Madison's Journey

Chapter 10

“Okay, so where to first?” It was Wednesday evening, two weeks before Christmas, and Mr. Fernie had just dropped Madison and Amy off at the mall to start their Christmas shopping. They both had their lists in hand and were excited to hit the stores.

“I’m thinking the toy store. I have a feeling Gracie is going to be the easiest person to shop for.”

Amy laughed. “No doubt. Too bad we can’t buy toys for everyone.”

“Oh, you mean you don’t want a Barbie this year, Aim? Dang!” Madison shoulder butted her friend, and they both giggled as they entered the toy store and started to roam the aisles.

They had just walked down the aisle with the model cars when Amy let out a loud squeal. “Yes!” She skipped down the aisle, Madison chasing after her. “Brad told me that he used to paint model cars with his little brother, but they haven’t done it in a while. What do you think? Might be fun for him, right?” 

“Oh, Aim, great idea!” The girls rifled through the cars, not really knowing much about them and settled on a sixty-five Mustang. As they were looking through all the choices, Madison found a seventy-six Corvette and had an idea; Bill had a one in his garage that he was restoring. She held the box up for Amy to see. “Hey, do you think Bill would like this? He has a real one, but it might be something fun for him to do.”

“Yeah, I like it, Mads.”

Madison’s lips curled up as she smiled at Amy and put the car in her basket. “Okay, now let’s go find something for Gracie.” They made their way to the Barbie aisle and stared at the thousands of different styled Barbie’s. Madison turned to Amy with wide eyes. “That’s a lot of Barbie’s.”

“What about this one?” Amy pulled one off a shelf, and Madison took it from her. 

“I don’t know.” 

Amy put the Barbie down and picked up a package of clothes. “Or, what about some Barbie clothes? Remember how we used to love to dress our Barbie’s up?”

Madison grinned. “Yeah. Aim, that’s perfect. The other day Gracie was telling me about her friend Casey’s huge collection of Barbie clothes.” They sorted through the clothes and found four of the best outfits. Once they had them in their cart, they skipped off to the cashier and left the toy store with their packages in hand, grinning from ear to ear.

The two girls were having a fabulous time wandering through the mall, their fellow shoppers milling around them, arms loaded with bags, and the songs of Christmas played through the speakers above them. They stopped in front of Santa’s village and enjoyed the sight of children sitting on Santa’s knee.

Amy shifted so that she was looking at Madison, a smile crept onto her face. “Mads, let’s go get a picture with Santa.”

Madison turned to Amy, an amused smile on her face. “What? Really?”

Amy nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah. Why not? It would be fun. Like when we were kids.”

Madison glanced back at Santa and his elf and then grinned widely at Amy. “Sure, let’s do it!”

The two girls found the entrance and took their place in line. There were only a few children in front of them so it didn’t take long until it was their turn. Santa gave them each a candy cane once the picture was taken, and they ate those as they waited for their picture.

Madison’s eyes were shining. “That was fun. Good idea, Aim.”

Amy grinned and nodded. “Thank you. I thought so too.” A few minutes later, Santa picture in hand, they headed off to continue shopping. Amy knew exactly what she was wanted to buy for her mom and brother, so they went to those stores next. By the time they met Amy’s dad outside, both girls had made a pretty good dent in their shopping lists. Mr. Fernie let them listen to Christmas music on the way home, and Madison was starting to get into the Christmas spirit. The day had taken her mind off of spending Christmas alone. She was humming Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer when she walked through her front door and looked over her purchases. It had been a pretty good night.

Over the course of the next week, Maddie finished her Christmas shopping. Excitement had coursed through her veins when she found the perfect gift for Derrick; his had been the most difficult for her as she had never bought a present for a boy before. Wrapping them had been almost as much fun as buying them, she sang Christmas carols as she wrapped her gifts with colourful snowman wrapping paper until it was time to wrap her mom’s present. It was another Santa to add to her collection, and as Madison held it in her hands, she felt a stab in her heart. She closed her eyes and shook her head.

