Happy town is the place where anyone would dream of having their Christmas celebrations. All the children who migrated to larger cities for their bigger jobs never missed the opportunity to come back to their hometown and celebrate Christmas with their families. The joyous, wondrous, and dazzling day of the year should be a day of sharing and caring. Indeed, Happy town was full of late shoppers on the eve of Christmas; bells jingling, reindeer grunting, cookies baking, choir caroling, and people driving and shopping. Santa was taking the wishlist of all the children who had been good throughout the year. A little girl walked up to Santa and asked him if his beard was real. Worried that his wig would come off, Santa replied, “You see, child, Santa’s fluffy beard is made of snow. If anyone touches it, it will go puff. Do you want a Santa without a beard?” Disappointed and repudiated, the little girl went back to her mommy and resumed their shopping.
In all this hustle and bustle, no one noticed a pile of old clothes sitting across the gift shop. Everyone was busy asking Santa for their gifts that they didn’t care about the rest of the world. A strange-looking man with hands full of boxes, he had been shopping the whole day, was walking on the curb. He couldn’t see what was ahead of him but headed straight, believing his legs would remember the way to his house. He never had difficulty walking through the city with his eyes closed; indeed, he seemed to be an expert in it. But, today, a strange thing happened; he tripped over the pile of clothes. “Owww,” a squeaky voice came from that pile. Afraid, the peculiar man ran for his life.
The pile wasn’t a pile, after all. An innocent pair of eyes searched for the source of this commotion. The gift store’s bright front shined in those big black eyes. Amazed, a small boy emerged and got transfixed watching the storefront. It seemed he had never seen anything so beautiful. He walked towards the store and watched a girl playing with a barbie doll with a broad smile on her face. Usually, this would have brought back some memories. But for him, it didn’t. Because he never saw a barbie before. It was all new to him; the lights, dolls, celebrations, and happiness. But hunger, thirst, cold, and misery weren’t. He always had them like his ragged clothes with patches of different cloth pieces, here and there. Anyone would guess the last time that boy took a bath was when the Easter Bunny hid the eggs. He wasn’t sure if he knew what Christmas was about or the word Christmas itself. Dreamy be the day of Christmas, but not for everyone.
A patched pair of shirt and trousers, shoes with holes, and lopsided spectacles made little Aaron’s appearance more depressing on this festive day. At least he had a decent beanie and a blanket to keep him from freezing. There wasn’t anyone for him to explain the meaning of this day or bring him presents or at least feed him. The bagel vendor who used to give him his daily rations was busy today with many customers. For his age, Aaron understood better and decided to meet him later that night. As miserable as his story sounds to be, he wasn’t someone who would go about being depressed about it. He cleaned the chimneys of all the houses in Happy town and earned a daily wage of 2 pennies per house. Maybe it was the soot on his face that people never recognized him. But the bagel vendor had been very kind to Aaron from the beginning.
One shouldn’t be alone on a festive day; they should be dressed up to celebrate, eat a full nine-course meal, and laugh out the miseries they had throughout the year. But Aaron didn’t have grandparents or parents who could tell that to him. He was alone even though he knew half of the town by names. The gift shop owner saw Aaron staring at the children inside, and the parents were not happy. He pulled Aaron by his ear and threw him across the street where he belonged. Hungry and sad, he sat there sobbing while the on goers ignored him.
He heard something hit hard on the ground beside him. It was a lady’s wallet. But whose? He looked around only to find that everyone returned to their homes for Christmas Eve. He looked through the windows of the shops to find the lady, but couldn’t. After a thorough search of the town’s center, he decided to find the address inside the wallet. To his surprise, the wallet was empty. There wasn’t anything he could do now except asking about it door by door. He decided otherwise and sat in the same spot in case the wallet lady returned.
Deserted streets and stores, mild blizzard, and the howling of the wind made the hair stand up on the back of his neck. He prayed, didn’t know whom he was praying to, but he did. Maybe he was calling to his parents, who abandoned him in this town a few years back. The weather today made him recall that night. It was a rough night with strong winds and knee-deep snowfall, and a couple drove into the town seeking a stay. As the motel manager recalls, the couple had a big fight and weren’t sure who would keep the child. In the morning, their car was missing; they didn’t even pay for the room. When the cleaning lady came, she saw a child sleeping soundlessly in the bed. From that day onwards, Aaron had been alone, from the age of five.
