It is December 15th and no hint of Christmas decorations. No lights. No Christmas tree. No ugly inflatable characters in the front yard.
Nothing.
Truth is, if it was up to Debra and Charles it would probably stay that way. They do not have the energy to go through the process this year. There is something about being a parent that allows you to find energy from other places. Perhaps, you use the excess energy of your kids or there is a secret compartment inside the soul that only parents can access.
No one really knows where it comes from, but few deny that it exists.
Abigail does not talk much, but her eyes say more than most people’s words. Every morning for the past three weeks, she comes out to the living room and looks at the same spot. It is the spot where the Christmas tree always goes.
She never complains that it is not up yet. Her eyes tell of longing more than anything else. Each morning she hopes that the Christmas tree will have magically appeared, but it doesn’t.
She still holds onto the hope that one day it will be up. That’s the thing with kids, hoping comes easier to them than most. All they know how to do is hope.
While Debra and Charles do not notice things as much as they used to, they notice Abigail’s eyes every morning. Whatever strand of apathy they have gravitated towards, it is her eyes that keep them from being fully there.
“Did you call Karen?” Charles asks.
“Yes, she is going to come over around seven tonight. Do you think that will give us enough time?” Debra replies.
“Yeah, I think most of the tree places stay open until around 9,” Charles says.
And so, there is a thought that the morning of December 16th will be different. Though they don’t have the energy and do not even think it matters any more, Abigail’s eyes have encouraged them to find some strand of hope.
Today, the hope means that they have called a baby sitter to watch the kids while they go find a Christmas tree. It is a small hope, but any hope is a picture that your heart is not quite dead yet.
It is hope for the ordinary which perhaps is the truest hope of all.
