Presents

Where are you? Please don't tell me you're still at work. We're all waiting for you here. Get home safe. Love you.

I smiled as I read my mom's message, but the traffic light turned green before I could compose a reply. I tossed the phone on the passenger seat and released the brakes, making sure I had my left signal light on to get ready to turn inside our village. I glanced at my phone from the corner of my eye, and silently counted the seconds. True enough, soon as I reached the 90-second count, my phone rang, with the familiar designated ringtone for my family filling the car over the Christmas song playing on the radio.I let it ring a few times before putting on my headset to answer the call.

"Where are you, Rain? Why aren't you answering my text?" There was an impatient note in her voice, and I smiled. Classic mom.

"I'm almost there."

"How far away is there? And may I remind you, young lady, that you're not allowed to work today?"

She knew me too well. "I know, Mom. I'm not working. I'm on my way, and you'll see me in a bit."

"But where are you exactly?"

"Bye, Mom. Love you!" I said with a smile. I heard the beginnings of her protest as I ended the call, but I wasn't worried because I was already at our house, anyway, and I was saving my mom cellphone credits by hanging up. I beeped the horn loudly for someone to open the gate. The gate opened, and as I had expected, there she was with her phone in her hand, looking at me in the car with a mixed expression.

"Hey Mom," I said, when I got out of my car.

"I don't like it when you do that," Mom said, with a very childish pout.

I laughed. "I know you don't. You know I'm just teasing. Merry Christmas!"

"Did you leave your laptop at the condo?" Funny how that was her first question, but everyone in the house knew about how I work, so I let it slide.

"Yes, I did, Mom." I lied. Actually, it was in my car's trunk, but she doesn't have to know that.

"It's in your car's trunk," she said flatly, arms crossed. I smiled at her sheepishly, and she raised her hands in surrender.

"You're not allowed to open it during your Christmas vacation, okay?" Mom said, finally giving me a kiss on the cheek. She turned to the door and motioned for me to follow. "Now get in. Your cousins are here."

I stopped in my tracks, and glanced past our gate. There was a gray van parked outside our house, and I wanted to smack my forehead for not recognizing that it was my cousin James' car. I didn't think they would be here when I got home — I'm not supposed to see them until Christmas day, when we all go home to the province to visit Lolo and to celebrate with the rest of the clan.

Not that having my cousins around is a bad thing. I just wasn't really friends with them.

"I need to get something in the car, Mom," I said. "I'll go in after a bit."

"Don't take too long. Dinner's ready."

I went back to my car and opened the doors to the back seat, only to see the bags of presents I had stocked in there. I had presents for my immediate family here, all wrapped and ready for placing under the tree, and some presents for the few friends I had in the village. Somewhere in the middle of all these was a bag of chocolate bars that I bought from the supermarket before I left, that I have yet to wrap and put gift tags on, meant for my cousins. It was the best I could do, because I wasn't really close to them and it's better to have little presents than none, right? It's the thought that counts.