A Christmas Prayer

by Kimberla Lawson Roby

  “I’m glad, too, but I’m sorry you had to spend the rest of your day like this.”

  “It couldn’t be helped. You were worried about your sister and your niece, and so was I.”

  “Words simply can’t express how much this means to me. I was already crazy in love with you, but now I think I love you even more. You’re such an unselfish man.”

  “I love you, too, and if you need anything at all, just call me. I mean that.”

  “I will,” she said, kissing him.

  Chase turned to open the door, but when he did, Sabrina stuck her head into the hallway.

  “Um, Chase,” she said. “I just wanted to thank you again for everything you did, and I’m sorry you had to waste all your time this evening.”

  “It wasn’t a waste, and it was no trouble at all. You just take care of you and Courtney.”

  “I will,” she said.

  When Chase left, Alexis locked the door and walked down to the kitchen where Sabrina was. Sabrina gazed at the refrigerator and then cast her eye at Alexis as though she were ashamed. “Is it okay if I get a bottle of water?”

  “Of course. You can have anything in there. I want you to make yourself at home.”

  Sabrina pulled out the water and sat at the island.

  “Is Courtney still in the bedroom?”

  “Yeah, she’s lying across the bed watching television. She’s really tired, though, so she might already be asleep.”

  Alexis sat down across from her. “You look tired, too.”

  “I am.”

  Alexis wanted to ask her why she was living the way she was, but she didn’t want to sound judgmental. She also didn’t want to argue with her sister.

  “Are you hungry?” Alexis said.

  “Not really.”

  The atmosphere was tense, so Alexis picked up the remote and switched on the small flat-screen on her kitchen counter. An old episode of The Cosby Show was on, and as Alexis watched it, she wished she and Sabrina were as close as the young sisters on the sitcom. Those sisters fussed and argued, too, but they always made up and life was good again between them.

  Sabrina drank the last of her water. “I think I’m gonna go lie down, but thank you for letting us stay here.”

  “You’re welcome. Before you head to bed, though, can I ask you something?”

  “Not if it’s about Melvin or why we got evicted, because I can’t do that with you tonight, Alexis.”

  “No, it’s about us. I wanna know why you’ve always had it in for me. Why we’ve never gotten along.”

  “I really don’t wanna talk about that, either.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I just don’t. You and I have never been close, Alexis.”

  “But it’s not right, and it’s always bothered me.”

  “We’re two totally different people, and you’ve always thought you were better than me.”

  “Why would you think that? Because I’ve always wanted something in life? Because I try my best to do the right thing?”

  “No, because you’re always throwing it in my face. You’re always telling me what I need to do or what I shouldn’t be doing.”

  “But only because I want you to have a better life.”

  “Maybe that’s the reason you say those things now, but you were like this even when we were children. When I got bad grades in school, you told me I never studied enough. When I didn’t make the cheerleading squad, you told me I hadn’t practiced enough. When I didn’t get a part in two of the school plays, you told me I hadn’t memorized the lines well enough. Then, when I dropped out of high school, you told me I was just being lazy.”

  Alexis felt awful, because while she hadn’t thought about those comments in years, she knew she’d made every single one of them. Not because she’d been trying to belittle her sister or because she thought she was better than her. It had actually been just the opposite. Alexis had made those comments because she’d truly believed Sabrina could do better and was capable of doing well with anything she wanted.

  “I didn’t realize my words had bothered you so much.”

  “Well, they did, and then once we became adults, you criticized me all the time. I kept telling you that not everyone is capable of doing all the things you’ve done, but you never listened. Then, as time went on, I resented you just a little more. Finally, I got to the place where I couldn’t stand you at all.”

  “I’m really sorry. I really did think you were just being lazy and didn’t want to work hard. Because unless a person has some sort of learning disability, it’s hard for me to understand getting bad grades.”

  Sabrina gazed at her sister. “But that’s just it, Alexis. I do have a learning disability. I’m dyslexic.”

