It was a cold night. Snow came down so fast that you could barely see three feet in front of you. But inside, it was warm and cozy, and a star glittered at the top of a Christmas tree. We liked to gather here, when the weather was like this, and enjoy each other’s company. Stella would always examine the ornaments, occasionally breaking them, but nobody really minded, as we had a lot of ornaments. The scent of pine filled the air, and we breathed it in, letting it soothe us until we could barely keep our eyes open. Those nights were always Sophie’s favorites, but remembering them widened the gaping hole in her heart. So much had changed since those memories. First of all, Sophie’s dad was gone. He had died two years before, and everything felt meaningless without him. And since her dad had been the only one in the family who had a real job, Sophie’s family was very poor, too. Until Sophie had gotten a job at the grocery store, Melanie, Sophie’s mother, had baked and sold custom cupcakes, but that hadn’t brought much money in. As Sophie drove home, still wearing her green employee vest, she pondered how Christmas could ever be the same without her dad there to share the season. Deep in her heart, she knew that her dad would have wanted her to try and be happy, but how could Sophie ever be happy without him there beside her? As Sophie pulled into the driveway of her house, the snow began to come down. It was nice to look at the snow coming down, and to try to catch a snowflake on the tip of your tongue, but the weather forecast had predicted eight inches of snow tonight. Sophie pulled her black coat closer around her, and trudged through the snow to the door of her house. The atmosphere was warm and cheery, but still, something felt really off. With a sinking heart, Sophie realized what was wrong: dad wasn’t there. It had been like this last year, too. And just thinking that thought made her eyes tear up. Suddenly the aroma of baking cookies coming from the kitchen shook her mind awake again. She drifted into the kitchen. There Stella was, baking Christmas cookies. “Hey Stella! Yum, those cookies look delicious!” Stella, a perky ten-year-old, loved to bake. In fact, she had often assisted their mother at her bake shop. “Where’s mom?” Sophie asked, already leaving the kitchen. “She’s in her room. Getting ready.” Stella’s voice warbled out of the kitchen. Sophie ran up the stairs to the top floor of the house, taking two steps at a time. She opened the door to her mother’s room. It looked a lot like the closet had rebelled and spit out all of the clothes. Next to the bed, her mother was pacing back and forth. “Is everything okay?” Sophie asked warily. “I don’t know what to wear! I mean, it’s been two years since your dad died, and I feel strange going out again. I think I’m going to cancel the date.” Sophie’s mother said. She reached for her iPhone, but Sophie was quicker. She swiped it off of the dresser table. “I miss dad just as much as you do,” Sophie told her mother. “But wouldn’t dad want you to be happy, especially since you’ve found another nice person so quickly? I know he would want you to be happy. So you’re going on this date.” “Okay, okay. I’ll go on the date. But which dress do you like?” Sophie’s mother asked. “Um… I really like that violet one over there.” She pointed to a dress in the corner of the room, hanging on the doorknob. Sophie’s mom looked at the dress. “All right. I’ll go. But take care of Stella while I’m gone, okay? Make sure she doesn’t burn the house down with all of her baking!” Sophie sighed. There was no way that Stella would ever listen to her, even if the house were burning down. “Well, then I guess I’ll just take care of Stella while you’re gone. Be safe, mom.” Sophie shut the bedroom door behind her and thought. She thought about her dad. About her mom’s new boyfriend. About Stella. About how poor they where. Before she knew it, tears were creeping from her eyes. Sophie sniffled and wiped her tears away on her green sweater. She had to be strong. For mom. For Stella. If she was being honest, she had to stay strong for herself. If Sophie pretended that everything was okay, then it would seem that way. She took a deep breath just as her mother was coming out the door. “Bye honey.” She kissed the top of Sophie’s head. “Bye.” Sophie said weakly, not completely trusting her voice after crying. Soon enough, her mother was out the door, going to some fancy Italian restaurant with Thomas, her boyfriend. “Stella!” Sophie shouted into the bleak atmosphere. “Mom’s on her date now! I need to use the oven to make dinner, okay?” “Yup. Just let me finish this batch of cookies. They’re gingerbread this time. Anyways, what’s for dinner?” Sophie smirked. She knew exactly what Stella wanted. “Pizza.” She said. “With extra pepperoni on top. We can eat it in the living room while watching a movie!” Sophie tried to sound cheerful, but the thought of pizza made her stomach start to churn.
“I want to watch Elf!” Stella’s voice came from the kitchen. “Oh, and I’m done with this batch of cookies. You can put the pizza in the oven now.” Sophie walked into the kitchen, and rummaged in the freezer for the pizza. Sliding it into the oven, she asked Stella, “So, what do you want to do while this pizza bakes?” Stella merely shrugged her head. They sat there in silence, until a beeping noise signaling that the pizza was ready awakened their minds. Sophie cut the pizza and put two slices on each of two plates. They walked into the living room, which was furnished with a grayish colored couch and dark wooden coffee table. In the front of the living room, a TV sat on a three-and-a-half foot bookshelf. Sophie turned off the lights, Stella turned on the TV, and they sat there, eating their pepperoni pizza, and watching the movie. Tomorrow would be Christmas, and dad wouldn’t be there to celebrate. Just like last year. Sophie’s eyelids began to feel heavy, and before she knew it, it was Christmas Eve. Suddenly Thomas’s smooth voice was whispering in her ear. “Sophie. I need to ask you something. I and your mom have been daring since your dad died, and I was wondering…” he faltered. “If—if you would be okay with me proposing to your mother.” Sophie bolted awake. “What?” She said. Suddenly she came to her senses. She remembered how sad her mother had been after dad died, and how, on the rare occasions that she did smile, it was usually because of Thomas. “Yes,” Sophie said, her voice barely audible. “Yes!” She was confident now. Her mom would be happy. And in that moment, she knew her dad was watching her from heaven, and that he was, very, very proud of her. She let the warm feeling of his love wash over her, and she remembered one day this December, when she made a wish. A wish that had just come true for her. To have her father again. She beamed, and her smile was as bright as the sun shining down, like it would in the spring, when the wedding of Thomas and Melanie would be occurring.
