A Little Miracle
By Dixxy
(The End of Innocence Christmas Story)
~
"Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat! Please to put the penny in the old man's hat! If you haven't got a penny, half-penny ills do! If you haven't got a half-penny, the God bless you!"
Cye Mouri looked on at the carolers singing Christmas songs infront of the Tokyo Public Library. He smiled, remembering when he and his friends from when he was younger used to go wassailing. The mere memory of the hot, spicy drink made his mouth water anxiously, but he sighed heavily. No more did he have time for wassailing and carefree childhood games.
Cye pulled up the pack on his back. The small, four and a half month old baby inside gurgled. Cye smiled and continued on his way back to his small apartment. The streets of Tokyo were lined with a powdery white snow as it slowly fell to ground in soft white tufts. Several of these clumps were in his shaggy auburn hair, for there were most assuredly on his brown winter jacket. He could only imagine the look of wonderment in Ariel's eyes. Her first snowfall, and in the coming weeks, her first Christmas.
Cye finally reached the front door of the apartment building, took out his keys, and while balancing a weeks worth of groceries, opened the security locked doors. He went inside and headed towards the stairs to take them to apartment 37 B. Ariel made baby sounds each time Cye went up a step and giggled when he reached the third floor.
Kojiro Tomae was waiting outside the apartment for them. "Hey, you two," he said. "What's up? Happy first day of December, by the way."
"Hi, Koji," remarked Cye, stepping into the small and bare apartment. He took off his boots and left them by the door on the cool linoleum floor, but his socks kept his sore feet warm. He backed up against the nearby shelf to remove his daughter from his back and turned around to pull her out of the carrier and out of her jacket, gloves, and hat. Cye smiled and fingered the tiny wisps of auburn hair. Ariel smiled a mostly toothless smiled at her young father and gurgled happily.
The apartment was a pitiful site. There was an old, hard couch with a tacky orange brown plaid coloring. A chair was in one corner, purple and pink, with stuffing coming out of several holes in it. Their coffee table was actually a piece of plywood held up by four old dictionaries. The small, eight inch contraption they called a TV had two horrendously ugly bunny ears and hardly ever worked. The carpeting was old, stained and brown. It wasn't pretty, but it was all that the two could afford on their painfully tight budget.
"So, what you get besides baby formula and diapers?" asked Kojiro.
"Regular milk, cereal, canned soup, what we've been eating for the past few months," Cye replied rather dryly. "We can't afford anything extensive."
"I know, but it would be nice to have a nice, big Christmas dinner come the twenty-fifth," he remarked. "My mom used to always buy the biggest ham in the store and cook it up all nice with pineapples. She always left them especially for my cousins and me. Then there'd always be eggnog for everyone while we exchanged gifts and listened to Christmas songs, my grandmother's old record of the Nutcracker Suite. Ah, those were the days."
Cye closed his eyes. "Last Christmas, with my friends, Mia and I made a really big turkey dinner with potatoes and stuffing for the night before. Then, after little Yuli went to bed, myself and the guys all started to play Santa Claus and wrapped his gifts with Sage signing the tags since he had the best handwriting. Then the morning after the tree we had in living room was bursting with gifts and we all unwrapped gifts from each other while eating bacon and eggs. Then we told funny Christmas stories and spent the rest of the day tobogganing."
"Why are we sharing this?" said Kojiro. "Lord knows that Christmas morning we're going to have cereal and spend the day watching It's a Wonderful Life five times over. We couldn't do anything like that."
"I know," said Cye. He sighed heavily, looking down at the tiny baby girl in his arms. "I wish she'd have a better first Christmas than that."
"Buddy, it looks like that'll be the only kind of Christmas she'll have for a long time to come," said Kojiro. "It'll only get worse in college, because we'll have to pay at least part of our tuition."
"But there ARE scholarships. I've looked into some scholarships I'm qualified for. There IS one for teen parents and one for exchange students," said Cye.
"Well, maybe, but it still won't keep a roof over our head," said Kojiro, looking up at the white ceiling. He flicked back his shoulder-length green hair and sighed heavily to himself. "Ceiling needs to be repainted. It's all cracked and chipped."
Cye looked up at the ceiling himself. It WAS getting cracked again. "It's almost at the point where hiring a professional will be cheaper."
