Page 22 of The Twelve Months of Christmas
Their conversation set the tone and the rest of her day was good. It was easy to smile at people when you were happy.
After work she stopped by the Safeway deli and picked up a chicken breast and some potato salad. Then she went home, slipped off her shoes and kicked back on the couch to watch a rom-com. It turned out to be a tale of second chances and she went to bed wishing she’d looked a little harder for a second chance when she was younger.
Too late now. Love was a thing of the past for her. That sleigh had left the hangar.
Still, it sure would be nice to have someone to pal around with, maybe even cuddle up next to and watch TV. Was it too late to look for that?
CHRISTMAS
IN JANUARY
5
“Christmas in January?” Ava repeated after Molly had called to invite her to the skating party. “What’s that about?”
“A chance to get out and do more,” Molly said. “With both of you. I’m turning into a lump.”
“Of coal?” Ava teased.
“You are cute,” Molly said, unimpressed.
“That’s what you always told me.”
“So, are you up for it?”
“Of course. And it will be fun for Paisley. She’s never ice-skated.”
“Neither have you,” pointed out Molly. “Why didn’t I take you ice-skating?”
“Maybe because you were busy working so you could pay the bills?” Ava suggested. “Anyway, you took me and my friends to Skateland for roller-skating and that was just as good.”
She hadn’t even done that very much. The old skating rink was no more so she’d never be able to take Paisley. She had more money now, though. She needed to start planning more adventures for her granddaughter to make up for what she hadn’t been able to give her daughter.
“I never did get you to Disneyland,” she said. One of her parenting failures.
“I went with the marching band so it was okay.”
“I always wanted to take you myself.”
“Is it my imagination or are you feeling guilty again?”
“I should have done more of those big things,” Molly said.
“You did the important things. I loved that you were never too busy to spend time with me or listen to my problems.”
It had been just the two of them after Booker died, and Molly had made spending time together her top priority. She hadn’t had a ton of money to spend on fancy outings but she’d managed visits to Dairy Queen and had mother-daughter baking binges and craft nights and hosted her fair share of slumber parties.
“And you were always there for me when I screwed up,” Ava added, and they both knew to what she was referring.
Ava’s big love had been a big disappointment, but they’d gotten Paisley out of the deal. Ava had ditched the loser and come away a winner.
“I’m glad you’re my mom,” Ava added, making Molly tear up. “And I’m glad you’re making time to do more stuff.”
“If not now, when? Right?”
“Right,” Ava said.
They said their goodbyes and I love yous and Molly ended the call feeling excited about both their January excursion and the upcoming year. Sunny had been inspired and they were all going to benefit from it.
