cookiemonster
Cadet
Title : Three Angels for Christmas
Author : cookiemonster
Summary: Vaughn’s most perfect Christmas presents
I’m going to tell you the most perfect story of how I met my wife for the first time and how I was blessed with the three most adorable angels in my life. Beware that this seems like a fairly tale, but unlike other fairy tales, this one is true.
One year earlier
Being a member of the “Children’s of God” Association myself, it is a duty for me, on Christmas Eve, to visit a handful of people that don’t have as much to share during this special season as I have. Thus I’m used to walk up to poor people’s door, knock and bless them with a very few items that could rejoice them. Whether it is some candles, cookies, fruits, electronic apparels or any sort of a kind, it makes me feel happy inside knowing that I contribute to the smile I get in return.
Sure I could make a donation, but isn’t it wonderful when you have an eighty year old man, sitting in front of you smiling away. After sharing his story of a lifetime with me, we embrace in warmly hugs before saying goodbye. Despite his tears in his eyes, I know that today I made his day better.
The camera is following me, while I knock from door to door. The people gladly let us inside, knowing far well what the cause of our visit is. Some are dancing, singing and laughing together with us while filming and some are just sharing news. The age groups vary from elderly persons that nobody is looking after to young people that don’t have a job.
Every Christmas it’s the same, I’ve seen all the bad in the world, and I can’t believe that such a rich country such as the United States of America has as poor people as those. They’re completely left to themselves and nobody takes care of them. I feel like somebody has to and I’m happy to be part of it.
At the next door, before entering the place, I’m informed about the person living right behind. Since the old woman that lived here last Christmas, died a couple of months ago, a new, younger woman moved in with her two children; two girls to be exact. I briefly scan the report in hand for the documentary, before I know at the door.
Just about two seconds later the door flies open, a little girl standing right in front of me. I crouch down, the camera follows suit. The girl stares into the camera, then back at me. She has the most amazing chocolate brown eyes I’ve ever seen and it literally knocks me out for a minute.
“Hi! I’m Michael, you must be Madison”
The little girl, that looks no older than three, shakes her head and whispers something in return. But before I could ask, she points her tiny forefinger to the back. Behind her, stands another girl of the spitting image.
“Oh, I’m sorry… so your name is Ariel and you… you are Madison”
This time they both nod their heads. They turn on their heels and head inside the shabby flat.
The entire crew follows their track where I meet up with the woman that appears to be their mother. When I lock eyes with the woman, I certainly recognize the resemblance between the girls and the woman. They sure do have the same hair and eye colour.
I shake hands with Sydney Bristow and she welcomes me to sit down onto her worn-out couch. She apologizes a couple of times but I assure her that everything is just fine and that she shouldn’t worry about any of it. She offers me some cookies, she and the girls have baked and in return we spoil her with some toys for the girls as well as some warm clothes for the winter and summer.
I don’t fail to notice that the list doesn’t contain anything for her. During my questions for the documentary, my eyes every so often travel to Ariel and Madison playing on the ground with their new doll. The entire room is filled with their soft laughter and giggles.
Far too soon, is it over and I already have to make my way over to the next underprivileged neighbour of this building.
The thing though is that when I return back home that very same evening, I can’t help but think about Sydney Bristow and her two little girls. It’s not the first time I also get to see mothers that are left alone with a couple, three, four, or sometimes more children to take care of. Especially this holiday season makes it very difficult for all of those people to keep up their strength, faith and hope for the years to come. Hardly very few people have a bright future insight.
I shouldn’t feel anymore different than I do towards other women. But something about Sydney Bristow got me very much intrigued. That smile, those eyes, her natural beauty… I don’t know… I can’t get her out of my head.
Before I even notice, I’m already driving all the way back opposite to my home, until I park my SUV at the front of the large building I was about three hours ago. My gaze goes up the five storey building. Too few are the lightings adorning the windows during Christmas season. People don’t have the money to waste electricity that way; that is if they have electricity.
