The house of Smiths was in a
lacklustre state and it was just three days more for Christmas. Eleven year old
Peter awaited his widowed father, James, at the entrance of house for which
rent was due for two months. They were about to get thrown out if the due
extended for one month more and James was busy arranging for money from known
sources through the small electronic service store he ran.
Times were dull at the store as
more people opted for newer devices rather than repairing the old ones.
Christmas was just as poor as the store he ran. Trees, lights, fittings, and
various other decorations were a luxury he could not provide for his son and
the sole star that hung at the doorstep was a year old.
The long wish-list of Peter was
flushed down the sewers with the hopes of any prosperous deals that usually
came in James way at the beginning of the festive season. Walking home, James
stood at the entrance of the apartments before proceeding to face his son and
his unfulfilled dreams. The grief of cheating his son was greater than the fear
of being evacuated from the house. He was on the brink of filing insolvency
petition.
“What have you got for me Papa?”
asked Peter with pleading eyes which sent James into the crevasses. His hands
turned cold beneath the poor-knit gloves.
“Well… I…”
“Dad! Not again. It’s already
Christmas and we have not even bought the Christmas tree.”
“I’ll be sure to get you one
tomorrow, darling. I’m too tired today. Please forgive me.”
“That’s fine dad. What’s for dinner?”
Peter came forward and hugged his dad lovingly forgiving his misdeeds.
Two days passed in a jiffy and
James managed to pacify his son on both days. The eve of Christmas arrived and
the cries of Peter grew with the merriment of the world. James assured Peter
that he would get gifts from Santa Claus and this was the only thing that
brought cheer to the face of the kid.
“What will Santa bring daddy?”
“It’s something only he knows.”
“Will he get the toys that I asked for him?”
“Listen Peter. Santa doesn’t give
you what you want. He gives you what you need.”
“Can I see Santa Claus tonight
dad?”
“No Peter. It’s already late. Go
to sleep. He won’t come if you stay awake.”
“Fine then. Good night dad.”
“Good night Peter.”
“Dad! Leave the door open.”
“Yeah. I will. I always do.”
The next morning Peter woke up to
the next morning only find that there was nothing in stores for him. Feeling
dejected he ran back into his room with wet eyes and tears flowed down his
cheeks. The ocean which formed at the bottom from his tears grew with every
passing minute. James came in with drooping eyes. After having a drink with his
friend the previous night, he had gone to sleep late after midnight. Hearing
the sobs of his son he ran and sat next to the small figure from which tears
kept running down.
“Peter. Don’t… Don’t cry.”
“Dad. Santa has not come.” He
spoke loud with wide open mouth and tear shedding eyes.
“No Peter. He did come.”
“No he didn’t. There is no
present.”
“It’s all because of you. It’s because we
didn’t get any decorations. Because we didn’t get the Christmas tree. We didn’t
even hang the socks for him to put the gift in.”
“Peter, he has given you gifts.”
“No he didn’t. I won’t speak with
you. I don’t want to see you.”
“Peter. Come on. Listen to me. He
has given you gifts. I will tell you what it is.”
“No you are lying.”
“No I am not. Have I ever lied to
you?”
“Yes. You did not get me
anything. You said that you will buy me presents and you didn’t buy me
anything.”
“Well. That is different. Okay
can you tell me another instance I have lied to you. Don’t you want your
presents?”
“I want them.”
“Then stop crying. Then you won’t
get any gift the next Christmas. Santa Claus doesn’t like children who cry.”
With some final sobs, Peter’s red
eyes stopped shedding tears and he hung close to his father. His arms ran
around James, who pulled him closer.
“Where are the presents?”
“You are having them.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. This time Santa has given
you not one but three gifts.”
“Like Jesus who got three gifts
from the kings.”
“Three. Okay. Yeah. Sort off.”
“What are they?”
“The first one is your life. You
have your life in your hands. You can win the world over with your life. You
have your whole life ahead of you and you can develop into a great man. Someone
who can make an impact across the globe. The life is budding and you can shape
in a great way. In a way that can change the world for the better.”
“Then?”
“The second present is the heart.
You have a good heart Peter. You are good at heart and that is something that
can take you to great heights. Santa has given you this, to achieve what others
couldn’t”
“What is the third one?”
“Third. The present.”
“Yes. What is the present?”
“Oh! No. Not that present. The
present. The now. You have a lot of things to achieve. In your ambitions you
should not forget to enjoy your life. On your road to success, you have to
enjoy the journey.”
“Dad. I’m not able to understand
what you are saying.”
“Not even a small bit?”
“Well. I do understand most of it
but just that… I don’t know. It just makes me wonder. Am I the only one who has
these gifts?”
With a smile, James hugged his
child harder, hoping that the tides change with the change in the year.
---The End---
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