After All These Years | ✔

28 - CARLIE

Christmas Eve came, and the hot, summer night was spent with Louis, riding push bikes barefoot down the streets of West Kentbridge. They searched the town for the decorated houses that flashed in the fading light, always surrounded by barricades of excited kids.

During the day, Carlie and Louis had joined families to stroll through the white tents of the market in Chrysler's Park, then to watch as the annual Christmas Eve Parade take place along the main street in the afternoon. It left the street covered with tinsel, streamers and uneaten junk-food. It wasn't as big or as extreme as the show the city would have put on, but the small-town vibe was just as good, if not better.

When it was time to go home, Louis and Carlie refused the Bennet's car and rode to the jumping rock for the best view of the fireworks. She was home a couple of minutes after midnight, and Carlie had fallen into bed with fireworks ringing in her ears, smiling wider than she ever had.

Now, it was Christmas.

Morning came and, after wishing the rest of her family a Merry Christmas over the phone and eating a rushed breakfast, Carlie carried presents to the lounge room. She pulled her hair up in a loose bun as she sat down with a mug of coffee on the floor.

Clay was first to come and sit opposite her, quickly followed by Elise, tea and present in hand.

Clay grinned as he pulled a thick novel out of the Christmas paper and flipped it over, reading the back. "Thank you." Clay put down his book and leaned towards his wife, kissing her head, "Merry Christmas baby." He placed a pale blue box in her lap, smiling.

With the help of Clay, and using the small amount of money Carlie had saved from working at the coffee shop, she contacted a man who was able to print one of Elise's best paintings onto a mug. Judging by her love for all kinds of herbal tea, Carlie was almost positive she'd love it.

Elise gasped as the lifted the lid of the box, "You didn't!" She smiled widely and turned the mug to study it before shifting her attention to Carlie, "I love it. Thank you, so much!" She shuffled over to give her a quick hug, and then stood, glancing quickly at Clay then back at Carlie, "I believe it's your turn now, yes?" She grinned and held out her hand, "Come with us."

The Bennett's decided to join Louis's family for church, which was apparently a Christmas morning tradition for the two families. Carlie didn't really mind though, she had done so many things she wouldn't have by herself, that this felt like just another opportunity to throw herself in new atmospheres. Besides, after listening to Louis babbling on about God for the past however many weeks, she couldn't help but be curious as to what was so fascinating about it all.

The two families found their seats near the front of the medium-sized building, facing towards a slightly raised stage. The thing that surprised Carlie was that there were no stain-glassed windows or pews. The church was a familiar modern building on the outskirts of town, only recognized by its raised sign stating, "Christ is born." In fact, looking around, Carlie concluded that there was nothing typical about it at all.

She leaned to her left, whispering to Louis next to her, "This is weird. It's nothing like I expected."

He smiled, "It's different, hey?" He slid his phone in his pocket, and then he stood, just as musicians filed onto the stage and Christmas Carols filled the whole building. Louis began to sing, and Carlie turned to look at him.

He was terrible. He sung in a tone lower than the music and she had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. He caught her staring out the corner of his eye and made a sarcastic face as though he was saying, "there's nothing wrong with my singing. I don't know what you're talking about."