My New Family

Chapter Thirty-Four: Christmas Dinner

We are all walking home from Christmas Midnight Mass. Evelyn, Simone, and I were in the choir, and it was just splendid! Mother is carrying Marie-Lelainne; François has volunteered to carry his 'namesake', François-Pierre. The snow has kept up since yesterday afternoon, and we all have a big pile of snowflakes on our hats. I wave happily to Jane's family as they go by, and motion to Anna to give them their gift from our family. We continue passing the gift-bags out, then finish walking home. It is not until we have almost arrived that I turn around and realize Stella McKenzie is frantically trying to warm her hands by rubbing them. I slip off my left hand glove and hand it to her, then hold hands with her other hand. She smiles at my, and, for the first time, I notice how her dark blue eyes are full of laughter and how her bright red hair shines in the snow.

Stella McKenzie could be really pretty, if she had some nice clothes. I am not saying she doesn't have anything nice, but the dress she is wearing looks like one of Madame Lory's hand-me-downs, instead of something that would actually fit Stella.

I've been wondering what to give her, but now I know - my dark green dress would be perfect on her, with the matching hat, gloves, and shoes. And she could use some white silk stockings, too.

It is Christmas morning, and we are eating dinner early, as is our custom on Christmas. John, Anna, Catherine, and Anastasia eat quickly, just waiting until they can open their presents. I am sitting between François and Stella, who is very quiet. Evelyn is opposite us, with Phill and Simone. I grin at her. And she grins back.

John, Stasia, Anna, and Cath are having their hearts' desire fufilled - Stepfather has given the word that they may open their gifts. François-Pierre is on my lap, looking on and sucking his finger. Marie-Lelainne is lying on the floor next to Stella, who seems very startled when Roger throws two packages at her, in quick succesion. She opens the first, and it is a light-green beret from Evelyn. Stella looks delighted. She opens the second one, and finds the green dress. And the best part is that she doesn't even know who gave those things to her! Evelyn and I stifle our laughter and look down so she won't see our faces. Then she gets a couple of cook-books - I think they are from Madame Lory. Marie-Lelainne seems very interested in fingering the little blanket I made her, along with her tiny beret, and François-Pierre keeps trying to stuff his rompers and men's-beret into his mouth, and I have to keep stopping him from choking on them. I think Evelyn made berets for everyone. John is running about pretending to slice Anna's, Catherine's, and Stasia's dolls with his new plastic sword. Roger and Joseph got marshmallow guns, François got a few books on the German language and habits, etcetera, Evelyn got a darling little suitcase, and a coaster-making kit, I got a matching suitcase and a professional cake-decorating kit; Susie and Phill each got guides to Paris and Amiens and the whole of France. All the girls got berets, of course, from Evelyn. Mrs. Lory got a beautiful patchwork blanket, Simone got a silver-and-gold headband from Stepfather; Mother got a long coat and a beautiful notebook with a matching silver pen, and Stepfather got the second coat I made, along with a note from François DePainne.