What a crummy, crummy way to spend Christmas.
Mary moved the pencil holder a little to the left. She adjusted the sled on her desk. She stared out of the window at the newly falling snow.
How had she gotten herself into this pickle again? She had sworn last year when things hadn't worked out for her that she would never work this late on Christmas again. She had disappointed her mother and father again. They would be sad to miss her for another holiday. How excited she had been to go home to her childhood bed, to fall into a fitful night of sleep, anticipating another Christmas morning of presents and her mother's Christmas breakfast, the smell of the pine tree in the den. She loved it all, and yet it was elusive yet again.
The thought only depressed her further, that she should spend another Christmas alone. Well, she supposed last Christmas all the boys had returned to celebrate with her. Rhoda had brought over breakfast the next morning, knowing she was upset about having not been able to go home. It had been, overall, an interesting Christmas, a patchwork of traditions. Mary hadn't thought it would extend to this year again.
She'd sworn the boys not to come in and rescue her, and she's made Rhoda promise not to worry over her, not to wait up. She would simply suffer through the night and then that weekend she would go up to her family home and celebrate a slightly stilted, incorrectly placed Christmas. Yes, her Christmas was just slightly pushed off. Just because it was the 24th of December didn't mean anything.
Mary stared up at the clock, watched as the second hand ticked forward. Just a few more seconds and…ah, there it was. Christmas. December 25th.
"Well, I guess it's time to go home." Mary spoke to no one. Stood, placed the cover over her typewriter, moved to pull on her coat, hat, glanced back at the news room, smiled, and flipped off the lights.
The drive home was snowy and a little slick for the snowplows weren't out yet to clear away the freshly fallen snow. She was happy when she pulled into her driveway, the muscles in her shoulders relaxing. Her body tired then, for it had been a long, long day.
She peered about the neighborhood, thinking of all the people in all the houses around her, all probably contentedly asleep, anticipating the arrival of their own Christmases. And Mary had nothing. Nothing, but a tree with presents around it, but no one to celebrate with. And she supposed she had done it to herself.
Sighing, Mary removed her weary body from the car, making her way quietly through the back door, up the stairs to her apartment. She turned the key in the lock, opened the door and was shocked to find the light on.
She stepped inside, smelling the faint hint of sugary cookies floating through the air and some cider. There was someone else there, someone had broken into her apartment and left her a plate full of Christmas goodies.
Mary slid from her coat, stepping in a little bit further to peer into the sitting area.
There she was, passed out atop the couch, dark hair swirled about her peaceful visage, flour staining her shirt and pants, a little patch resting there on her nose. Mary grinned to herself. Rhoda had defied her, had insisted she be there for Mary's miserable Christmas.
Mary stepped forward, reaching down to lightly wipe away the flour from Rhoda's nose. Hazel eyes shot open, catching Mary out as she hovered above Rhoda. "Hey, kid! You're home." Rhoda eased into a seated position, hugging her arms about a pillow. "Merry Christmas."
Mary grinned. "Thanks, Rhoda! I told you not to wait up, though."
"Oh, it was no bother, really. I felt so horrible that you had to work on Christmas again. I know how much Christmas means to you." Rhoda smiled and then shot up. "Oh, Mary! I made some cider and cookies. The cookies are okay, I mean I followed the directions, but they just don't seem quite…"
"Rhoda," Mary laughed, following her to the kitchen, "I'm sure they're perfect."
"Try one." Rhoda held her plate of cookies proudly before her. "I did a few in blue, you know for Chanukah."
"Oh," Mary grinned, reaching out for a cookie. She bit into the crunchy, blue-iced cookie. It melted in her mouth. Rhoda always undersold herself, for really the cookies were heavenly. "Mm, Rhoda. It's amazing."
"Really? You really think so?" Rhoda grinned. Mary could tell Rhoda was pleased with pleasing her.
"Really." Mary nodded and finished off the cookie.
"Oh! Here, here's some cider." Rhoda set down the plate of cookies and turned to the stove to pour the homemade cider into two cups.
"You're really something, Rhoda, you know that?" Mary watched as Rhoda took every care in the world to serve her the perfect cup of cider.
"How was the office?" Rhoda asked, placing the cookies and cups of cider on a tray, nodding for Mary to follow her into the living room.
"Oh, quiet. Pretty slow." Mary shrugged, falling down into the couch beside Rhoda.
"I'm sorry you got stuck with the late shift again this year." Rhoda sighed, sipping her cider.
"Yeah, well." Mary shrugged, "I'll see my family this weekend." Mary sipped her cider. "Oh, Rhoda. This is just wonderful."
Rhoda beamed.
"Really, you didn't have to wait up." Mary yawned.
"Oh, Mare. I know, but I wanted to." Rhoda grinned, sleepily. "Oh!" Rhoda sat down her cup and got up to race to the tree. "Here, I got you a little Christmas surprise. It's only fair since you celebrated Hanukah with me."
"Oh, Rhoda. Cookies and cider and presents. You really didn't have to." Mary sighed, delighted when a box was placed in her arms.
"Open it." Rhoda clasped her hands together, waiting excitedly.
"It's so…large…oh, Rhoda! You shouldn't have." Mary glanced hesitantly at the gift.
"Stop it. Just open it." Rhoda grinned.
Mary sat up and lifted the lid off the box. "Oh, oh, Rhoda." Mary gasped. "It's so beautiful, I couldn't possibly accept it…it's…"
"Try it on." Rhoda lifted the gorgeous black fur cape from the box. "I saw it at Hempel's and just knew it belonged with you."
