Mary woke with a start, startled by the ring of the bell on the door. Finally! Someone has come to the mercantile! thought Mary, though she was disappointed when she heard the sound of John with Miles, the short, noisy boy, who was John's best friend, walking in the door.
"Hello, Mary. I see your dad can't fend for himself. If he left you in charge of the mercantile then something really bad must've happened," said Miles, a bully in Mary's eyes.
Both Miles and John started up the stairs, laughing all the way.
"DON'T TOUCH ANY OF MY STUFF YOU GUYS!" yelled Mary from the bottom of the stairs, after the boys had reached the shared bedroom.
Then, Mary's grandmother came out from her room.
"What is all that yelling about?"
"John is back, and with Miles."
"Oh, of course. Should've known. That boy, Miles - is it? He is a terrible example for John. Isn't he the son of the mayor too? Rich and selfish runs in the family for sure."
"Yeah, that's right." Mary replied.
"Anyways... how's business today?" asked Annabelle.
"Slower than ever. Can you ever remember a time, grandma, where no one has come to the mercantile all day?" asked Mary.
"No, except the few days after your mother died."
All went quiet, as if they were having a moment of silence to remember Mary's mother. "Be brave Mary. You have to be brave."
"Grandma?"
"Yes, darling?"
By then, Annabelle was seated once again at the wooden table, drinking a cup of milk. Their town doctor has told her to drink milk because her bones and muscles were frail and he had said that it should help.
"What was it like for you, after my mom died?"
"Well, it wasn't easy for anyone, and seeing your Pa so sad was difficult, but she served us all very well. It was a shame she had to die in December, just before Christmas, her favorite holiday. She always found a way to make Christmas special, even if we didn't have much money to spend."
"You're right," replied Mary, an idea coming to mind, ''She always did. Do you mind watching the mercantile for me just for a little while? I don't think there will be much business anyways."
"Sure, but hurry because you want to leave a good impression on your Pa when he returns from his errand."
"Okay, thanks grandma!"
Mary raced up the stairs, feeling a new rush of excitement flooding her body.
YOU ARE READING
The Perfect Gift
Ficción GeneralThe Perfect Gift is a story leading up to Christmas during the late 1930's, when Canadians are beginning to recover from the Great Depression. It shares the story of a young girl, Mary, who is trying to make Christmas special after her Ma's passing...
