Ava’s perfect Christmas
is missing just one thing.
After an accident days
before Christmas Ava Ringwald is left with a gap in her memory, but it’s not
just her that is desperate for their recovery…
“Can’t
we open all of them?” Felix whined as Ava sat on the couch in her long flannel
nightgown.
The scent of the fragrant pine in the
corner filled her with the essence of Christmas. She held a cup of tea and
tucked her legs up as she watched Lane remain firm against his son Felix’s
pleas and maintaining his stand on their Christmas Eve tradition.
“One or none,” he said.
“Aww, Dad.” Felix hung his arms and
traipsed over to the tree like a depressed little elf.
Sean, the elder of the two brothers,
pulled the gift Ava had brought for him out from under the tree. A spark hit his
eyes as he glanced from Ava to his dad. “I want to open this one.”
“Is that okay with you?” Lane asked,
sitting beside her.
Ava nodded.
“And I want this one.” Felix tore into
the brown paper of a package without waiting for the okay.
Lane rested a hand on her leg, the
warmth of it burning a hole through her gown. Ava sipped her tea as a
distraction. She didn’t want to give away the desires she’d let loose in her
imagination ever since Lane had hand fed her that tantalizing chocolate cake. She
would be patient. This moment was about him and his children.
Felix pulled out a wood handled hatchet
and held it up over his head with both hands. “Look what I got. Look what I
got.”
“Bring it over here.” Mama Hart, his
silvery haired grandmother, held out her hands. She wore a floor-length flannel
gown too—ruffles around the sleeves and chest. Felix scrambled to his feet,
stepping over the wrapping paper littered floor to his grandmother.
Ava’s eyes couldn’t leave him, the small
child with the metal blade in his hand. “You bought your son an ax?” she said
quietly behind her mug, trying to hide her astonishment from the others.
Lane turned away from Felix. The joy
inside his eyes drained immediately. “We
bought it for him.”
“Oh,” Ava said. First, shocked that she would
ever be on board with purchasing a sharp metal object for a young child and
second, pained by the dagger she’d just delivered to a man that baked her
chocolate cake and said things like, I
adore you, by not sharing the memory. She sipped her peppermint tea
again.
“Here. This one’s for you.” Sean handed Ava
a present wrapped in shiny green paper. “I made it myself.”
“Thank you.” Ava set her tea on the side
table before taking the present.
Sean sat on the floor in front of her
while Felix watched from Mama Hart’s lap. Even Lane seemed to be transfixed on her
every move.
Slowly, she pulled back the paper,
wondering what sort of trinket he’d created. The paper fell away, revealing a
book, a black book. She opened it. Centered on the first page was a portrait of
them. All of them, posed and happy.
At the bottom of the page written in a
child’s script was: I had fun playing
with you. You got a sunburn.
Pain pinched Ava’s heart as she turned
the page. Another family photo and message. She didn’t stop to read it. She couldn’t.
The next pages were filled with the same. She closed it and looked into the
expectant eyes of everyone watching.
“Dad says you might not remember these
things.” Sean looked up at her with those aged little boy eyes. “But I do, and I
can help you.”
Ava was speechless, but it didn’t seem
to bother Sean as his attention shifted to the big package he’d been waiting to
open.
He ripped into his gift and uncovered
one corner of the box. His mouth dropped open as he turned to Ava.
“You remembered,” he said, and then tore
the rest of the paper away from the magic kit with unbridled little boy
enthusiasm, finally looking like a carefree little boy.
But the words “you remembered” haunted Ava. His expectant eyes, and the
hopefulness held in those two powerful words tore her in two.
Sean rushed over to Mama Hart in the
rocking chair, pointing to the magic cards pictured on the box.
“I knew you’d start to remember.” Sean’s
eyes shot to Ava’s. “I just knew it. It’s what I asked Santa for tonight. He
said he couldn’t make any promises but that he’d try to help if he could.” He
looked back at the magic set with awe. “But, it’s already happening. You’re
remembering.”
“No, honey.” Ava couldn’t keep the truth
from him. “I don’t remember.”
Sean’s smile fell. “But you’re the only
person I told about the magic set. If you don’t remember, then how…”
The question hung in everyone’s eyes—all
waiting for her to answer. “I didn’t… I just… I found a list.” She switched her
gaze to Lane’s, confused and expectant. “I had it on a list that I found. I…” She
couldn’t finish. There were no words to match the fall of Sean’s shoulders.
“But…” His lip quivered. “It’s my only
wish.”
He knocked the magic kit out of Mama
Hart’s hands, rattling the pieces inside, before running for the stairs. Lane
shot to his feet, right behind his son, leaving a startled silence in his wake.
After a door slammed upstairs, Felix
crawled across the floor and turned the magic kit face up. His fingers traced
the images on the front. “This looks really cool.” He turned from Mama Hart to
Ava. “If Sean doesn’t want it, can I have it?”
Mama Hart chuckled and patted him on the
back. “Let’s leave it here for your brother to play with in the morning.” She
propped the box under the tree. “Now, it’s time to get you to bed.”
Felix stood up, slinging his hatchet
over his shoulder. “Night,” he called to Ava.
“Good night,” she replied.
“Don’t worry about the mess, dear,” Mama
Hart said in passing. “Lane and I will clean it up.”
Ava wondered which mess she meant.
If
you’d like to read Something to Remember click here to find out where you can
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