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6
Blue Christmas
Celine
Elvis Presley’s Blue Christmas played from the speakers in the car. The kids sang along to the lyrics while I drove us home from the local shopping plaza, our trunk filled with small gifts for our beautiful Christmas.
From what Ryan had told me this morning, Amber wasn’t taking this well. That girl loved Christmas more than me, and she had come from a rough upbringing. All she wanted to do was give her kids everything she never had.
Ace and I had struggled with the adjustment, too. Things had been so tense at first. There was a lot of blame throwing, and I took most of it, knowing that if I had been there the last few years, we all wouldn’t be in this predicament. But Ace insisted that there was nothing anyone could have done to stop my father.
The temperature had dropped significantly this year, and the kids were bundled up in the back of my BMW SUV. The cold had been a blessing and a welcome reprieve. I couldn’t handle another sweltering day. I needed the relief from the humid air, and this had helped everyone get into the holiday mood as well.
“Can we get Starbucks, Mom?” Summer asked as the sign came up on our right. I quickly calculated in my head if we could do it, if four small drinks would be okay. “Mom, did you hear me?” She leaned forward and tapped my arm.
Geez, she could be impatient.
“I’m thinking about it.”
We really shouldn’t, but with it being Christmas in three days, it wouldn’t hurt to do something fun. Ace would be okay with it. I had kept to our newly implemented budget. I stopped online shopping – which had been the hardest – and we no longer ordered food for dinner. Friday nights were spent at the dining room table as we played Monopoly instead of going to the movies or out for dinner.
At first, I had felt like a college student again, having to cut corners to make ends meet, and it had been frustrating to be so powerless to the situation, but Ace assured me that he would fix this.
We listed our beautiful lake house that he had gotten for me as a surprise a few years back. So far, we had no takers, but I knew that come January when everyone’s thoughts weren’t consumed by the holidays, we would sell it quickly. Even though I knew we had to do it, I really didn’t want to.
That house meant so much to me.
We already had so many memories there, had spent a handful of summers there with our little family. I wanted the kids to have a place to go to when they got older like Ryan and I had, but now, we had no choice.
We needed the money to save the company, our future, and our livelihood.
“Mom, you’re going to pass it!” Summer insisted again.
“Alright, alright! Everyone can get a small.” I hit my turn signal and pulled into the turning lane, joining the long, drive-through line.
“A small? We usually get a medium, and there are a few days left to get holiday flavors. Come on, Mom, please?” Summer begged, getting her siblings to start begging, too.
“Hush now – all of you, or I’ll pull right out of this line, and there will be no Starbucks for anyone.” Silence fell among the three almost instantly.
Sometimes, I truly believed they were ungrateful brats – always trying to get something from me and Ace, but then, I had to remind myself that I was just as annoying as a child, and I turned out just fine, so eventually, they would, too.
After placing the order at the machine, I cringed at the total of $22.51 for the four drinks. It’s almost Christmas. It wasn’t the kids’ fault that we were going to lose the company.
At the window, I brought out my app and let the young barista scan it. “It’s actually buy-one-get-one-free, so you have one free drink. And you have enough points to redeem another free drink. Would you like to use your star rewards?”
Thank you, God.
I broke out into a wide grin. “Yes, please. That would be wonderful.” The total drops to $10.51, and I sighed in relief. Now that was a Christmas miracle right there.
I dropped a few bills into the tip jar and smiled at the young girl when she handed me the tray of coffee milkshakes.
“Thank you, ma’am.” She smiled back, her eyes lighting up at the three dollars I had stuck in the plastic jar. Sometimes, it didn’t take a lot to make someone’s day.
“Happy holidays, honey.” I hit the button to close my window and handed the tray of drinks to Summer to disperse to everyone.
“Thank you, Mom!” The three chanted, and the sound of them ripping open their straws and then sucking down a loud sip, followed by loud sighs echoed in the car.
* * *
