“Come on. I want to get you a Christmas gift. Isn’t there something you want?”
“I’ve got you. That’s more than I could have imagined this time last year.”
“And you really didn’t get anything last year?”
“I got my stomach pumped… on Christmas eve.”
“Oh”
“It’s ok. I’m clean now. Santa came to visit me in the hospital.”
“Santa?”
“Well, not the real Santa. I just call him that. I don’t know his name. He was some kind of preacher or something. He talked to me about forgiveness, second chances and starting over. He introduced me to the women’s center. That was a real turning point for me. I’ve been clean for four months now. I’m sorry. I know I should have mentioned this earlier, but I just didn’t know how to bring it up.”
“Four months is long a time.”
“It’s a personal record for me.”
“That’s fantastic. So isn’t there something you want for Christmas?”
“I don’t make wishes any more.”
“Is it ok if I wish to be with you this Christmas?”
“I think that would be a wonderful wish.”
“So why don’t you wish for something?”
“I’ve just learned that sometimes we’re better off when we don’t get what we ask for.”
“I guess that could be. What did you wish for last year?”
“To die”
That is some Christmas wish. Glad she got something else.
Thanks, Sonia!
Wish for nothing, get everything? I hope his wish comes true anyway.
That would be an interesting strategy. I have a feeling these two are going to have a good Christmas. Thanks, FAR.
Nice. All I want for Christmas is….
Thanks, Tim!
I think his wish to be with her was very cute. Is it okay that I projected femininity onto the suicide-wisher? Going back and re-reading, I can’t tell why I thought she was a she.
Minor typo – paragraph five and final paragraph are missing a period
Thanks for catching the typos. I’ll go fix them now.
In my mind, when I wrote it, I had the suicide-wisher as a woman. Thus, the reference to the women’s center. I’m glad it didn’t seem too confusing for anyone who read it the other way.
A touching moment, expressed succinctly. Good dialogue. Re: John’s comment. It is a woman isn’t it?
Thanks, Tom. Yes, that is how I had it in my mind.
That’s deep. That’s a lot of wisdom for a young Christian. It’s taken me a life time to understand that some of the best things we ever get are the things we didn’t want. Nice.
Thanks, Floyd! I’ve been a bit slow to learn that lesson myself.
Just being together is often the best thing any two people can wish for.
Thanks for the feel-good vibes this gave me Chuck. 🙂
Thanks, Steve. I’m glad it provided a feel-good vibe.
Sometimes you don’t need gifts to make your life worth living, you just need people who care….. ^__^
Nicely written Chuck
I agree, Helen. Thanks!
Found this via Twitter. Thanks for sharing – very touching, and that last line just hits so hard. I hope your Christmas wishes are happier – looking at the photo of you and your lovely family, I’m sure they are 🙂 God Bless.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting, Sarah. I am definitely looking forward to Christmas and have been very blessed. Have a Merry Christmas!
Oh my. That’s wonderful, and a perfect punch to the gut. Brilliance!
Thanks, Raven!
This is special, Chuck.
I appreciate that, Duane.
That ending gives this whole story a lot of punch, and it’s true, sometimes we shouldn’t get what we ask for.
Thanks for commenting, Icy. I’m glad the ending worked for you. I was concerned that it might be too abrupt.
Yes – if I had wished to die the year before, I think I would feel the same!
I am glad they had found each other.
Think what I liked most about this FF is the style. You didn’t give the people names or specify their gender. They could be anyone, anywhere. Which – to me – seemed very clever because this conversation could happen to anyone. Hope that makes sense. x
Beautiful in its simplicity. The dialogue is credible and flows easily. The partner’s desire to spend time with the narrator for Christmas, expressed as a wish, is charming. The coup de grace, the last line, is delivered in a lovely stillness which emphasizes its punch. Thanks for this.
Take care,
JC