Home for the Holidays

4: F!*k Christmas!

~ Ten Years Later ~

Nevaeh pulled up to her rental property at 361 Ridgeline Avenue in the booming metropolis of Fieldcrest, which was roughly six hours away from Aurora Creek. Nevaeh settled there three months before giving birth to her son, Zion. She didn’t even bother signing up for cheerleading her senior year at Langley High. The hundred thousand dollars the McNairs gave her secured an apartment and daycare expenses for Zion while she was at school. Although she pretended she didn’t know what she was going to do with her life to annoy her father, she dreamed of becoming a fashion designer.

However, after what went down when she announced her pregnancy at sixteen, she went with her backup plan; real estate. Once she graduated high school, she chose not to go to college because she wanted to focus on motherhood. After all, it was just her and Zion against the world. She saved the remainder of her money to get her real estate license and buy a few rundown apartment buildings. Her investment paid off for her.

She owned three rental properties and was a successful realtor with her own agency. Her newest tenants moved into one of her apartment buildings the day after Thanksgiving after a former tenant broke their lease. Nevaeh arrived to welcome the young couple and ensure their move in experience went well. Other tenants came to give the new couple a welcome wagon.

Nevaeh gave another walk around tour of the apartment. “I hope this apartment is well-equipped for all your needs. It’s perfect for Claire’s green thumb and the balcony view will give your plant babies all the sunshine they need. Brad, this kitchen has all the high tech appliances you need to follow your cooking dreams.”

“I know I said this before,” Claire stated, “but I’m so glad we got this place. Like you said, this is perfect for all my plant babes.” While the movers got the couple’s things moved in, Nevaeh turned to leave. “So, Nevaeh,” Claire cleared her throat. “Christmas is coming up. What’s your plans? Are you throwing a Christmas party or something?”

“F*¢k Christmas!” Nevaeh bellowed and frowned her face in fury.

Both Brad and Claire were aghast. Why would anyone say something like that? How could anyone say that about Christmas?

“I’m sorry. You said what,” Brad asked.

“F^¢K! CHRISTMAS!” Nevaeh repeated louder. Bitterness filled her voice. “You won’t ever catch me hosting or attending a Christmas party.”

One of the other tenants, Jake, let out a hearty laugh. “Oh, you’re new here.” He leaned forward and whispered, “Everyone here knows Nevaeh hates Christmas.”

“Why,” Claire questioned, whispering.

“Reasons unknown,” Jake answered. “But what we do know is don’t mention Christmas around her… EVER! She loses her shit.”

“Do what you will for Christmas yourself, but I’m not doing anything. If you have a Christmas party here, please clean up all the evidence before I do my monthly inspections. I’ve got another appointment. Call me if you have any problems,” Nevaeh said and everyone felt her coldness as she rushed to the elevator.

Claire mentioning Christmas made Nevaeh spiral. The very mention of the word made her sweat from anger. Feelings of bitterness and rage filled her heart. f**k Christmas. She couldn’t go to her next appointment in this state. She stopped at Batter N’ Dough and ordered her usual; her favorite drink, a large affogato with caramel drizzle, paired with a fudge brownie. The coffee and brownie combination was not ideal, since both were full of sugar, but it was the only thing that took her to her happy place. She also ordered a half dozen assorted donuts to share with her assistant, Penelope.

She drove straight to her office, which was about ten minutes from Batter N’ Dough. She sipped her coffee as she drove through downtown where city workers were busy decorating town hall and the rest of downtown with oversized Christmas lights and strings of large snowflakes.

She arrived at the office and sat in the car eating her brownie. Tears poured from her eyes. Claire’s question about a Christmas party made Nevaeh realize her least favorite holiday was here. Everyone usually starts celebrating Christmas immediately after Thanksgiving, but some, like Penelope, start celebrating immediately after Halloween. Right at twelve midnight November 1. It’s the most wonderful time of the year Penelope always sung and it irked every nerve in Nevaeh’s body.

Every Christmas Nevaeh regretted hiring Penelope. Her first Christmas working at Heaven Sent Realty, Penelope decorated the whole office on November 1 with fake snow, string lights and Christmas trees. Nevaeh nearly had a heart attack. She was so red, Penelope thought she was going to lose her job. Ever since, Penelope only decorated her desk space with lighted garland and a mini Christmas tree.

