Grown-Up Christmas List
folder
Original - Misc › Modern Lit
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
6
Views:
5,516
Reviews:
1
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Original - Misc › Modern Lit
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
6
Views:
5,516
Reviews:
1
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The Author holds exclusive rights to this work. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited.
Chapter 1
Grown-Up Christmas List
“Hello, Mother, hello Father.” They walked right past me, and up the stairs, Father carrying their suitcases to their guest room. I sighed softly and closed the semi-glass front door and wandered back into the kitchen. They were early this year. By a few days, but still, they were early. Sister and Husband were already here, having arrived just two days ago. They decided to talk a long walk down the snowy path to the iced over lake and just enjoy the beautiful view.
That's what most people said about where I lived. My house was built in a secluded area, a few miles away from any town with a noticeable lake just a twenty minute walk away. The path to the lake was well worn and was rarely hard to travel. My house was three stories high and surrounded by a forest of trees. Large windows were in the main rooms of the house, the living room, dinning room, kitchen and the master bedroom. The guest bedrooms had regular windows, nearly one third the size of the large windows. The house itself looked to be that of a Victorian home, but modernized. The wood floors, stairs, cabinets, and furniture was a luscious maple and dark wood blend.
Mother and Father took the first guest room on the second floor, as always, claiming that its the only room you can escape out of the fastest if need be. I knew they only took that room because they would be able to sneak away from everyone else late at night easily.
I re-tied my apron around my waist and continued making the Christmas cookies that Sister and Husband were always in charge of, but never made. There was supposed to be at least six dozen cookies. I had about two dozen already done. My hand was starting to hurt from mixing the batter with MnMs. I sighed and set the wooden spoon down, grabbing a clean glass from the cupboard, making a mental note to wash the pile of dishes before tomorrow. I rolled my eyes, grabbing the milk from the fridge as I thought about Wife and how anal she was about the dishes.
I sat on the stool in front of the batter and drank my glass of milk. For the next few hours I continued making cookies, ending with chocolate chip, MnMs, oatmeal, raisin and peanut butter cookies. The chocolate chip cookies had two dozen, while the others had one dozen. As I made all of the cookies, Mother and Father stayed upstairs, unpacking and preparing for tomorrow when everyone else was going to arrive.
Just after I had finished the last of the cookies, Sister and Husband came back inside.
“Oh, really. You didn't have to make them for us, Darling.” I cringed on the inside. Sister insisted on calling my 'Darling.'
“No, I did have to. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been made.” I put the last cookie in the cookie tins and threw my apron on the table, and started to wash the dishes. Sister glared at me and Husband sighed, looking skyward for help. Sister stomped out of the kitchen and up the stairs, past Mother and Fathers room and to theirs. Husband followed obediently.
I sighed and set to work on the dishes. Sister was MESSY. I'm actually amazed that Brother's Wife hadn't killed her last Christmas. She must have been too busy with Little Brother and Little Sister. I wiped my brow with my forearm and opened the dishwasher, getting the last of the dishes in and going.
I walked into the living room, pressing 'play' on the festively decorated stereo and layed down on the long couch that curved with the corner of the wall. I stared at the ceiling and unconsciously began to sing along with the music softly.
“Do you remember me? I sat up your knee. I wrote to you with childhood fantasies. Well, I'm all grown-up now, can you still help somehow? I'm not a child, but my heart can still dream.” I stretched, arching my back like a cat, closing my eyes and turned my head towards the softly burning candle on the low table in front of the couch.
“So here's my lifelong wish, my grown-up Christmas list. Not for myself, but for a world in need.” my eyes snapped open when the music was turned off. I raised an eyebrow at Sister as she walked over to me, folding her arms over her chest.
“Is there something you would like?” I tried to prompt.
“I just don't get it.” I sighed, closing my eyes.
“Get what?”
“Why you're so mean to me.” I clenched my teeth together.
“Oh?”
“Why are you so mean to me, Darling?”
“I'm not mean to you.”
“Jealous, then.” I opened my eyes and pushed myself up on my elbows.
“Jealous? Of you? What do you have that I don't?”
“A husband.”
“Like I want a whipped man with no backbone.”
“With a husband, I'm financially secure.”
“I'm been financially secure since I was fourteen.” she sighed softly.
“Darling, you're jealous of me because I have what you want.”
“What does that have to do with me being mean to you?”
“Ever since I got married, you've been distant. You keep trying to make me out to be irresponsible and lazy.”
“You are irresponsible and lazy. And I've never been close to you. You're first born, I was third. We have six years between us. And being distant isn't being mean. I am simply a private person.”
“Listen, I know that you want to be the one married. You're jealous because I am married and you vent that jealousy through being mean to me.” I sat up.
“For the last time, Sister, I am not jealous of you in anyway. I do not want, nor do I need, what you have. I do not make you out to be irresponsible or lazy. You do that just fine on your own. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have dishes to put away.” I stood and walked back into the kitchen, taking a wash towel to dry the nearly dry dishes and put them away. Sister sighed and followed me, saying,
“Denial isn't just a river in Egypt, Darling.” I clenched my teeth together and kept my back to her, waiting until she sighed softly and went back upstairs, before I allowed myself to relax and put the dishes away.
