CH 3
"Children, remind your parents about the upcoming parent-teacher meetings this week." The teacher said as he ended another school day.
The children all stood as the teacher made preparations to leave.
"Dismissed." The teacher waved and the classroom erupted with activity.
Santa quickly gathered up his books and walked towards the door. However, Jesus called out to him and Santa turned with a guilty look.
"You didn't forget that we have classroom cleanup today, right?" Jesus asked.
"Uh… oh yeah!" Santa chuckled.
Jesus grinned, "Come on. The broom is this way."
-
"Did you see those shooting stars last night?" Jesus asked as he and Santa left the school.
"Yeah! That was cool! My dad let me watch them through his telescope." Santa responded pointing to the sky.
"Really? Wow, they must have looked really awesome!" Jesus looked where Santa pointed.
"Yup, why don't you come by and I'll show you the telescope."
"Um… can't, have to pick up my sister right now." Jesus shook his head.
"Bring her along!" Santa patted Jesus on the shoulder.
"Well… I guess."
"Let's go!" Santa started marching like a soldier.
"Santa, my sister's school is this way." Jesus pointed.
-
"Tanya. This is my friend, Santa." Jesus introduced.
Tanya hid behind Jesus as the loud, strange boy laughed.
"Hi Tanya! Nice to meet you." Santa winked and smiled.
"Big brother. He's scary." Tanya whispered as she hid her face into Jesus' back.
"It's alright Tanya. He's a good person." Jesus turned and put a hand on her head.
"If you say so." Tanya glanced at Santa and quickly looked down again.
"I am going to call home. Tanya, stay here ok?" Jesus said.
"But… I… ok… be back soon." Tanya seemed to shrink a little more.
Jesus looked at Santa who gave him a shrug and pointed to the pay phones with his thumb.
-
"I'll make sure to call again when we're leaving. No, don't worry, we won't be too late." Jesus said as he finished the call.
As Jesus walked back he heard a wonderful sound, Tanya's laughter. With curiosity, he walked back faster and saw that Tanya was chasing bubbles floating in the air with a small plastic net.
Santa waved and blew some more soap bubbles.
"Hey, what's going on?" Jesus asked with a smile.
"Here 'Big Brother', you blow some." Santa passed the dish of soapy water.
They sat at the playground in front of Tanya's school and watched Tanya chase the rainbow colored floating orbs.
"Everything cool at home?" Santa asked, blowing a long stream into the air.
Santa watched as the bubbles fell slowly over his sister. "Yeah. I just had to tell someone in my home where we were going. My mother, she worries sometimes; except for the servants, it's just us three."
"Oh? Where's your dad?" Santa asked as he slowly tried to blow a large bubble.
"… He's dead." Jesus replied after a few seconds.
The semi-formed bubble shrunk as Santa stopped. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."
"It's alright, he died long ago, before I was born."
"I see." Santa said.
"Well, we should get going." Jesus said as he stood up and brushed off the grass from his clothes. He called out to Tanya, who ran up breathless. Santa poured the bubble solution into the grass and got up too.
-
"I'm home!" Santa called as he entered the front door of his home.
"Come on in guys." Santa waved.
"Thank you." Jesus said as he led Tanya by the hand.
"Our house is prettier." Tanya suddenly said.
"Tanya!" As Jesus turned to apologize to Santa, he was interrupted by a big man dressed completely in red. His pants, jacket, hat and even parts of his face was red.
"Ho ho ho! Welcome home Christopher! Are these young people friends of yours?" The man slapped Santa on the back.
"Guys, this is my dad." Santa rolled his eyes.
"Welcome welcome, please come in!" The man's face continually got redder as he laughed.
"My name is Jesus, I go to school with your son, sir."
"…" Tanya quietly stared at Santa's father with big eyes.
"Tanya?" Jesus asked worriedly.
Tanya tilted her head to the side then suddenly ran up and tackled Santa's father's leg.
"Teddy!" she shrieked.
"Ah… Tanya!" Jesus exclaimed.
"Don't worry. It happens all the time. Little kids do that for some reason when they see my dad." Santa explained.
"Oh… kay…" Jesus said, he walked over and tried to pry the little girl off Santa's father's leg.
"HO HO HO! She got me!" Santa's father laughed as he lightheartedly shook his leg.
Tanya giggled and yelled "Teddy!" again, clutching tighter.
"Come on, she probably won't let go for a while." Santa tapped Jesus on the shoulder.
"Dad, I'm gonna show Jesus the telescope. Is it alright if we leave his sister with you?"