There’s no elevator, so off I climb the three levels up to their flat. I perfectly remember which door I have to knock. Number 27, there it is! I knock but have no clue what I’m going to say.
This time it’s Sydney opening the door up for me. Needless to say that she seems more than surprised to see me.
“Hi… uh…please come in!” and then she’s gone. I stare to the left and to the right, wondering what is going on, but instead, I step two feet inside and close the door behind me. Standing awkwardly in the same room I was in earlier, the few clothes I gave her, still neatly folded and resting on the purplish couch.
“Mummy, cold!” one of the girl’s exclaims.
“I know, I’m sorry sweetie… we don’t have any warm water, ok? But we have to get yourselves all cleaned up.”
The door of their bathroom is a crack open. Sydney is leaning down and giving the girl’s their bath. Thinking it might take a little while longer; I sit back down onto the couch and listen to their conversation. I have to smile.
“I wants that!”
“No, not now. It’s late and it’s bedtime. Besides we’ll keep the dress for a special day”
I know the sound of that voice far well. It’s a too-expensive-for-you-to-wear tone. She wouldn’t be the first mother exchanging some neat clothes for food. I wish I could do more for them. Why am I even here? I still haven’t figured that one out.
Whilst I’m lost in my thoughts, a little hand suddenly shakes me out of my daydream. Ariel or Madison, I’m not quite sure which one, is standing in front of me clad in a worn footy pyjamas. Her glittering brown eyes staring up at me. I can clearly see how tired she is and right that moment her little fists start rubbing her sleepy eyes and a long yawn follows.
“You sleepy?” I question, lifting her up. She shakes her head and I sure do believe that! Since I’ve gotten acquainted with her earlier, she doesn’t object and lets me pick her up and onto the couch. Sitting down next to me, the couch seems so much bigger compared to me sitting in it.
“I’m so sorry…” Sydney reappears in the room balancing the other twin on her hip. “I just needed to get them ready for bed”
“’s okay” I reply, watching her fill up two bottles with milk. She then fills a casserole with water and sets the two bottles into the pot to heat them up.
“Damn it!” She hisses but neither of the girls acknowledges her blaspheming.
“’s something wrong?”
“No… I just… I gotta figure out how to get some milk tomorrow”
I am about to throw in that I could pay for it, but refrain myself from doing so. She might take this differently and I don’t want that. I’ll try it later. In the meantime, I stay in silence until the bottles of milk are ready for the girls. Then Sydney has more time to offer to me.
Sitting opposite of me in a chair, she has Madison in her lap; so Ariel is still sitting next to me. Both are fervently drinking their milk while Sydney and I take over some random conversation about the documentary we filmed; or rather it’s her asking questions and me answering them.
“You sure do have plenty of questions” I say matter of fact half an hour later.
“Oh… sorry… I didn’t mean… I didn’t know…” she stutters nervously, pulling a few strands of her messed up hair.
“No no… I was kidding. Ask anything you want”
But those were the wrong words to say, as she enquires “Why are you here?”
If only I knew an answer to that one. Well,… the least I can do is to be honest with her.
“First is… I don’t know. Then again,… I… I kinda like you. I’m not sure. I couldn’t stop thinking about you and before I knew it I was driving my way up here from the studios.”
“Oh” she replies, turning a shade of red. To make the situation even worse, since I’ve just admitted to her that I was somehow attracted to her and she not returning it, she says “I gotta bring the girls to bed”
Looking at Madison, tightly asleep in Sydney arms, my heart fills itself with warmth, then my eyes travel to my right, Ariel looking no different than her sister with an empty bottle stuck in her mouth.
Sydney gets up and carries Madison to her bed. It doesn’t take me long as I repeat the same action with Ariel. Removing the bottle out of the sleepy girl’s mouth and setting it onto the coffee table before lifting her up. She’s feather light. Holding her little frame in my arms, makes me feel all giddy and nervous inside. I join Sydney in the bedroom, who was about to get her second daughter.
