"Come on Mimi; come put some ornaments on the tree."
"Stanley, leave it alone okay. You and Bonnie are decorating and the tree looks very nice. You don't need my help."
"No," Stanley says as he comes closer to the chair and grabs her hand, "But I want it, so come on let's go."
"Fine," she says, grabs an ornament and hangs it on the tree, "I helped. I'm going for a walk until you're done."
"Mimi!" he calls after her as she runs out of the house. He turns back to his sister who signs the word 'Bitch' at him.
"Stop it," he signed back.
"She's nasty and selfish and she's going to ruin Christmas," Bonnie maintains and then turns away from him.
He sighs, taps on her shoulder and signs that he'll be right back. She makes her 'yeah right' face and goes back to trimming the tree.
He heads for the front door hoping Mimi hasn't gotten too far and is surprised to see her sitting at the table on the porch, "Mimi," he says quietly.
She turns toward him and he sees the tears tracking down her face before she can wipe them away.
He comes closer knowing that she really hates being called on it when she's upset, "So, tree trimming isn't really your thing, huh? You probably spent Christmas in Mexico, right?" He hopes he can make her laugh, or just stop crying….or anything but yell at him.
"No, I went to New York for the holidays. That's where my parents are from….where I'm from originally."
"I didn't know that."
She shrugs, "We really don't know each other all that well Stanley."
"Mimi," he can't keep the hurt out of his voice as he says her name. Every time he makes head way with her something pulls her back.
"What?" she asks with a hint of bite back in her tone, "I've know you for three months, Stanley. And now what, you want me to trim the tree and pretend that this is all normal. What's normal on Christmas is to go to my parents. My mother orders a huge meal because she can't cook. My father puts up a plastic tree and we put ridiculously expensive ornaments on them and never put the popcorn string up because we eat it all before we can put it on the thread. We spend days shopping in New York with people rushing around and our feet hurting so bad when we get home that we collapse. My mother and I bake a pie that ends up burnt every year, but my father forces it down anyway because his girls cooked it. But I'm never going to do that again, because." She lets out a whimper, "My parents are dead. They were in D.C. the week that I came here. I was all pissed that I had to leave when they were visiting me and my sister and her family. But they promised to wait, they extended their trip so they would be there when I got back and now they're dead. And my sister, my brother-in-law, my niece—she was five Stanley. Okay, so just….don 't pretend you know me or that this is some kind of perfect holiday, because I just can't take it."
Stanley sighs and rubs his hands over his face, "So what can I do Mimi? Maybe I don't know your entire life story, but….I care about you Mimi."
"Then let me pretend this holiday isn't even here. I just…celebrate with your sister, please; you both need it and just, let me sleep until it's all over. Please."
Stanley nods, "Whatever you want."
"Thank you," she says and heads back inside.
He's left with his head in his hands.
&&&&&&
"Mimi," Bonnie says the next day, knocking on her door.
Mimi turns slowly; she can't remember the last time, well anytime that Bonnie came to seek her out, "Yes."
"We're having dinner. Come eat with us?"
"Bonnie," she starts, "I appreciate the offer. I'm sure Stanley asked you to ask me, but…"
"Stanley didn't ask me," Bonnie says, "We have Christmas dinner as a family every year."
Mimi swallows the tears that start to creep up her throat, "Are you sure?"
Bonnie holds out her hand, "Yes, but Stanley and I cooked, so you're going to have to clean up when we're done."