The Christmas Miracle

Chapter 2: Making Amends

The hot shower is exactly what I needed to calm my anxious thoughts. I quickly dress into a large cream-colored sweater and black jeans. Muffled voices come from the other side of the hallway.

"...How long is she staying?" It sounds like this comes from Noah.

I can't make out the response, but I know it is Vada speaking.

"...Fine...She needs to..." Dammit, why did these walls have to be so thick?

I grab the door handle and quickly slide it open. "Hey," I greet the two of them, attempting my best smile.

Vada and Noah both turn my way. Vada returns the small smile. Noah is pure ice. "It's nice that you finally decided to show up after all these years."

"Noah..." I plead.

He puts his hand up. "No, you don't get to say anything. You will help around the house, which includes helping our father. You have no idea how hard it's been for us."

I nod. "I'm sorry."

He shakes his head and walks away from the conversation. Vada frowns, "He'll come around. He's just angry."

I nod. "I know, it seems to be the theme of the day," I am racked with guilt. I haven't been able to help with our dad at all. I didn't even know he was that sick. "I would have come home sooner if I had known."

She shakes her head. "Lina, it's not just that. It's the fact that when you left, you walked out on all of us. You never contacted us. You have barely even called in the last four years. Last Christmas was the worst. Dad collapsed and he spent three days in the hospital being tested for what we now realize will ultimately kill him. We were all scared and we were missing you. We missed you."

At the end of the day, we are still a family. And you leaving the way you did broke this family." She takes a long pause. "Dad took it the hardest. He and mom would argue all the time about how they could fix it. They wanted you to come home and visit. You broke their hearts, Lina."

Her words sting like a knife twisting straight into my heart. "Vada..." I am speechless. Silent tears started sliding down my cheeks. I wipe them away quickly.

She grabs my shoulder. "It's just nice to have you back." Her touch is genuine, and it eases some of the pain.

I nod. "I have a lot to make up for." That I know for certain.

"Why don't you come downstairs and say hi to mom and dad. Then you can help me prepare dinner."

"Sounds like a plan," I tell her.

The first thing I see when I head downstairs is my father sitting on the couch. He is skin and bones. His once sun-kissed skin is now pale and dry. The sight is horrifying, and I have to fight the urge to break down and cry.

Oh, daddy. I want to shout and run into his arms. I feel if I did run to him, I would break him.

Mom looks exhausted. Dark circles surround her young and tired eyes. Both only in their mid-forties, yet with my father's cancer and my mother's fatigue, they could easily be mistaken as twenty years older.

"Lina." Mom greets me with a warm smile. There is so much pain and regret behind her eyes. When I walk up to her, I can smell the familiar scent of cinnamon and mint. The smell reminds me of my childhood and many bittersweet memories come rushing back to me. It's all a little too overwhelming.

"Hi, momma," She pulls me into a tight hug. "I would have come sooner if I had known."

She shrugs. "That's not important now. What matters is that you are here now." She rubs my arms comfortingly. "Thank you."

Dad begins coughing uncontrollably. The sound sends chills down my spine. "Daddy?" I greet and take a seat on the floor in front of him.

"Hey, kiddo," he greets, his voice cracking.

I stand and wrap my arms around him. I hold onto him tightly, never wanting to let go. A tap on my shoulder startles me.

"Help me set the table for dinner?" Vada asks.

After setting the table, we gather everyone around the table to eat. We have what looks to be leftover lasagna, salad, and green bean casserole.

Dinner is completely silent. Noah says nothing to me and practically runs from the table afterward. Wyatt excuses himself to do homework, while Mom takes dad upstairs to bed. I guess that leaves just Vada and I to clean up the mess.

"Is this typically how dinner goes?" I ask.

"No, this is pretty much it," Vada replies as she washes a plate. "Noah is a little angrier than usual, but that will subside. Just give him a few days."

A few days. I think it was going to be a lot longer than that.