“Oh… I… thank you” she says as I pass her over to Sydney and watch her lay Ariel cautiously down into the other small bed. She kisses both their foreheads before wishing them goodnight and turning off the light. We stand awkwardly in the door frame, until I let out aloud my thoughts,
“They’re little angels”
“Yes, they are” Sydney sighs. Meeting my eyes she quickly turns away, “I mean… they’re everything to me.”
“I know” I say, not knowing what else to say.
“Sydney” I call her attention. She stops to look back up at me. “I know, this might sound crazy, but please know that I’m not trying to play some sort of trick on you or something. I really like you… and I’d really like it if you and the girls would come to my house tomorrow.”
She opens her mouth to protest, but I don’t give her a chance, “Please let me finish. I’m not some sort of psycho, rapist or what so ever. It’s Christmas tomorrow and I’d like to make it special for you… all of you. Please let me do this for you.”
I’m pretty sure that she knows who I am, in spite her not owing a TV station. She sure has to know about the Association, after all they were the one helping her to find this flat for her. And, well, without being too presumptuous, people know that I’m famous for supporting the charity most of my free-time. There’s no reason for her to doubt my good meanings.
“I don’t know… I can’t ask you to do that”
“You’re not asking… I’m offering. Besides you ran out of milk, so reason more to come by my house”
A soft smile creeps up on her face; a smile filled with dimples in her cheeks that I want to reach out for. A smile that fills my heart with love and sweeps my feet off the ground.
I don’t know why but she’s accepting my offer and the next day I’m there to pick the three of them up.
“Hi”
“Hi”
“Hi”
“Hi”
Well that’s a great start for a conversation I conclude after strapping everybody into their respective car seats. The drive is solely passing by with the girls’ chattering in the back seat. Sydney and I occasionally have to smile and shake our heads at their words, but otherwise it’s all fairly quiet.
At my place, the girls are pretty much amazed by the large Christmas tree standing in the foyer. To make sure that neither of them would fall on the black ice outside the house, we both have one child attached to the hip. We slowly set them down onto the ground while they are like glued to the tree.
Talking to Sydney but getting no answer, I turn my head to see her mouth agape just like the girls’.
“Ok… never seen a Christmas tree?” I joke.
“None of these kinds! It’s huge!” she says looking at me and immediately blushing up at her exclamation. I smile at her sweetness and offer to take off her coat as well as the children’s.
“Mummy look!” Ariel throws in.
“Big!” Madison joins her sister.
“Yes! And I don’t want you to touch it, is that understood! I don’t want you to go running around and breaking stuff! It’s not yours!” Sydney reminds them kneeling down. The girls nod bravely their heads and then I welcome them into the family room that has both a fire burning in the chimney and a smaller version of a Christmas tree.
“How many have you gotten of those?” Sydney asks.
“Only two”
She rolls her eyes and sits down with the girls neatly placed on either side, which leaves me to take a seat opposite of them. We talk but the girls rapidly are bored so Sydney tells them to play with the doll they received yesterday. This soon though interrupts our conversation because they’re fighting about whom gets to play with it first.
Thus we decide to call it off and seat at the dining table. The maid marches in and serves us with some well deserved food. An extra smaller portion is set on the children’s plate and with lots of amusement I watch them comply eating their food. Sydney asks me to cut Ariel’s meat, so I do and can’t help to feel very content.
The entire dinner runs rather smoothly until Madison hits her arm into the saucepan and the china smashes onto the ground, and of course the sauce flies all over the expensive rug. Her eyes bolt at her mother as tears immediately begin to flow with a long wail. Sydney apologizes and wants to clean the entire mess herself. I have to insist for her to sit down, that it’s only sauce and can be washed out. The china though is broken in two, oh well… what’s broken is broken.
“Sydney, would you please! It’s no big deal!”