  Alexis never took her eyes off Sabrina. “What do you mean?”

  “I’m dyslexic. I always have been.”

  “How do you know?”

  “About ten years ago I kept having problems on my job, so a coworker of mine told me I should get tested. She said I had a lot of the same symptoms as her son, and he’d just been diagnosed with dyslexia.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me? Or at least you could’ve told Mom.”

  “By then, I just figured I’d deal with it on my own. I found a psychologist who helped me and taught me a lot, but I still struggle sometimes.”

  “You always knew so many things, though.”

  “That’s because I listen well, and I watch a lot of news channels. That’s how I learned so much. But when it came down to having to read, study, or take tests, I was completely lost.”

  “I can’t believe none of your teachers noticed it.”

  “Well, if they did, they never said anything, and by the time I got to the eleventh grade, I just couldn’t take it anymore. I was failing anyway, so I finally dropped out. From what I hear, most parents or teachers don’t even consider that a child might be struggling with dyslexia. I mean, I daydreamed a lot, I zoned out in class while my teachers were talking, and my vision always seemed to be off. The letters and numbers never looked right to me, but when Mom and Dad took me to get an eye exam, they said my vision was fine.”

  “I am so, so sorry, Sabrina. I didn’t know.”

  “I know you didn’t. But all your comments over the years really hurt me, because you always made it sound like I was a failure at everything.”

  “All I can say is that I’m sorry, and that I won’t ever do that to you again. I just didn’t know.”

  “Well, now you do. I will admit one thing, though,” Sabrina said. “I haven’t always been the best mother to Courtney. Right after she was born, I really did leave her with Mom all the time just like you’ve said. But still, every time you complained about it, all that did was make me stay out more. It wasn’t fair to Mom, though, and now I have to live with that. And I’ll never be able to make it up to her,” she spoke with watery eyes. “I’m such a mess. I got mixed up with the wrong man, and now we don’t even have a place to live.”

  Alexis held Sabrina’s hand. “You do have a place to live. You and Courtney will always have a place to live, and don’t you ever forget that.”

  Sabrina sniffled, trying to hold back tears, but they fell anyway. “Thank you for taking us in. Thank you for always caring about Courtney. No matter how much you and I never got along, you have always been a good aunt to her. You’ve always loved her, and I appreciate that.”

  “I’ve always loved her, and I’ve always loved you, too. I never stopped.”

  “I never thought I’d be saying this,” Sabrina said, slightly smiling, “but I’m so glad Courtney texted you. I wondered how you found out what was going on this afternoon, but then I saw it on my phone. I guess she was so upset, she forgot to delete it.”

  “I’m glad that Chase and I were just leaving the church.”

  “He’s a really good guy.”

  “He is.”

  “Courtney told me that you’re getting married in June.”

  “We were, b
ut now we’re doing it on Christmas Eve,” Alexis said, suddenly thinking about Geneva again and what she might be up to.

  “Wow, that’s only two weeks away.”

  “I know, but with all the drama Chase’s mother has caused, the sooner the better.”

  “She must be a real trip.”

  “You have no idea, but I’m getting ready to tell you all about it.”

  Chapter 22

  Alexis and Sabrina had flipped through all Alexis’s photo albums, and they’d laughed and cried for more than three hours. It was shortly after eleven a.m., and right after Sabrina had dropped Courtney off at school, she’d decided to call in sick. She’d told Alexis that she couldn’t afford to miss a day without pay, but that she was also still too emotionally upset to be there. Alexis had explained that she would help her in any way she could, and that she didn’t want her to worry.

  “I haven’t seen some of these pictures in years,” Sabrina said, sipping some hot cocoa and turning more pages.

  Alexis smiled at her but didn’t say anything.

  Sabrina must have felt her gaze. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

  “You look so much like Mom.”

  “So do you.”

  “I know, but I don’t think I ever noticed how much you look like her until now. I miss her so much, Sabrina.”