Kojiro snorted. "Yeah, this'll be the third time in four months it's gotten this bad."
"We've also always bought the cheaper paint," pointed out Cye.
"True," said Kojiro. "You'd better put the little one down for a nap. She looks like she needs it."
"You have a point there," said Cye, heading off into the small room that served for her nursery. The nursery was very bare for a nursery, with only an old cradle, a changing table, and a diaper pale in the entire room. Cye laid the tiny baby down in her cradle, smiling as she smiled back up at him.
"Good night, little angel," he said. He picked her up, kissed her forehead, and put her back in the cradle before he started to gently rock the old bed with his foot. "Sleep tight." With that, he stood up to leave. Before he left the room and turn out the lights, he looked on at the small child. I still can't believe I created you. Tears began to well up in his teenage eyes. I can't believe I'm already a parent. I can't believe I'm a SINGLE parent. I'm so sorry you'll probably never have a mother.
I'm so sorry. . .
~
A few days later, Kojiro hung out inside the apartment. Cye had gone to his, support group, and he was baby-sitting Ariel. Kojiro made train noises as he tried to get her to eat her mashed peas. Ariel never DID like peas, but they were good for her. Kojiro was glad that he didn't have to be alone since he was kicked out of his home, glad that he'd made such a good friend as Cye. But things were going to be difficult. Three mouths to feed and only two paychecks- well, the tips they received waiting at the restaurant- to support everything.
KNOCK-KNOCK.
"Come in, door's open," said Kojiro.
"Hello, young man," said the voice of a kindly old woman. Kojiro turned around to see a plump, white haired old woman standing in the doorway. Her cheeks were rosy red and her small blue eyes were sharp as needles, but soft as rabbit's fur.
"Hello, can I help you?" asked Kojiro.
"Actually, I've just ,moved in next door, apartment 37 A?" she said. "I'm baking cookies and I'm short a cup of sugar, mind if I borrow? I'll share them with you and your family."
"No, it's just me, my roommate, and the little one," said Kojiro. "I'm Kojiro Tomae, and this is Ariel Mouri."
"I'm Mrs. Close," she said. "How old are you, young man?"
"Seventeen, my roommate, Cye, he's sixteen," said Kojiro.
Mrs. Close blinked. "Sixteen? Seems a bit young to be a father at his age."
"Well, it really wasn't his choice," said Kojiro. "His girlfriend, Ariel's birth mother, from what I can tell, was a very overpowering and intimidating young woman. She tried to seduce him one night, but he told her no, so she, forced him. He ran into her and the baby nine months later. She'd, you know, gotten pregnant."
"Oh, that's awful," said Mrs. Close.
"He really was-"
"Oh, no, no, no, I wasn't accusing him of lying, it happens. I'm assuming 'Mommy Dearest' has left?"
"Back to her home country, Ireland," said Kojiro. "But, it's not important. We met up after he came to Tokyo looking for a place to settle down and raise the baby. He found me, so we got this place together and we're trying to balance the baby, work, and school."
Mrs. Close smiled. "That's very nice of you. I'm sure he appreciates it."
"Oh, he does," said Kojiro. "Very much so."
"That's good," said Mrs. Close. "So, sugar, where's the sugar?"
"Oh, right, ma'am," said Kojiro. He went into the small kitchenette. "Yup, we have sugar." He poured her out a cup and gave it to her.
"Thank you, Koji, have a nice day," she said. With that, she went back next door.
~
"So we have a new neighbor?" asked Cye once he got back from his support group.
"Yup. And I gotta warn ya, she knows where Ariel came from. She asked why a kid your age had a kid, so I told her the truth. Better have her feel sorry for ya than make false assumptions like I did when we first met, eh, Cye old boy?" said Kojiro. "Nice old lady. Mrs. Close. A bit round, but she's really a sweet heart. Borrowed a cup of sugar. Said she'd send some of the cookies over afterward."
"Hello?"
"Come in, Mrs. Close. Cye's back, I want you to meet him!" said Kojiro. Mrs. Close walked in, a zip-lock bag full of large, soft, and round white chocolate macadamia nut cookies. "Those look good!"
"They are. Hi, you must be Cye," said the old woman, holding out her hand, Cye shook it firmly. "If Kojiro hadn't told me your age I would've assumed you for eighteen or nineteen."