"Sure. I'll take her to the kitchen, I think I smell your mom baking some cookies." Santa's father said as he half-walked, half-dragged away.
"Whee!" Tanya giggled.
-
"It's in here." Santa led Jesus to a room full of books.
"Wow. Did you read all these books?" Jesus asked in amazement.
"What? No way! I don't really like reading; books, essays, lists. They all make me sleepy. The telescope is outside."
Santa showed Jesus how to focus the view and pointed, "there, our school is right there."
"I see. Hey, I see our principal leaving. Hi Mister Joel!" Jesus pretended to wave. "Now, if our school is over there then our house is… Oh!" Jesus moved the telescope then suddenly gasped.
"What? What is it?"
"I could have sworn I saw somebody fly off the roof of my home." Jesus said.
"A bird?" Santa asked.
"No, bigger… a person?"
"What? Stop kidding me, people don't just fly around."
"Yeah… you're right." Jesus said, he gave the telescope back to Santa, who scanned the sky for flying men. They heard heavy boots coming up the stairs and tinkering glasses.
"Hey boys? How are things going, see anything interesting?" Santa's father walked into the room carrying a tray with two glasses of milk. Tanya followed behind with some cookies on a plate and one in her mouth. The two boys looked at each other.
"Nope. Nothing, we didn't see nothing." Santa quickly said as he got up to grab the drinks from his father. Jesus put out his hands to receive the plate of cookies.
"Thank you, Tanya. You're a good girl." Jesus said.
She smiled, causing the cookie in her mouth to drop onto the plate.
"AH! That is so disgusting!" Santa said as they all laughed. Jesus picked up the cookie with two fingers and gave it back to his sister, who chewed on it again. Santa's father pulled a book from the nearest shelf.
"Remember this one, Christopher?" he showed Santa.
"That's the… happy little forest fairy?" Santa squinted at the leather bound cover.
"This is your favorite story, right? You begged me to read it to you every night." Santa's father chuckled.
Silence. Then Santa protested "That was when I was like five!"
"Ho ho ho, well I wonder who would enjoy hearing this tale, hmm?" He winked.
"Me me!" Tanya tugged on his jacket and raised her hand.
"You? That's good. Shall we get some more cookies and milk?"
Tanya's nodded so violently she almost fell backwards. After the two left, the boys sat silently watching the evening shadows in the streets heading home.
"Your dad is pretty cool." Jesus said, breaking the silence.
"Yeah. He's the best. Your sister is really fun too. I wish I had a brother or sister."
"She's adopted." Jesus said although the question wasn't asked. "Well, not that it matters, she's my sister." He quickly added. They sat silently for a while longer.
"It's starting to get dark, we should probably head home." Jesus said.
"Hmm… I'll ask someone to give you guys a ride." Santa gathered up the empty glasses and plate.
"Nah, it'll be fine."
"I'll ask my guardian to walk with us then." Santa offered without actually offering.
-
He followed Santa to the room where his sister was sleeping while Santa's father read to her from the book.
"Can I use your phone?" Jesus whispered.
Santa nodded and pointed to a wall. Jesus dialed his home number.
"Hello? Ms. Gabrielle? It's me, Jesus. Tanya and I are coming home right now. No, we don't need one. Yes, it will be fine. Okay, see you soon." Jesus finished and turned around. He yelped as he almost collided with the big man he saw with Santa the other day. "Uh, pleased to meet you. I'm Santa's friend." He quickly explained.
"What are you doing?" Santa asked as he walked up. "Oh, Frosty. Did you meet Jesus? That's his sister over there."
Frosty slightly bowed his head and walked away.
"He's kind of scary." Jesus said in a hushed tone.
"You're telling me." Santa whispered back.
-
Frosty loomed over them as they walked, his eyes scanning side to side. Jesus and Santa were silent and the only noise was the wind when it blew softly through the trees and Tanya's soft snoring while she slept on Jesus' back. The walk was shorter than Jesus had thought as they stood in front of his home.
"It's not that much prettier." Santa tilted his head. Suddenly Tanya mumbled in her sleep and her arms around Jesus' neck tightened.
Jesus tottered a step. "I better get her inside."
"Yeah, I guess I'll head back too."
"Take care on the way back. Thank you, Mr. Frosty." Jesus shifted his sister and slightly bowed. He put his hand to open his front gate but turned around again, "Hey, why don't you come by some time? We'll hang out."
Santa smiled and gave him a thumbs up sign.