Thinking about his parents, whom he can’t remember, made him even sadder. He was sobbing when he heard a sudden swish of the wind and the street light going off. After a few minutes, he heard the click-clack of the heels. He could see the silhouette of a woman through the swishing blizzard. Finally, someone to claim the wallet, he thought. The heels sound grew louder and louder. When the lady in the heels approached Aaron, she didn’t notice him, just like everyone else. So, he went back to his sobbing. Suddenly, someone placed a hand gently on his shoulder. It was the lady in the heels.
“What are you doing out here in the storm?” she asked.
Aaron was shivering from head to toe, “This is my home.”
The lady in the heels was taken aback. She was disheartened to see a very young boy in a storm like that, but when he said that the curb was his home, her heart shattered. She guessed the boy to be around seven or eight years of age; living homeless is the hardest thing at that age. She didn’t know what to say or what to do. Why hasn’t anyone helped him? Why was he left alone in the dark, helpless? She couldn’t control the thoughts that started flooding in. A deep breath and she tasted the chilly wind. She said, “Are you hungry? When was the last time you ate something?”
Aaron never spoke the words he intended to; he kept staring at the warmly looking eyes of that lady. “Ma’am, are you an angel?” he asked.
“I’m not. But why do you ask?”
“It was the only thing that children talked about today, Santa, elves, angels, and presents.”
His innocence melted her heart. She held him close, and the warmth of that hug brought back Aaron’s senses. They hugged till they weren’t feeling cold anymore, and when they let go, she said, “Would you like to come home with me?”
Never in his life has Aaron been asked this question. The townspeople would ask him to come and clean the chimney. After he did the cleaning, they would give him two pennies and get rid of him. Never they asked why at such a young age he was working or where he was living or had he eaten anything. The only person who came close to asking was the bagel vendor. Four years he spent living on his own without any help or a roof. He had been strong enough to survive thunderstorms and blizzards, but when the lady asked him about going home with her, tears rolled out, and he couldn’t control himself. He couldn’t speak anything but nodded his approval. He stood up, gathered all his belongings in one swoop, and held her hand. She pulled him close, and they walked towards her house.
She noticed that Aaron was gawking at her and asked, “What happened?”
He said wondrously, “You haven’t asked my name, yet you are taking me to your home.”
“Didn’t I? It may have slipped my mind. What is your name?” she asked politely.
“I’m Aaron and you are?”
“My name is Eve Redis. Everyone calls me Evie. You can call me that too,” she replied.
None of them spoke till they reached Evie’s house. Aaron wasn’t able to get a good look at her as the street lights went off before she came. When they were inside the house, he was sure that Evie was indeed an angel, as the other children described. She had a beautiful and a warm looking face, black streaming hair, and a terrific nose. He noticed that whenever she spoke, she always tucks her hair behind her ears. And that was heavenly according to him. Her smile was alluring and gave him hope. Her hugs were the best because the warmth of those couldn’t be found anywhere else.
She went straight to the kitchen and brought the leftover Christmas cake and pudding. Gently, she placed the pudding in Aaron’s lap and sat across the fireplace. Aaron dug in; he didn’t eat from the morning. As he was eating, Evie couldn’t help but ask, “Aaron, how come you are all alone?”
It wasn’t the first time someone asked him that question. Every day someone would trip over and ask him why he was alone, but he could never answer. How would he know? He barely remembers being in this place. He couldn’t even remember his parents' faces. He doubted if he had any. At a very young age, though he had living parents and relatives, he accepted the fact that no one wanted him. He wouldn’t know what orphan meant until an old man who poked Aaron with a stick called him that. “Getaway, you filthy orphan.”
He didn’t know what to answer to Evie. After a long pause and a harder gulp, he said, “I’m an orphan, ma’am.” There was a sparkle in his eyes. Evie noticed that too, but Aaron was too quick for her and wiped the tear away. She was astonished to see how strong the little boy has become at a very young age. Maybe it was the townspeople that made him what he is now. But is it a good thing? She wouldn’t get a unanimous answer for that. In retrospection, she wished she could be as strong as this young boy is but couldn’t understand the circumstances that made him. Life has been hard on him from a very young age.
Evie asked sympathetically, “Do you know about Santa, Aaron?”
