Page 21 of Ten Christmases Without You
“All right. We can hang out with the aunts instead. I’m sure Aunt Elsie would love to show you her latest knitting stitch. Maybe we could get a tutorial. And if we do, I’ll be sure to keep the champagne coming.” She raised her half-empty glass and made a face.
Aunts Elsie and Charlotte were already sitting around the table when Emmy and Madison took their places. Emmy sat between Uncle Brian and her dad, a few people down from Madison, who’d made the great mistake of taking the chair beside Uncle Stephen, ensuring that she’d have quite a bit ofinteresting conversation. A place sat empty across from Emmy, reminding her of Charlie’s absence. Aunt Charlotte had set a place for him—that was sweet of her.
Elsie was the first to begin passing the dishes, opting for the mashed potatoes. She scooped a large dollop and dropped it onto her plate, then passed the bowl to Charlotte.
With the empty spot across from her, Emmy had a clear view of her mother’s painting, as if to put an exclamation point on the atmosphere of the holiday. She focused on the long brown locks of her mother’s hair, adjusting her fixation on it until the image became nothing more than shiny streaks of oil paint.
“She was certainly beautiful, wasn’t she?” Aunt Charlotte asked, following Emmy’s gaze. “Your mom had such a gentle and easy presence—she didn’t have to try.”
Aunt Charlotte passed the platter of turkey to Elsie. “And talented,” she added. “Did you know that when you girls were little,” Elsie waggled a finger at Madison and Emmy, “she was offered a design contract in New York, but turned it down? She’d left the business a few years before, and they were still asking.”
Emmy’s dad smiled lovingly at the painting, thoughts lurking behind his eyes.
“She wanted a family more than all that glitz and glamour,” Emmy’s father said.
His comment drew Emmy inward. Her mother knew what she wanted, but Emmy seemed to be floundering. For so many years, she’d focused on school and then on getting a job. Then, she’d thrown herself into trying to move up the corporate ladder to no avail. Was Emmy chasing the wrong thing?
After dinner,they all gathered in the living room for the annual White Elephant gift exchange. Emmy had been so excited about her fortune-telling ball, but without the fresh perspective that Charlie brought, she’d slipped back into the normalcy of her life.
Be positive, she told herself.Try to enjoy the moment.
Aunt Elsie clapped her hands together, getting everyone’s attention, her hips swaying back and forth, and picked up the jar that had held their drawing numbers over the years. “I thought we’d mix things up this Christmas,” she said, as she began handing everyone a slip of paper. “Each of you has a trivia question. We’ll start with the youngest person and go clockwise. If you can answer your question, you choose a gift or steal. If you can’t, you skip your turn, wait until everyone has gone once, and draw another question.”
She finished handing out the slips of paper.
“I guess I’m first then.” Emmy opened the folded slip. “Which reindeer’s name begins with B?” She mentally hummed the song with their names but as she got to the fourth one, her mind went blank. She sang it again under her breath.
“You know this,” Madison said.
“No helping,” Elsie said lightheartedly.
“I’m not helping. I’m encouraging,” Madison returned.
“Blitzen!” Emmy called, utterly relieved.
Though if she hadn’t thought of it, she could’ve stolen a better gift later.
She picked up a large, wrapped cylinder and pulled it into her lap. Curious, she knocked on the top of it by the bow. “It sounds like a drum.”
Her dad laughed.
Emmy tore off the paper to reveal an enormous tin of popcorn. “Oh, it has three flavors,” she said, scanning the ingredients and information. “Caramel, butter, and chocolate.”
“Better not open it yet,” Madison said. “I’ve got my eye on that one and I’m next.”
Her sister read aloud her trivia question: “What were Frosty the Snowman’s first words when he came to life?” She wrinkled her nose. “Hello? Merry Christmas?”
Elsie reached under her chair and consulted a clipboard.
“Wait, you have the answers?” Madison said, pawing playfully at her aunt. “Let me see.”
Aunt Elsie leaned away from her. “Don’t be a party pooper,” she said with a laugh. “I’m sorry to say that Frosty’s words were ‘Happy birthday.’”
Madison pretended to pout, crossing her arms.
Emmy leaned toward her. “There’s one flaw in this game,” she whispered. “If you answer incorrectly, you actually have a better shot of a good gift. Now, you’ll get last pick.”
Madison tipped her head back, amused.
