Janet's Christmas Eve Betrayal

With Christmas Eve upon her, Janet felt even more depressed than usual. On the spur of the moment, she decided to travel back to the town where she and Kevin had lived. Janet wanted to see the old house. She had lost track of her ex-husband, and her kids had long since stopped communicating with her. In truth, Janet had no idea where any of them lived now.

It was only about a six-hour drive, so Janet had booked a room in the town's best hotel, input the destination into her GPS, and set off. However, because the snow started to come down heavily, the trip took ten hours instead of six.

It was dark by the time Janet made it into town. Instead of checking into the hotel, she decided to ride by the house right then. Perhaps, she'd come back during the day. Maybe the people who lived there now would let her take a quick tour.

Thankfully, the streets had been newly plowed, so Janet was able to make her way into the small parking lot for a playground at the end of the cul-de-sac. She locked up her car and started walking down the street. As it had been in the past, the houses in this area went all out with Christmas decorations. And Janet was so pleased to see that her old house was equally decked out.

As Janet drew closer to the house, she stopped to enjoy the new owner's decorations. Then her eye caught an inflatable snowman. It was very similar to the one that Kevin always put out. For some reason, this pleased Janet.

When Janet reached the mailbox, she stopped in shock. Hanging down from the bottom of the box was a sign that said SUMMERS. Could Kevin still be living in this house? Janet was filled with curiosity, but she wasn't going to ring the front doorbell to find out. Fear of what the reception would be like kept Janet from doing that. Still, she had to know.

Slipping quickly and quietly down the side of the house, Janet made her way to the back patio. She knew that she could see into the kitchen and the family room from there without being seen.

At first, no one seemed to be around. Yet, the house was well lit, and there was evidence of a Christmas meal having been consumed. The kitchen had dishes in the sink and pies still sitting on the kitchen counter. Then Janet saw people starting to move into the family room. She stepped quickly back into the shadows and waited.

Finally, a young man that Janet didn't recognize settled onto a loveseat that she didn't recognize either. In fact, none of the furniture was familiar to her. Then the young man patted the seat next to him, and a young woman sat down. Janet gasped. It was her daughter, and she was beautiful. And on the fourth finger of her left hand was a diamond ring. Her daughter was engaged. Next, Janet saw her son lead a pretty blonde girl in, and they took a seat on the floor. Tyler was so handsome, and the blonde girl threw her arms around Ty and kissed him. She seemed very much in love with her son.

Tears began to flow down Janet's cheeks. She had missed everything in her kid's lives. But the biggest shock came next when Kevin appeared and took a seat on the couch. He was very handsome, and Kevin seemed so happy. Then a young girl, who appeared to be eight or nine, plopped down next to Kevin and snuggled up to him.

The final shock to Janet and the one that caused the most pain, was when a woman sat down next to Kevin and kissed him on the lips. It was Belle. She was now Kevin's wife, and they had had a little girl together. Janet couldn't help herself; she had to step closer to look. But when she did so, the little girl saw her and screamed.

In a panic, Janet began to run. The only thought racing through her mind was that if she was arrested for stalking, Janet felt certain that her few acquaintances would shun her. Life was so lonely now that the thought of having no one was terrifying.

Minutes later, Janet heard police cars begin to pull into the neighborhood. She could see the blue and red flashing lights. Then Janet saw the flashlights as the officers started to search the backyards. All Janet could think to do was to keep running. If she could get away from the police, Janet would circle back to her car and leave. But, suddenly, Janet heard the crunching of feet running behind her. Pushing herself harder, Janet tried to pick up speed, but she didn't see the slightly raised piece of ground. It sent her flying down face first.

Janet lay there, clenching her eyes closed, hoping that the officer would pass her on by, but he didn't.

"Ma'am," the man said, poking her, "you have to get up."

With a sigh, Janet opened her eyes and looked up. But instead of a policeman, there was just a stranger staring down at her.

"The flight is boarding," the man told her. "You don't want to miss your flight, do you?"

Sitting bolt upright, Janet realized that she was still at the airport. She had not run away and ruined her life. She could still save everything. Quickly, Janet looked at her watch and felt the panic running through her. She would have to hurry if she wanted to get home before Kevin found that letter. Even though nothing had happened, nothing would be the same between them if he read what she planned to do.

Grabbing her carry-on, Janet ran as hard as she could through the terminal. People looked at her like she was a crazy person. Janet didn't even notice them. Once in her car, she hustled out of the airport parking and headed for home. But it was snowing harder now, and the traffic was going at a snail's pace for Janet.