“But…!”
“No buts!” I order, practically pushed her down onto her chair.
Little by little throughout the entire morning and most part of the afternoon I get to know the twins better and I even am able to keep them apart. Madison has a slightly rounder face, but therefore is Ariel a little bit taller than her sister. It’s actually pretty funny to me, that too people that look so much a like can be so different. They definitely have their own temper. Ariel is the strong-headed, stubborn, pouting little girl that always needs to get what she wants. Whereas Madison prefers to stay still and follows her sister everywhere.
At a certain moment, while we’re back inside after a little walk in the chilly winter, Ariel starts ordering Madison around as if she were her maid. Sydney sure has to punish the little tantrum and to everybody’s surprise, Ariel throws herself into my legs, begging me to come to her rescue.
“I’m so sorry… Michael, I….. Ariel stop it! I think we should go home now. They didn’t get their nap this afternoon and it all starts to become a disaster. They’re going to turn your nice house upside down within minutes!” she exclaims, pulling on Ariel arms and telling her to let go.
“Don’t wanna go home!” she cries out loudly. While Sydney tries to get a grip on Ariel, Madison is taking her turn too, but less dramatically. Silent tears are rolling down her rozy cheeks. I kneel down and brush some of the salty drops away.
“Hey…” I start in a sweet whispering voice “Why are you crying?” she quickly retreats herself behind her mother remembering that she still has that certain fear from me. Ariel has calmed down somewhat but still sobs, eyeing her sister curiously. We all do by now.
“Mummy not go home”
“But we have to sweetie… we can’t stay here. It’s not our house, it’s Michaels’. He’s living here and we live back in the city. Alright”
“No!” They both pull their lip at once.
“Yes we do!”
“No!”
“I’m not going to have an argument with you ladies! Now come on, let’s get it moved!”
“But Santa! He’s coming here!” Madison practically yells us out of our skin. The look on her face is priceless. It’s between hope, giddiness, sleepiness and sadness; just way too cute to be mad at her for freaking us out.
I kneel back down to talk straight “What do you mean?” Not seeing why Santa wouldn’t come to their house, unless it were for the money that Sydney didn’t have to buy them gifts. I know that if she had, she’d give them everything she owed.
“You gots chimney! Santa gots through chimney! We don’t gots chimney!” Madison speaks the obvious, leaving Sydney and I to mentally slam our heads against the wall. How could we possibly not have figured this out?
Sydney is the one giving the explanation “Santa already gave the doll to Michael, who gave it to you last night, remember?”
I gather that takes years of practice, but that was nice… and smart. The twins stare at each other, thinking about their mother’s words. But finding nothing to say, they simply stand and wait; yet still with a pouting lip.
This is my turn again “But you know, if you’re very nice and mummy wants to, you could always come back another day.”
At that girls squeal delightfully, bouncing up and down. Sydney though not so much but eventually I’ll get through her. I can feel it how much she likes me, but feels unsure about her feelings. I’m surely not going to pressure her for anything. It takes time to realise that the feelings you’re feeling are true; that you’re actually in love with the rich man, that would do anything for you in the world, that can give you anything you ever needed in life, especially love and trust.
And I know she will, because the next day and the day after, and the day after that were spent together and little by little our relationship grew. On New Year’s Eve we kissed for the first time. It wasn’t really meant to happen; at least I hadn’t planned it. But things happen for no special reason.
Yet there we were, standing in the middle of the family room and two sleeping toddlers on the couch, kissing. It was so unreal at first, when I felt her smooth lips against mine. I’ve been waiting for this day since Christmas. It was perfect, kissing Sydney was perfect.
All in all a new year couldn’t have started better than this.
Today, 365 days later, exactly one year has passed since last year’s Christmas, since the day the most precious angels entered my life: Sydney, Ariel and Madison. And I hope there will be many many years to come… and maybe… maybe… another angel too.
