The Christmas gift - a Christmas story - Chapter 20
Gabriella fell asleep almost instantly but woke up an hour later with her heart racing. For a few seconds she just watched the door expecting for someone to enter, but no one came in. She was safe. She was so glad to be back with her daddy and now he can protect her from all the bad people out there.
Gabriella just turned seven when her mom woke her up very early one morning. She told Gabriella that they were going on a trip. Gabriella kept on asking when her daddy was coming and her mom kept on telling her that he would come later. But he never came.
Gabriella can remember that they got into a blue car. One of her mommy's best friends were driving. She sat in the backseat and mommy told her to sleep as they were going far away. They slept at a motel that night and mommy left her in the room. Mommy forgot to feed her that night and she fell asleep hungry. She was waiting for daddy to come, because she knew that daddy would not let her go to bed hungry, but he never came.
They were driving around a lot, and when they arrived the big city, mommy was very happy. She and mommy moved in with some of her friends but mommy left her alone most of the time. It felt like weeks before she saw mommy again, and then mommy said that they were moving again.
Gabriella can't even remember where they went but they kept on moving and mommy was never happy, so they had to move again and again. Gabriella lost count and had no idea where they were. She had lost all hope that her father might ever find them. Then, one night mommy never came home. She waited for days but mommy never came back. There was nearly no food left, and when all the food was gone, Gabriella went outside to start searching for her mother, but her search was in vain. Her mother had left her. She couldn't find the flat again and she stayed out in the streets for a few days until a very nice lady picked her up.
At first she was scared but the lady promised her that she will not let anything happen to her, and she finally caved in. The lady took her to her office and opened a file for her. She was placed in temporary foster care. The nice lady started to search for mommy, but couldn't find her and then, when they tried to find daddy, the place where he worked said that he was no longer working there.
Gabriella was placed in a home with many other kids and it was fine there. At least she had some friends there, but the boys did not want to leave her alone. It was a horrible time, and she hardly slept. When she complained to the lady in charge she was put on bathroom duty and she had to clean the toilets the whole day. She stayed there for a few months and found her own way of punishing the boys. When the lady found out she was taken away from there and was placed in a home with a married couple that couldn't have children.
She had the best time there and started to feel loved and appreciated again, but it didn't work out. Turned out the husband did not like children and it caused problems between him and his wife. Gabriella was moved again and again and again. She stopped counting by the fifth time but it always turned out the same. It went great for a few days and then the boys started to wake her up at night.
She thought she was being moved again but this nice lady said that they were taking her to her daddy and she couldn't believe how happy she felt. She just couldn't believe that they had found him and that they would be reunited.
Maria gave her a hug when she picked her up that afternoon and she could feel the motherly love. Maria was the nicest person she has had contact with in the last four years, and she felt like a princess when Maria let her take a bubble-bath and dressed her up. Her own mommy never did that and even though she missed her mother, she felt very safe with Maria. She even liked Mindy a lot and imagined having her as a little sister. Jonah was not like other boys, and when Jonah told her that he lived with daddy outside in the alley, she liked him even more.
In a few hours it would be Christmas morning and for the first time in her life, Gabriella was looking forward to waking up in a loving home, with everyone she loved around her. She had only known Maria for a few hours, but she has learned how to read people and she knew that Maria was the most trustworthy person that she ever met.
-To be continued
Chapter 1 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-1
Chapter 2 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-2
Chapter 3 - https://steemit.com/story/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-3
Chapter 4 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-4
Chapter 5 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-5
Chapter 6 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-6
Chapter 7 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-7
Chapter 9 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-9
Chapter 10 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-10
Chapter 11 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-11
Chapter 12 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-12
Chapter 13 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-13
Chapter 14 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-14
Chapter 15 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/dtbcx-the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-14
Chapter 16 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-16
Chapter 17- https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-17
Chapter 18 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-18
Chapter 19 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-19
Hello friend, I really missed previous chapters, thanks for the links tha you provided, I’ll follow them through at my convenient time, meanwhile there is something you said here about Gabriella which is a nice virtue to covert;
I really need to have such supper ability.
Thanks @giantbear for sharing.
I remain a humble friend @maxdevalue
This is such a nice story, I hope it never ends.
Thanks for sharing this story. Most children have falling victim of such that happen to Gabriella. Having find her dad and a good person like maria is the best thing that can happened to her at that time since she has falling into wrong homes five time.
I enjoyed it. Thanks.
@seyiodus.