Santa, I'm Right Here

Lizzie worked in retail for six years of her life. It wasn't a glorious job, but at the current time, she would have taken anything. Now, with Christmas approaching, she found it harder and harder to make ends meet. She had to borrow money from family, with the promise of paying them back, but no way of doing so.

She wanted to give Kyrie something magical to believe in, but with no money, there was no way to make the little girl's dreams come true. Even now, walking through the establishment of her old job, she found several dresses that Kyrie would love to wear for Christmas, but no way to buy them. She stopped and stared at one particular dress. It was black velvet with fake fur around the wrists on the sleeves, and plaid red and gold on the bottom. Kyrie would love it. She paused when she heard a woman come up behind her.

She was soft and gentle, her voice was merely above a small whisper. "Do you like that dress?"

"My daughter would find it absolutely amazing. Do…do you do layaway plans?" Lizzie asked, then quietly shook her head knowing the answer would almost likely be no.

"Yes, but it would need to be picked up by the twentieth." The girl stared at Lizzie curiously. "I know you from somewhere."

"I used to work here," She whispered. "I got fired shortly after the holidays began. Something about wanting younger people."

"I'm so sorry. I remember you now! You had to take maternity leave shortly after I started here…I was covering for you. I didn't know they were training me to be your replacement." The girl frowned and turned away. "If you need help with anything else, just let me know."

As she walked away, Lizzie murmured under her breath. "You can't help me with what I need."

Standing off in the distance was an older man, watching the blonde leave with sadness on his heart. There had to be something he could do to help her. Staring at the dress, he looked away for a moment, wondering if it would be awkward doing this for a woman he didn't know. Then he smiled and plucked the plaid dress from the shelf and took a photograph of it, sending it to someone else for approval.

After moments of silence, he got a response saying yes. The man took the dress and brought it to the register. "I'm buying this for my niece, but I don't know what size she is."

"That's funny, the woman who was just in here wanted that exact…same…you're buying it for her, aren't you?" The woman smiled brightly. "I knew there were still nice people out there!"

"I'm not buying it for her, my employer is. I have no money." The man commented quietly. "How old is her daughter?"

"I started working here about five years ago. She left for maternity the day I was hired, so I'd wager around five…maybe four…ball-parking it." She stared at the dress curiously. "This is definitely too small. Let me go find a bigger size."

The girl left for a while, then came back holding a longer dress with the same design. She placed it down on the counter. "Don't tell my boss, but I'll use my employee discount."

"That's not necessary, my boss is rich." The man placed down the platinum card. "I'm just the one who runs the errands."

"Oh," She commented dumbfound. "Well, here's your dress. I hope your niece likes it."


Lizzie sat on the floor, her feet folded Indian style, Kyrie sat in her lap with a crayon and Hello Kitty coloring book. Kyrie put the book down and held up the box of crayons to her mother. "Momma, you should make the kitten blue."

"Kittens aren't blue, Kyrie." Lizzie murmured sadly with a sigh of defeat. "I'm not entirely sure, Kyrie, but I'm pretty positive they're not blue. You're just like your father," She whispered off-handedly in an attempt at humor. She didn't realize that Kyrie would take her seriously.

"Can I!" The child shouted exuberantly. "Please, momma? I've been a good girl this year."

"You already know the answer to that, Kyrie. Your daddy chose work over us, so meeting him is out of the question. Any parent who can't realize that there's a child involved, shouldn't be called a parent."

"Then why do you?" Kyrie asked, standing to her feet in front of her mother. "You just called him my daddy."

"Kyrie, just because he chose work over you doesn't mean he doesn't love you. He sends you a present every year, doesn't he?"

"But he never sends me what I want!" Kyrie shouted, stomping her foot. "He always sends me stupid stuff that no kid wants."

"Kyrie, be thankful you get anything." Lizzie stared at her hands. "I can't afford to pay the rent," She whispered. "That means we may not be able to stay here much longer."

