Page 2 of Kenzi's Little Christmas Wish

Debbie listened to the reply, and then quietly nodded as she began to eat. Appetite not as strong as before, Kenzi grabbed the remote and put on the TV. Immediately, the sweet serenading voice of Dolly Parton filled the air as she sang about believing in Santa Claus.

Debbie, with a smile on her face, was opening her mouth to join in the song when Kenzi hissed and switched the channel.

“Scrooge.” Debbie mocked her friend. “Just because you’ve decided to be mean-spirited and grumpy this Christmas does not mean we all have to suffer with you.”

“I’m not grumpy. I just think Christmas is stupid.”

“No you don’t, you love Christmas. And I have all the pictures and videos to prove it. Especially that one where we sang karaoke.”

Deciding there was nothing worth watching, Kenzi turned off the TV and dumped the remote back on the coffee table. Then she turned to look at her friend. “I’m not the one who should be scared of that video coming out. I’m not the one who sounds like Kermit.”

“Ha-Ha, Kermit has a beautiful voice, so there.”

“I meant you sounded like a frog.”

“Still beat you to the lead role when we played Romeo and Juliet in school.” Debbie sounded smug, and Kenzi could not help the small smile that crossed her face. Her friend had the kind of cheerful spirit that made it impossible to stay glum in her presence for too long. That Kenzi had been mourning her failed relationship this long just showed how badly her heart was broken.

“And speaking of frogs,” Kenzi said, as she closed the pizza box to store the remaining slices for a later date, “there is an opening at the mall to play one of Santa’s elves. Are you interested?”

“You mean they are looking for someone to wear one of those tight dresses and carry kids to sit on a creepy old man’s leg?”

“That creepy old man was Pierce, and he was a really nice man, mind you. But Pierce retired from the mall last month and moved to Florida, so Damon is filling in for him.”

“Damon? I don’t think I’ve heard you talk about a Damon from work.”

“That’s because he doesn’t work with us. And that has nothing to do with my question. So do you want the job or not?”

“How much is it paying?”

“Peanuts,” Debbie spoke candidly. “But you’ll finally get a reason to get off your ass and go outside. Maybe get hit on when guys at the mall see you in your elf outfit. Besides, it’s not like you’ve got anything else to do.”

“And what if I do?”

“Really, like what?”

“Like finding a better job,” Kenzi scoffed. Then she really thought about it. “Okay, I’ll take the job. But only because it means I get to spend more time with you...”

She was not allowed to finish, as Debbie started to cheer loudly, moving on the couch to hug her friend. Kenzi returned the hug. As she did, she realized she had messed up. True, she had gotten her heart broken, but even that was not a good enough for reason for how she had been behaving.

“I miss you, too,” Kenzi quietly whispered in her friend’s ear. It was time she started to live a normal life again. And even though her heart would remain broken, she was sure that with time and the help of friends, she could learn to live with that pain

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