A Touch of Christmas Magic

by Cailee Francis

  It wasn’t long before they pulled into the carpark of a local diner, but Emily was confused when no one seemed in any hurry to get out of the car. After a moment of uncertainty, Emily rose and reached for the door handle.

  “Wait,” her mother said, causing Emily to hesitate and sit back down.

  “What’s going on, Mum?” she asked, sensing something wasn’t right.

  Emily wondered now if she should’ve sensed something was amiss when she’d first arrived.

  “There’s something we need to talk to you about,” Lydia said, glancing at Peter, who sighed.

  “This isn’t where you tell me you have cancer, is it?” Emily asked, feeling nervous all of a sudden.

  “No, it’s nothing like that,” Lydia said. “You shouldn’t say such a thing.”

  When she looked at her sister, Cathy averted her gaze. Emily wondered just how much her family was hiding; Cathy most especially.

  “There’s something you don’t know that we should’ve told you about long ago,” Lydia said. “We want you to know you have a brother.”

  Emily shook her head. “What?”

  The first thought that popped into her mind, as strange as it was, was whether he had been born yet. Her mother didn’t look like she was expecting.

  “He’s still a baby?” she asked, glancing at Cathy, who now met her gaze, but the intensity was off somehow. It took Emily a moment to realise she felt guilty. She’d been keeping secrets for everyone and it couldn’t have been fun for her.

  “No, he’s twenty-seven,” Peter said, “and he’s not just my son, he’s Lydia’s too. We were young when we got together—sixteen, in fact—and he was adopted out.”

  “If we’d known we’d stay together and had the proper help, it might’ve been different,” Lydia said, “but my mother refused to help look after him.”

  “We cared for her until the end,” Emily said, dumbstruck after what they’d said.

  “Yes we did,” her mother replied matter-of-factly. It clearly didn’t change anything.

  “So he’s come back now?” Emily asked, wondering how all this had come about.

  “He has,” Peter replied. “He found us a couple of months ago.”

  “Months?” Emily asked.

  “Relatively speaking,” Lydia agreed, her expression sheepish.

  “What’s his name?”

  Emily wasn’t sure why it took her so long to think to ask that question. In retrospect it seemed rather important.

  “It’s Jeremy,” Cathy replied. She seemed glad to be able to talk about it.

  Emily wondered aloud. “What’s he like?”

  It was such a surreal situation. As shocked as she was, and more frustrated than angry with her parents for not telling her, she also knew she had something to celebrate. A brother! More family was a good thing, right?

  “He’s smart but difficult,” Lydia replied. She glanced her husband’s way, but he didn’t add to her description.

  “What in heaven’s name does that mean?” Emily asked. “Does it mean you had an argument?”

  “Yes, it means that,” Cathy said. “Some bad things happened and he blames our parents for giving him up. Dad asked him to leave.”

  “He did what?!” she asked.

  Emily knew her parents well enough to believe they did their best at the time. After all, they were good people. At sixteen they wouldn’t have had an awful lot of control over their lives and choices.

  “I want to meet him,” Emily replied at once.

  “We figured you would,” Lydia said. “Given how things went last time, why don’t you meet him at the park?”

  “You do know it’s freezing out there?” she asked, confused by her mother’s suggestion.

  Lydia sighed, and Emily felt a surge of annoyance.

  “Then a restaurant or the skating rink, or meet him for coffee?”

  “Somewhere not at home then?” she asked, wondering what the heck had happened.

  She thought her family would feel guilty, but her father nodded.

  “Until things settle down a bit.”

  “You mean that. Definitely?”

  “Yes, definitely,” he promised her. “He’s my son. I’m not abandoning him, but we can’t have arguments like that at home.”

  Emily wasn’t sure what to make of that, but she knew she could take her father at his word.

  “So what now?” she asked him.

  “Let’s go in and get some food,” Peter replied.

  Lydia nodded. “We can talk about it there.”

  “What does he look like?” Emily asked, before reaching for the door handle.

  “One of us,” her mother replied.

  It made sense, and her heart already told her that he was one of the family.

  Danica

  Danica heard the doorbell from upstairs. She wondered who it might be—the Christmas-carollers had been a nice surprise, but it was Emily she wanted to see. She knew Emily’s plane had arrived; she was constantly on the listen-out in case she turned up out of the blue, though there was nothing to say she would today. Danica knew she’d drive herself crazy if she spent the next couple of weeks wondering, but her heart told her she wouldn’t need to wait that long.

  Her eagerness to see Emily again was so strong, she knew she ought to rein in her feelings. They were no longer lovers or partners, but somehow she felt that everything would be better just by having Emily here with her. No one called out to her from downstairs, so she assumed it was probably just the neighbours or a friend of the family stopping by with good wishes.

  “Get a grip, Danica,” she whispered to herself and tried to resist the temptation to tidy her hair.

  She remembered it was almost the same shade as Emily’s, only Danica’s was a little bit lighter. It was possible Emily might’ve changed hers by now, but it always felt like something they had in common. On first glance they seemed like wildly different people, but anyone who knew them well probably saw that wasn’t true.