Kyrie looked at her shoes. "Would they kick us out, momma?"

"They might," Lizzie answered, her voice cracking for the first time in years. "Maybe they'll wait until after Christmas to do it, huh?"

Kyrie nodded and smiled graciously. "People aren't that mean, are they?"

"Just in case, Kyrie, go pack your backpack and be ready to go as soon as possible." She waited for the child to run away before she broke down crying. How could anyone leave her in this situation? She could barely bring herself to admit that leaving Kyrie to an adoption center would have been better than where she is now. The phone rang and she reached across scattered crayons to pick it up. "Hello?"

"Lizzie? It's me, Gordo."

"I'm not your charity case, Gordo," Lizzie hissed bitterly.

"I don't want you to be. Just listen. The toys for tots run is sometime next week, I was wondering if you were going to be donating this year." He knew that every year, Lizzie donated something a little more extravagant.

"Sorry, I only have ten dollars to my name," She answered, closing her eyes and rubbing her forehead. "We're getting evicted next week. I didn't want to tell Kyrie."

"I'm sorry to hear that. If I could help, you know I would." He paused and waited. "You can come live—"

"Don't even finish that sentence, Gordon. I'm not living with you. You couldn't get me to live with you six years ago, you won't be able to do it now." He sighed and waited a moment for Lizzie to calm down. "Fine, but my door is always open if you need me. Just don't forget about the drive next week."

"Yeah, fine, whatever." She hung up and threw the phone at the table. How could someone so heartless be so sweet to her? He'd turned his back on her when he found out she was pregnant, and now he wanted to be part of her life?

"Kee?" Lizzie asked, standing in the doorway, watching as Kyrie packed her bags. Kyrie held a teddy bear that she was trying to desperately stuff into the bag. Lizzie shook her head and frowned. "Kyrie, you might have to leave it behind. You can't bring all your stuffed animals."

"No! I want to!" Kyrie fell on her butt on the floor and began to cry. "I won't leave Mr. Snuggles behind. Daddy gave him to me."

Lizzie frowned and knelt beside her daughter, holding her hand out. Kyrie climbed into her mother's arms and held her tight. "Momma, do I really have to give up all my stuffed animals?"

"No, sweetie. I'll find somewhere to store them." She answered quietly. "I'll ask my dad if I have to, but we'll store them somewhere. I know your grandparents would never turn their back on you." Even if it meant forgiving the ones she didn't want to be around the most. Lizzie had to do it because it wasn't about protecting herself, it was about protecting her child.


She held out the last bag to Gordo and frowned. "Keep an eye on her for me. I'll be back for her eventually." As Kyrie ran off to play in the fish tank in the window of Gordo's apartment, Lizzie frowned and wiped her eyes. "If it means her having a chance and me having to suffer, then I'll make the sacrifice."

Gordo reached his hands out and touched Lizzie's arms. "Don't do this, you don't have to find a way to survive, I can help you. Just stay here with your daughter."

"I can't," Lizzie frowned. "I need to find a way to survive on my own. I can't sit here and act like I can survive on everyone else's handouts."

Gordo's normally compassionate eyes changed to a darker color briefly in the quick change of light. "Lizzie, please, don't do this. Your daughter needs you."

"Our daughter." She corrected. "She needs her father as much as she needs her mother."

"But she…" Gordo fell quiet, staring at the woman he'd asked to marry so long ago, but she was only a child back then. Now she'd grown up so fast and didn't need his protection anymore. He didn't know what to say to her, and even in the silence that passed, he couldn't find the words to stop her from leaving. All this time he wanted a family, but he wanted it with the girl that would love him, not just the child. "It's a package deal, Lizzie. I can't have her without you." He shouted.

Lizzie was well out of earshot. "Just take care of her for me," Lizzie whispered sadly. "I don't want to make her suffer anymore."