By Christmas Eve,
Jeff's kids
have visited
their mom
and her family.
(Jeff stays
with Mom and
Jason and I
for that
and we play
cards, mostly.)
Mom has
taken me
to see
my Dad's family
and those
grandparents
load me up
with food and
boring but necessary
college stuff
and stories about
when they
moved out
and got married
and had
my dad.
It is weird
to talk about
my biological father
and realize
that Jeff
has started
to feel
like Dad.
The Sisters
try to
steer me away
from anyone
who might
give me
too much
attention,
but that's
okay.
I find that
I'm much more
relaxed
than I was
at Thanksgiving
and I realize
it's because
of how much
I have changed.
I smile
and I
answer questions
about life
after graduation
(which makes me
tic,
but I
try to
suppress it
to avoid
even more
questions)
and I
hit it off
with one of
their cousins
who apparently
was in desperate need
of someone
to talk to
that is
his age.
I even get
a present from
Grandma and Grandpa
Jeff
that I'm told
I'm not allowed
to open
until tomorrow.
The night is
filled with
Nativity reenactments and
themed international
Christmas activities
(this year's
theme is
Indonesia) and
wrapping and delivering
gifts everyone has
brought for
local
foster children.
All things
I have never
experienced
on either side
of my families,
but that
The Sisters
and Sam—
and even Jason
who keeps
getting food
sneaked into
his chubby cheeks
by doting aunts—
seem to
love to
the bottom of
their hearts.
And because
my parents
and my siblings
are all
very happy,
I
have the time
of my life.
YOU ARE READING
Remember; You Have the Universe
Teen FictionCover by kyromaniak Everyone wants to be different. I just want to be like everybody else. ---- Seventeen-year-old chronically ill Emma has traded dreams of flying into space for, "Support Therapy," aka, "The Dying Kids Group," and Student Council...
