If there was one day a year Duncan loved the most, it was the last day before summer vacation. But, since that wasn't for another six months, he could settle for Christmas vacation instead. Three weeks with no school was a blessing for him. Only problem? Family time.
Courtney: "You know, Christmas with your family isn't a bad thing." The Hispanic teenager walked down the street, bundled up in layers to keep herself from the butter air.
Duncan rolled his eyes in response to his girlfriend. She was always trying to find a positive thing to turn Duncan's mind away from the negativity of it all.
Duncan: "Easy for you to say, you're not spending Christmas with your family."
Courtney shrugged her shoulders, showing that it didn't bother her. But it did. The thought of being hundreds of miles from her parents at such an important time of the year hurt her deep inside. It was the first year that her parents had booked the usual Christmas vacation away without her. At the age of eighteen, they believed Courtney could take care of herself for once. And she could. But it still would have been nice if her parents had given a thought about her at all during the season
Silence overwhelmed them, Courtney deep in thought about her family and Duncan thinking up how to catch the measles before the arid trip across the country to his family.
Courtney: "But Christmas with your family sounds just as good."
The brunette assured her boyfriend, smiling smugly at him as she wiped her boots on the welcome mat. Duncan rolled his eyes once again, knowing that Courtney had no idea what she had signed herself up for during this holiday season.
The kitchen smelled good, the whole house had a sweet aroma that Courtney had never found in her own house. It made the place feel like a real home, not just for show like hers was. At home Courtney's parents were often the hosts of many parties. During this time of year, it was Christmas parties. Everything was polished, everything was dusted. Special crews were flown in to decorate the house and a tree that reached the ceiling was put up in the middle of the foyer. Not that Courtney bragged, but her parents were rich. She lived in a white mansion that could easily have been mistaken for the white house. The posh part of Muskoka was where she lived, where every neighbour tried to outdo the other in 'friendly' competition. Whilst Duncan lived in the working class part of Muskoka. All the houses looked the same and everyone knew each other, A good friend with the neighbours was a term used often enough. The holidays were a time for celebration and a need to be together, not material possessions. It was something Courtney wasn't used to. But she liked it.
(Mrs. Evans): "Meatloaf in the oven, fruitcake in the fridge."
Mrs. Evans called to the two of them as she came racing down the staircase in her uniform. She was in a hurry to get to work, like Courtney had witnessed plenty of times before. It still made her smile when she hugged Duncan on her way out the door. He made a fuss over it, but Courtney loved it. Her parents would never stop to do something like that for her. But she needed to stop thinking of her parents because from that moment on, she was being accepted into the Evans family for Christmas.
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