“No, don’t do that,” she spoke to the empty room. “Mom’ll be home soon and, in the meantime, you have Derrick and Amy.” She opened her eyes and wiped the lone tear that had trickled down her cheek. Straightening her shoulders, she wrapped her mom’s gift and set it along with the rest of her gifts under the tree.

The next night, five days before Christmas, as she was just about to head home from the Shipyard’s, Lisa stopped her at the door.  

“So, Maddie, Bill and I are having a little get together on Christmas Eve and we thought it would be nice if you and your mom joined us. If you don’t have other plans already, that is?”

Madison stumbled with her coat; her arm stuck halfway in the sleeve as she stared at Lisa with wide eyes. “What?”

“I just thought if you didn’t already have plans, I’m not sure what you do for the holiday.” 

“Oh, um…” Madison thought quickly. “My mom actually has to work. Apparently, bars can get pretty busy during the holiday.”

“Really? So, you are going to be alone on Christmas Eve. No, you can’t do that. You can spend it with us. I’m sure your mom won’t mind.”

Madison wasn’t sure what to say as she gawked at Lisa.

“Don’t answer now. Go home and talk it over with your mom. I’m sure she’d rather you be with people than by yourself.” Lisa smiled at her, and Madison could feel the tears stinging her eyes. She nodded and quickly excused herself, she needed to get out before Lisa saw her tears. 

As she walked the short distance home, she thought about Lisa’s proposal. She enjoyed the idea of it. She had cried thinking about being alone for the holidays, and although she was hopeful that her mother would be back by then, she wasn’t counting on it. Excitement flooded through her as she thought about spending Christmas Eve with the Shipyard’s. On Monday, Madison accepted Lisa’s offer. She had been babysitting all day Monday and would be Tuesday as well. After that, both Lisa and Bill were taking ten days off for the holiday. Madison was working a few extra shifts at Burger Town during the break but had Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day off. 

“That’s wonderful, Maddie.” Lisa wrapped her arms around Madison’s small form as Bill walked into the room. 

“What’s going on here? Good news?”

“The best.” Lisa’s eyes were shining as she beamed at Madison. “Maddie’s going to spend Christmas Eve with us.”

Bill chuckled at the joy on his wife’s face. “That is the best news! But honey, are you sure you have enough food?” Bill’s eyes crinkled as he smirked at his wife.

Madison stifled a giggle as Lisa smacked his arm. “Funny, Bill!”

“Just saying, I don’t think the turkey, ham and lasagna will be enough. Maybe you should get a roast too,” he laughed, and Lisa smacked him again. “Ow. You saw that, Maddie, she’s being mean to me.”

Madison giggled. At times like this, the couple reminded her of her parents, and a wave of nostalgia overtook her as she yearned for the old days. She left the two of them in the kitchen and went to say good night to Grace. She was already tucked into her bed, her pink and white stripped comforter wrapped around her tightly. The side of the bed that was pushed against the wall had her army of stuffed animals lined up, like they, too, were waiting for Grace’s parents to complete their bedtime ritual. 

“Hi, Maddie.”

“Hey, Gracie. Thought I would come say good night. Your mom and dad are downstairs being goofy.”

Grace rolled her eyes causing Madison to laugh. “What else is new. Mommy and daddy are always goofy!”

Madison laughed again as she kissed Grace good night. She said goodbye to Bill and Lisa and headed out into the cold night for the short walk home. She pulled the zipper of her jacket up as high as it would go to try to block out the chilly air. Bill and Lisa came to her mind as she strolled quickly down the street. “Bill really is just like Dad.” She mused to herself as she pictured her father. He was smiling, she had rarely ever seen her father without a smile on his face. She remembered how, no matter how mad her mom had been about something, her dad could always make her smile. She knew her dad had loved her mom as much as Bill loved Lisa, and vice versa. “That’s the kind of love I want someday,” she declared to the empty street.

