The Gift of Christmas Present by Melody Carlson Read Free Book Online

“Fine. It’ll be delivered by tomorrow. Do you plan to be home all day, ma’am?”
    â€œI’m not exactly gadding about town with this bum foot,” Mrs. Daniels said. “Of course I plan to be home. And if the chair’s not delivered by tomorrow, I’ll put a stop payment on my check.”
    â€œAnd a Merry Christmas to you too,” the woman said as she wearily handed Mrs. Daniels the receipt.
    Christine couldn’t help but feel sorry for the woman as they headed for the exit.
    â€œHappy Holidays!” the elf girl chirped.
    â€œYeah,” Christine said as she opened the door for Mrs. Daniels. “To you too.”
    â€œBah humbug,” Mrs. Daniels said when they were out in the parking lot.
    Christine glanced at the heavy clouds now filling the sky as she unlocked the car. “Do you think it’s going to snow this year?” she asked once they were inside. “I’d love to see a white Christmas.”
    â€œGood grief! I certainly hope not. I already ruined my ankle from slipping on my wet patio. Now all I need is snow on the ground with these crutches and I could probably end up in a body cast for the entire holidays.”
    Christine noticed a Christmas tree lot as she pulled into traffic. “Do you plan to get a Christmas tree?”
    â€œOf course not. What on earth would I do with a Christmas tree? Do you expect me to hobble around and decorate it?”
    â€œI could decorate it.”
    â€œI don’t put up a tree anymore. I haven’t since the kids left. That’s when my husband and I began going down toPalm Springs for the holidays. This will be the first year I’ve been forced to stay at home.”
    â€œSo why don’t you have your stepson or grandchildren over for Christmas?”
    She harrumphed. “Not if I can help it.”
    â€œWhat do you do, then?”
    Christine could feel Mrs. Daniels glaring at her, and she suspected she’d pushed her too far by asking way too many questions. The old woman cleared her throat, then spoke in a sharp voice. “I plan to do as little as possible for the holidays. I suppose someone like you would think I was a real Ebenezer Scrooge. And maybe I am. But then that’s my business.”
    Christine nodded and continued driving in silence until they reached Mrs. Daniels’s home.
    â€œFurthermore,” Mrs. Daniels remained in the car as she continued speaking, as if they’d still been in the midst of a conversation. “I have hired you to be my housekeeper and errand girl. I do not expect you to be my companion.”
    Christine felt tears burning in her eyes, but she was determined not to show this thoughtless woman how her words were able to cut. She opened the passenger door and helped her get out of the low car and then into the house.
    After getting Mrs. Daniels settled comfortably on the couch for an afternoon nap, Christine busied herself by washing the windows in the kitchen. It looked as if they hadn’t been washed in ages. And as she washed them she wondered about her birth mother. Had Lenore ever washed these windows? Or had they always been the kind of family to hire out their household chores? Christine couldn’timagine having enough money to pay other people to do things like this. And even if she did, she couldn’t imagine wanting to. Something about manual labor and taking something that was once dirty and making it clean appealed to her. She always felt better when it was done. She realized that this work ethic probably wasn’t genetic, but rather a trait she’d been taught by her hardworking parents. More than ever she felt thankful for them now. And more than ever she missed her father’s warmth and kind, loving support.

By the second day “on the job,” Christine felt she was falling into something of a rhythm. At least it seemed so to her. Mrs. Daniels, on the other hand, seemed to enjoy stirring things