"Rhoda, it looks expensive. You shouldn't have…"
"Mary, try it on!" Rhoda held it up for Mary. "Besides, I get a discount at Hempel's. It was nothing. Swear. Put it on." Rhoda laughed, pulling Mary to her feet.
Mary reluctantly stood up and allowed Rhoda to drape the fur about her. "Oh, Rhoda. It's so soft, it's…it's so beautiful. Thank you." Mary raced up to her closet to throw open the door so that she could see herself in the mirror. "Oh, Rhoda…oh!" Mary remembered then. "I have something for you, as well!"
"Mary, you didn't have to!"
"Yes," Mary rummaged through her presents and extracted a colorful little box from the back. "Here you go!" Mary moved to hand over the perfectly wrapped package.
"Thank you, Mare." Rhoda handled the package uneasily, surprised by it.
"Open it." Mary smiled encouragingly.
"Really Mare, you didn't have to…"
"Please, it's the least I could do. This fur is too much, Rho." Mary petted herself, moving to sit next to Rhoda while she opened the box. It felt like too little a gift now, too inconsequential.
"Oh, Mary. Mary," Rhoda pulled the scarf from its box, the deep purple and pink pattern shimmering in the overhead lighting. "It's gorgeous, kid. Wow."
"I thought it would go with your eyes." Mary grinned, watching as she wrapped it about her head. "It's great, Rho."
"Yeah?" Rhoda jumped up then to go and look at herself in the mirror. "It's great, Mare, just perfect." Rhoda laughed, Mary moving to stand beside her to adjust the scarf a little here, a little there. "Oh, kid. Thank you."
"It's gorgeous." Mary smiled, her finger moving from adjusting the scarf to run through Rhoda's hair.
Rhoda grinned, reaching out to run her fingers down Mary's fur clad shoulders. "This looks stunning on you."
Mary felt stunning in the cape. She felt happy, content then, to have come home to such warmth and love on a day she had been dreading. "Oh, Rhoda." Mary twirled the soft strand of dark hair about her finger. "Thank you for today."
"Sure thing, kid." Rhoda's lips curled into a smile that Mary noticed acutely.
Mary glanced back to the mirror, taking in how handsome they were in their Christmas presents. Her eyes happened to travel upwards to one little Christmas decoration she had placed about her closet doorway as a sort of joke to herself. For whom would be standing in her closet with her anyway? Except maybe Rhoda. She wondered briefly if she had placed the mistletoe there on purpose.
"Rhoda," Mary laughed.
"Yeah?" Rhoda glanced at her from adjusting her scarf.
"Look above us." Mary's eyes shifted upwards and Rhoda followed her gaze.
Rhoda laughed to herself, "looks like we'll have to kiss."
"How hilarious, the two of us kissing." Mary felt her chest clinch pleasantly, though. Her eyes swept over Rhoda's face, resting briefly on the perfect curve of her lips.
Rhoda shrugged, "I bet you're a fantastic kisser."
"Oh yeah?" Mary chuckled, having never thought about it, whether she was fantastic or not. She had never had any complaints.
"Sure, you're fantastic at everything you do." Rhoda grinned.
"Am not." Mary bashfully pressed her shoulder into Rhoda's arm.
"Are too, kid." Rhoda stood firm in her statement.
"I bet I can prove I'm not." Mary huffed.
"Not great at kissing?" Rhoda's eyes sparkled.
"Uh, yeah." Mary bit her lip.
"Okay. Prove it." Rhoda closed her eyes and tilted her head upwards, puckering her lips.
"You're serious?" Mary felt her heart pounding then.
"Yeah. What, are you too much of a goody-two shoes to kiss a girl?" One of Rhoda's eyes opened, a laugh wrinkling her cheeks.
"No, no. I just…well, I've never…and…uh," Mary's eyes trailed over Rhoda's face, back to those lips, those perfect lips. She found herself moving closer, leaning in a little more. It wouldn't be so bad if she just brushed Rhoda's lips with her own, it was only a joke after all, wasn't it? One little kiss wouldn't hurt. Would it?
Mary's lips ghosted against Rhoda's, shocking both of them. They jumped apart, staring at one another. Frozen for a moment.
"You did it." Rhoda looked surprised, as if she hadn't expected Mary to actually kiss her.
"Well you…you told me to and…"
Rhoda laughed, "you are a good kisser."
"So are you." Mary bashfully admitted.
"Yeah?" Rhoda looked down at the ground. "That was nothing."
"Oh yeah?" Mary felt a little emboldened, shocked that they had kissed and it had been such a non-issue between them, if anything it had felt good, normal, welcome. Was it some kind of Christmas midnight madness? Why did Mary want to do it again?
Mary found herself pulling Rhoda back towards her, cupping her cheeks, holding her there. Rhoda's eyes found Mary's. They danced together for a moment, seeking permission that was somehow easily, freely given for before either knew it, or expected it, they were kissing again, there beneath the mistletoe. A real kiss, lips melting together, opening up to one another, holding, grasping onto the other as if their lives depended upon it.
"Oh, Mary." Rhoda gasped.
"Rhoda," Mary pulled back, afraid that the younger woman might dart away from her.
"Mare, I – uh, I've always wanted to…but…"
"Yeah?" Mary felt her heart leaping in her chest, giddy then. How had she not known, not suspected?
Rhoda nodded.
"Well, then maybe we could…uh, again." Mary nodded towards the couch.
"You mean even without the mistletoe?"
Mary laughed, "oh, come on." And she was tugging her back to the couch where they found themselves wrapped up in the other.
"Merry Christmas, kid," Rhoda whispered through kisses.
"Rhoda," Mary grinned, resting her forehead against Rhoda's.
"Yeah?"
"This was my favorite present of all."
"I love you, Mary."
"I love you, too."