The Christmas gift - a Christmas story - Chapter 12

giantbear (74)in #fiction • 7 years ago

In the upcoming days Terrence came to visit the family every few days. He found a job at one of the supermarkets, and that would give him enough money to buy everyone presents for Christmas. He even started helping out at the shelter more, and that gave him a place to sleep.

He felt more focused than he had in months and after Christmas he was going to look for a more permanent job and find a place to stay. Once he was settled, he would be able to hire a private investigator to start searching for his daughter.

Maria was very impressed with his frame of mind and did everything in her power to encourage Terrence every step of the way. Terrence and Jonah spent a lot of time together and slowly but surely the whole family started to feel normal again.

Maria called the hospital on a daily basis to find out about Jack's progress, but couldn't get herself to visit him. She went to see a lawyer to draw up the divorce papers and then after she received the papers had no other choice but to go and visit Jack. She wanted nothing from him, but she needed to be free. She wanted and needed to go on with her life, but first she had to get rid of the one obstacle that held her back.

She asked Terrence to come and stay with the kids for a few hours, but did not tell anyone where she was going. She was anxious but this was something that she had to do on her own. She dressed appropriately and then placed the divorce papers in an envelope and set of for the hospital. She took a deep breath before she entered Jack's room. She was nervous and anxious all at the same time.

Jack was sleeping. He looked pathetic and vulnerable against the white pillows and Maria's heart made a turn when she saw how frail he looked. She almost felt sorry for him. Now that he was completely sober, she saw that same man that picked her up after Jonah's father died and she thought about the good times they had in the beginning. He was such fun to be with and he took away all the sadness from their lives when he stepped in.

This was before he turned into a monster and drove Jonah out of the house. This was before she turned into a pathetic battered housewife.

Maria took a seat in the corner of the room and sat here staring at Jack while he was sleeping and she thought to herself:

"How many times had he hit her and tried to break her soul? How many times have he scolded her and how many times had he belittled her...so much, that she started to believe that she was worthless. Now he just lay there....pathetic, and he couldn't do nothing to her anymore. Nothing..."

Jack opened his eyes and he saw her sitting there. Maria had a strange look in her eyes, and it scared him. He could feel the hatred from where she was sitting and he felt helpless against the anger. For the last few days he had been totally sober and he had a lot of time to think about what he had done. Now that he was in the same position that Maria was he can understand how she felt. He didn't know what to say to her and kept quiet while she stared right through him.

Maria got up and stood next to his bed. She had no emotion in her eyes except hatred, and he knew that he couldn't change her mind even if he tried to. He wanted to make it up to her, but he had no idea how to, and he knew that it would not help explaining it to her.

It was too late, and he knew that there was no chance for him. This accident had changed his life forever.

Maria handed him the papers without saying one word and handed him a pen. With great difficulty, Jack opened the envelope and took out the papers. She showed him where to sign, but he struggled because he could hardly lift his arms. Maria could see the pain in his eyes, but she felt nothing. She had no compassion left in her. After he signed the papers, she put it back in the envelope and she felt exhilarated.

She left the room without looking back and she could not see the tears streaming down Jack's face. He had lost everything in the blink of an eye. He had nothing left and he would probably be alone for the rest of his life. None of his drinking buddies had come to visit him in hospital and he knew that he was alone. He has never felt sadder than he did before, and the loneliness squeezed his heart and with every beat he died a little more.

Maria went straight to the lawyers office and handed him the envelope. He was a nice man, and did her husband's estate after he passed away. She had known Mr Settler for a long time and he invited her for coffee. He would be filing the divorce papers the next morning and then it would be all over. He explained to her that she would receive a settlement from the divorce and then he did something that totally put her off balance.

He offered her a job as he knew she needed one, and she gracefully accepted. She would start right after Christmas and once the settlement from the divorce paid out she would be able to look after her family. She would need to find daycare for Mindy but Jonah would be back in school by then. It was the most exhilarating day ever for Maria but she was glad that it was nearly over.

She took the bus home, but stopped and bought some ingredients for a wonderful dinner and she hoped that Terrence would stay. She felt free and happy and walked into the house with the biggest smile on her face. She invited Terrence for dinner and he helped her cook while the kids were in the bath. She told him what had happened and he was just as happy as she was. Both of their lives were getting back on track, and it happened faster than they ever expected.

They all had a lovely dinner and the kids were delighted that she had found a job. Jonah could see how happy his mom was and he was very grateful that fate had brought them all together. Jonah was happy and he could see the twinkle in his mom's eye when she looked at Terrence, but he knew it was way too soon for anything to happen. Terrence left after dinner and Maria and the kids stayed up late watching a movie.

In the hospital, things did not go so well for Jack. All the stress of the day gave him a turn for the worse and he was thinking about how he could make it up to Maria and everything that he had done to them. She did not deserve what he did to her but he could not think of any way that he could ever make it up to her, except to stay away. He finally fell asleep and had nightmares about the accident.

He dreamt that he could not move and he called for help, but Maria just stood there and did nothing. He woke up in a panicked state of shock and he knew he had to find her forgiveness. He did not sleep that night and only after he knew exactly what he had to do, he dozed off in a haze of sleep.