Stories With No Endings

I'll Be Home for Christmas (A Love Story) - Part 1

So I'm writing a short Christmas story to be festive for the holidays! :)

I hope you guys enjoy it because I really enjoyed writing it! :-D

Part 1

December 20th

-Jolie-

I pushed myself through the thick crowd of Christmas shoppers. Parents were holding bags upon bags of presents and kids were running around screaming that they wanted the new Transformers toy or the Barbie Runway Doll.

Jingle Bells blared through the loud speakers as I finally found the escalator. My phone vibrated in my purse.

I stepped onto the escalator and rummaged through my purse, clasping my hands around my phone. I read 'Mom' on my screen. I flipped open my phone and held it to my ear.

"Hi Mom," I said looking down at my Christmas List. I have so many things I have to buy before my plane leaves tomorrow.

"Jolie!" My mom's excited voice rang through the speaker, ringing my eardrum. "The whole family is so excited to see you! They've been talking about it for weeks now!" Her familiar chuckle ended her sentence.

"Awesome," I said trying to sound excited. Truth is, I had been avoiding family gatherings for the past five years of my life. "By the whole family, do you mean the WHOLE family?"

"Well, you haven't been here in a while so I invited pretty much everyone." Mom said. I could tell she was smiling through her voice. "Your father and I, your brothers and sisters, Aunt Carol and Uncle Joe, your cousins--"

I stepped off of the escalator and continued walking. Nerves boiled up inside of me as I thought about seeing my family again. Everyone would ask me what I've been doing the past five years, which is nothing productive.

"God mom." I finally let my angst get the best of me. "You didn't tell me this was going to be a family reunion."

"Everyone's been worried about you," Mom's voice changed to a more serious one. "You haven't kept in touch with anyone since you left. Even me." The sudden pain in my mom's voice hit me hard.

"I'm sorry Mom. I'll be home for Christmas though." I chuckled. I just quoted a Christmas song. How festive.

"No need to apologize. We are all just very excited to see you." I heard her take a deep breath. "Don't be mad at me, but I invited someone else."

"Who?"

"Nathan."

"Nathan? MOM!! Why would you invite him?" I stopped right in my tracks annoying the people that were walking behind me.

"Calm down sweetie." My mom cooed into the phone. "I figured you two could rekindle your relationship."

"There's no relationship to rekindle Mom. I broke up with him for a reason. Uninvite him!"

"Well, it was nice talking to you," My mom's smiling voice rang into the phone. "We will all see you at the airport tomorrow." Click.

I can't believe she hung up on me, and not to mention the fact that she invited my ex-boyfriend for Christmas! I was already worrying about seeing my family; now I have to worry about Nathan.

Nathan and I had been together five years ago. He was a cheater and I couldn't trust him. Once a cheater, always a cheater. He wasn't the only reason I left though. I wanted to see the world, but I didn't really get that far. I traveled the country instead. I've been from the east coast to the west coast and stayed far away from the small town that had engulfed my childhood.