Christmas in July
Lucien arrived home one evening in July and was greeted by shouts of annoyance.
"Close the door! You're letting the heat out!"
He did as he was told, hanging his hat and coat before walking into the parlor. Jean was sitting on the sofa with a blanket wrapped around her, facing the roaring fire. He stared at her with his head cocked in curiosity. "Bit cold, are you?"
"It's freezing!" she replied bitterly.
In the kitchen, the kettle began to whistle. Jean moved to get up but Lucien stopped her. "No, you stay bundled up. I'll get the tea."
She waited, staring at the fire, hoping it would warm her more if she concentrated hard enough.
Lucien returned with the tea tray. "Here we are. You know, this reminds me of my Christmases at school. Those dormitories were always drafty and freezing, especially when it snowed. But there was something lovely about getting all bundled up by the fire with a cup of hot tea and watching the snow cover the trees outside while the fairy lights on the tree twinkled in the window."
Jean smiled as he spoke. "It sounds lovely. I've never had a white Christmas like in the movies. Actually, I've only ever seen snow once in my life."
"Did you? When was that?"
"We had a freak storm one August when I was a little girl. I think I must have been about seven or eight. I remember we couldn't go to school because they didn't want the children to walk through the snow. Obviously no one in Ballarat has proper snow boots or winter coats," she pointed out.
"Of course. I don't remember ever seeing snow here. I wonder where I was. If you were seven, I would have been…oh. I was probably already in England by then," he realized sadly.
Jean knew he was referring to when his father had shipped him off to boarding school just after his mother passed. "Well, you missed the snow in Ballarat, but you got all those lovely snowy Christmases."
"Oh they were beautiful, Jean. You'd love it," he said with a smile.
"I'm sure I would."
Lucien opened his mouth to say something more but quickly closed it and sipped his tea instead. It wouldn't be proper for him to saw what he'd thought of, which was to promise to take her to England one day so they could have a white Christmas together.
They fell into a comfortable silence, sitting side by side and watching the fire, content to enjoy their cold Ballarat July with each other's company.