Bad Christmas

I was visiting my parents for Christmas. I had gone for a walk in their neighborhood, and when I returned I saw that my dad was wrapping my white Aveo in plastic. Both my dad and the car were in the yard.

"What are you doing to my car, Dad?" I asked.

"If you would have taken better care of it, well then, I wouldn't take it back," he replied.

I pouted.

There were little bits of metal in the shape of horseshoes that littered the yard. I was in my bare feet, and afraid that I would step on one. I tip-toed around the yard, trying to think of ways to convince my dad not to send my car off. I looked at the bottom of the car and realized that I had let it rust. I felt regret. I decided that I'd go into the garage, but on the way I stepped on a piece of metal. "Damn." I mumbled. I waited for my dad to help me, but he ignored me. I hobbled to the garage and tried to pull the metal out. The skin on my foot stung, but when I dislodged the metal, my skin closed up around the cut-- I didn't even bleed.

Later I'd find out that my father had a new family; he and my mom had divorced. He was living in a trailer with his new wife and three kids. I tried to tell him that it was strange that he now had two families, but my voice wouldn't work. I wanted to shout, but I could barely get a whisper out.

I walked through my dad's new place-- my weight rocked the trailer. I looked down at the brown carpet, and wondered why he had abandoned us for this new family.

It was time for dinner, but my sister and I were not invited to eat with my dad's new family. I watched from the bedroom as he and three woman (his wife and two daughters) ate on the patio. I stayed in bed and under the covers with his three year old stepson, and mused that it was unfair that we weren't "allowed" to eat with the rest of the family.

"It's okay," his son said, "let's just play." He took out action figures and danced the figures on the blankets.

I looked for my sister. She was sitting in an old recliner watching television. She wouldn't look at me, and she wouldn't talk to anyone.

I stared out the window some more, and watched everyone eating and laughing. I was terribly hungry.

My dad came in and I told him that we were going home. Suddenly, Christine, my sister, stood up quickly, "Yes, let's go," she said. The three of us walked outside to my car.

"This is my new car," I told Dad. He looked at it and nodded. It was an old lime green SAAB with a hatchback.

I opened the hatchback and looked for presents for his stepson, but I couldn't find any. I felt frustrated. My sister and I got into the car and drove back to our mom's house. We rode in silence. When we got back to her house, Mom was listening to bad adult contemporary music. I walked through the hallway, and looked at her big screen television. I saw her in the bedroom trying on a red dress. I ran into the room, and gave her a big hug.

"I never want to be apart from you on Christmas again," I told her. She smiled.

I awoke.