Chapter 10 #2
Imogen shook away the image. She and Katie were happy. They weren’t missing anything in their lives, and Katie had never given her reason to think that there was anything in their little family that Katie felt was lacking.
She had her comfortable cottage, she had her business, her precious daughter. They had a perfect life. She had no need to wish for anything more.
Flicking off the kitchen light, Imogen headed upstairs, pausing at Katie’s room.
She couldn’t help tiptoeing in to check on her daughter once more.
Katie was rolled onto her side, holding a stuffed unicorn in her arms as she slept soundly.
Imogen smiled, padding softly into the room to give her daughter another soft kiss on the temple before turning to head to her own room.
Just before she walked out, as she passed Katie’s desk, she paused.
A piece of paper there caught her eye in the soft glow of the nightlight—a letter made from red construction paper with writing in silver glitter pen.
It looked like the letter Imogen had seen Katie working on.
The Dear Santa that she spied written at the top when she leaned a bit closer only confirmed it.
Imogen bit her lip, overwhelmed with curiosity.
She knew she should probably not read it, and wait for Katie to offer it up of her own accord.
She might not be finished with it yet, and it was important to respect her daughter’s privacy.
It probably wasn’t wise to read it—but she couldn’t help leaning forward a bit more, peering at the scrawled silver writing.
After all, she told herself, she was just making sure she could get a jump on anything that Katie really wanted. After last year’s unicorn debacle, she wanted to have the best chance possible at securing whatever special gift Katie was obsessed with this year.
She took a careful step closer, gently picking up the paper as she started to read.
Dear Santa,
I hope you and Mrs. Santa and all the elves and reindeer are doing okay, especially Prancer (who’s my favorite).
I wanted to tell you that I’ve been very, very, very good this year.
I help my mom out at the chocolate store and I make sure to turn in all my homework on time. Even the stupid homework, like math.
Imogen had to stifle a laugh, pressing her hand over her mouth. The last line was scratched out with silver pen, but still legible, as if Katie had thought twice about calling homework stupid.
Mom said I should be very polite since I’m asking for things.
So dear Mr. Santa, I would like to request a few things that I want very much.
I would like a puffy coat, like the other girls in class have.
White or pink, please and thank you. I would also like a pony, but I think we don’t have room for one, so I would settle for one that I can play with, and maybe a doll to go along with it. A cowgirl, I think. I like their hats.
But most important, I want to ask for something for my mom.
She’s the best mom in the world, and she works really hard to be an even better mom than that.
She makes the best chocolates in the whole world and still finds lots of time to be my mom.
I think she could use some help, Mr. Santa.
Someone to do some of the mom stuff for her, so she can do stuff just for herself.
Could you maybe bring her a husband for Christmas? He should be tall and have dark hair and like to do the dishes. Also cleaning. If he can make chocolate too she would probably like that, so they have something in common. He should be funny too because she doesn’t laugh enough.
It would be kind of cool to have a dad too. I would rather have a dad than a puffy coat or a pony.
Thank you Mr. Santa and Merry Christmas!!!
Love,
Katie Sanders
P.S. I will tell Mom to leave special chocolates for you along with the cookies and milk.
P.P.S. Also carrots for the reindeer. Please pet Prancer for me.
Imogen pressed a hand to her mouth, setting the letter back on the desk where she’d found it. Her heart twisted in her chest as she read the last paragraph again, her vision blurring slightly as she glanced back at her sleeping daughter.
She’d been so sure that Katie didn’t feel as if anything was missing.
She tried hard to make their little family of two feel complete, and to never make Katie see that sometimes Imogen was lonely, in those quiet moments when it was just her, and she thought of what it might be like to have someone to watch a tv show with, or go for a walk or out to dinner with, someone to wake up beside and go to sleep next to at night.
Her life was full of family and friendship, but she couldn’t deny that there was a small part of her that missed romance, and the companionship of a romantic partner.
She tried not to glance at couples when she saw them passing by in town, or let on that she sometimes felt a pang of sadness over the happily-ever-afters in movies. But Katie was perceptive, and clearly she couldn’t hide that forever.
The pang of sadness over thinking that Katie might have felt the hole in their lives was much worse.
Imogen chewed at her lip, giving her daughter one more glance before stepping back out into the hall with a sigh.
The innocence of it all made her heart hurt too, how Katie thought that she could wish for the perfect man in their lives to be a husband and father, like wishing for a train set or a doll.
Imogen knew all too well that it wasn’t that easy. But she hoped Katie could keep that innocence about it all for as long as possible. Some of it was going to be shattered, when no new dad appeared on Christmas Day, wrapped and packaged from Santa’s workshop.
The life that she’d created for herself and Katie was a safe, cozy, stable one.
A romance, no matter how exciting or wonderful, would threaten that, rock the foundation that it was all built on.
Imogen had had a man wreck her world six years ago, when he’d left her and little Katie without warning or reason. She wasn’t about to risk that again.
Imogen sighed, glancing out of the window as she walked to her bedroom and seeing the falling snow outside, thicker than it had been earlier.
She’d already ordered a new bike for Katie, bright pink with a little wicker basket in front and mint tassels on the handlebars.
It would be perfect for spring, and she knew Katie would love it.
That, and a new puffy coat, would just have to do. Maybe a cowgirl doll and pony as well, if Mabel could rustle one up.
It would have to be enough. Christmas miracles had their limits, after all.