Cye blinked. "You've got to be kidding me. I'm a shrimp!"
"No, no, no, the height doesn't matter. Your eyes, I can see it in them that they're beginning to get wise and serious. Fatherly," she said. "Every new parent goes through that. The sleepless nights from the baby will do that."
"Not to me. I got earplugs," said Kojiro.
Mrs. Close laughed. "He's got a good sense of humor."
"Yes, a real winner," said Cye. "And I DID buy him earplugs. No need for him to loose sleep because of the baby. Me, that's another story."
Mrs. Close just nodded. "Well, let's have these while they're still warm, boys. How does that sound?"
"Great!" said Kojiro. "I'm starved!"
"Well don't eat too many or else you'll have a spare tire to worry about," said Cye.
"I know, I know," said Kojiro, "just let me eat cookies!"
~
A week later, Kojiro was walking through the shopping district of Tokyo. He passed by an art supplies store and looked in longingly. I had to sell my paint set to eat before I got to the Teen Crisis Center, he thought miserably. Kojiro loved the arts, especially the visual arts. He loved to draw and paint, but all he had left was a few pencils and an old, cheap sketch pad with crummy paper. He used to own a handsome paint set in a solid mahogany case. It had really nice paint brushes, large tubes of paint, and a good set of drawing pencils. He missed that set, especially since he could only sell it for a few thousand yen, hardly enough to live on, not even half it's worth.
In the window was a set almost identical to his old one. His eyes lit up, but he knew he would never be able to afford it. At least, not for a long while. He had to pay for the apartment first. Cye usually took care of all Ariel's expenses and the food (which made sense since he cooked most of it) but Kojiro had the rent and all the other bills. Water, electricity, heating, and the other utilities. Any extra money they had was spent on other needs, like clothes. So it wasn't going to happen.
"Maybe if I get a really good tip," said Kojiro. "Maybe I can start saving up. No. I can't think about that, not at this point." With that, he continued on his way.
He didn't see the twinkling eyes from inside the store looking at him.
~
At the same time, Cye was in the Tokyo Mall, looking for a better jacket for Ariel and a new one for himself since his had gotten badly ripped when it was caught in a door. Sure, he could have gotten that at the TCC, but he didn't like depending on them for all of his needs. It seemed, almost wrong of him to do it. Yes, he could use their help, but, he always felt guilty about it in the end.
Cye passed by a small collectable type shop. He walked inside and found himself looking around in wonder at all the glass figurines and the beautifully crafted stuffed toys. He looked up and sitting high on a shelf were two stuffed whale dolls, a larger one and a smaller one. He smiled. It almost reminded him of himself and Ariel in a way. He loved the ocean, and in a way, the dolls represented a parent and a child. "Beautiful," he breathed. He knew if he stayed much longer he'd be tempted to buy them, buy them with money he didn't have. So he left the store. Besides, if he was to get a luxury, the most useful one would be a set of good pots and pans and not the bent and twisted aluminum ones they'd gotten.
He didn't see the kind smile smiling at him from across the way.
~
Days passed, and soon, Christmas Eve fell apon the small "family". The apartment was cold (the heater had blown) and all three found themselves huddled together in the hallway walk-in closet, the warmest "room" in the apartment. All wore hats, coats, and gloves on as they tried to gain warmth.
"This feels weird," said Kojiro.
"Some animals sleep together for warmth," said Cye. Ariel lay between the two, already fast asleep under the two baby blankets Cye had wrapped around his tiny daughter. "Besides, I don't want Ariel to get sick."
"Yeah, you wait for them to be three before you do that, because that's when their immune systems can build up," said Kojiro.
Cye nodded. "But right now she's too weak to get sick with a cold."
"I know, dude, I know. Look, let's try and get some sleep," said Kojiro.
"All right," said Cye. His eyes lowered. "Tomorrow's Christmas."
"I know," said Kojiro. "But it won't be a good one to remember." Cye nodded, and the two fell asleep.
~
Cye awoke the next morning feeling dreadfully overheated. He sat up and felt the air. The heater was back on again. He pulled off his jacket and then proceeded to get the heavy jacket off of Ariel, who was waiting anxiously for breakfast. Kojiro was slowly waking up.
