening to them chatter. Watch them fight over playing with each other’s gifts. No chance of that now. The room was becoming blurry, tears for my lost girls filling my eyes.

“Don’t be sad,” Hannah said, reaching out and touching my arm. “They’re in heaven now, and they get to watch us. They wouldn’t want you to be sad.”

I forced myself to smile. “I bet the poster was beautiful. I wish I could see it.”

“Mrs. Viola would probably let me take it home for you,” she said.

“I’d like that.”

Hannah was eating her cereal as fast as she could, and she pushed the empty bowl away. “Can I play now?”

Victoria gave her the go ahead, and she made a beeline toward the TV.

Victoria and I looked at each other. “She’s become quite the chatterbox,” I mentioned.

“Thank God,” Victoria said, standing up and taking up the plates. “Let’s hope it sticks.”

I cleared my own stuff and joined her at the sink. “I should go home soon.”

“I understand,” she said softly.

“I have to stop by the in-laws. I promised. But I’d like to come by later if you don’t mind. Maybe we can have dinner together.”

She seemed a little distant. “You don’t have to. You’ve done enough already.”

I put my arms around her, and felt her stiffen. “Don’t tell Hannah, but her drawing was only my second favorite Christmas gift.”

I felt her relax a bit, and she turned toward me, allowing me to hug her properly. I leaned down and kissed her softly.

She giggled. “Oh, really?”

“Really. The sleepover was my favorite.”

“That gift will have to hold you over for a while. Another sleepover and I don’t think I’d ever be able to walk again. You beast.” Her smile took any sting out of the words.

“No kidding. I’d have to learn to talk with only one lip.”

Her eyes opened wide, and she raised her hand to her mouth. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

I kissed her again. “No apologies, remember.”

She smiled. “Alright. Dinner would be nice, but I didn’t have anything special planned.”

“Let me take care of the dinner.”

She grinned salaciously. “That’s right. You promised to feed me.”

That made me blush.

“As a matter of fact, if you’re not in a huge hurry, maybe you could feed me again, before you have to leave.”

I looked over at Hannah.

“She’ll be fine. You won’t be able to tear her away from those games for hours.” She took me by the hand, and drew me over to the stairs.

Strange charity service in the Neighborhood door – 04 will continue in the next page.