Finally, Janet reached home, but her heart sank. Kevin's car was already there. In her mind, Janet was running dozens of ways to apologize as she raced into the house. Hurrying to the kitchen, she saw Kevin pick up the letter from the table. Leaping forward, Janet snatched it out of his hand.

"Hey," Kevin said in surprise, "that's addressed to me."

"Yeah," Janet said, thinking up a fib quickly, "it's part of your Christmas present, and I left it out by mistake. You'll get it back tomorrow."

Kevin laughed. "Okay, you're the boss."

Just then, Laura and Ty came bounding into the kitchen and hugged their mother. Then Ty asked with excitement bubbling over. "Can we open a present tonight?"

"Of course, you can," Janet chuckled, "that's our tradition. Now you two go find something to do while your father and I fix dinner."

When the two children were gone, Janet slipped into her husband's arms and kissed him passionately.

"God, I love you to pieces," Janet said when she pulled away.

"What brought this on?" Kevin said with a smile and a raised eyebrow.

"I've been such a bitch lately, and I took a good hard look at myself today. I'm the luckiest woman in the world to have you as my husband and to have two of the greatest kids ever. I don't ever want to lose that."

"Well, there is no chance of that unless you kick me to the curb," Kevin said with a laugh.

Janet cringed for a second and then hugged her husband tightly. "From now to the end of time, there is no chance of that ever happening. So, what are we going to make for dinner?"

The following day was magical. Janet's heart was filled with love for her children and for her husband. Janet thanked God that she had never gotten on that flight.

Barry had tried to call Janet's cellphone several times, but she ignored it. Finally, he called the house phone. Kevin answered, and Janet could see the annoyance flash on his face. She worried about what her boss had said to her husband. But Kevin said nothing as he handed her the phone.

"It's your boss," he said and moved to the doorway.

"I know that it snowed pretty hard. Did you miss the flight?" Barry was using all of his charms and commanding presence. But Janet was having none of it.

"No," she said simply. "I decided that I'm not going to do it."

"Honey, I know this time of year is very emotional," he continued on with the charm. "Why don't you get through Christmas and join me in London in a few days?"

"I said I wasn't doing it, and I meant it," Janet could feel her temper begin to rise.

"Think of the opportunity you and your kids will be missing," Barry's frustration was beginning to leak through.

"I have, and the answer is still no."

"If you're going to be like that," Barry was angry now, "I'll have to reassess your position with the firm."

"Don't bother," Janet said tightly. "I quit."

After slamming down the phone, Janet turned to see Kevin staring at her quizzically.

"What was that all about?" he asked as he took his shaking wife in his arms.

"Mr. Wilcox wanted me to work on Christmas Day, and I told him no. He kept pressuring me, so I quit."

"Good for you," Kevin said as he gave her a kiss. "I was going to tell you when it was officially announced, but I'm being promoted after the new year and given a good size raise. You don't have to work if you don't want to."

That evening Janet sat down in the family room with her husband and the kids to watch It's a Wonderful Life with Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed. This was also a family tradition. Ty wasn't into the movie that much but was content to sit on the floor and play quietly with one of his toys. Laura, on the other hand, loved the movie. Janet and Kevin snuggled together as they watched the television screen.

The first scene where Jimmy Stewart meets his angel caused Janet's mouth to drop open. The actor who played the angel, Clarence, looked exactly like the Clarence Janet had met at the airport. She stared hard at the Clarence on the television screen and thought to herself, "No, it couldn't be." But then another thought said, "Maybe it could."

That night before they went to bed, Janet handed her husband the envelope that she had taken from him the day before. She had steamed it open and replaced the original letter with a completely different one.

My Darling Husband,

I am so sorry that I have treated you badly for these past few months. Please know that I love you with all my heart.

Tonight, I want you to make love to me as many times as you can. I want you to put a baby in me. There is nothing that would make me happier than to have another child with you.

But if you don't want to have a child, I still want to show you how much I love you.

Your loving wife,

J

When Kevin finished reading Janet's letter, a wide smile spread across his face. "Janet, you always have the most wonderful ideas." He took Janet's hand and led her to their bed. "Let's get started."

As Janet was slipping off to sleep that night, she was as happy as one person could ever be. And just before sleep overtook her, something from another Christmas movie danced through her head, and she smiled. It was what Tiny Tim had said, "God bless us, everyone."

Merry Christmas to all of you!

If you'd like to read a really good Christmas book, I suggest -- A Christmas Tale Completed -- The Redemption of Jacob Marley. It tells the complete story of Ebenezer Scrooge and Jacob Marley.