  “So do I. Mostly, though, I try not to think about it because it makes me sad. Sometimes Courtney will bring her up, and every now and then she’ll still cry about her.”

  “These last five years have really been tough for me. I mean really, really tough.”

  “Nothing compares to losing a mother. Except maybe losing a child, because I could never imagine something happening to Courtney.”

  “Neither could I, and I’m just her aunt.”

  Sabrina gazed around the house. “I see you’re not into Christmas decorating.”

  “Nope. I always enjoyed it at Mom’s, but that was it. I haven’t truly celebrated Christmas since she passed.”

  “Well, no matter how broke I was in December, every year I always made sure to put up our Christmas tree so that Courtney and I could decorate it. She and I always loved doing that together, but not this year I guess.”

  “I saw those guys bringing it out of your house.”

  Alexis wanted to offer to let them bring their tree to her home, but she wasn’t sure she was ready for that. Then she thought about her mother’s words again—how she had wanted Alexis to pick up where she left off and be happy.

  “Why don’t you put your tree up here?”

  “No, that’s okay. I know you don’t like celebrating.”

  “I think it’s time that I at least try. And maybe by having you and Courtney here with me, I won’t feel as sad. So let’s do it.”

  “Only if you want to.”

  “I do.”

  “Oh, and just so you know,” Sabrina said, “I’m going to start looking for an apartment right away. I want to be out of here by the first.”

  “Of next month?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You really don’t have to rush. If you need to take a couple of months to save up some money, that’ll be fine because I’ll be moving in with Chase a day or two before we get married.”

  “We’ll see. But my plan is to be gone by January.”

  “It’s up to you, but I’m not planning to put my house on the market until February or so, anyway.”

  Sabrina turned a few more pages of the photo album she was looking at and then closed it. “I don’t mean to change the subject, but I can’t stop thinking about Chase’s mother. She’s such a terrible woman.”

  “Tell me about it,” Alexis said.

  “And you really think she’s gonna try to sabotage your wedding?”

  “I do. I’m not sure what she’s planning, but come December twenty-fourth, she’ll be ready and waiting. I just know it.”

  “Have you told Chase that?”

  “No, and it wouldn’t matter if I did, because he really believes his mother is done with trying to break us up. He knows she’s still not happy about us getting married, but he doesn’t think she’ll do anything else.”

  “Maybe she won’t. Maybe she’ll just end up being an evil mother-in-law, and that’ll be the end of it.”

  Alexis propped her elbow across the back of the sofa. “I doubt it, but I hope you’re right. At least if she tries to stop us this time, I’ll already be expecting it. There’s no telling what she’ll do, but if I had to guess, she’ll either fake some serious illness right before the ceremony or she’ll simply show up begging Chase not to marry me.”

  For the next hour, Alexis and Sabrina chatted more about Geneva and caught up on other things they’d never talked about before, until Alexis’s phone rang. She smiled when she saw Chase’s number.

  “Hey, you,” she said.

  “Hi, baby. What’s up?”

  “Just sitting here with my sister, talking.”

  “Has she heard anything from that boyfriend of hers?”

  “Not that I know of.”

  “Good. So, what are you guys doing for lunch?”

  “Paula’s coming by with some sandwiches. Actually, she should be here pretty soon.”

  “I wish I could see you, but with this new product launch, I just can’t leave. Then, of course, with me being off yesterday, I missed a couple of important meetings and I need to be brought up to speed on them.”

  “No problem at all. You know I understand. Plus, I want you to get all your work done before the Christmas break so we can spend all our time together with no business interruptions.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he said, laughing. “The good news, too, is that the company will be closed December twenty-third through January first.”

  “So are we still taking a honeymoon?” she asked.

  “Of course, but we might not be able to go until February or March because of my travel schedule toward the end of January. In the meantime, though, I was thinking maybe we could just spend our first two nights at the house on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and then spend the next three days downtown Chicago. I can have someone here book the Peninsula for us.”

