Grinch
by Elaine Troisi
Laura's eyes welled up with tears as she turned over the Christmas card addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Tyler Bowman. Three years had passed since Tyler's death, but the pain still felt like an open wound. She crumpled the card and tossed it into the trash, unopened.
Sitting in the sunroom, Laura watched as icicles dripped outside, their rhythmic Plink-Plunk. Like her own tears.
Her gaze drifted to Sara's snowman, adorned with Tyler's favorite baseball cap and scarf. Prophetic.
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| Sara and Laura together watercolor by Elaine |
If not for Sara, the house would be devoid of decorations. Santa would not come, and Christmas would be just another painful reminder. She feared she was like the Grinch to her daughter.
Sara burst into the room, arms loaded with gifts from her shopping trip.
“Here, honey, let me help you!” Laura jumped up.
“Mom, just a few gifts, for friends at school,” she laughed. “Who knows, there might be one for you! After all, you let me use your credit card!”
“You are too funny,” Laura said dryly.
“I know, Mom,” Sara replied. She heard the tears in her mother’s voice and offered a hug, willingly accepted.
“Perhaps, I also have a gift or two to wrap.” She winked at Sara. “And didn’t you tell me you have to post your party invitations online tonight?”
“Oh, right, Mom, I do. I almost forgot!”
She went to her room and opened her laptop. In went her password. Then Sara paused.
Surprised at herself, Sara returned to the sunroom where her mother sat.
“On second thought, I don’t think I want a party, after all. I think I want to do something really different this year, something we’ve never done before.”
Laura forced a smile, feeling a pang of sadness. But as she hugged Sara, something stirred. Perhaps there was a change coming.
“You would?” Laura looked up from her coffee. “What do you have in mind? We already decorated and baked cookies.”
“Go on …”
“How about we go ice skating. You always promised to teach me.”
Laura felt her pall lift a little. “That’s a great idea, Sara. We must have 20 pairs of ice skates hanging from the rafters of the barn. A lot of years of my brothers chasing me around the pond when we were kids.”
“No, Mom, I want to learn how to skate at Rockefeller Center!” Sara announced.
“Whoa there, pony, whoa!” Laura was smiling broadly now. “That takes planning, not to mention money! How about we plan that for next Christmas? In the meantime,I can teach you to skate right here. In this part of New Hampshire, the ice is already twelve inches thick. Enough for a herd of ice-skating ponies!” Laura was laughing.
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| SARS loves ice skating on the pond watercolor by Elaine |
“Mom, can we have a bonfire? Ooh, ooh, and can we roast marshmallows and hotdogs on sticks?”
“Of course! Let’s call your uncles. We can have a real skating party. Your cousins will love it, too!”
As they made plans for a skating party, Laura felt her heart expand, much like the Grinch's. The pain of her loss still lingered, but now she realized change was upon her.
😊
After a month of surprises, joy, and reflection, I wrote this story, the first of the new year, with the promise of more to come. I hope you liked it. Let me know! I’m listening!
www.elainestories.com