THE HAPPY END
Madison (front), Ariel (back)
Author : cookiemonster
Summary: Vaughn’s most perfect Christmas presents
I’m going to tell you the most perfect story of how I met my wife for the first time and how I was blessed with the three most adorable angels in my life. Beware that this seems like a fairly tale, but unlike other fairy tales, this one is true.
One year earlier
Being a member of the “Children’s of God” Association myself, it is a duty for me, on Christmas Eve, to visit a handful of people that don’t have as much to share during this special season as I have. Thus I’m used to walk up to poor people’s door, knock and bless them with a very few items that could rejoice them. Whether it is some candles, cookies, fruits, electronic apparels or any sort of a kind, it makes me feel happy inside knowing that I contribute to the smile I get in return.
Sure I could make a donation, but isn’t it wonderful when you have an eighty year old man, sitting in front of you smiling away. After sharing his story of a lifetime with me, we embrace in warmly hugs before saying goodbye. Despite his tears in his eyes, I know that today I made his day better.
The camera is following me, while I knock from door to door. The people gladly let us inside, knowing far well what the cause of our visit is. Some are dancing, singing and laughing together with us while filming and some are just sharing news. The age groups vary from elderly persons that nobody is looking after to young people that don’t have a job.
Every Christmas it’s the same, I’ve seen all the bad in the world, and I can’t believe that such a rich country such as the United States of America has as poor people as those. They’re completely left to themselves and nobody takes care of them. I feel like somebody has to and I’m happy to be part of it.
At the next door, before entering the place, I’m informed about the person living right behind. Since the old woman that lived here last Christmas, died a couple of months ago, a new, younger woman moved in with her two children; two girls to be exact. I briefly scan the report in hand for the documentary, before I know at the door.
Just about two seconds later the door flies open, a little girl standing right in front of me. I crouch down, the camera follows suit. The girl stares into the camera, then back at me. She has the most amazing chocolate brown eyes I’ve ever seen and it literally knocks me out for a minute.
“Hi! I’m Michael, you must be Madison”
The little girl, that looks no older than three, shakes her head and whispers something in return. But before I could ask, she points her tiny forefinger to the back. Behind her, stands another girl of the spitting image.
“Oh, I’m sorry… so your name is Ariel and you… you are Madison”
This time they both nod their heads. They turn on their heels and head inside the shabby flat.
The entire crew follows their track where I meet up with the woman that appears to be their mother. When I lock eyes with the woman, I certainly recognize the resemblance between the girls and the woman. They sure do have the same hair and eye colour.
I shake hands with Sydney Bristow and she welcomes me to sit down onto her worn-out couch. She apologizes a couple of times but I assure her that everything is just fine and that she shouldn’t worry about any of it. She offers me some cookies, she and the girls have baked and in return we spoil her with some toys for the girls as well as some warm clothes for the winter and summer.
I don’t fail to notice that the list doesn’t contain anything for her. During my questions for the documentary, my eyes every so often travel to Ariel and Madison playing on the ground with their new doll. The entire room is filled with their soft laughter and giggles.
Far too soon, is it over and I already have to make my way over to the next underprivileged neighbour of this building.
The thing though is that when I return back home that very same evening, I can’t help but think about Sydney Bristow and her two little girls. It’s not the first time I also get to see mothers that are left alone with a couple, three, four, or sometimes more children to take care of. Especially this holiday season makes it very difficult for all of those people to keep up their strength, faith and hope for the years to come. Hardly very few people have a bright future insight.
I shouldn’t feel anymore different than I do towards other women. But something about Sydney Bristow got me very much intrigued. That smile, those eyes, her natural beauty… I don’t know… I can’t get her out of my head.
Before I even notice, I’m already driving all the way back opposite to my home, until I park my SUV at the front of the large building I was about three hours ago. My gaze goes up the five storey building. Too few are the lightings adorning the windows during Christmas season. People don’t have the money to waste electricity that way; that is if they have electricity.