“Hello, Mother, hello Father.” They walked right past me, and up the stairs, Father carrying their suitcases to their guest room. I sighed softly and closed the semi-glass front door and wandered back into the kitchen. They were early this year. By a few days, but still, they were early. Sister and Husband were already here, having arrived just two days ago. They decided to talk a long walk down the snowy path to the iced over lake and just enjoy the beautiful view.
That's what most people said about where I lived. My house was built in a secluded area, a few miles away from any town with a noticeable lake just a twenty minute walk away. The path to the lake was well worn and was rarely hard to travel. My house was three stories high and surrounded by a forest of trees. Large windows were in the main rooms of the house, the living room, dinning room, kitchen and the master bedroom. The guest bedrooms had regular windows, nearly one third the size of the large windows. The house itself looked to be that of a Victorian home, but modernized. The wood floors, stairs, cabinets, and furniture was a luscious maple and dark wood blend.
Mother and Father took the first guest room on the second floor, as always, claiming that its the only room you can escape out of the fastest if need be. I knew they only took that room because they would be able to sneak away from everyone else late at night easily.
I re-tied my apron around my waist and continued making the Christmas cookies that Sister and Husband were always in charge of, but never made. There was supposed to be at least six dozen cookies. I had about two dozen already done. My hand was starting to hurt from mixing the batter with MnMs. I sighed and set the wooden spoon down, grabbing a clean glass from the cupboard, making a mental note to wash the pile of dishes before tomorrow. I rolled my eyes, grabbing the milk from the fridge as I thought about Wife and how anal she was about the dishes.
I sat on the stool in front of the batter and drank my glass of milk. For the next few hours I continued making cookies, ending with chocolate chip, MnMs, oatmeal, raisin and peanut butter cookies. The chocolate chip cookies had two dozen, while the others had one dozen. As I made all of the cookies, Mother and Father stayed upstairs, unpacking and preparing for tomorrow when everyone else was going to arrive.
Just after I had finished the last of the cookies, Sister and Husband came back inside.
“Oh, really. You didn't have to make them for us, Darling.” I cringed on the inside. Sister insisted on calling my 'Darling.'
“No, I did have to. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been made.” I put the last cookie in the cookie tins and threw my apron on the table, and started to wash the dishes. Sister glared at me and Husband sighed, looking skyward for help. Sister stomped out of the kitchen and up the stairs, past Mother and Fathers room and to theirs. Husband followed obediently.
I sighed and set to work on the dishes. Sister was MESSY. I'm actually amazed that Brother's Wife hadn't killed her last Christmas. She must have been too busy with Little Brother and Little Sister. I wiped my brow with my forearm and opened the dishwasher, getting the last of the dishes in and going.
I walked into the living room, pressing 'play' on the festively decorated stereo and layed down on the long couch that curved with the corner of the wall. I stared at the ceiling and unconsciously began to sing along with the music softly.
“Do you remember me? I sat up your knee. I wrote to you with childhood fantasies. Well, I'm all grown-up now, can you still help somehow? I'm not a child, but my heart can still dream.” I stretched, arching my back like a cat, closing my eyes and turned my head towards the softly burning candle on the low table in front of the couch.
“So here's my lifelong wish, my grown-up Christmas list. Not for myself, but for a world in need.” my eyes snapped open when the music was turned off. I raised an eyebrow at Sister as she walked over to me, folding her arms over her chest.
“Is there something you would like?” I tried to prompt.
“I just don't get it.” I sighed, closing my eyes.
“Get what?”
“Why you're so mean to me.” I clenched my teeth together.
“Oh?”
“Why are you so mean to me, Darling?”
“I'm not mean to you.”
“Jealous, then.” I opened my eyes and pushed myself up on my elbows.
“Jealous? Of you? What do you have that I don't?”
“A husband.”
“Like I want a whipped man with no backbone.”
“With a husband, I'm financially secure.”
“I'm been financially secure since I was fourteen.” she sighed softly.
“Darling, you're jealous of me because I have what you want.”
“What does that have to do with me being mean to you?”
“Ever since I got married, you've been distant. You keep trying to make me out to be irresponsible and lazy.”
“You are irresponsible and lazy. And I've never been close to you. You're first born, I was third. We have six years between us. And being distant isn't being mean. I am simply a private person.”
“Listen, I know that you want to be the one married. You're jealous because I am married and you vent that jealousy through being mean to me.” I sat up.
“For the last time, Sister, I am not jealous of you in anyway. I do not want, nor do I need, what you have. I do not make you out to be irresponsible or lazy. You do that just fine on your own. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have dishes to put away.” I stood and walked back into the kitchen, taking a wash towel to dry the nearly dry dishes and put them away. Sister sighed and followed me, saying,
“Denial isn't just a river in Egypt, Darling.” I clenched my teeth together and kept my back to her, waiting until she sighed softly and went back upstairs, before I allowed myself to relax and put the dishes away.