A girl about age fifteen sat in a run down orphanage. The owner had yet to throw her out and so here she sat on the window seat.
Gazing out at the snow covered streets. The snow wasn't pure and white but mudded and brown. Slushed and iced, the streets were dim and barren. Save for the few homeless people who huddled on benches or beside buildings.
The girl herself was thankful for the bit of shelter she was offered. Her green eyes searched the dark cloudy skies for something even she could not explain. Blond hair obscured her vision and she casually blew it out of her eyes.
She looked down at the tattered coat she was wearing to keep the little warmth she had.
"Jojo? What are you doing up still?"
The blond girl looked up to see the old women who owned the orphanage. Jojo shrugged her shoulders and looked out the window again. "Waiting." She answered sincerely. "For Santa? Come now Josline, you're too old to believe in that kind of thing anymore." The woman said walking over to the teen.
This was the reason the old lady still aloud the girl to stay here. Jojo was naive and thought like a child still. The girl shrugged again and sighed as the old woman patted her head.
"You best be getting to sleep now." The lady said ushering Jojo to her bed. The teen nodded and laid down. "Goodnight now Josline." With that her door was shut and she was alone again. Jojo closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
A boy cursed as he tried the second to last window. They were all locked and there was only one left. He trudged over and half heartedly lifted. Surprised, the boy dipped through the now opened window and clambered onto the floor.
Jojo's eyes flew open at the noise and she sat up looking around. Her soft green eyes landed on a young man who lie disoriented on the floor in front of the window. "Close the window if you're going to come in." Jojo scolded making her way to the window and closing it quietly.
The boy looked up at her and blinked. "Um, hi?" He said unsure. Jojo looked down at him and held her hand out to help him up. "Who are you?" She asked as she pulled him up. He cleared his throat and fixed his hair. "I'm Nick." He said gathering up his bag.
Jojo's eyebrows knitted together. "What's in the sack then, Nick?" She asked coughing a bit because of her cold.
The boy looking to be eighteen sighed and looked around cautiously. "Toy's and candy and such." Nick said heading towards the door.
Having followed him, Jojo watched as Nick filled the stockings with toys and trinkets and put nicely wrapped gifts under the tree. "How long have you been doing this for?" She asked hugging her coat closer to her." Nick stiffened. "A long time. A lot longer than you think." He said getting ready to leave.
"Are you going, to do this with other places now too?" She asked watching him as he swung the pack over his shoulder. "Yeah." Nick answered simply. "You should come, that old woman was planning on throwing you out at the first signs of spring." He mentioned looking at her through clear moss green eyes.
Jojo bit her lip then sighed. "Sure." She said following him out of the house.
The young man was fascinating. Not the Santa Clause you would imagine. Certainly didn't look like him. He didn't have a slay, nor reindeer.
But he did have a white american eskimo dog following him around. The dog sat outside and gaurded the house while waiting for two two to emerge and visit the next house.
The bag slung over his shoulder was small yet seemed endless. Every house in the small city they visited. Everyone being filled with toys and candy and anxious curiostiy of the morning to come.
Finally they reached the last house. Nick snuck in through a carelessly left open window. Inside was the same as any other house. Brightly lit tree, decorations of many kinds, and pictures on the mantel above the fireplace.
Jojo looked at the pictures curiously. The baby in the family photo looked familiar. As the pictures became more recent she noticed that the only pictures of the baby were the early years of life. She felt Nick behind her. "What happened to the kid?" Jojo asked softly as Nick looked at the picture then sighed. "It's you." He whispered to her simple as day.
The girl looked back at Nick with her eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Before the orphanage, this was your home. You were lost to them one night and were never reunited. Knowing this, do you still want to come with me?" He asked backing away slightly, ready to leave alone once more.
Jojo nodded and smiled softly. "I made my decision a while ago. You're stuck with me whether you like it or not." She whispered with a simple smile. Nick seemed stunned. Jojo took his hand and started leading him to the window.
Once they were out of the house, Nick hugged her tightly. "Thank you." With that, in a quick breath of snow the two had disappeared. The white dog walked along the streets to wait on his masters return for another night of giving.
The true gift is not always giving or receiving, it's returning the feelings of love and adoration.