Twelve Days of Christmas
I wasn't going to but changed my mind and have written a Christmas story. I hope you like it. I would love to hear your opinions and look to working further on the story.
I do not own or have connection with the "Criminal Minds" program or its characters.
Chapter Two. Two Turtle Doves
She was in the living room chatting with a friend online when all of a sudden she smelt it; the distinctive smell of burning cookies.
"Oh shit, I forgot about the cookies." She jumped up and ran to the oven and pulled the door open. Big black billowy smoke came pouring out as she reached in and pulled out a tray of charred sugar cookies. She ran over to the window and pulled it open to release the smoke just after the smoke alarm went off. A woman using a cane was walking by and looked up.
"I see you made a common mistake."
She looked out and answered her, "Yeah I got distracted and forgot that I had a tray of cookies in the oven."
"Do you need some help cleaning up and making another batch?"
She was going to say no because she doesn't usually allow strangers in but looking at the woman she felt a sense of comfort and security coming from her and says, "Yes, the company would be nice."
The woman smiled and walked into the courtyard and up the steps into the building and up to the woman's apartment. She knocked and was let in. The ladies went into the kitchen and one of them began to clean the oven and get it ready for another batch the other woman cleaned the cookie trays and prepared them to put in the oven. She then pulled out more ingredients to stir another batch of cookies.
She asked the woman, "What were you doing today walking past the building? I don't think that I have seen you around before."
"Actually I walk this path every day, you are usually working on your computer and don't see me. You spend a lot of time on your computer. Although I do think the time you spend with victims of crime is great too. You do well in your neighborhood."
"Thank you, I am not sure how I feel that you know so much about me and I know nothing about you. Who are you?"
"I am a person who does live in the neighborhood, I also spend a lot of time indoors and on the computer, but I don't chat. I play on line games and write stories and shop at different web sites. But the doctors want me to walk at least one mile a day so I get out the cane walk around the area down different blocks. Each day is different and going by your place was just a happenstance of luck.
"Well, I guess it was lucky that you were there and we can enjoy making goodies together."
"Yeah, I agree. Do you do this a lot?"
"Do what?"
"Make cookies and stuff."
"Oh, I make them when I can. It is Christmas time now and I like to bake when I can."
"What do you do with them when you finish baking?"
"I give them to the neighbors and I take them to the place where I counsel and help victims of crime and I give some to the people I work with."
"I like to do that too. That is the type of gift that I give to my co-workers along with an ornament that I buy to represent who I see them as. It is not always easy to find the right fit. People do change throughout the year and experiences can affect who they are and what they like to do. Like what happened to you a few years ago before you began to date Kevin. It changed some of who you are and how you trust people."
"Yeah, it did. My job does that sometimes too. Sometimes I have to see and do things to view people and I don't like to see that."
"That's why you need to have your little people and the colors in your life. You are very colorful person; in your clothes, hair and personality. Who are we making cookies for today?
"I am taking them to the victim center for the people who work there and those you need a this time of year."
"But you don't just do it at this time of year; you do it all year round."
"I enjoy doing it. People need a pick me up all year round."
"What do you give yourself as a pick-me-up?"
"For me, I like to chat and work with code on cyberspace."
"That's all, what about Kevin?"
She blushes and says, "Well, he is a pick me up too."
"Do you plan to spend the holiday with him?"
"Actually, we are spending the twenty-fourth together and then he is going to his parent's house and I am going to my brother Brian's house to spend time with my nieces and nephews on Christmas day."
"Why don't you spend the day together at one place or the other?
"We could but I really want to see my nieces and nephews and he wants to see his parents. It's the only time of the year that either of us can really afford to do these things, so we split and spend the day with our families rather than each other."
"Well, that is the choice that you make. All of our lives are made of choices."
They finished the last batch of cookies from the oven and then decorating the sugar cookie trees, stars, ornaments and candy canes. They made gingerbread people that were dressed up in colors and candy sequins. They made peanut butter kiss cookies, and little chocolate balls. They spent over three hours talking and baking and decorating the cookies.
The sun was beginning to go down and it was beginning to get dark.
The woman says, "I really should go. I need to finish my walk and get home before it gets too dark. I don't like to be out in the night air. That is when the weird people come out."
She laughs and agrees with her by saying, "I agree with you about the weirdos coming out at night and agree that we should finish up and I want to thank you for the company and assistance today. By the way my name is Penelope and yours is?"
She smiles and says, "I am known as Angelica Mary and it was good to see you Penelope. I hope that you do have a good day on Christmas and think about how you really want to spend the day and with whom." The ladies separate and she leaves the apartment to head home.
A few hours later, Penelope sees a small box on the coffee table and picks it up. She shakes it and doesn't hear anything and decides to risk opening it. She carefully opens the box and inside is an ornament of an angel with two turtle doves etched on her skirt. In one hand is a spatula while in the other has an open laptop computer with a word on it. The word is Love.