#Five00-26
Christmas Wishes.
November 26th, 2025.
Steve languished in his barca lounger, the TV playing reruns of a baseball match he had no interest in watching. He scratched his overnight shadow of a beard, looking around his sparse, one bed room apartment. This was it then! He had resigned himself to his fate. He was destined to spend Christmas, no, his entire life, alone. He could probably lie in his lounger, drink himself silly, choke on his own vomit and die. He didn’t even own cats, so as to be known as the crazy- cat- man. He sniggered at the image he conjured up of himself in his head.
Just then, the silence was broken by the shrill ringing of Steve’s cell phone. He almost didn’t pick it up, but then answered it, roughly.
‘YES’, he bellowed.
A soft, timid voice replied, ‘ Am I s-speaking to S- Santa Claus?’.
Steve muttered something under his breath and then replied, ‘Sorry kid, you seem to have gotten a ……’
‘Ava, I told you that you must have gotten the number wrong!’, said the same timid voice, without disconnecting the call.
AVA! Steve felt a lump form in his throat. He listened to the conversation happening on the other end.
‘I thought I remembered it right, Ally! Mum was dragging us through Macy’s and I tried to store Santa’s number in my head. It was printed there, for kids to speak to Santa, directly.’
Steve felt as though the ground had shifted beneath his feet. He swallowed and then spoke up.
‘ Kids, I am sorry. I am SANTA. What can I do for you, Ava and… Ally?’
Two excited voices spoke up.
‘Santa, Santa, you know Tommy wants a fire truck and Samantha wants Malibu Barbie. Ava and I, we wish for something else?’
Steve gulped, hard.
‘We want our daddy for Christmas! We were little when he went away. Mummy said daddy got mad and stormed out one day and never returned. W-we are seven,now. We would love to see daddy!’
Steve let out a silent sob. He thought for quite a while, then replied. ‘Santa cannot promise you but if you both are good little girls, daddy will be with you soon, maybe Christmas morning. So saying, he cut the call and wept long and hard.
Two years ago, he had left Ava, Ally and his wife Mel, for a girl who caught his fancy at his office. The affair fizzled out in a year and Steve had no guts to approach his wife. He had destroyed Mel and the children.
He drank himself silly for the next year and was almost at the brink when the kids call came through.
Was it divine intervention? He had abandoned his family and Mel may never forgive him. But surely she would not stop his girls from meeting him. He would try. He sobered up and dialled her number….
Christmas morning with Ava and Ally. Most definitely, Mel and God willing!
Non- competing entry for
#Five00-26
#ArtoonsInn
