Kylie & Jack 1: Humble Beginnings

6. Hot Christmas

Christmas Day, 5:32 AM

Lizzie made sure her father and auntie knew it was Christmas Day. She was awake with the sun, checking the plate on the kitchen counter by the door, to make sure that Santa had indeed eaten his cookies that she had begged Kylie to bake (at 7 PM on Christmas Eve, baking cookies was the last thing Kylie felt like doing, but she reminded herself she could have a cider as a reward with their takeaway tea and that these moments with her interstate based niece didn't come around very often).

The glass of milk was also empty and outside on the patio table (Kylie barely had a veranda, but the small glass top table and two chairs were essential furniture, as her Auntie Sal had told her once), the eight carrots left out for the kangaroos (Lizzie had never believed that Santa used reindeer to deliver the presents and instead called Rudolph "the Red–Nosed Roo") were all gone. There were extra presents under Kylie's little tree too.

Mike was roused awake first, blearily opening his eyes and surrendering to his daughter's pleas for him to get up so she can open her presents. Mike had told her she could only open Auntie Amy's presents on Christmas Eve, otherwise she wouldn't have any presents to open the next day.

They would be going out to John and Janelle's at Murruma for tea. Mike and Lizzie would then stay with John and Janelle for a few days, leaving Kylie alone again on Christmas night.

She didn't mind being alone on Christmas night. This year, she was meeting up with her three best friends for late night drinks: Ali, Loz and Sophie. Boxing Day would be a continuation of the celebrations, as the four friends braved the Boxing Day Sales in downtown Wangarra. Then would come the week where time disintegrates.

While the sun got higher and hotter in the sky, Mike and Kylie were forced out of their beds and began the traditional cooked breakfast, playing Christmas carols, watching Lizzie decimate the wrapping paper on her presents and find a thousand early morning 'Merry Christmas' messages on their phones.

********

12:38 PM

Mike and Kylie served up toasted chicken wraps for Christmas lunch, Lizzie laying on the living room floor watching the National Lampoons Christmas. Their phones had not stopped buzzing and pinging with Christmas messages from all their friends and extended family.

Thanks to Kylie, who was fascinated by family history, had put her parents back into contact with so many of their distant cousins they had been close with growing up, through Facebook and were now exchanging Christmas greetings. Mike, meanwhile, had received a very terse 'Merry Christmas' for Lizzie from his ex–wife's parents.

It was a secret concern Kylie had sat on for the last few days about how Mike and Lizzie would react to their first Christmas since the divorce. Kylie didn't want to discuss anything upsetting on Christmas Day, but she wanted to clear the air at least before leaving for Murruma.

"So ..." Kylie began, as Mike made a chicken and cheese wrap for Lizzie. "First Chrissy since the big split."

Mike appeared to shrug.

"You two handling that alright?" Kylie knew she was probably coming across as painfully blunt and that Mike would probably dismiss the whole matter mindlessly, but his response surprised her, to say the least.

"I haven't heard from her since everything was finalised. I thought she would want to say Merry Christmas to Liz, but nothing yet. Frankly, I think it's better if she doesn't. Lizzie knows that her mother's gone. I think it's easier for her if it stays that way. If it's just us. She hasn't asked me if there's anything from Karen for her or anything like that, so ..." Kylie bobbed her head in a manner of agreement.