The next day, while Grace and Madison were creating Christmas cards for Grace’s grandparents, Madison’s phone rang. She peaked at it quickly; she didn’t normally talk on her phone while she was with Grace. It was Amy. Amy knew she was working, so she answered it, thinking it could be something important. 

“Hey, Aim. What’s going on? Is everything okay?” 

“Yup, all good. I’m sorry to bother you while you’re with Grace, but my mom insisted that I call you right away.”

“Why? What happened?”

“Nothing. Everything’s good. Mom just wants to know if you and your mom want to join us for Christmas dinner? If you don’t already have plans?”

Madison’s mouth dropped open, “Seriously?”

“Yup, she asked me if you were spending it alone, and I said probably, and she was not happy about that at all.”

Both girls giggled. “I can picture that.”

“Yup, arms on her hips, telling me that we need to fix that right away.”

“Your mom is the best.” Madison chuckled at the image.

“I know. So, what do you think?”

“Oh, um….my mom’s working. So, it’ll be just me.”

“What? Mads, why didn’t you tell me that?” Concern echoed in her voice.

“I don’t know. I guess I didn’t want you to feel sorry for me.”

“Okay, well that settles it. You can come for dinner while your mom’s at work.” 

“Oh, um…I don’t know. Are you sure?” Guilt coursed through her as she lied to her best friend.

“Of course. Do I need to put my mom on the phone?” Amy threatened.

“No, no. Please, don’t do that. I’ll come. It sounds like fun.”

“Yup. We’re going to have a full house, Nanna and George, Poppy and Nanny, Uncle Steve, Aunt Chrissy, Aunt Beth, Uncle Joe, and all the cousins.”

“Okay. I’m in.”

“Good. See you then. And Mads?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m excited to spend Christmas with my best friend.”

“Me too!” Her heart swelled as she no longer had to spend the holiday alone, thankful to have so many great people in her life.

After that, Madison focused her attention on Grace and the pile of glitter, stickers and coloured paper in front of them. It was the day before Christmas Eve and Grace was getting excited for Santa Claus. She had spoken extensively about her Christmas wish list.

“What do you want for Christmas, Maddie?”

“Oh, I don’t know, Gracie. I haven’t really thought about it.”

“What? Didn’t you write Santa a letter?” There was a hint of panic in Grace’s voice.

“Oh, yeah, of course I did. It’s just been a while since I wrote it.”

“Oh good,” Grace relaxed and smiled. “So, what did you ask Santa for?”

“Oh, um…” Madison thought quickly. “A kitten.”

“Oh, really? A kitten, I love kittens.”

Madison smiled down at Grace. “Yeah, me too. But I don’t think Santa can bring me a kitten.”

“Why not?”

“Well, I don’t think a kitten could survive on Santa’s sleigh.”

Grace thought about that and nodded. “I think you’re right, Maddie. But maybe your mom will buy you a kitten.”

“Maybe.” A hint of sadness tainted her voice that she hoped Gracie didn’t catch.

They went back to creating Christmas card masterpieces, and Grace talked excitedly about her letter to Santa. When Bill and Lisa got home that night, Madison ran out the door; Derrick was stopping by for a little while, and she couldn’t wait to see him. They were exchanging gifts, and she was nervous about the gift she had gotten him. It was a Marvel character book that explained their origins and powers. She had also gotten him a bobble head of his favorite Marvel character, Black Widow. She knew he liked the Marvel comics, so she hoped that her gift would be a big success. And it was.

Derrick’s eyes danced as he smiled at her. “This is awesome. I love it.” They were sitting on her living room floor and he leaned forward and kissed her.

Madison’s cheeks started to get warm as she smiled back at him. “Really?”

He kissed her again. “Yes. I love bobble heads!” His voice was full of enthusiasm and she felt goosebumps on her arms.

“Good. I’m glad.”

He kissed her again and then sat back and pushed her gift towards her. “Your turn.”

Her lips curled upwards and her eyes sparkled as she slowly unwrapped her gift from him. It was wrapped in Rudolph wrapping paper, and she was trying not to damage the paper.

He smirked at her. “What are you doing? Just rip it open.”

