Silent night - A Christmas Tale

Chapter 4

"This is the best I can give you".

"But until 2 weeks ago it was almost double, Mr. Haser. I need it to pay my rent!".

"I know, I know... but we've had more expenses than we'd have these days and I'm forced to cut something and... well, this is an expense I'm forced to cut".

Frida sighed, picking at the strap of her bag that she had placed on the desk of the owner of the club where she used to sing.

Mr. Haser sighed "Anni-Frid, I know it's not the best moment, but there will be better times, I ask you to be understanding".

"Me with you!?" Frida replied skeptically, her gaze hardened by those words.

Mr. Haser sighed, brushing away the ash of his cigar "This is the situation, Anni-Frid. Think about it and let me know by tomorrow" he told her with a definitive air and Frida understood that the discussion ended there.

Frida just nodded and walked out of the office and the building, breathing deeply the cold air of that cold December afternoon, looking around and sighing, staring for a few moments at the condensed air coming out of her mouth.

She'd not cry. For nothing in the world. As always, she'd have made it. She'd pull the strap here and there and she'd make it to the end of the month, as always.

Frida put her hands in the pockets of her coat which was starting to get too worn and started walking aimlessly, trying to calm the state of anxiety she felt in the center of her chest.

If Ragnar had known...

She closed her eyes and bit the inside of her cheek, blinking back tears.

She walked round and around for a while, realizing that perhaps she had been out there too long when she felt her teeth start chattering from the cold.

She stopped in front of the window of a herbalist shop when she felt her cell phone vibrate in her pocket. She took it out and read a message from Benny. Sighing and putting the phone back in her pocket, she kept walking slowly through the semi-deserted streets.

***

Frida stared at an unspecified point on the clear surface in front of her, feeling the exhaustion and the cold weighing down her limbs, making her eyes burn. But the moment the door opened, she looked up and a smile broke her closed lips.

"Mommy!" Hans yelled, crashing into her legs, his arm around her hips.

"Hey you, big boy" she cooed, leaning down to return his warm embrace "Were you good, yes?".

"The best!" Hans yelped, looking up at her with his big smile.

"He really was the best".

Frida looked up and saw Benny leaning with his shoulder against the door, looking at her with a smile "Hey you".

"Hey you, beautiful" then he frowned "Did you come on foot?".

Frida took a deep breath, but before she could answer, Hans spoke again.

"Mommy! Benny made popcorn with cheese! And... And... We were watching a cartoon! Lotta and Heléne wanted to watch "Snow White". Yuck!" he made a disgusted face "But Peter and I wanted to watch "Robin Hood"! But then Benny... he---".

"Okay, okay, chatterbox, take a breath" Benny intervened, putting his hands on his shoulders and making him spin around to go back into the house with a laugh "First we'll let mum come in and then we'll tell her everything in detail" Benny returned at the door to her when Hans trotted back towards the living room and took Frida's hand to let her in and take her out of the cold "Here you go" he smiled "Hey" he greeted her, taking her coat "You okay?".