The Modern Mrs. Claus

Chapter two- December 31st

I brought my scarf around my neck and shivered. Today's forcast said the highs were in the thirties, and I was not properly dressed for a day walking in the neighborhood.

Lucia's house was only about a mile away from mine, and Jonah had taken the car to go grocery shopping, so I was walking to her house. 

Lucia and I had been best friends since college, so I knew a lot about her and her seventeen year old daughter, Emma. Emma was kind of... Sad? She certainly didn't like her body enough to be happy. Lucia had the best interests at heart when she had bought her daughter a weight loss subscription, but that just made things worse.

So I definitely wasn't surprised when I saw Emma running out of the house, carrying a magazine in one hand, and her car keys in the other. Lucia had bought Emma a nice new Prius for her sixteenth birthday, hoping to help her realize that her mother loves her. But it only helped Emma get farther and farther away from her mother.

"Emma, wait!" It as Lucia, she came out of the house, pretty much in tears. "Emma, I didn't mean what I said!"

But her daughter didn't even turn around. She just rammed the car keys into the locked door of her prius and climbed in. Soon, the car was gone.

Lucia collapsed on the steps. She hadn't even seen me yet, so I came up to her house quietly. "I can't believe I said that. I am such an idiot!"

"No you're not." I whispered when I got close enough towards her. She jumped up, "Who's there?"

"Lucia, it's me." Smiling, I patted her shoulder sympathetically. "It's not your fault. Its not Emma's fault either, you two just need some time apart for a little while. Emma won't go far, she loves you too much."

Lucia sniffled. "Thanks, Diana. But if she's not back by tonight, I'm calling her!"

"Good idea."

Lucia wiped her nose on her shirt (on the inside, I was cringing, on the outside, I ignored it). "Why are you here?"

"Well. Can I come inside and tell you there? I'm super cold." I grinned.

Lucia nodded enthusiastically. "Please do! I'm sorry if I kept you out here in the cold too long!" 

I shook my head and followed her inside. The smell of chocolate chip cookies greeted me as I walked through the threshold. "It smells great in here Lucia, are you baking cookies?"

"Yeah." She muttered glumly. "Want to take them all home to your boyfriend? I remember he loves cookies."

"Are you sure you don't want them?" I asked her, suspicious.

She just nodded. "That was one of the reasons Emma was mad. Her favorite food is chocolate chip cookies, but she can't have them because of that terrible diet she's on. No meat, no eggs, no chocolate, no ice cream, nothing! She's only skin and bones and yet," Lucia sighed, "She still thinks she's too fat. I don't know if I'll have to get a counseler, or ask some of her friends to tell her how beautiful she is," she leaned in close, "I heard she has a crush on a very handsome boy, I could ask him to tell her."

"You're thinking too much about this, Lucia. When she comes home, you can talk to her about it. Right now, I really want to tell you about this new idea for a project!"

"That's great!" She smiled, "hey, can I go get cleaned up and get some nice, warm clothes on? I need to brush my teeth really quick. Is that okay?"

I nodded and watched her clomp up the carpeted stairs.

I grabbed a magazine from the couch, wondering what I would see if I opened it. I mean, I could find Emma's notes about how she hates her body and supermodel pictures cut out just leaving their heads. When I opened the magazine, I found a few scribbles of notes by a pimple clearer, but nothing else. I was so caught up in the flashy images of the magazine that I didn't hear Lucia come down.

When she sat down, I started telling her my ideas, how there are 2 billion children in the world and half are in poverty blah blah blah.

Lucia looked bored by the end of my speech, "so what do you want me to do about it?"

I smiled, "can you bring some of Emma's old toys over by my house tomorrow? You were my first stop because Emma definitely doesn't need all of her little kid toys anymore,"

Lucia nodded, "All come by around six,"

"Wait!" I said, startled, "I've got a better idea, can you bring it around to this address please?" I wrote down the address on a piece of paper.

Lucia studied it for a minute, "but this is the address of the old factory!"

"Exactly," I smiled.

When she agreed, I walked out of the house and started down the street. I saw Emma driving in the direction of her house, I waved at her. She nodded weakly back.

The minute I got home, Jonah came rushing down the stairs, "where have you been? I was worried!" He put a hand around my waist and I smiled, "I was recuiting Lucia for the project, I have to be at the factory around six so could you get dinner ready?"

He looked at me strangely, then nodded, "okay, I play along." He walked into the kitchen and out of sight.

I smiled to myself and started up the stairs, excited for the rest of the day.