Page 74 of The Twelve Months of Christmas
“Oh, come on. It’s obvious he doesn’t have any money. He’s probably planning to mooch off you.”
“Just because he doesn’t drive a new car, which, by the way, he’s replacing.”
Ava gave a disdainful snort. “So he says. And that coat he was wearing, I mean he’s not exactly dressing for success.”
“He’s obviously retired and doesn’t have to.”
“Yeah, retired. How old is this guy? He’s got to be at least ten years older than you. Maybe more.”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake, Ava, you’re being ridiculous. So what if he’s a little older?”
“A little? Mom, I had no idea you were that lonely but don’t do anything...desperate.”
Molly scowled at her phone. “I’m not desperate and I’m not lonely.” She wasn’t. She was...wistful.
“Just don’t rush into anything, okay?”
“Strappin’ on my saddle and off to the races,” Molly muttered. Honestly, how foolish did her daughter think she was?
“I’d better go,” Ava said.
Yes, you’d better.
“I love you,” she added.
Which, of course, was why she worried. And Molly got it. Ava had had some rocky relationships. Paisley’s dad had been irresponsible and into drugs and had eventually—thank God—wandered out of their lives. The two others that followed hadn’t been much better, and one of them, Ava quickly figured out, had considered her Miss Booty Call of Bremerton. Love losers. It was no wonder Ava had a suspicious mind.
But Molly was sure Reggie wasn’t a love loser. Granted, he did look a little money-starved, but she wasn’t looking for a wallet. And so what if he was older? She wasn’t exactly a baby herself. Anyway, they weren’t talking about running off to Vegas in search of a wedding chapel. They were just friends.
So far.
“I love you, too,” she said to her daughter, and ended the call.And I really like Reggie Washington.
It was time to make another video for the YouTube channel. The topic this time was living life to the fullest. Mia had dressed in her favorite black leggings, a black top and turquoise sweater. She was wearing one of her new turbans and had accented it with dangly rhinestone earrings. She’d worn full makeup as well, and looking at her, no one would think she was undergoing chemo. Except for the turban, which was a giveaway.
“Mom and I want to keep sharing in the hopes that what we’re doing will encourage someone else who’s going through this. It’s hard, emotionally,” Arianna said. “For the both the patient and the family. No matter what the health issue, you can’t take your emotions out of the equation because our health, whether it’s good or bad, affects our emotions.”
“And our emotional state can either make it easier or harder to deal with health problems,” put in Mia. “Which is why I think it’s important to do things to keep your spirits up.”
Her mother was a champ at that.
“Of course, it all depends on what your loved one is battling and how much energy that person has,” said Arianna. “What medications are being taken. You also have to consider safety issues.”
“But we believe there is always something you can do,” Mia put in.
That was the cue to start running down their list of suggestions. They ranged from afternoon tea parties with a teapot and scones set up next to the bed to looking at old family pictures to video chatting. Mia showed off the manicure Arianna had recently given her and talked about the stack of books her daughter had brought her from the library.
“Sometimes, the best gift you can give someone is a few hours of escape,” she said.
Sadly the escape wasn’t permanent, but Arianna didn’t mention the obvious.
“There’s one other thing we’re doing,” Mia said, going off-script, and Arianna looked at her in surprise. “My daughter and her friends have decided to celebrate Christmas all year long, so every month, as close to the twenty-fifth as they can get, they do something to celebrate. We recently celebrated a St. Patty’s Day Christmas, and I enjoyed watching while the girls made Christmas cookies for the leprechauns.”
“Who we made honorary Santa’s helpers,” Arianna said, going with the flow.
“What’s on for April?” Mia asked, putting her daughter on the spot.
“You’ll have to wait and see,” Arianna said. Then turned back to the camera. “Stay tuned.”