There’s no elevator, so off I climb the three levels up to their flat. I perfectly remember which door I have to knock. Number 27, there it is! I knock but have no clue what I’m going to say.
This time it’s Sydney opening the door up for me. Needless to say that she seems more than surprised to see me.
“Hi… uh…please come in!” and then she’s gone. I stare to the left and to the right, wondering what is going on, but instead, I step two feet inside and close the door behind me. Standing awkwardly in the same room I was in earlier, the few clothes I gave her, still neatly folded and resting on the purplish couch.
“Mummy, cold!” one of the girl’s exclaims.
“I know, I’m sorry sweetie… we don’t have any warm water, ok? But we have to get yourselves all cleaned up.”
The door of their bathroom is a crack open. Sydney is leaning down and giving the girl’s their bath. Thinking it might take a little while longer; I sit back down onto the couch and listen to their conversation. I have to smile.
“I wants that!”
“No, not now. It’s late and it’s bedtime. Besides we’ll keep the dress for a special day”
I know the sound of that voice far well. It’s a too-expensive-for-you-to-wear tone. She wouldn’t be the first mother exchanging some neat clothes for food. I wish I could do more for them. Why am I even here? I still haven’t figured that one out.
Whilst I’m lost in my thoughts, a little hand suddenly shakes me out of my daydream. Ariel or Madison, I’m not quite sure which one, is standing in front of me clad in a worn footy pyjamas. Her glittering brown eyes staring up at me. I can clearly see how tired she is and right that moment her little fists start rubbing her sleepy eyes and a long yawn follows.
“You sleepy?” I question, lifting her up. She shakes her head and I sure do believe that! Since I’ve gotten acquainted with her earlier, she doesn’t object and lets me pick her up and onto the couch. Sitting down next to me, the couch seems so much bigger compared to me sitting in it.
“I’m so sorry…” Sydney reappears in the room balancing the other twin on her hip. “I just needed to get them ready for bed”
“’s okay” I reply, watching her fill up two bottles with milk. She then fills a casserole with water and sets the two bottles into the pot to heat them up.
“Damn it!” She hisses but neither of the girls acknowledges her blaspheming.
“’s something wrong?”
“No… I just… I gotta figure out how to get some milk tomorrow”
I am about to throw in that I could pay for it, but refrain myself from doing so. She might take this differently and I don’t want that. I’ll try it later. In the meantime, I stay in silence until the bottles of milk are ready for the girls. Then Sydney has more time to offer to me.
Sitting opposite of me in a chair, she has Madison in her lap; so Ariel is still sitting next to me. Both are fervently drinking their milk while Sydney and I take over some random conversation about the documentary we filmed; or rather it’s her asking questions and me answering them.
“You sure do have plenty of questions” I say matter of fact half an hour later.
“Oh… sorry… I didn’t mean… I didn’t know…” she stutters nervously, pulling a few strands of her messed up hair.
“No no… I was kidding. Ask anything you want”
But those were the wrong words to say, as she enquires “Why are you here?”
If only I knew an answer to that one. Well,… the least I can do is to be honest with her.
“First is… I don’t know. Then again,… I… I kinda like you. I’m not sure. I couldn’t stop thinking about you and before I knew it I was driving my way up here from the studios.”
“Oh” she replies, turning a shade of red. To make the situation even worse, since I’ve just admitted to her that I was somehow attracted to her and she not returning it, she says “I gotta bring the girls to bed”
Looking at Madison, tightly asleep in Sydney arms, my heart fills itself with warmth, then my eyes travel to my right, Ariel looking no different than her sister with an empty bottle stuck in her mouth.
Sydney gets up and carries Madison to her bed. It doesn’t take me long as I repeat the same action with Ariel. Removing the bottle out of the sleepy girl’s mouth and setting it onto the coffee table before lifting her up. She’s feather light. Holding her little frame in my arms, makes me feel all giddy and nervous inside. I join Sydney in the bedroom, who was about to get her second daughter.