He nodded and said, “He is the guy with a white beard, big belly, and a loud laugh. He comes around on Christmas every year, and people take pictures with him. The children think he brings them gifts.” He looked up from his pudding and asked very slowly, “Why are the other children so dumb? They see their parents shopping in the gift shops, yet they think Santa Claus brings them gifts. As if he is real. If he has been real, I would have received a gift every year for being a good boy.”
Evie didn’t know how to respond. She wasn’t ready for such a roller coaster of emotions on Christmas Eve. From her childhood, she had all the happiness in the world. She had a mother to take care of her, a father to support her, friends lent her a shoulder to cry on when she needed the most and a guy who made her feel she was his everything. But nothing lasted. A bad breakup, overdramatic friendships, and restrictive parents made her life seem terrible. Her heart became a stone, and she left. She left her parents, friends, and family for a life she so desired. But today, she had been feeling different.
If she had been normal Evie, she would have called the concerned authorities and handed him over. But something has changed. She wasn’t feeling herself too. All her life, she wanted to live alone, but after meeting Aaron and listening to his story, she began to understand the world in a very different way. She understood her parents' struggle to accept the fact that she wouldn’t return to them. At least she had someone in her life always. So, she decided to give Aaron a home and asked him, “Aaron, what would you ask Santa if he were to bring you a gift?”
Aaron looked puzzled but understood that she was asking him hypothetically and said with a little smile, “I would like a bed to sleep in, a cake to eat daily, an umbrella to not get wet in rains, a warm jacket for the winters, and I need someone to give me a hug and kiss me good night.”
“What if I told you that you would get everything when you wake up in the morning? All you have to do now is to sleep,” she assured him. Excited, he finished the rest of his pudding in a single gulp and closed his eyes to sleep on the living room’s sofa. Evie, true to her word, kissed his forehead and said, “Good night, Aaron. You will be taken care of like I was. I hope all your dreams come true. Merry Christmas.”
Christmas morning. After sunrise, an old man in his pajamas came into the living room with a newspaper and a cup of hot cocoa. He was oblivious to the pile of clothes lying on the sofa in front of him. He skimmed through half of the newspaper when his wife came and kissed him on the cheek wishing him Merry Christmas. She didn’t notice it too. She sat near the kitchen table, where a card was lying. Curiously, she opened it. The instant she opened the card, she knew from whom it was. Her vision became blurry as tears clouded her eyes. Shakingly and shocked, she went to her husband. He got a little worried about watching his wife breakdown on the morning of Christmas. Nonetheless, he began reading the card.
Dear Mom & Dad,
I know what I have done is unforgivable. But I ask for your forgiveness. I thank you for all the love and support. I’m sorry that I wouldn’t be able to take care of you in your old age like you took care of me during my childhood. I’m sorry that I left you. I know exactly what you want, now that I’m gone. So, I hope that one day that opportunity comes knocking at your door. If it does, please don’t turn that away. You guys would be the best thing that could ever happen to them.
I’m so sorry that you had to find me drenched in my own blood, but I couldn’t bear it anymore. I’ve been carrying the pain of everyone with me for far too long, and on this day, I have decided to kill myself. I’m writing this and hoping that you would find it when that opportunity is close to you.
Merry Christmas.
Your loving daughter,
Evie
The old man's hands were trembling; he couldn’t control his tears anymore. The husband and wife embraced and consoled each other. To their surprise, a pair of googly eyes were staring at them from across the room. They let go and saw a little boy who had a very shabby appearance. The cocoa mug shattered. Unable to comprehend the coincidence, they looked at each other. The little boy walked to them and said, “Can I hug you?”
Perplexed, the old man asked, “Who are you?”
“I’m Aaron. Evie said that she would find someone that would give me a hug every day,” he said, full of hope.
Listening to her daughter’s name made them sob even more. But how could their daughter, who had been dead for five years, would tell him that. Although they were firm believers of God, they never understood His miracles. But Aaron answered their speculations when he asked the lady, “Ma’am, is this wallet yours?”
The old man’s wife took the wallet and examined it. Empty, it may seem to identify, but she didn’t take long to confirm that it belonged to Evie. “Remember this wallet; Evie lost it on her last Christmas after we gifted her. Maybe this is what brought little Aaron to us.” Both of them looked at Aaron as though Evie herself walked into their lives again. Without any further thought, both of them gave Aaron a tight hug and wished him Merry Christmas. From that day, Aaron had a wonderful Christmas every year.