On Santa’s Lap

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 11

There was a few problems with the fact that it was Christmas Eve.

It all started with the fact that everything was closed, so I had to end up ordering pizza, which was delicious but the price the delivery guy took was not. So eating my pepperoni pizza came the next problem, had to find something to watch on TV.

+

And there were two options.

Christmas chorals and Christmas movies, neither of which I was really interested in.

And it sucked cause eating cheesy pizza with nothing to watch let my mind wander, and there was one person it kept wandering too.

Nik.

And what happened in the kitchen. Wait, well I just slipped and hit him, that’s all that happened. So why did it feel like something more than that happened in those three or something seconds. And why the hell is he following me when I don’t want him too.

He was so persistent.

I groaned kicking my legs accidentally knocking over my cup, and having a mini heart attack, at least it was empty.

If I spilled coke on my carpet, I was going to scream. And my landlord was going to eat me alive. Which reminded me, I needed to pay rent shit.

I threw my half eaten pizza slice back into the pizza box to eat later, why waste it and switched the television off. Placing the box in the fridge I headed into my room.

It wasn’t just the things he did, it was the small things that got to me. And it sort of scared me how relaxed I was getting with him. He seemed to fun to be involved into my life.

Besides he liked Christmas.

What type of excuse is that?

An excuse, a shitty one but one none the less.

I flopped onto my bed sighing as the cold satin sheets welcomed me.

*

Waking up to an empty house became too familiar for me, but the pounding on the door was slightly annoying as I got up. I looked at the clock to see it was saying eight in the morning.

Damn too early.

I pulled the dress I was still in fromt yesterday as I walked towards the door, “I’m coming, Jesus calm down,”

I opened the door knowing my hair probably looked like a birds nest, “Yes?”

Ethan gave me a once over shaking his head as he pushed past me into my apartment, “Get ready. We’re going to mine,”

“What, why?” I asked yawning, “I have work,” and the lies were getting far too easy for me.

“It’s Christmas day, come on, Evan wants to see you,”

I wasn’t sure if the annoyed grunt after that was because I looked like a rumpled pig, or the fact his son wanted to see me.

“Fine, give me tne,”

It didn’t take me too long to get ready, a quick shower, jeans and a woolen crop top, which was stupid because I was so short that the crop top fit like a proper top on me. Damn my five foot four, or three and a bit.

I couldn’t deal with my hair right now, tying it all up in a bun was a simple solution as I grabbed my phone and threw it into the first bag I saw grabbing shoes off the ground, “Can you stop at Toys R Us, I need to pick up a gift for him,”

*

Jan opened the door, with dark circles under her eyes, no doubt from her son waking her up early to open the presents and all the food she had to prepare, another reason not to celebrate this hassle holidays. It was perfect for everyone except mothers and wives who had to labor in the kitchen for hours on a hot stove when it was thirty degrees outside.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW

Talk about a heat wave.

“What happened to your head!”

Oh shit. Was it still visible? I was pretty sure I had scrubbed off half the dried blood and now all there was, was a thin cut, patchy cut maybe and a bruise. I hadn’t paid too much attention in the mirror.

“I don’t know, don’t look at me,” Ethan said as he walked past us dodging his wife’s glare. I took of my shoes liking the way the cold air con felt inside and walked in shutting the door, Evan’s present hanging in one hand, “It’s nothing,”

“It does not look like nothing, it’s the size of my fist!”

Well you must have a tiny fist then. I followed her into the lounge room and much to my annoyance there were heaps of people.

Family
Or more her family, her parents sat on the couch with cocktails in their hands, her sister’s family which consisted one three kids who were running around and her cousins.

They were all dressed in formal wear looking dashing and I somewhat felt out of place already.

“Aunt Eve!” I looked over to where Evan was sitting by the Christmas tree, “Hey buddy,”

“He didn’t want to open his presents till you were here,” Jan said as we walked across. I pursed my lips, no wonder Ethan was so annoyed this morning, the old fart didn’t get to open his presents.