“Oh… I… thank you” she says as I pass her over to Sydney and watch her lay Ariel cautiously down into the other small bed. She kisses both their foreheads before wishing them goodnight and turning off the light. We stand awkwardly in the door frame, until I let out aloud my thoughts,
“They’re little angels”
“Yes, they are” Sydney sighs. Meeting my eyes she quickly turns away, “I mean… they’re everything to me.”
“I know” I say, not knowing what else to say.
“Sydney” I call her attention. She stops to look back up at me. “I know, this might sound crazy, but please know that I’m not trying to play some sort of trick on you or something. I really like you… and I’d really like it if you and the girls would come to my house tomorrow.”
She opens her mouth to protest, but I don’t give her a chance, “Please let me finish. I’m not some sort of psycho, rapist or what so ever. It’s Christmas tomorrow and I’d like to make it special for you… all of you. Please let me do this for you.”
I’m pretty sure that she knows who I am, in spite her not owing a TV station. She sure has to know about the Association, after all they were the one helping her to find this flat for her. And, well, without being too presumptuous, people know that I’m famous for supporting the charity most of my free-time. There’s no reason for her to doubt my good meanings.
“I don’t know… I can’t ask you to do that”
“You’re not asking… I’m offering. Besides you ran out of milk, so reason more to come by my house”
A soft smile creeps up on her face; a smile filled with dimples in her cheeks that I want to reach out for. A smile that fills my heart with love and sweeps my feet off the ground.
I don’t know why but she’s accepting my offer and the next day I’m there to pick the three of them up.
“Hi”
“Hi”
“Hi”
“Hi”
Well that’s a great start for a conversation I conclude after strapping everybody into their respective car seats. The drive is solely passing by with the girls’ chattering in the back seat. Sydney and I occasionally have to smile and shake our heads at their words, but otherwise it’s all fairly quiet.
At my place, the girls are pretty much amazed by the large Christmas tree standing in the foyer. To make sure that neither of them would fall on the black ice outside the house, we both have one child attached to the hip. We slowly set them down onto the ground while they are like glued to the tree.
Talking to Sydney but getting no answer, I turn my head to see her mouth agape just like the girls’.
“Ok… never seen a Christmas tree?” I joke.
“None of these kinds! It’s huge!” she says looking at me and immediately blushing up at her exclamation. I smile at her sweetness and offer to take off her coat as well as the children’s.
“Mummy look!” Ariel throws in.
“Big!” Madison joins her sister.
“Yes! And I don’t want you to touch it, is that understood! I don’t want you to go running around and breaking stuff! It’s not yours!” Sydney reminds them kneeling down. The girls nod bravely their heads and then I welcome them into the family room that has both a fire burning in the chimney and a smaller version of a Christmas tree.
“How many have you gotten of those?” Sydney asks.
“Only two”
She rolls her eyes and sits down with the girls neatly placed on either side, which leaves me to take a seat opposite of them. We talk but the girls rapidly are bored so Sydney tells them to play with the doll they received yesterday. This soon though interrupts our conversation because they’re fighting about whom gets to play with it first.
Thus we decide to call it off and seat at the dining table. The maid marches in and serves us with some well deserved food. An extra smaller portion is set on the children’s plate and with lots of amusement I watch them comply eating their food. Sydney asks me to cut Ariel’s meat, so I do and can’t help to feel very content.
The entire dinner runs rather smoothly until Madison hits her arm into the saucepan and the china smashes onto the ground, and of course the sauce flies all over the expensive rug. Her eyes bolt at her mother as tears immediately begin to flow with a long wail. Sydney apologizes and wants to clean the entire mess herself. I have to insist for her to sit down, that it’s only sauce and can be washed out. The china though is broken in two, oh well… what’s broken is broken.
“Sydney, would you please! It’s no big deal!”
“But…!”
