THE MAGIC OF CHRISTMAS

Seven.

16th December 2013.
05:00 pm.

Kate sat up in bed drenched with sweat,her body still shaking from the aftermath of another nightmare. Her eyes went to the bed side clock, she sighed when she saw that it was five pm already.

Throwing back the white covers, she got out of the bed and walked into the en-suite bathroom to do her business.

Amy had been kind enough to let her shower in the guest bathroom, before changing the bandage on her arm. It hurt like a bitch,but Kate refused to break down in front of a teenager.

Ah ,yes. Turns out that Amy was only eighteen years old after all.

From her words and action,it became clear that Amy had feelings for Fredo. And yet she didn't like Fredo's little daughter,Kelsia.

Before leaving the house to go to wherever she went,Amy gave her a loose blue tee shirt, dark sweatpants, and showed Kate the room she would be staying for the duration which she would be here. The room happened to be beside Kelsia's. After a breakfast of two slice of toast and warm milk and a tablet of painkiller,Kate had turned in instantly. She fell asleep even before her head touched the pillow.

Kate washed her hands before walking,barefooted,out of the room. She walked over to the window and pulled the curtain aside to see the white world.  Snow fell from the sky,adding to the ones on the side walk and the road. The view was beautiful and serene.

The image of a younger her running through the snow in her kidskin slippers with her nanny chasing her about with a coat and boots made her smile.

Kelsia should be doing the same too.

The thought came unbidden out of nowhere. Kate let the curtain drop as she turned away from the window. She shouldn't care about Kelsia or whatever concerns her. The less she cared,the easier it would be for her to leave.

Her stomach growled in hunger. Laughing at her self,Kate walked out of the bedroom and made it to the top of the stairs before she became swamped with dizziness.

She swore softly as she sat down on the top stair to wait the dizziness out. When the world finally righted itself, Kate saw Kelsia standing at the landing,peering up at her curiously.

She was dressed in a yellow pleated skirt, spotless white blouse,knee length socks and shiny black buckle shoes. Her long hair was braided into two neat ponytails and she wore no jewelry at all.

Kate frowned. The girl looked so neat and organised for a six year old. Did the girl ever have any fun at all?

"Hi." Kate said first.

Kelsia hesitated,before shyly returning the greeting.

When She continued to stare up at Kate curiously,Kate got up on her feet and dusted her hands.

"Did you just get back from school?"

"No."

"Oh,Okay." Kate racked her brain for something to say,when she couldn't find any,she sighed in defeat. She started to turn to go back to her room,when Kelsia finally spoke up.

"Are you hungry?"

Kate smiled to herself, then faced her with a blank face. "Yes. But the thing is that I don't know how to cook."

Kelsia's eyes widened in disbelief. "You don't?"

"Yes. Do you know how?"

"Yes." She nodded. "I can make toast,oats,noodles and I can also bake a strawberry cake."

"Wow. Perhaps you could teach me a thing or two?"

"Yes."

Kate followed her into the kitchen,all the time,wondering where Kelsia's mother was. There was no sign to give away the fact that a woman once lived here in the house.

Not even one picture.

"Kate?"

Kate was shook out of her reverie by Kelsia's hand on her wrist.

"Yes?"

"I said,would you like some oats?"

"Yes,please."

Kelsia moved to one of the several units to get a pan and a spoon.

"You should sit down." Kelsia said as she walked over to rinse the pan and spoon in the sink. "Dad says a sick person should not be on their feet for too long. "

Kate smiled at her. "Okay." She sank onto on of the breakfast stool. "Who taught you how to cook?"

Kelsia lit the gas cooker,placed the pot on it,then poured water into it before closing the lid. "My best friend's mom." She moved to open another unit. "I can also use the microwave."

"That's cool." Kate placed her elbows on the breakfast bar and leaned her cheeks on her clasped hands. "What about your mummy?"

Kelsia opened the Quaker oats box and poured half of it's content into a bowl. "I don't have one." She shrugged.

Kate was taken aback by the girl's flippant attitude. Just how much hurt had this girl receive in her young life?

"Is your father aware that you know how to cook?" She changed the topic.

Kelsia paused in the act of pouring water into the bowl containing the oats. "No. He does not care about what I do,so as long as I don't show my face."

The hurt on the girl's face made Kate's heart squeeze with sympathy. Despite the fact that she told herself that she would not get involved in any matter at all,Kate was drawn to the younger girl.

"Why is that?"

Kelsia shrugged as she stirred the content of the bowl with a spatula. "Amy says that it's because I look like my mother. Even though I don't even know what my mother looks like, I don't like her. She is the reason why my father hates me."

"He does not hate you." Kate gasped in shock. God,what had Fredo done? "He loves you,I'm sure of it."

"Easy for you to say. You're not the one who has to stay away from him whenever he gets the chance to be around."

Kate's hunger vanished instantly. Her heart ached for the little girl. Kate found herself cursing the woman who was responsible for all this, even though she didn't know what the woman did, Kate already disliked her.

"Oh,would you look at that? The water is boiling already."

Kate knew without a doubt that the matter was closed already. Her eyes followed every of Kelsia's movement around the kitchen. It was in that moment that she made her decision.

Before she leaves, Kate would make sure that Fredo comes to love and accept this precious little girl.

Even if it's the last thing she would ever do in her life.