“Here you go,” I said handing the bag over to Evan who in no time had it unwrapped. It was lucky that the store was even open, no doubt for weird last minute gifts like me.

“A telescope! Oh thanks Aunt Eve,” he said his whole face brightening up, I knew his latest obsession with the start and got him a telescope and a star gazing book.

“This is for you!” He dived into the presents under the tree rummaging till he found a big red parcel and gave it to me.

“Right, thanks,” I said accepting it gingerly, “Go play with the kid, I’ll help your mum in the kitchen,”

“Aren’t you going to open it?” Jan asked as I placed it on the bench and walked around to the oven where she was cooking the turkey. Why did people even cook turkeys on Christmas? What was so special about it?

“It doesn’t feel right accepting gifts when I don’t celebrate it,” and I’ll just accidentally forget it when I go home.

“You should, I think you’ll like this one. Ethan helped,”

I raised an eyebrow, “Ha, that’s a first,” I said looking back at the package, if he helped what was it? Definitely not something bought in a store.

It had the shape of a book, a big book but it wasn’t.

“So how did you get that?” she asked motioning to the forehead area on her face, I lifted a hand placing it gingerly on the slight lump.

“I fell,”

“You do that too many times,”

No I don’t. Okay sometimes, okay fine I tripped over often but this wasn’t completely my fault. I was just caught off guard.

“Here keep stirring this will ya, I don’t want the bottom to catch,” I swapped places with her as she went back to the lounge room with a new tray of mint cocktails that she makes. I leaned my hip against the stove taking out my phone.

No new messages.

Boy right in the popularity zone.

“Hey,”

STORY CONTINUES BELOW

I looked up confused at the voice as Jan’s cousin Christopher walked in, “The last time I saw you will have to be at their wedding,” he said as he placed his glass in the sink and turned around leaning against the bench.

I sucked my lips in trying to think, his blonde hair and pale green eyes were familiar and then it hit me, “No, Evan’s third birthday, I was there,”

“Oh yeah, I remember,” he nodded.

“You know, it’s really weird that these are called mince pies, but are made from fruits,” he said reaching out as he grabbed one from the tray, I was pretty sure Jan would notice one missing, especially if it was at the top of the mountain she made.

“That was because in the Middle Ages, especially Henry the eight, he used to have liver, ox Tongue, Rabbit stomachs, and whatever he could find in those pies, no fruits, well a bit, but they were made out of meat and no turkey,”

Chris’s mouth slowly stopped chewing as he reached for the napkin,”Well, now we know,” he said wiping his mouth and I smiled to myself stirring the pot. Probably spat it out.

“Alright guys help me set the tab-did someone eat my mince pies?”

“The bin did,” Chris said as he started putting the bigger bowls onto the large dining table while I tried hiding my smile.

It felt overly crowded with all of us sitting at the table, a bit squished, arms touching arms which made me think, how on earth were we going to eat with cutlery when our elbows were practically bumping into each other.

“Turkey?” Chris asked as he passed the plate to me, after Ethan did the “honor” of “Carving” the turkey. More like cutting it up into sizable.

“No thanks,” I said as I reached for the mashed potato. Man, mash potato was amazing, I could eat all of that all day long.

“What? You don’t like turkey?” he asked.

“I want Turkey,” Evan said from beside me. I took the plate from Chris giving him a good spoofull and sent the plate passing out.

“I’m not much of a meat eater,”

“So you’re vegetarian?”

“No…I eat meat, sometimes, I like chicken?” I grabbed some of the salad, only because Jan made the best salad. As well as best everything else.

“What about seafood?”

“That’s also meat, and no not a fan,”

Chris stared at me like he saw an alien, what didn’t he meet anyone else in his life that wasn’t too big on meat?

“How about beef burgers and pork and la-,”

“Chris, I eat meat.” I said as I stabbed a carrot, “I eat burgers and bacon and kebabs, happy?”