  They enjoyed a lot of the same things, from movies and music to dancing—badly in Danica’s case, or so she believed—to making love, and they were both set in their ways and good at heart. At least, that’s what Danica felt, and that made her look forward to seeing her friend all the more. She hadn’t dated since Emily had left; she’d only received offers from men.

  Try as she might, she wasn’t able to find the love of her life here… other than Emily. She considered moving on as Emily had done, and building a life someplace else, but her family was here. She didn’t want to leave without a very good reason, and so far she didn’t have one. Besides, that possibility was off the table for the time being while she recovered from her injuries.

  Danica heard footsteps on the stairs and looked over at the door, anticipating someone on the other side. It could just as easily have been someone wanting to get to the bathroom, but then there was a double-knock and the door opened to a sight she’d wanted to see for such a long time.

  “Emily,” she exclaimed, as her once-girlfriend walked into the room and carefully leaned over the bed to give her a hug.

  “Yes, it’s me,” she said, taking in the sight of Danica in bed.

  Danica had the covers up past her waist, and her long hair was swept up behind her head.

  Emily looked the same as Danica remembered; almost as though no time had passed at all, and yet it felt new and different seeing her again.

  Danica could tell from the way Emily looked at her that she was concerned, and wondered about her injuries. There were no bruises left, other than from the doctors running more medical tests. Her legs were covered by the warm blankets, and her bandages were beneath her nightdress. She realised she mightn’t look that different at all, though there was a considerable hump at the bottom of the bed, from the plaster casts on her legs beneath the covers.

  “I missed you, Danica. Are you alright?” she asked, carefully moving to sit on the side of the bed.

  Even though the bed was lar
ge, Emily realised that the nearby chair might be a safer option and sat down there instead.

  “I know. I’m so glad you’re here,” Danica told her.

  She couldn’t bring herself to tell Emily she’d missed her too because she felt so much. It wasn’t a comment she could make lightly, when it had consumed her heart and thoughts so intensely.

  “I’m alright,” she said, attempting to reassure Emily. “It’s wonderful to see you. I knew you’d come by but I wasn’t expecting you for a while.”

  Danica wasn’t sure exactly why, but she felt at peace. She enjoyed Emily’s warm and kind presence; that of a dear friend who she loved more than she dare say.

  “I couldn’t pass your house without stopping in,” Emily said, as she leaned forward in the chair. “How are you feeling? Are you getting better?” She looked Danica over.

  Danica could still sense Emily’s concern, but she also knew the worst was over now.

  “I’m feeling better, thanks. I’m still sore but it’s improving. It’s only a week until Christmas and I’m supposed to get the plaster off my legs soon, when the doctor decides I’m ready.”

  “Like unwrapping a different kind of Christmas present?” she asked. “It would be a great thing if you can.”

  “Oh that’s for sure. I’m so ready to have the plaster off. Do you know how itchy it gets inside when you can’t reach? I lost a pencil in there last week and couldn’t get it out,” she said, grinning.

  “We’re still talking about the plaster casts, right?” Emily asked.

  Danica swatted her. “Yes!”

  “I’m really glad you’re feeling better,” Emily told her, as she reached out and squeezed Danica’s hand.

  Danica reminded herself that Emily did so as a friend, but she gave her hand a soft squeeze back, then let go. Her heart surged, but she knew she didn’t want to get her hopes up. It would be easier if she didn’t, because she knew Emily would likely be going back to college again soon, and she wasn’t sure when she’d get to see her again.

  “There’s something I’ve been wanting to talk to you about,” Emily said. “I’m not sure who else I can talk to about it and get a straight answer. I found out today that I have a brother.”

  Danica could tell from the way Emily looked at her that she was surprised by the news; she also seemed curious, as though wondering whether Danica already knew about it. She didn’t.

  “Wow. A half brother?” she asked, her expression perplexed.

  She’d known Emily a long time and there had never been any hint of the fact before that she had a brother.

  “No, my parents adopted him out, and he found them a couple of months ago. I don’t know if they want me to tell anyone but it’s my business too, so I can talk about it, right?”

  “Right,” Danica agreed with her. “After all, he’s your brother. Are you happy to find him? What are you going to do?”

  “I am! I’m going to meet up with him,” Emily explained. “It just seems like he’s had some disagreements with my parents and things aren’t good right now. I’m only here for a couple of weeks, so I want to make good use of that time.”

  Danica’s heart sank. She already knew Emily would be going back to college—after all, why wouldn’t she? Her course was there and she had classes starting in the new year. It was just hearing her say it crushed the tiny hope she had that perhaps Emily would move back home. She really wanted her to, but she knew it wasn’t fair to expect it of her.

  She realised she’d kept Emily waiting for an answer, so she racked her brain for an idea of what to say. Somehow, she sensed Emily already knew what she was feeling, or at least why she’d hesitated.

