The Unexpected Gift

Chapter 5:

I sat there for a few seconds, just to gather my nerves. I do not know why I get so freaked out. It was just a party with my friends and coworkers. I will just overlook the part that it is to celebrate Christmas.

Gathering my nerves, I stepped out of my car to come face to face with Steph, my best friend.

Screaming, I threw a punch and hit her right in the left arm. “What the hell, you nearly gave me a heart attack. What are you doing by my car? And why are you so close?” I asked her, holding my chest to prevent my heart from jumping out of it.

By this time, Steph is bent over laughing ridiculously loudly while holding her arm.

She takes a huge inhale of air and I think she is gathering her senses, but no, she just needed more breath to laugh some more. Here I am having a mild heart attack, and she is rolling on the ground laughing at me.

“Oh, remind me why I am even friends with you!” I said and started to walk off from her.

I can hear her gasping for air and shuffling forward trying to catch up with me. I think I have gotten away from her when she grabs my arm and stops my forward momentum. I turned and glared at her. I can still see her body slightly vibrating from her previous bout of laughter.

Gasping again, she managed to speak, somewhat legibly, “Look……. I…... .am s.s..sorry!”

I just glare at her as she holds up a finger asking me to give her a second.

“ I didn't mean to scare you, but that s**t was funny. My arm hurts by the way.” She says.

Sighing loudly, “You deserved it.” I told her curtly.

She smiles at me. “Maybe, but I can not get over how easily you just got scared. Normally, you are more aware of your surroundings and don’t scare so easily. What had you so distracted, anyways? I was standing there for a few minutes waiting for you to get out. I saw you drive in and decided to wait and walk in with you.” She told me.

I can’t fault her, I was kind of lost in my own thoughts there for a minute when I got there.

“Honestly, same old December drama, just a new year. I was trying to pull my s**t together and try to be the social butterfly that I normally am, during this whole party.” I told her honestly.

She looks at me with a bit of pity on her face.

“Oh hell, no! Do not do that!” I told her.

“What, I am not doing anything.” She tells me back.

I glared at her. “Yes you are. You are giving me that look of pity. I do not need your pity. I know I am f****d up in the head. I do not need you looking at me like I have completely lost it. I had a moment of weakness, it was nothing more. I am fine. Just a little panic, nothing that has never happened before.”

She fixed her face. “I know, I am sorry. That was not a look of pity, however. It was a look of sadness. I hate that this time of the year is so hard for you. You are such a happy, loving, and carefree person, all year until December, and it breaks my heart seeing you this down. It's like looking at a completely different person.”

I feel bad now for almost yelling at her. I know she only wants what's best for me. “I’m sorry, I know. I wish this didn’t hang over me like it does. Good it has been what, like eight years since my mother died and god eleven years since my father. This shouldn’t still affect me,” I told her almost in tears.

“Hey, don’t do that. Grief is a stupid thing. We can not mandate or justify how long someone takes to grief.” She tells me.

I didn’t say anything in fear of my tears falling.

“And it is completely different for you. Not only did you lose your father because of Christmas. You lost your unborn baby brother days later. That is enough to make any person dislike Christmas. But then you have the fact that your mom completely abandoned you every year during Christmas time, then decided to take her own life right around Christmas as well. That piece of s**t uncle of yours did not help out either. He never showed you what Christmas could be like for a child either.” She paused, taking a breath.

“Then, on top of all that, every negative experience you have had in your life has always somehow been during the month of December. If that was me, I would be petitioning to take December completely off of the calendar.” She said in a small voice.

Man, I loved this girl.

“Thank you for understanding.” I gave her a genuine smile and hugged her tightly.

I didn’t want to let her go, and not only because I didn’t want to go inside. She always knew what to say to make me feel better. She is such an amazing friend and I do not know what I would do without her.

“OK, sweet cheeks, we need to go inside before we get stuck sitting by Jim. No one wants to sit by Jim. He is such a loud eater!” She stated while making a gagging noise.

“Really Steph, be nice.” I tell her, although I am already laughing. “Jim is not that bad.”

She glared at me. “Not that bad. You did not have to sit next to him at the last luncheon. I swear he is the loudest eater in the world. If it was a competition he would win, hands down.” She said while rolling her eyes.

Laughing at her ridiculous face, I rolled my eyes back at her over reaction. “You are so dramatic. But you're right, let's get this over. The sooner we make our appearance, the sooner we can go home. I have a bed that is calling me to cuddle up in and stay there for the next 10 days.” I told her, only half joking.

She got a look of disgust on her face. “You are not going to lay up in that bed the whole winter break. You need to get out and live a little. I really wish you would come with me to my family's house. I think you would really like it there.” She said while she started to walk to the restaurant.

“I told you, I am not going to be good company going over there during the break. Now give me that invite during the summer, and I am there. But I just can’t right now.” I told her honestly.