Page 138 of The Twelve Months of Christmas
“I’m not a man. I’m just a shell.”
“You’re more of a man, even in that hospital bed, than most men will ever be. Now, don’t you go giving up. This is not the end of our story.”
It only felt like it.
“We are a sad bunch,” Sunny said as Arianna, Molly and Ava all sat around her kitchen table on the first Saturday in November.
No one said anything to that.
“We need to do something in November to celebrate.”
“No, we don’t,” snapped Arianna. “I’m done celebrating.”
“Me, too,” Molly said. “Reggie’s turning into the stinker of the rehab center and yelling at everyone from the nurse’s aide to his physical therapist. He told me to go away yesterday.”
“That’s not our Reggie. What did you do?” Sunny asked.
“I went away. Then I went home and cried.”
“This is all normal,” Arianna told her. “Coping with the aftermath of a stroke is an emotional roller coaster.”
“I hate roller coasters,” Molly grumbled.
“Listen to us. We’re all miserable and complaining and it’s almost Thanksgiving,” Sunny said.
“You don’t have anything to be miserable about,” Arianna said irritably. “It’s easy to celebrate when your life is perfect.”
Whoa, how about a nice verbal slap for the holidays?thought Sunny. Okay, so she did sound like Little Miss Clueless. But why pick on her? Was it her fault that her life happened to be good at the moment?
“Sunny’s right,” Ava said.
“Not you, too,” Arianna said in disgust.
Uh-oh. That look on Ava’s face meant trouble.
Sure enough. “You’re suffering, but that doesn’t mean everyone else’s life is perfect. Do you think you’re the first woman to have something go wrong in her life? Do you think you’re the first woman to have a shitty ex?” Ava demanded of Arianna. “What do you know about absentee fathers and trying so hard to find someone worth bringing home to your kid just to find out you picked wrong again? What do you know about having to explain to your daughter why she has no daddy in her life like her friends all have?”
“What do you know about your mother dying?” Arianna came back in a heated retort.
Ugly silence reigned.
Finally Ava broke it. “I don’t know anything about that, and I hope I don’t have to for a long time. But my mom just almost lost the second love of her life and she’s fighting hard to keep his spirits up. Sunny had the stepdaughter from hell and it took falling and almost breaking her head to get the kid’s attention. We all go through stuff, but we’re supposed to be helping each other get through it. And, darn it all, we all still have something to be thankful for.”
Arianna scowled and bit off the nail on her index finger.
“You’ve got a great guy in your life,” Ava continued. “Reggie didn’t die. Sunny’s been the kind of friend to you that people make up and put in books. She’s been a good friend to all of us,” Ava added. “Our kids are doing well and are healthy. We still have things to be grateful for and we need to remember that. And we need Christmas in November!”
“Well, I don’t,” Arianna growled, and pushed away from the table. “I’m going home...to my wonderful life.”
A moment later the door was slamming behind her. Sunny took a sip of her latte and Molly studied her mug.
“That went well,” Ava said.
“Uh, yeah,” said Molly.
“So what are we going to do for Christmas in November?” Ava asked.
Molly gave the table a thump. “We are going to count our blessings. Let’s get planning.”
