Open Your Arms

Chapter 88

December 24, 2006

"Okay, here's what we're going to do," Anita clasps her hands together, looking underneath the Christmas tree. "We all know Santa isn't real--"

"What?!" Jesse and Ville both exclaim in unison. 

"But he lives here!" Ville imitates weeping and Jesse acts like he's comforting him. 

"Anyway," Anita ignores them, as if this happens all the time. "Larissa, what are some special Christmas traditions you have in the States with your family?"

It takes me a while to think about what we do. "Well, when I was little, I believed in Santa of course, and so we would open up one present from our parents that night and then open Santa's presents the next day and the other presents my parents gave us. But now, we don't wait like that anymore. We just all exchange gifts on Christmas."

It upsets me a little that I'm going to be missing Thomas' first Christmas, but it's not that big of a deal. It's not like he's my kid or he's going to remember whether I was there or not. If anything, my family is probably happy that Ville and I aren't there. 

I need to stop thinking of them badly in that way. They're not bad people. We just don't get along that well sometimes. 

"Well then that's what we'll do since you aren't home for Christmas!" Anita decides, no longer in a trance while staring at the tree. "Everyone pick out one gift."

Surprisingly, I had three gifts total--one from his parents, one from Jesse, and the other from Ville. I thought that I was going to only have one. 

I reach over and pick the gift that his parents got me, then sit down on the floor in front of Ville, his legs on either side of my shoulders. 

"Honey, you can sit down on a couch," Anita insist. 

"Oh, that's alright," I assure her. 

"Ville and Larissa, you guys open your presents first," Anita pulls out her camera and begins recording us. 

I remove the tissue paper from the plastic bag and pull out a blanket. It looks knitted together, even homemade. I gasp and look at Anita. "Did you make this?"

She nods, smiling. "Yes."

"Oh thank you so much."

"Ha, thanks Mom," Ville holds up his shirt that says something in Finnish that I can't understand. 

Although I feel a little left out sometimes when they speak in Finnish to each other, I appreciate the courtesy at the fact that they do speak in English for me so that we can all talk amongst each other. 

Jesse got a shirt, too, that was in Finnish and Kari got something, but I have no idea what it is. I tried asking Ville about it, but he told me not to worry. Kari also got Anita a cute little apron. 

I look back into the kitchen and still see the pots and pans left out on the counter. I stable myself against the couch and rise, going into there and begin to wash. 

"Oh no no no," Anita rushes towards me and shuts off the water. "You will not be doing the dishes; you are a guest."

"And you made dinner," I turn the water back on and continuing to wash the dishes. 

She doesn't protest anymore. I wonder if anyone else ever bothers to help her clean up the kitchen mess or if all three of them expect her to make dinner and wash dishes. 

My mother taught me growing up that whoever makes dinner doesn't have to wash the dishes. Of course I was frustrated because that meant I had chores to do, but now it feels nice to help Anita.