Dealing with the gleeful cheer from everyone only fueled Nevaeh’s hatred for the holiday season. Although her life was better now, Christmas ten years ago was the darkest part of her life and she never emotionally recovered. As much as she tried, she couldn’t let that deep hurt go.

Nevaeh exhaled deeply and prepared to get out of the car just as her phone chimed. It was Zion’s friend, Adonis’ mom calling. Zion was there for a Thanksgiving weekend sleepover and she was supposed to pick him up Sunday night. It was only Friday, so what on earth could she be calling for?

Nevaeh quickly answered the phone, greeting Vicky with a little curiosity in her voice. “Hey Vicky, what’s up?”

“Hi, Nevaeh. Listen, I need you to come get Zion. He and Adonis just had a fight. Adonis shoved Zion and Zion punched Adonis. Now he doesn’t want to be around scum anymore.”

“Zion called you scum?!”

“No, no, sorry,” Vicky stammered. “Donnie did, but he said scrub, not scum. I don’t know what the hell is wrong with that boy. I can’t handle his preteen attitude. Please don’t hold that against me. Don’t ever think I think you and your son are scum or scrubs.”

Nevaeh sighed heavily. “I was just about to do a walkthrough at a studio apartment I’m leasing, but I can reschedule and come get Zion. What was the fight about?”

“I don’t know. I was in the kitchen preparing leftovers for dinner and heard a vase break.”

“Did Zion break it? I’ll cover the costs for it.”

Vicky laughed. “No, it’s fine. It was a gift from my mother-in-law and I hated it.”

“Alright. I’ll be there soon.” Nevaeh hung up with Vicky and called her assistant. “Penelope, can you call the Robles couple and tell them I have to reschedule the showing on Midtown Avenue? Something came up with Zion.”

“Of course! When you think you can reschedule?”

“I dunno. You can find their number in the folder on my desk in my office. Give them my deepest apologies. I’ll call them myself to reschedule. Thanks, Penelope.”

After picking Zion up, the drive home from the Shroud house was silent. Zion was fiddling with one of his wild twists and staring out the window. Nevaeh was still spiraling from the Christmas question from earlier and now this thing with Zion was going to ruin a possible commission for her. Nevaeh needed this to cover all the expensive renovations she made fixing up the property on Midtown Avenue.

When they got home, Nevaeh ordered Zion to grab the donuts from the backseat to take in the house. After walking through the door and tossing her keys on the side table next to it, she checked her phone. She had a missed call and text from Penelope.

Penelope:

I talked to the Robles. They assured me it was okay but they sounded very disappointed. Hopefully you can get them in first thing next week. I told them to expect a call from you.

Nevaeh:

Thank you. I’ll call them soon. Have a great weekend.

“Dammit,” Nevaeh muttered to herself and threw her phone down. She turned her attention to Zion, who was in the kitchen setting the donuts on the counter. “Alright sir, what happened between you and Donnie? You know, you two might’ve cost me a sale.”

Zion held his head low. “Sorry, ma. Adonis said you don’t celebrate Christmas because you’re too broke to buy me anything.”

“That’s why you two were fighting?”

“Yeah. I wasn’t tryna go back and forth with him, but he wouldn’t shut up. ‘Yo mama so broke she can’t even buy you anything for Christmas.’ I ignored him as best I could.”

“Money has nothing to do with why I don’t celebrate Christmas,” Nevaeh snapped. “Broke folks don’t live in penthouses in the Upper East Side. You wouldn’t go to Midtown Prep with Adonis if I was broke. Do you believe that nonsense? Is that why you punched him?”

“I never said I believed him, mom,” Zion whined. “He pushed me and kept running his mouth, so I punched him in it.”

Nevaeh used her mom voice. “Violence is never the answer. You know better! You only hit someone to defend yourself. Adonis might’ve been annoying you with his s**t talk, but you had no business punching him.”

“But mom, you should’ve heard what he was saying! And I was defending myself! He pushed me first!”

“Very well, but the best solution was to ignore him. I taught you better than that.”

Nevaeh’s phone rang and she put her teaching moment on pause. Amir’s name flashed across her screen. The siblings hadn’t corresponded since early July. Nevaeh hurriedly stepped out of the kitchen and turned her attention to the incoming phone call.