Page 5 of Snowed in with Scrooge

“Sit there.” I realize it comes out like an order, and I try to soften my tone. I don’t have to sound like an asshole even though it seems to be my default setting. “You’ll be warm by the fire.”

“Thanks.”

“Chicken nuggs?” Mina chirps, and I nod.

“Didn’t you just eat?” My brow furrows, and it makes Mina giggle. “Fine, I'll make you some more. Go sit with your mom.”

Mina looks around in confusion and then points to the couch. “Wanna sit with Nyah.” She grabs my arms and tries to jump off the counter, but I catch her at the last second.

“I’m Nyah,” Beauty says from the couch before helping Mina cuddle beside her.

“You’re not her mom?” I ask, and she shakes her head.

“No, we’re sisters.” There are dark circles under her eyes, and she’s pale from the fever, but when she smiles at little Mina, it’s sweet and tender.

“Oh” is all I say because I wonder how that’s possible. They must be more than twenty years apart.

Mina points to the television, and I reach for the remote and take it off mute. She watches intently as Nyah strokes her head and I go back to the kitchen.

“I’m not sure she quite understands the concept of mom and sister,” Nyah says while Mina is distracted. “She’s with me all the time, so I’m pretty much all she knows.”

Grabbing some frozen chicken nuggets and fries, I load them into the toaster oven. “You raise her on your own?”

“It’s complicated.” Nyah’s voice is soft, and when I look over at her, she shrugs. “But her mom isn’t in the picture anymore.”

“The dad?” The way Nyah flinches makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Yeah, that’s who she’s running from.

“Like I said.” She shrugs and then gives me a half smile that’s not genuine at all. “It’s complicated.”

I don’t say anything else before opening the freezer and taking out a container of soup my mom made for me a while back. She likes to make big batches of this stuff so we can have them during storms. They’re easy to heat up over the fire if the power goes out, but thankfully I can do this in the microwave.

A few minutes later, I bring over a tray of food for the both of them, and I see Mina is already asleep. Nyah looks at the spread and then up at me with the oddest expression on her face.

“You must think I’m an idiot.”

“Why?” I’m genuinely confused as I take a seat in the chair next to the couch.

“Getting stuck in a snowstorm.” She shrugs, and then I see tears forming in her eyes.

“It happens more than you’d think,” I try to reassure her, but it probably doesn’t work. My words always come out harsher than I intend them to. “I just mean you’re not the only one.”

She sniffs and then nods. “I really appreciate you saving us, and all this too.” She looks around and then takes a bite of the soup. The humming sound of approval she makes is soft, and it makes something weird happen in my chest.

“It’s not a problem.” I’m surprised that I mean the words when I say them. Glancing down at Mina, I can’t help but remember AJ at this age. It was only a couple of years ago, but he’s grown so much since then. There’s so much I’m missing because of the pain I feel when I get close to him.

“Why don’t you decorate for Christmas?” The question surprises me and pulls me out of my spiraling thoughts.

“I don’t celebrate.” It’s the generic response I’ve given people in the past and seems to be enough. But somehow, I know that Nyah won’t be so easily appeased by it.

“You don’t have family?”

“I do.”

“Do they live far away?” she asks between bites.

“No.” The more answers I give her, the more she seems to want.

“Do they not celebrate?”

---