Saving Me

TWENTY EIGHT

Dad and Lauren have been back home for about a week now. It would have been a struggle for them to do anything for themselves, considering how Kimberly is clueless when it comes to catering for two people who have serious injuries.

So I am very happy that they have Victoria. She is this tall, big-boned lady that has a no nonsense taking attitude. She has this tough exterior and a very dominating presence that she projects out a lot when Kimberly is around but I know she's a softie on the inside. I have gotten a glimpse of her gentle side. So basically I love her.

Lauren is on bed rest until her injuries heal. So is dad.

I've been visiting both of them and we have been praying together. My dad found it shocking that I am a devout Christian now. I told him it's not an easy journey for me and I was still working on cleaning up my act, through Jesus of course.

He told me how proud he was of me and was glad that I have found my own source of strength in this world.

I am grateful to God that I mended things with my dad. Yes he messed up but we all need redemption. We all deserve a second chance.

Christmas is coming up and I am so excited. Last year we did not celebrate it. It was a time of mourning for us...mourning the death of what we had as a family.

But this year, we are in high spirits. I am in the holiday mood and no-one is going to spoil it for me. Christmas shopping by myself is by far one of the most therapeutic things that I have done this whole year. It's like all the stress that has been plaguing me slipped off my shoulders and I can finally move around with ease.

I am not a fan of crowds and the mall is filled with a lot of people who are doing their Christmas shopping. I am usually grumpy and become a Grinch because I hate bumping into bodies but I am in such a good mood that I don't mind it. In fact I even apologise even when I am not the one that basically hit someone with a shoulder as sharp as shrapnel going at 100km/h.

After my shopping trip I head back home to prepare wrapping the gifts I bought for everyone. I got something for each person in my life. I can't wait till they see them, I like seeing the look on people's faces when they receive gifts, it kinda makes me feel all warm and gooey on the inside.

Everyone is in good spirits when I get home. Mom is extremely excited because we not only get to spend Christmas with Vincent, but his two kids are coming over. We'll get to meet them for the first time.

Gift wrapping is a drag. I have gotten so many paper cuts and I seriously get frustrated by how much the tape is not cooperating (sigh). But in the end after so many gifts, I get done and finally get to relax and get some food in my tummy since I have been cooped up in my room for a good three and a half hours.

Dinner with the family (Vincent included) is nice. There is joy and laughter all night and the house looks great. The boys did a good job with the decorating, it's like an elf threw up all over the house and suddenly it was full on Christmas mode.

Sitting here, watching everyone at this table relaxed and happy makes me realise how blessed I am. Sure there have been some hectic stuff going on but God has been and still is a pillar of strength. I am very grateful to him.

On the 23rd, the boys and I have dinner with dad, Lauren and Kimberly. We're having an early Christmas dinner with them so that we get to spend the rest of the holiday with mom and Vinny.

We're welcomed by Kimberly who opens the door for us. She's all dressed up in a red dress with heels, I look like a dumpling compared to her. I have on some jeans, a nice red blouse and some black heels, so in a nutshell I look like a confident dumpling.

The boys each give her a smile, and I just awkwardly stand at the doorway looking at her. I don't know if things are okay between us, now that we've had that encounter at the hospital a week ago, she may still hate me even though I have let go of the bad feelings I had towards her.

So for now, I do not want to jinx it.

We walk in and head to the dining area, the table is set up real nice, the food looks so good, droop is practically pooling in my mouth due to my salivary glands being on overdrive.

Dad is seated at the head of the table, his arm in a sling. He looks better now, the cuts are healing up okay and they do not look like they'll form bad scars on his face. Lauren is seated on his right in a wheelchair. She also looks okay and that makes me happy, God is healing her injuries in a tremendous way.

Victoria is off today since it's Christmas Eve to spend time with her family. She will be back in about two days. Apparently dad and Lauren can at least function a little bit by themselves with some help from Kimberly.

A part of me is kind of shocked that she possesses a bone of kindness in her body but I pull those feelings back and give her the benefit of the doubt .

Dinner went by so quickly, the food was delicious and the conversation sort of flowed around the table. Next was the gifts.

We sat in the living room with blankets wrapped around us as the gifts were passed on to each person. Do you know one of the best parts about having to split Christamas between two families? You

guessed right, it's double the gifts.

Seth got an xbox one from dad and a bunch of games from Lauren. I guess it was a combined gift. The twins both got new Macbooks. Dad said they needed the upgrade so that they can be well prepared for their studies for their final year in University.

You might be wondering what I got. I received a new Canon digital camera with an extra zoom lens. I was so happy.

They also loved the gifts we got them. Dad hates it when we spend money on him so we made him a scrapbook filled with memories and we got Lauren and Kimberly some spa vouchers for mother and daughter bond time.

I somehow end up in the kitchen , washing the dishes with Kimberly. The silence is comfortable and I am seriously enjoying being in my head and just going over a few things. Well that is until she decides to break it by saying words that I never thought I would get to hear come from her lips.

"Thank you"

I don't say anything. I can't say anything. My mouth is dry and I have literally no words.

Maybe it's the shock?

"You saved my mom. Your faith brought her back to me."

"It wasn't me. It was God's work and your faith in him brought your mom back." I wipe my hands dry with the dishcloth.

I jump up to sit on the counter. She takes a seat on the kitchen table.

"What happened to our parents was very bad and I don't wish that on anybody. No one deserves to lose a loved one."

"Yeah but I still want to thank you, so you better accept that"

I smile at her, "I'll accept it on God's behalf, I am only a vessel for his work".

And for the first time in a long time. Since we had our fallout, I received a genuine smile from Kimberly. I can't tell you how happy that made me.

I was so happy that I got off the counter and just hugged her. She was reluctant at first to return it but she eventually gave in. It is then that I realise that this moment between us is our Christmas gift to each other. We both needed this, a healing of some sort.

A bit of reconciliation between us.

A few hours later, we leave them and head home. It's so late in the evening and I am exhausted so I just go straight to my room and get ready to sleep.