Silent night - A Christmas Tale

Chapter 2

Frida ran her hands along her sides, moving from side to side with a critical eye. She really needed to go shopping.

'Yes, when I'll have enough money and time, maybe'.

She rolled her eyes at herself and then took off the shrug she was trying on to try another one. When she looked up at the mirror again, her eyes were caught by a shadow in the right corner.

Frida smiled "Hey, baby girl. Did you find it?".

Lotta walker to her quickly, with the skirt of her blue dress moving all around her knees covered with white heavy tights, at her feet little ankle boots that she loved because they tapped loudly against the floor.

"Yep" she squeaked, stopping next to her and showing her the small shoulder bag that she had searched far and wide in her room.

Frida chuckled "Good. You seem so eager tonight, yeah?".

Lotta stared at her little purse, fiddling with the chain strap and shrugged silently.

Frida turned and fixed some of her dark strands behind her ears, catching Lotta's gaze "You're beautiful, by the way" and she smiled warmly when she saw her shy smile.

"You pretty" Lotta muttered, grabbing one corner of her dress.

Frida looked down at herself "You think?".

Lotta nodded silently, still with a little grin on her face.

"Thank you" Frida exhaled and went straight back to look for her shoes.

After phone calls and various attempts, Benny had finally convinced her to accept his invitation to dinner. An invitation from them to dinner. From him and the children. It was an innocent dinner at his house, nothing more. Mostly for the kids' sake, but she still spent more time than necessary in her closet to find a dress she liked enough; she had spent more time than she should in the bathroom putting on makeup and fixing her hair.

"Mommy, I'm ready!".

Frida jumped a little and turned from the closet, chuckling "Oh, boy. The answer is no. Go and put them back in your room".

Hans looked at her astonished "Why!?".

"You can't come with your Batman mask and light-up sword" she explained patiently, returning to the closet.

"Peter likes Batman! And Benny too!" Hans reasoned with her, tying his cloak around his neck more tightly. She hadn't even noticed it at first.

"And I like Barbie, but that doesn't mean I go dressed like her".

"You'd be cute" Hans quipped, grinning like a rascal.

Frida lifted her gaze to him and couldn't help but chuckle "You're very kind and cute" she walked to him, slowly untying his cloak and taking the mask off his head and the sword from inside his trousers "But you're so beautiful like this. How about I put the mask in my bag just in case, so you and Peter could play with it when we're done dining?".

Hans sighed longer than a child should, but finally he nodded "Okay... But only because you're nervous and I don't want to get you more nervous".

Frida's face was initially astonished, then she frowned "It's not true... Why do you say that?".

"You're wearing a dress. You wear a dress when it's an occasion or you've to work. And you're always nervous then" he said matter of factly.

Frida gaped at him "It's not true! And then... Shut up, baby boy, you talk too much" and she pinched his side, making him laugh.

Frida returned to the closet and took out a pair of black pointed pumps with low heels. She heard Hans say that he was going to grab his little car to show Peter and then there was silence. She turned and found Lotta still leaning on the bed, looking at her.