Chasing Secrets✓

82.

Amara

We are in the 21st century and the Christmas tree is ridiculously beautiful. It scrapes artex from the ceiling as Lucien wobbles on a ladder to hang the angel. It truly belongs in a forest, however, dominating our large living room the way it does.

Packets of tinsel lie unopened on the floor, not just the snake kind, but the stuff that's loose strips too.

Mom plugs in the lights and we almost explode, the lights brought warmness and delight into our cozy house. The memory of the mother-daughter moment of actually decorating the tree is far shorter than the time it took us to make it beautiful all those years ago; but the finished tree is like a perfect photograph.

Funny how these events stay in the mind when so much else does not. But I'm glad it does, otherwise we'd just be left with the bad memories, the times our parents failed to maintain their cool, or worse. But this memory reminds me how they tried, how they did love, despite their many faults.

Allured by the scent of freshly baked Christmas cookies that Lavryle busily made in the kitchen, I took my lingering gaze off of the enormous Christmas tree adorned with glistening ornaments and glowing fairy lights draped around it and moved over to the kitchen area.

Strolling alongside the magnificently decorated plates of a variety of Christmas pastries, my mouth waters at the sight before me. Her warm smile as she glazed the gingerbread man shaped cookies with red icing and beautified them with colored sprinkles made my heart warm.

She is so delicate and soft, where Lucien got it from. I always love having her here, even if it was just for a little moment.

She looks up abruptly as if sensing me walk in and jumps slightly, clutching her chest.

I giggle and apologised for giving her a fright.

She raises a hand in denial. "No no you didn't. Well just a little but I'm actually glad you're here. I wanted us to share this moment together, some mother in law - daughter in law bonding time. I never get to spend time with you, to get to know you further so I'm taking this as an opportunity." I had to smile at her remark. She was being too nice.

"I'd love to help you. After all you're my guest, yet you've done most of the work since you came," I say, moving closer to where she performed her magic. She hands me a piping bag and directs me to where I should start. Whilst I worked on the cupcakes, she continued with the cookies. As a pair, we worked briskly and less messily than Lucien and I when we're baking.

It was I who noticed Lucien first. In the middle of our laughter, I raise my head and saw him leaning against the doorframe, his feet propping his posture up.

He smiles widely at us and his eyes glistened with pure love. I giggled at the Christmas sweater I got him as a present and admired how perfect it fit him.

"There's my two favourite women," he said walking over to us in our hardworking stature.

"I'm very glad you're here mon coeur. Grab a piping bag and get to work," Lavryle orders him as soon as she notices him and squishes his cheeks.

(My heart in French).

He groans. "I regret walking in here."

I hit him harshly on the shoulder. "Don't be rude to your mother. She's done a lot since she came. Get to work."

His face was beet red as he sputtered, his eyes wrinkling with amusement. I wanted to laugh with him, but I was being serious. He put his hand on his chest, trying to catch his breath from his previous laugh session. However once he caught my gaze, reality seemed to hit him; he knew at that moment that I was being serious.