AUTHOR'S NOTE
In line with the Christmas spirit of love and forgiveness, here is my attempt at a Reconciliation story. I must admit I struggled with it and it's not even very long! The reason I found it difficult is because I'm a firm believer in consequences for actions. That there should be a price to pay for wrongdoing.
I think one of the reasons we're seeing a rise in the statistics for both men and women regarding infidelity is because there are no legal consequences anymore. Hell, most of the time there aren't financial or social ones either. It isn't the taboo it once was. It doesn't carry the same shame factor it did once upon a time.
Call me old-fashioned, if you like, but if someone I know admits to me he or she has had, or, is having an affair, I drop him/her from my circle of friends. Harsh? Maybe, but if he/she can lie to, break promises, stab in the back, and betray the trust of someone he/she is meant to love above all others how much easier will it be for him/her to do use or deceive me, a mere friend?
Okay... enough moralising.
To avoid confusion between Sam's letter and Lisa's internal thoughts I've used bold italics for the letter and regular italics for Lisa's thoughts.
As per my previous stories, I've done my own editing which probably means there's little mistakes I've missed because I'm too familiar with my own words. My best friend, lover, and partner, Vandemonium1, has proofread so if any mistakes remain, it's his fault... hahaha, just kidding, my love, I take full responsibility. We both know I'm an Olympic Gold Medalist contender when it comes to tweaking!
Thanks, and happy reading.
******
I SMILED AT my daughter-in-law, Sara, accepting the mimosa cocktail she held out to me.
"Thanks, sweetie."
I took a sip, enjoying the naughtiness of drinking the mix of champagne and orange juice at ten in the morning. Hopefully, none of the grandkids would ask me to share.
At the sound of a giggle to my left from one of the said grandkids, I turned my head, my smile broadening. Maddy, my granddaughter, who was four, and Mia, who was three, were taking turns to twirl in their new tutus. Maddy's was lilac with a wide satin ribbon at the waist, her cousin Mia's almost identical in pink. I admired the workmanship and attention to detail, each sequin on the bodice having been sewn on by hand. Toni, my other daughter-in-law, was certainly very good with her hands and it was so sweet of her to make one for Mia as well as her own daughter. She'd even gone so far as to decorate their ballet slippers and make wands. No wonder the girls thought they were fairy princesses.
As I watched, my six-year old grandson, Christopher, raced between his sister and cousin clutching his Captain America shield. Hot on his heels was my other grandson, Matthew, wearing an Ironman suit but brandishing a Thor hammer. I chuckled; clearly, he had no problems being two superheroes at once. They tore around the room like whirlwinds—even the baubles on the Christmas tree tinkled at the slipstream they created—before exiting out the back door which Matthew's father, my son Shane, held open for them. I shook my head fondly. It only seemed like yesterday that Sam, my husband, was doing the same for our boys. They, too, had been tearaways, full of energy and mischief.
I looked around my living room, feeling a deep well of contentment. I loved Christmas when the family was all together; my two sons with their wives and children, my daughter, this year heavily pregnant with her first child, and her hubby, Tom.
Sam and I had had our reservations about Tom to begin with; him being ten years older than Melinda and rather reserved, but we were glad to be proven wrong. He adored Melinda and encouraged her to continue her studies in archaeology, even knowing what a difficult career that could be when combined with a family. And he made Melinda happy. Very happy. What more could we ask for?
"Hey, Mum. Dad said to give you these," said my eldest son, Richard. He held a card and gift box out to me.
"Oh, I thought we'd opened all our gifts," I replied.
Richard smiled and shrugged. "What can I say? I'm only the messenger."
I returned his smile, thinking how, with each passing year, his resemblance to his father grew, and accepted them both. As good manners dictated, I opened the card first.
Open your gift first, then read the enclosed letter. I suggest you do so in private.
I smiled, gazing in every direction, looking for Sam to give him a wink to show I appreciated the mystery, and, if what I suspected was true, the sexy nature of his gift. I couldn't find him. Rather than seek him out, I gave in to my curiosity and headed for the study, so I could open my mystery gift in private.
With the door closed behind me, the sounds of my family celebrating receded. I sank into the leather lounge beside Sam's bookcase. It was so comfortable it was sinful and opened the gift box. I was wrong; it wasn't sexy. It was bling. It contained a pendant. I didn't know what to make of the design at first. Instinct told me it was more than a random series of swirls of silver, gold, and rose gold, subtly studded with diamonds. Closer study revealed intertwined words.
How ingenious; Greatest Gift Of All.
I was in awe of the cleverness of the artist, at the way they'd hidden the words in a pendant no bigger in diameter than two inches. It was a statement piece. One you'd wear up high, framed by the V-neck of a blouse, or low on a heavy chain over a polo-neck jumper. I loved it. It was different and unique. Trust Sam to find something so unusual.
As instructed, I then removed from the card the sheets of fine writing paper. I could see they were dense with words. I smiled in anticipation of reading his love letter, mentally thanking the gods that this man still loved me so much after all these years.