  “I didn’t realise you felt that way,” Emily said, studying Danica’s expression as she lay there in bed.

  “What way?” Danica asked, but it sounded false, even to her own ears. “I just wish you didn’t have to go again, but I know that’s selfish.”

  “I know,” Emily replied, “but it’s not selfish, so it’s alright. I don’t want you to feel bad. I only just got here and I have weeks yet; I only just got off the plane. I’m not ready to board another one just yet.”

  “You’re right, of course,” Danica said. “I’m sorry, it’s just been tough.”

  “I know it has,” Emily replied.

  While she didn’t say it, Danica knew it hadn’t been easy on Emily either.

  “We’ll just have to make the most of the time we have while you’re visiting,” Danica said.

  “I would like that,” Emily replied. “I didn’t bring the movies, but I will next time. Are there one or two in particular you’d like to watch?”

  Danica shook her head. “I think I’ll let you surprise me. No Santa Claus with a chainsaw or anything like that.”

  Emily laughed. “What kinds of movies have you been watching while I was gone?”

  Danica grinned. “Not those ones.”

  “Right, well I’ll pick a few select movies that I think you’ll find awesome and enjoyable.”

  “I think that’s just what I need,” she said.

  “I know you do,” Emily replied, her voice softening. “I think we both do.”

  Their gazes met and a shared sense of meaning passed between them. Danica was sure that had anyone else been in the room, they wouldn’t have understood. There were no simple words for what Danica felt, only emotions.

  Danica sensed a slight uncertainty from Emily, and she thought she knew why. It was because of what she’d said about Emily leaving. Danica couldn’t take her feelings back though; she felt what she felt. Danica thought Emily had already accepted that, but she wondered how things would be when the time came for Emily to leave. She was sure it would be difficult, but all right later, and until then she decided to make the most of every moment with Emily that she could.

  Once again they’d fallen into a comfortable silence until Emily spoke up.

  “I’m going to see if I can meet up with my brother tomorrow.” Emily had made up her mind, and Danica knew how resolute she could be. “I guess I have another Christmas present to buy as well. It’s hard to know what to get when you don’t know a person at all.”

  “You could meet him first and leave the present until later? If your meet-up goes well then you’ll have a better understanding of what he likes.”

  She wondered if Emily would buy him anything if it didn’t go well.

  “Maybe,” Emily said. “I want him to like me and a present might help.”

  “Emily,” Danica replied, “you’re a wonderful person and you’re his sister. That’s all the reason he should need, and he ought to be able to recognise that even without a present.”

  Emily nodded. “Thanks Danica. I think I’ll follow your advice. I’m going to meet him in town and see how things go from there.”

  “That sounds like a good plan to me,” she said. “Let me know how it goes.”

  “Oh, I will,” Emily said. “I’ll tell you everything. I wonder what he’ll be like, and where he’s been up until now. I’m sure he has quite a story to tell if he wants to.”

  “Just ask him and see what he says,” Danica replied. “I know if I was him I’d appreciate you asking.”

  “I just hope it goes well,” she said, folding her arms nervously. “I want him to like me.”

  Emily

  The first snowflakes began to fall over Myrton in the early morning. It had been a cold night, with her bedroom even colder than the college dorm at times, because her parents’ heating had broken down. It took until noon the next day for her father to get it up and running again. She started the day by sharing hot coffee with her mother and sister, and had scrambled eggs for breakfast, before preparing to meet her brother, Jeremy.

  She must’ve taken three times longer than usual getting ready. She’d straightened her hair before choosing to tie it up into a ponytail because she thought it looked like she put too much effort in the other way. It felt silly to her, all the time spent on make-up and agon
izing over how it might go. She remembered what Danica had said to her the day before and reminded herself that she should be enough just as she was.

  Emily wondered if her parents had mentioned she was a lesbian, not that it was any of his business, but it might’ve helped to know what had been said and what hadn’t. She decided not to ask and just assumed they hadn’t said anything. If he wanted a close friendship with her, then she expected him to treat her right and respect her for the person she was.

  The drive to the coffee shop was a quiet one as they made their way through light traffic to the place where Danica used to work. Emily wasn’t sure why she’d chosen it; Danica had started her job there and left while Emily was away. It was probably because it was familiar territory to her and she knew some of the other staff there already, if they hadn’t left.

  “I’m sure it’ll go fine,” Lydia said, “but if you have any trouble, you ring me. I’m going to do some shopping in the town centre, and I won’t be far away.”

  “I should be alright,” Emily replied, “but I appreciate that, Mum.”

  “I think he’s still put out with your father, but he sounded reasonable and happy to meet you when I talked to him on the phone. He’s tall, brown hair… ohh, you don’t know what he looks like. Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?”

  Emily thought it over for a few moments, but she knew that because Jeremy had argued with her parents, some hurt feelings or anger might still exist, and Emily didn’t want it getting in the way. She wanted their first meet-up to be fresh and new, and not influenced by any disagreements, no matter how justified they might’ve been or seemed at the time.