“I can’t. I don’t want to wreck the paper.”

He scoffed and then laughed as she continued to slowly unwrap her gift.

“Oh…it’s beautiful.” Madison’s eyes lit up as she pulled her present out of the wrapping paper. It was an over the shoulder bag with colourful elephants all over it. She leaned over and kissed him. “Thank you. I love it.”

Derrick’s eyes twinkled and his lips curled upwards. “You’re welcome. I’m glad you like it.”

After they opened their presents, they spent an hour watching Christmas movies while cuddling on her couch. When he left that night, Madison felt like her heart was bursting with happiness. She laid in bed, thinking of Derrick and how her Christmas was turning out to be so much better than she had imagined. Her eyes glanced towards the elephant bag hanging on the door and she grinned happily.

Madison woke up on Christmas Eve with a sense of excitement; she was looking forward to her holiday plans for the next two days. Humming Christmas songs, she made herself chocolate chip pancakes and danced around the kitchen. The party at Bill and Lisa’s was later in the afternoon, so she had the whole day to relax and enjoy her own special Christmas Eve. She planned to watch Rudolph and Frosty and White Christmas, her favourite Christmas movies. She also wanted to bake a pumpkin pie to take with her. The ingredients for the pie were lined up on the counter, and as she glanced at them, a smile grew on her lips. She felt like a grown up, making dessert to bring to a party. She ate her pancakes, and tried to focus on the two parties she was going to instead of the fact that she missed her mom. But as she ate, her eyes gazed upon the family pictures in her living room and she felt her heart start to ache.

“Where are you mom? I miss you.” She looked over at the picture that was displayed prominently on the table beside the couch. It was one of her favourites; she was on her dad’s back and her mom was standing beside them, her eyes were crinkled and her mouth was opened in the way that it does when you are laughing hysterically. They were at the beach; she figured she was about ten in the picture, and it had been a perfect day. She rested her chin in her hand, sighed and smiled as the sound of her mom’s laughter came flooding into her mind; it had been one of her favourite sounds as a child. The sadness that had suddenly washed over her enveloped the rest of her body with shivers as she sat quietly at the table, staring at the pictures around the room, missing her parents. Even though she was enjoying Christmas as much as she could, there was still something absent. She knew there would always be a part of her missing, it was lost the day her dad died, and now with her mom gone, another part of her heart had gone with her.

She allowed herself a few moments to be sad before she forced herself to focus on the present and the awesome Christmas plans that awaited her. A warm smile took over her lips as she glanced at the presents under the tree. She had bought presents for Amy’s parents and Colin, just small gifts, but she wanted them to know that she appreciated their kindness. 

At three o’clock Madison began to get ready to go to the Shipyard’s. She was starting to bubble with excitement, which increased when she looked outside and saw the large snowflakes falling from the sky. 

“Oh my God! A white Christmas!” It didn’t snow very much in their tiny town. “Gracie is going to be so excited!” She grabbed her phone and sent Lisa a text.

‘Merry Christmas Eve! Did Gracie see the snow?’

‘Hey Maddie! Merry Xmas Eve 2 u 2! Ohhh yeah. I’m having trouble keeping her inside.’

‘Tell her I’ll be there soon. We can go build a snow man.’

‘It’s barely sticking.’

‘A small snowman.’

‘Lol. C u soon.’

‘Bye!’

Madison finished getting ready as fast as she could. She grabbed her backpack to put the gifts and pie in, and then ran out the door. She walked slowly, enjoying the white snow that was starting to blanket the streets. When she got within eye shot of Lisa’s house, she picked up the pace, excited to play outside with Grace. The front door flew open when Madison was barely halfway up the walkway and little Grace came barreling out. 

“Maddie! Maddie! Look, it’s snowing.”

Madison laughed and scooped Grace up into her arms. “I know, Gracie. We’re going to have a white Christmas.” She carried Grace back into the house. 

Grace’s lip drooped into a pout. “But I want to play outside.” 

