Page 3 of Christmas Rings

Please, Mommy and Daddy, look over me and this nice lady. And my new sisters.

Alissa was seated at the dining room table in Maddie’s house with three other girls. She couldn’t yet think of them as her sisters even though she felt an instant connection with them. They all had sad eyes too. Still, they were strangers, thrown together because their parents were gone. Jo was a big girl of fifteen, with green eyes that were angry, as well as wretched. When Alissa smiled at her, Jo looked away and flushed. Stevie was the next oldest at thirteen, with a face kind of like a storm cloud. Her hair was the color of a copper cup Alissa’s father used to drink Moscow Mules out of on Saturday nights. The littlest girl, Hailey, wore thick glasses and darted glances at Alissa with her big blue eyes. She was so tiny and thin that Alissa thought she might float away like a balloon if someone didn’t hold her down. With that in mind, she scooted her chair closer and reached under the table to take Hailey’s hand.

Hailey squeezed her hand back and they exchanged a smile.

Maddie set a pile of blank paper on the table. “Since we’re so close to Christmas, I thought it would be fun to write Santa a letter.”

Alissa glanced around the table. The two older girls looked down at their laps. A tear caught in Hailey’s lower lashes.

Alissa had planned to ask for the Barbie camper. Now everything was different. All she wanted was her mother and father to come get her. She’d give up Christmas presents for the rest of her life if that could happen. But even Santa couldn’t deliver that wish.

Maddie smiled at her. “He knows you’ve been through a lot and that you’ve been a good girl.”

“Okay,” Alissa said. “I’ll write one.”

Maddie passed around paper and pencils for everyone. The girls dispersed from the table, wandering to other places in the house. Alissa chewed on the end of her pencil, debating about what to write. Last month, she and Mommy had kept gratitude journals. Every day they wrote something they were thankful for and then shared it on the way to school. “No matter how bad things are,” Mommy’s voice echoed through her mind, “there is always something to be thankful for.”

Alissa didn’t want to be thankful just at the moment. She wanted to scream and cry and break things. Yet, Mommy was right. She was here with Maddie and the other girls. The house was warm and pretty with two enormous sparkly trees. The room smelled of cookies and hot cocoa. Maddie had managed to bring her clothes, books and dolls from home. They were already arranged in the upstairs bedroom she would share with Hailey.

Dear Santa,

I’m thankful for my new home even though I miss Mommy and Daddy. I’d still like the Barbie camper even though it seems stupid now. I wonder if Barbie’s parents are alive? I’ve never seen them so maybe they’re dead too. If that’s true, does she have a foster mom like me? I’d also like you to bring something for each of my new sisters that will make them smile and take away their sad eyes.

Yours truly,

Alissa Mann

That night, after they were allowed to eat a sugar cookie and drink a glass of milk, Alissa brushed her teeth. She stared back at her reflection, feeling almost as if her body and face belonged to someone else. Would she ever feel normal again?

She slipped between the covers in her new twin bed. Across from her, Hailey did the same. Maddie tucked the covers up around her shoulders and kissed her forehead, just like Mommy did. Then, she did the same for Hailey.

“Will you be all right with just the night light?” Maddie asked.

Alissa nodded.

Hailey said, “Yes, ma’am.”

“My daughter was afraid of the dark,” Maddie said, as she perched on the end of Alissa’s bed. “I bought the brightest light I could find. In the morning, I would come in and she’d have turned on the lamp anyway.”

“Did she get in trouble?” Hailey asked.

“No. I always figured there were more things to worry about than whether or not she needed the lights on,” Maddie said. “Anyway, you girls sleep well. In the morning, we’ll do a little Christmas shopping and go to the holiday festival at the town center.”

“Really?” Hailey asked. “I’ve never been before.”

“It’s one of the best parts of Christmas,” Maddie said.

Alissa squeezed her eyes shut to keep from crying. She and her parents had gone there every holiday season. They’d bought a new ornament each year for their tree. What would happen to all those ornaments now?

“What is it, sweetie?” Maddie asked.

“What happened to all the ornaments at my house?” Alissa asked.

Maddie swept a hand through her silky brown hair. “Your mommy’s best friend is taking care of putting away yourparents’ things for you to have when you’re older. I’ll make sure she puts those in a safe place, okay?”

Alissa’s body flooded with relief. “Thank you, Maddie.”

“You’re welcome. Good night, loves.”

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