"It's hot in here," he mumbled, taking off his bright red headband.
"Yes, heater must've been fixed," said Cye. He smiled. "Merry Christmas, Kojiro."
"Merry Christmas Cye, and don't remind me," said Kojiro. He stood up and stretched, taking off his jacket. Cye picked up Ariel.
Kojiro stopped at the door and sniffed the air. "You smell something?" he asked.
"Smells like. . . bacon and eggs. And sausages," said Cye. "But. . . must be from another apartment."
"Yeah," said Kojiro, and the two stepped out into the living room.
Cye nearly dropped Ariel and Kojiro nearly fainted.
There, before them, was a beautiful sight. In the corner was a full, crisp green Christmas tree with garland, ornaments, and a golden star on top of it. Underneath lay several packages. The couch and chair were replaced by a new, pale blue set with a couch, a love seat, and two chairs. A glass coffee table with brass legs stood before the couch on a new, soft white carpet. An eighteen inch tv stood on a new tv table, a big red bow wrapped around it.
"What in the world?" asked Kojiro. "I'm going to go see if something happened in the kitchenette."
"Good idea," said Cye. The two went into the kitchenette where an equally happy sight awaited them. The cabinets were all open, filled with a blue and purple dish set and pretty glasses. On the table sat a plate of bacon, a plate of eggs, a plate of sausages, and a plate of pancakes. There was also a bottle of syrup and a pitcher of warm eggnog. Kojiro boldly stepped up to the kitchen and opened it up to find a big ham and several trimmings fit for a nice Christmas dinner. Potatoes, a pumpkin pie, everything.
On the counter, Cye was pleased to see a pot of hot wassail and another pot of steaming tea. Then, he looked over and sitting on the stove was a stainless steel pot and pan set with a pitcher tastefully filled with wooden spoons and another filled with metal utensils. There was also a spice rack hanging above the stove.
"What happened here?" asked Cye. "This. . . this is wonderful!"
"Let's go back into the living room and see if we can figure this out," said Kojiro. The two walked out and then noticed something on the new coffee table they hadn't noticed before. It was a note. It read:
Merry Christmas, Cye, Kojiro, and Ariel!
I would only hope you're going to have a good Christmas this year!
Please except my gift graciously.
I hope some of these things will help you in the years to come.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Santa Claus (Close)
"Oh, my, God," said Cye. "This. . . I don't believe this!"
"I think the woman's either a nut or there really IS a Santa Claus, and we met the misses!" said Kojiro. "Cye, this is a miracle!"
"I know," said Cye. "I wonder what's in the parcels."
"Only one way to find out," said Kojiro. "I'm sorry I couldn't get you anything, but, well, the budget. . ."
"Well, apparently Mrs. Claus got more than enough," said Cye, passing a colorful package to Kojiro once he'd settled Ariel in his lap.
Kojiro blinked at the rectangular box in wonderment, then opened it and gasped. "This is the paint set I saw in the shop window a couple of weeks ago! I had to sell my old one for quick cash! How did she know?"
"I wonder what else she got," said Cye, taking a large but light box with his and Ariel's name on it. He opened it to find a white cardboard box. Kojiro helped him open it. Inside, Cye found the father and baby stuffed whales he'd seen in the collectable shop. "I saw this in the collectable shop at the mall. It made me think of myself and Ariel in a way."
"They're gorgeous," said Kojiro. "Put the big one in our room and the little one should go to Ariel. It's symbolic. Hey, I wonder what else she got us?"
"Like you said, only one way to find out," said Cye. The tow began to tear at the boxes, finding useful tools, appliances, baby needs, and books on child care, home maintenance, and managing tight budgets. Three tiny boxes held special keepsake ornaments, including a baby's first Christmas one.
"Kojiro, we're going to be all right after all," said Cye. "There are two rooms we still haven't checked."
"The nursery and our room!" said Kojiro. Cye picked up and Ariel and awkwardly got to his feet. "Nursery first." The two walked into the nursery. Cye was overjoyed to see that his daughter's room was now in much better shape than it had ever been in. There was an actual crib with a mobile of sea life hanging over it, a changing table, a better diaper pail, and a dresser full of baby clothes. In the corner, Cye was pleased to find a good supply of diapers as well as pacifiers, teething rings, and other things she'd need in the months to come.