“I know, munchkin. But I need to say hi to your mom and dad, and you don’t even have your coat on.”

“Okay,” Grace huffed seriously. “But hurry up. I don’t want to miss the snow.”

The two girls raced further into the house, and Madison said a quick hello to Lisa and Bill, who were in the living room with a few other guests. Bill stood up to introduce Madison to everyone, but Grace came racing in first. “Dad, later. Maddie and I have to go outside and play.”

All of the guests chuckled as Grace pulled Madison by the hand toward the door. Madison shrugged her shoulders at the adults, and then followed Grace outside. “Okay, okay, missy. I’m coming.”

Once outside, Maddie and Grace attempted to make a snowman, but the snow was too light and fluffy, so they settled for making snow angels instead. They were giggling, screaming and throwing snow at each other when Grace’s cousins, Tim and Jake, arrived. They were twins and a year older than Grace. When they saw Grace and Madison, they squealed, grabbed handfuls of snow, and joined in on the fun. Madison smiled at their parents, she hadn’t met them yet, but she figured that it was Bill’s sister and her family. She had seen pictures in the house, and Grace spoke about her cousins a lot.

“You must be Maddie. I’m Cathy, Bill’s sister.” Cathy made her way toward Madison and extended her hand.

Madison grabbed it and smiled. “I am, yes. So nice to meet you.”

“This is Greg.” Madison shook Greg’s hand as well when Grace yelled for Madison to come back to the fun.

Madison laughed, “I guess I better go.”

“Are you sure?”

“It’s okay. I love playing with Grace, and I love the snow. I’ll bring them in soon.” Cathy and Greg smiled at her appreciatively and let themselves into the house. 

Madison eventually was able to convince the three little ones to go inside. They were all starting to get cold, so they didn’t put up too much of a fuss. Once inside, Madison was able to meet everyone, and Lisa made sure to steer the kids away from her. Madison was introduced to them all and forgot most of their names almost immediately. The living room was crowded, and extra chairs had been set up along the walls. As Madison looked around, she was a little overwhelmed and not sure what to do. She didn’t know anyone and was starting to feel out of place when Bill’s mom caught her eye. She was waving at her and motioning for Madison to sit down beside her. Madison nodded and took the seat beside her.

“Madison, it’s so nice to finally meet you,” her voice was quiet, and Madison had to lean in to hear her. “I’m Bill’s mom, Lucy.” Lucy put her hand out and Madison took it.

“It’s nice to meet you as well, Mrs.?”

“Nope, not Mrs. Please, dear, call me Lucy.”

“Okay, Lucy. It’s nice to meet you.” Madison sat down, her hand still clasped with Lucy’s.

“I’ve heard so much about you, Madison. I couldn’t wait to meet you myself. I hear you take excellent care of our little Gracie.” Lucy smiled at her; it was a warm grandmotherly smile, and it made Madison miss her own grandmother. They had both passed, as had her grandfathers, and as Madison leaned in to speak to Lucy, she caught the faint scent of cookies. “Tell me a little about yourself dear.”

“Oh, well, there isn’t much to tell. I just turned sixteen. My friends threw an amazing surprise party for me. I work on the weekends at Burger Town, down the road, and every weekday I get to spend a few hours with your beautiful granddaughter.”

Lucy looked at her gingerly, love in her eyes. “That all sounds wonderful dear. And my little granddaughter never stops talking about you. I think she loves you like a sister.”

“Awe…that’s nice to hear. I feel that way about her as well. I don’t have any siblings, but I sure got lucky the day I met Miss Gracie.”

“Now, tell me dear…do you have a boyfriend? Surely, a beautiful angel like yourself has a nice young man to take her out.”

Madison chuckled shyly and could feel her cheeks heat up slightly. “Well, there is a boy, yes,” she spoke quietly, hoping that no one could hear her. She didn’t know anyone and was a bit embarrassed to talk about her personal life. 

“I knew there would be,” Lucy beamed with pride. “Is he good to you?”

“So far! We’ve only been together a few weeks.”