  “Sounds good to me,” she said.

  “Oh, and you haven’t forgotten about our corporate Christmas party, have you? It’s less than two weeks away.”

  “Of course not. I bought a dress for it over a month ago, and you know Paula definitely hasn’t forgotten about it.”

  “I’m sure she hasn’t,” he said, laughing. “She practically begged to be invited, and I’m glad she and Rick will be there. It should be a really great time. We’re giving out surprise bonuses, so everyone should be very happy.”

  “That’s wonderful.”

  “Well, hey,” he said, “I just wanted to hear your voice. I’ll let you get back to your sister.”

  “I’ll talk to you this evening. I love you, Chase.”

  “I love you, too, baby.”

  Alexis laid her phone down and heard the doorbell. Sabrina went to answer it, and Alexis was glad Sabrina was finally making herself at home.

  Paula followed Sabrina into the room, speaking her mind. Needless to say, there was no sugarcoating involved. “I sure hope you’re done with that low-down Melvin, girl. He’s clearly not the one. Not to mention, you could do so much better than him.”

  Sabrina didn’t even get mad. Actually, she shook her head and sort of laughed. Sabrina and Alexis hadn’t spent a lot of time together in recent years, but Sabrina had still known Paula since they were children. Even though Alexis and Sabrina hadn’t been close, Sabrina had always liked Paula.

  “You haven’t changed a bit, have you?” Sabrina said. “Still straight, no chaser.”

  “Girl, that’s the only way to be,” Paula said, setting the bag of food on the island and removing their sandwiches, chips, and sodas from it. “Especially when something really needs to be said. You’ve been going through this crap with Melvin for way too
long, and I say it’s time to move on.”

  Alexis shook her head at her friend. “Can you just pass me my tuna sandwich and stop all that?”

  “What? Sabrina knows I’m tellin’ the truth. She knows she needs to kick that fool to the curb.”

  “You’re right,” Sabrina finally said. “I’m through with him this time.”

  Alexis was shocked but thrilled. “Good for you.”

  Paula bit into her ham and turkey. “It’s about time. And you know Lex and I are here for you. All you have to do is ask.”

  “Thank you for that,” Sabrina said.

  “You’re welcome, and now all we have to do is get your sister to the altar without any monster-in-law catastrophes.”

  Sabrina nodded. “I agree. Alexis told me what’s been goin’ on.”

  “That woman is crazy, Bri,” Paula said. “And I don’t trust her.”

  Alexis opened her soda. “Neither do I.”

  “When you’re dealing with folks like Mrs. Dupont,” Paula exclaimed, “you have to be ready at all times. People like her are plotting and scheming when everyone else is sleeping.”

  “Isn’t that the truth,” Alexis said.

  Paula ate more of her sandwich. “You and Chase are gonna be fine, though. Only two weeks to go, and Mommy Dearest won’t be able to stop anything.”

  “Well, if it hadn’t been for you, Chase and I would still be broken up. So I really owe you, Paula.”

  “For what?”

  “Bringing Pastor Black over here. I was so depressed, but talking with Pastor Black really made me think. He opened my eyes to so many things, and the next thing I knew, Chase was calling me and our engagement was back on.”

  “That’s what friends are for, girl. Especially best friends.”

  “Best friends for life,” Alexis said, and then looked at Sabrina. “And now I have my sister back, too. So it just doesn’t get any better than that.”

  Chapter 23

  Borg-Freeman certainly knew how to throw a Christmas party, and Alexis was excited to be there. All the executives and department heads, along with their spouses and significant others, were dressed in perfectly cut tuxedos and elegant evening gowns, and the hors d’oeuvres were delectably satisfying. Over the years, Alexis had gone to many holiday parties in Mitchell, but The Tuxson’s banquet facilities had to have been the most spectacular of all, and their catered food was the most divine. The Christmas decorations and exquisitely carved ice sculptures were simply stunning.