“No buts!” I order, practically pushed her down onto her chair.
Little by little throughout the entire morning and most part of the afternoon I get to know the twins better and I even am able to keep them apart. Madison has a slightly rounder face, but therefore is Ariel a little bit taller than her sister. It’s actually pretty funny to me, that too people that look so much a like can be so different. They definitely have their own temper. Ariel is the strong-headed, stubborn, pouting little girl that always needs to get what she wants. Whereas Madison prefers to stay still and follows her sister everywhere.
At a certain moment, while we’re back inside after a little walk in the chilly winter, Ariel starts ordering Madison around as if she were her maid. Sydney sure has to punish the little tantrum and to everybody’s surprise, Ariel throws herself into my legs, begging me to come to her rescue.
“I’m so sorry… Michael, I….. Ariel stop it! I think we should go home now. They didn’t get their nap this afternoon and it all starts to become a disaster. They’re going to turn your nice house upside down within minutes!” she exclaims, pulling on Ariel arms and telling her to let go.
“Don’t wanna go home!” she cries out loudly. While Sydney tries to get a grip on Ariel, Madison is taking her turn too, but less dramatically. Silent tears are rolling down her rozy cheeks. I kneel down and brush some of the salty drops away.
“Hey…” I start in a sweet whispering voice “Why are you crying?” she quickly retreats herself behind her mother remembering that she still has that certain fear from me. Ariel has calmed down somewhat but still sobs, eyeing her sister curiously. We all do by now.
“Mummy not go home”
“But we have to sweetie… we can’t stay here. It’s not our house, it’s Michaels’. He’s living here and we live back in the city. Alright”
“No!” They both pull their lip at once.
“Yes we do!”
“No!”
“I’m not going to have an argument with you ladies! Now come on, let’s get it moved!”
“But Santa! He’s coming here!” Madison practically yells us out of our skin. The look on her face is priceless. It’s between hope, giddiness, sleepiness and sadness; just way too cute to be mad at her for freaking us out.
I kneel back down to talk straight “What do you mean?” Not seeing why Santa wouldn’t come to their house, unless it were for the money that Sydney didn’t have to buy them gifts. I know that if she had, she’d give them everything she owed.
“You gots chimney! Santa gots through chimney! We don’t gots chimney!” Madison speaks the obvious, leaving Sydney and I to mentally slam our heads against the wall. How could we possibly not have figured this out?
Sydney is the one giving the explanation “Santa already gave the doll to Michael, who gave it to you last night, remember?”
I gather that takes years of practice, but that was nice… and smart. The twins stare at each other, thinking about their mother’s words. But finding nothing to say, they simply stand and wait; yet still with a pouting lip.
This is my turn again “But you know, if you’re very nice and mummy wants to, you could always come back another day.”
At that girls squeal delightfully, bouncing up and down. Sydney though not so much but eventually I’ll get through her. I can feel it how much she likes me, but feels unsure about her feelings. I’m surely not going to pressure her for anything. It takes time to realise that the feelings you’re feeling are true; that you’re actually in love with the rich man, that would do anything for you in the world, that can give you anything you ever needed in life, especially love and trust.
And I know she will, because the next day and the day after, and the day after that were spent together and little by little our relationship grew. On New Year’s Eve we kissed for the first time. It wasn’t really meant to happen; at least I hadn’t planned it. But things happen for no special reason.
Yet there we were, standing in the middle of the family room and two sleeping toddlers on the couch, kissing. It was so unreal at first, when I felt her smooth lips against mine. I’ve been waiting for this day since Christmas. It was perfect, kissing Sydney was perfect.
All in all a new year couldn’t have started better than this.
Today, 365 days later, exactly one year has passed since last year’s Christmas, since the day the most precious angels entered my life: Sydney, Ariel and Madison. And I hope there will be many many years to come… and maybe… maybe… another angel too.
THE HAPPY END
Madison (front), Ariel (back)