“Ahh…young love!” Lucy’s gaze drifted off as if she was deep in thought. After a moment, her gaze returned to Madison and the conversation continued. They talked about school, Amy and Madison’s job at Burger Town. It was a wonderful conversation, and Madison was thoroughly enjoying it.

“Okay, everyone. Food’s on the table. It’s an eat wherever you can find room kind of night.” Lisa’s voice echoed over the talking and laughter, straining to be heard.

Lisa walked over to Madison and Lucy. “Mom, do you want me to grab you a plate?”

Lucy shook her head and turned to Madison. “Nope, my newly adopted granddaughter and I are going to go get our plates together, aren’t we, missy?” Lucy winked at her. Madison guessed that Lucy was in her early seventies, but she moved well and appeared to be in good shape. Lisa shrugged and walked away as Madison followed Lucy into the dining room. 

“Wow!” The statement came out of her mouth before Madison could stop it. 

Bill, who was standing nearby laughed. “I know, right? Have you ever seen such a spread in your life?” Madison just gawked at the food and shook her head. She couldn’t believe how much food was crammed onto the large dining room table. It looked like a buffet at a restaurant. “Would you believe me if I told you there’s more in the kitchen?”

Madison stared at Bill with her mouth open. She realized in that moment that if it wasn’t for Bill and Lisa, she would be at home right now, by herself, eating a sandwich. Instead, she was eating like a queen and enjoying a wonderful evening with wonderful people. A tear stung her eye as she thought about how lucky she was. She quickly wiped it away so that no one could see it, and then her and Lucy started to load up their plates. Once back in the living room, Madison sat down beside Lucy and stared at her plate of food, her mouth beginning to water. 

Once dinner ended and desert was brought out, the children began opening presents. Pictures were taken as the kids squealed with joy and wrapping paper was thrown all over the room. Madison was watching and smiling and enjoying the joy that the children were having when Grace ran up to her with an armful of wrapped presents.

“Wow, Gracie. Are those all for you?”

Grace smiled, showing her cute toothless grin. “Nope. They’re for you!” Grace placed the gifts, six in total, in front of Madison as she gasped.

“What? For me?”

“Uh huh!” Grace nodded, and then ran off to open more of her gifts.

The first present was her very own Barbie. It was a Doctor Barbie, complete with a medical bag and stethoscope. Madison laughed, and before she could say anything, Grace came running up to her.

“Do you like her, Maddie? Now when we play Barbie’s you have your very own.” Grace was wildly excited, and Madison smiled brightly. 

“I love her. What a thoughtful gift! Thank you, Gracie.” The two girls hugged, and Grace ran off to play with her own new Barbie. 

She opened the rest of the gifts, feeling spoiled; a gift card, a scarf, a toque, mittens, bunny slippers and a bag full of baking supplies. She put her bunny slippers on right away and smiled at Lisa and Bill who were sitting beside her.

“Love them! So warm!” 

“Bill picked those out.” Lisa chuckled.

“Really? They’re pretty awesome. Thank you both so much for all of my gifts.”

Lisa grinned and winked at Bill. “Well, there’s one more.”

“What?” She gasped.

“We have it hidden at mom’s house. We don’t want to disturb you and your mom, but can we bring it by tomorrow or even on boxing day?”

“Another present, really?”

“Trust me, you want this one.” Lisa grinned as Bill laughed.

Madison laughed as well. “Um, my mom leaves for work at two, and then I’m going to Amy’s around three thirty, so how about some time between then?”

“Perfect. That’ll work great. We’ll text you, but it should be shortly after two.”

“Okay. Guess I’ll see you tomorrow.” She hugged both Lisa and Bill and thanked them again. Bill drove her home shortly after that. It had been a great evening, and Madison was all smiles as she placed her presents under the Christmas tree, put on her pink bunny slippers and flopped down on the couch. Staring at her presents, she felt like she would burst with gratitude. So far, this Christmas had been more than she had hoped for and the twinkling lights on her tree reflected the happiness that she was feeling.