"I wonder what's in our room," said Cye. The two walked into their room and were VERY pleased to see two beds with new mattresses and sheets, and a nice dresser set with new clothes in them. "But, why?"
"Why?" asked Kojiro. "What do you mean?"
"Why did she do all this for us?" asked Cye. "I don't understand it."
"Maybe it was because you took in Ariel even if it meant giving up any chance you had of a decent teenage life and me because I went along with ya," said Kojiro. "This IS going to be a great Christmas!"
"Yes. We've got to go next door and thank her for this, you," said Cye. The two nodded and went outside and over towards apartment 37 A.
"Wait a second," said Kojiro.
"What?" asked Cye.
"There IS no apartment 37 A!" said Kojiro. "That proves it! It WAS Mrs. Santa Claus!"
"No. . . that's right!" said Cye. "But how do we thank her?"
"I dunno, but let's head back inside," said Kojiro.
"Good idea."
~
After getting dressed and eating one of the first good meals they'd had in a long time, the boys were gazing out the window looking down at the streets below. Ariel was taking a nap. "I wonder where she is now," wondered Cye.
"The North Pole?" suggested Kojiro. "I mean, that's where Santa lives, isn't it?"
"Well, yeah- look! Down there!" said Cye. The two boys looked down to see a plump old woman in a bright red jacket walking the streets, handing out candy canes to young children. "We should go down there and thank her!"
"Yeah!" said Kojiro. The two threw on their boots and jackets and made it outside in record time, Kojiro nearly crashing into the old woman.
"Mrs. Close!" said Cye. "I mean, Mrs. Claus."
Mrs. Claus looked up at the boys. "What are you boys doing-"
"Thank you," they said in unison.
Mrs. Claus smiled. "You're welcome. It was really nothing."
"No," said Cye. "You gave us a better chance at making it in this city. I don't think we'll ever be able to repay you."
"Yeah," said Kojiro. "How can we?"
"Well," said Mrs. Claus, looking at Cye. "You, young man, should consider it a reward for what you did just a little over a year ago with your friends. That was a very worthy deed."
Cye's eyes widened. "How. . . how did you. . . but. . . we never- why did all the people stop moving?" Cye whipped his head around to find that the entire street had been put on pause. Kojiro stood next to him, his mouth open in his suspended state.
"Santa and I see you when you're sleeping, we know when you're awake, and we know that while what you did seemed a bit violent, it was for the good of the world," said Mrs. Claus. "And you'll see the other Ronins again someday, you just need time to heal."
"Heal?" asked Cye.
"What that girl did to you was awful, and you're still adjusting to being a father. Going from a warrior to a parent isn't an easy transition, but you're doing a fine job, young Torrent," she said. "Now, take care of Ariel and be sure you go back to her room. I have a feeling she has a surprise for you."
"But what-" asked Cye.
"But what- hey, where'd she go?" asked Kojiro. Suddenly, the streets were moving again, and Mrs. Claus was gone.
"We'd, better go back upstairs to the apartment," said Cye.
~
After a good day of sharing stories and having fun, Kojiro and Cye were in their room. Kojiro was happily snoring in his own bed while Cye lay awake, wondering what Mrs. Claus had meant. I have a feeling she has a surprise for you.
Cye sat up in bed and swung his legs over the side, slipping them into his new pair of soft blue slippers. He stood up and walked into Ariel's nursery. Ariel was making baby noises as Cye slowly walked over to the crib and gently picked her up.
"Well, looks like Christmas wasn't so bad after all, was it?" said Cye.
Ariel's large, sea green eyes looked up at him. She opened her mouth and made a sound. "What are you doing, silly?"
"Da-da."
Cye froze. "What?"
"Da-da. Da-da!"
"You talked," said Cye. "You talked! My little girl can talk!" Cye lifted her up excitedly. He held her close, near tears.
"What?" asked a sleepy voice from the door.
"She said 'da-da'! She said my name!" said Cye.
"Really? I'll be happy about it in the morning. Let me sleep," said Kojiro, half-drunkenly walking back into their room. Cye shook his head and laughed. Out of all the gifts he'd received that day, no matter how miraculous they were, the gift Ariel had given him- her first word- was the most precious Christmas gift he'd ever received.