Chapter 11
The winter months arrived with a cold fury,
blanketing the entire city in thick,
and heavily sparkling white snow,
that turned the world into a quiet wonderland.
Jessica and Emma spent their weekends indoors,
building massive forts out of couch cushions,
and stringing colorful fairy lights,
across the living room ceiling.
They drank gallons of rich hot chocolate,
topped with tiny,
and completely sweet white marshmallows,
reading thick storybooks by the warm fireplace.
The holidays approached quickly,
and for the first time in her entire life,
Jessica did not feel a rising sense of utter dread,
twisting painfully in her tight stomach.
There would be no massive,
and entirely stressful family dinner this year,
no passive-aggressive comments about her cooking,
and no cruel comparisons between Emma and the other cousins.
It would be just the two of them,
celebrating exactly the way they wanted to,
creating new,
and wonderfully healthy traditions together.
They bought a small,
and slightly crooked pine tree,
and decorated it with handmade ornaments,
and long strings of bright red cranberries.
Emma placed a shiny gold star on the very top,
clapping her hands in pure delight,
as the colorful lights twinkled brightly in the dark room.
On Christmas morning,
they woke up early,
and opened their small pile of presents,
taking their time to appreciate every single gift.
Jessica gave Emma the puppy she had wished for,
a tiny,
and incredibly fluffy golden retriever mix,
who immediately licked Emma's entire face.
Emma cried tears of absolute joy,
hugging the small dog tightly against her chest,
and naming him Buster right on the spot.
The house was suddenly filled with happy,
and completely chaotic puppy energy,
with Buster chasing his own tail endlessly,
and chewing softly on Jessica's fuzzy slippers.
They spent the entire day playing on the floor,
eating warm cinnamon rolls for breakfast,
and ignoring the rest of the busy world completely.
Jessica checked her phone only once,
noticing a single,
and very brief voicemail from an unknown number.
She listened to it standing in the quiet hallway,
hearing her mother's cold,
and completely unapologetic voice echoing through the speaker,
demanding to know why they hadn't visited.
Jessica didn't feel a single ounce of guilt,
or the familiar spike of pure panic,
she simply deleted the dark message immediately,
and placed the phone back on the hallway table.
She walked back into the bright living room,
where Emma was tossing a small red ball for Buster,
and she sat down beside them on the soft rug.
The past was entirely gone,
and the future was incredibly bright,
and filled with unconditional love.
She watched her daughter laugh freely,
a sound that was more beautiful than any song,
and she knew she had given her the greatest gift of all,
the gift of a truly happy,
and completely safe childhood.
They ordered Chinese takeout for dinner,
eating the salty noodles straight from the cardboard boxes,
and watching the snow fall heavily outside the window.
It was the best holiday they had ever had,
quiet,
May you like
peaceful,
and entirely their own.
