Perfect World [George Harrison]

[ NINE ]

        Lola loved Christmas. She loved the music, the food, the gifts, and giving gifts. Going shopping, picking out peoples gifts was Lola's favorite activity of all. She usually spent the better part of December doing this. It was somewhat addictive, the thrill giving gifts gave her. It was also an excellent distraction from thinking about her mother.

Her mother loved thanksgiving, a holiday Lola rarely celebrated as it made no sense to do so, except to follow tradition. Without her mother there, her dad stopped celebrating the holiday. Her mother also loved Christmas. Christmas was unavoidable. Christmas kept being celebrated, always with wistfulness.

When Lola discovered just how much she loved seeing other's peoples faces light up at the perfect gift, she didn't turn back. She focused on giving on Christmas, and helping out her dad in the kitchen. She saw relatives on Christmas, though they lived far enough that Lola only saw them once or twice a year.

This Christmas, Lola was spending it with George.

"My parents are coming for Christmas," George had said. Lola was laying beside him, on the right side of the bed, the side she'd claimed as her own for the last couple of weeks. "Peter and his girlfriend are coming too."

"I usually spend Christmas with my dad."

"Oh," he scratched his head. "Well, if ya want to spend it here, they'll be coming."

"Alright," Lola said. They were silent after that. Lola went back to the book she was reading, but couldn't get past the same line. "I was planning on leaving for Paris. But I'll stay, if—"

"If?"

"You come to Paris for New Years."

George said nothing. He got up, and went into the kitchen. He rang Brian, and returned five minutes later. He kissed her cheek. "It's set."

After that, Lola spoke to her dad on the telephone. They spoke for five minutes, just catching up on what they'd been doing the last couple of weeks, then Lola told him she wasn't going to spend Christmas with him.

"That's fine," he replied. "I think this year I'll go to the Galápagos Islands."

"'That's fine', is that all you're going to say?"

"And I'm going to the Galápagos Islands."

"Dad—"

"You're an adult, Lola."

"I know," Lola said. "But our first Christmas, our first Christmas we aren't spending together..."

"We'll do it next year. I loved spending time with George, and I can't wait to meet his family."

"Apparently it can't wait as much as seeing Ecuador."

"The Galápagos Islands," he corrected. The islands were a territory belonging to Ecuador, Lola wanted to tell him again, but she didn't see the point in extending that conversation.

"Okay, okay," she said. "Have fun. I'll be home for New Years. Will you?"

He sighed. "Unfortunately."