“But…not all the time,”

The urge to let my face hit my plate in frustration was too high. After lunch it was ice-cream, which I loved. With an extra helping I went back to the lounge room where everyone was sitting and winced seeing Jan’s mother beckon me over, I hated in-laws.

“Evelyn, how nice to see you again dear,” Vikkie said as I sat beside her.

“Yeah, Yeah you too,” I said stabbing my spoon into my Cookies and Cream ice-cream before putting it in my mouth.

“You look so different, did you put on some weight?”

The spoon nearly fell out of my mouth.

I cleared my throat, that was nice, “Maybe,” I shrugged.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW

“Nah honey it’s the thick jumper, it’s loose on her. Aren’t you hot Evelyn?”

If Bill wasn’t nearing his sixties I would think otherwise of “Aren’t you hot,” but the man could barely see properly out of his thick glasses.

“There is air-con,” I pointed out. In my hurry I didn’t really realise what I was wearing till I was in the car and the sun was really getting to me. And the rest of the conversation went downhill.

What did I want to do?

How were my studies?

Was I still working as a stripper at the bar?

What do you mean bar tender and stripper aren’t the same things?”

“I’m going to get some more ice-cream, you know, build up on my layers for winter,” I said.

“What was that darling?” Vikkie asked leaning closer.

“Be back,” I said escaping as their attention went to one of their grand-kids misbehaving.

I walked past Jan’s sister, Maya, into the kitchen and placed my bowl in the sink.

“Aunt Eve! Come splash with us,”

I looked down to see Evan dressed in his shorts, “Nah I don’t really want to jump in the pool,”

“Then come sit, please,” and how can you resist a face like that, puppy dog eyes got me every time. Grabbing one of the cocktail that were still out I followed him, I would definitely be needed alcohol to watch a bunch of kids splash.

Or not.

Since nothing about Chris could be defined as a kid as he was in the pool with them.

And thank god I had sunglasses. Placing them on I sat on the chair kicking my feet out.

“Aren’t you jumping in?”

“Nope,” I replied closing my eyes for the briefest seconds, urgh I hated the sun. I was going to turn into a crow by the end of this. Damn I needed sunscreen.

Was I going to get cancer?

The feel of cold water on my feet made me sit up and glare at Chris through my sunglasses, not that he could see them.

“Are you sure, the water’s cold,”

“I didn’t bring bathers,” I replied as I crossed my legs re-focusing the umbrella to cover me, all of me. Damn I was regretting this stupid crop top.

“I won’t mind,” He joked.

“The kids will,”

I watched him shrug as he went back in with Maya’s husband who was too busy fixing floaties on his daughter. Techinically I wasn’t really related to Chris, I mean he was my sister-in-law’s cousin, so that meant I could date him.

I mean he was good looking, and that body. Well.

But he was annoying as hell.

So no.

Yep, stick to your single life Eve, boys are trouble. Like Gavin.

*

“Are you sure you want to go home,” Jan asked from the driver’s seat frowning at me.

“Jan, you’re parked in the car park,” I said. The whole car ride she was asking me the same question but it was nearing midnight and there was nothing more I wanted to do than get out of these annoying clothes and sleep.

“Alright then, if you need anything call me alright?”

“Sure,”

I got out about to close the door when something red came in the view blocking, “Don’t forget it,” she said holding the gift Evan got me and I sighed.

“Jan I-,”

“Just open it, if you don’t like it, return it. Simple. I’ll see you later,” reluctantly I grabbed the parcel still getting surprised by the weight and headed up inside.

The elevator was Out of Order no surprise there as I took the stairs.

It was annoying, ten levels, but I did over indulge in ice-cream. I mean every time Jan came to the pool offering ice-cream, I was there getting some. It was so scorching that the ice-cream melted even before it entered my mouth.

I tucked the parcel under my hand as I started fishing out for my keys. How did I manage to misplace keys in this tiny bag every damn time?

“Shit, Jesus,” I swore as I tripped over the last step landing somewhat painfully on my knees.

“Christ,” a deeper voice replied.