All Four Of Me

Chapter 37

CHRISTOPHER

Christmas, for the most part, turned out to be a success. Sure, it had its own set of challenges that we had to overcome, but in the end it didn't turn out to be a complete disaster. I only nearly burnt the house down once, and that was totally not even my fault. Maybe Nathan should have thought twice before leaving me in charge of cooking the cranberry sauce because how was I supposed to know that the microwave would blow up if I tried to heat the sauce inside the can?

Anyway, the point is, Kenzie seemed to enjoy the day we all spent together, even joining in on our game of backyard cricket using the set of stumps she gifted me earlier that morning. We had to teach her the rules of the game because she had never played cricket before, but it isn't like it made that much of a difference, the score was totally rigged in her teams favour anyway.

There were also a few moments throughout the day where she seemed a little spacey however she quickly recovered from those like the warrior she is. Adjusting to our type of Christmas must have been difficult for her, especially when the entire day revolved around our family, but she definitely didn't seem as lost with this as she did when we celebrated her birthday. I'm just glad that we got to give her a Christmas where she felt like she was included, even if it wasn't anything overly special.

It is now the first week of the new year and with some serious advanced planning and a little sprinkle of luck, we were all able to take an extra week off from work to spend hanging out with each other and Kenzie before we eventually have to go back to focusing on our work. Kenzie still has another few weeks before school starts back, but despite most of us having to work she has already expressed that she will be spending most of that time hanging out with Ben and volunteering at the Wonky Chopstick.

I'm glad that she is finally getting out there and making time to spend with her friends, even if Ben is the only friend she is actually interested in having at this stage. We have tried pushing her closer to Maddie over the past few months, and despite the arcade party seeming to be a success, Kenzie is still reluctant to take the next step in forming the beginnings of a friendship with the other girl.

Despite it feeling like a bit of a loss, I can't say that I am entirely disappointed with the way Kenzie's social skills have improved. When she first arrived in Sunbury Hills, she was completely closed off to the possibility of growing attached to anybody. It took some time, and possibly a miracle, but Ben was able to wiggle his way past her heavily guarded defences to create the relationship we have all come to envy and admire today.

When you're Kenzie's age, hanging out with friends and just enjoying life is what the school holidays are all about. The fact that she is stepping out of her shell and taking full advantage of the spare time she has with Ben, gives me hope that her confidence will only continue to grow going into the future, and maybe, with all fingers crossed, that confidence will expand to include Maddie in her friendship circle. Both of those girls could really use a solid female friendship in their lives, but for now we are just going to have to let them figure this out for themselves.

Thanks to a heat wave, the weather outside has been nothing but clear skies and scorching sunshine for just over a week now. Today alone had seen the mercury reach the low forties, and despite the last few days shaping out to be the same, this time around the heat has suddenly been replaced by a late afternoon storm. The low grumblings of thunder can be heard from a distance, however with each minute the storm front gets closer, the lightning begins to grow louder and brighter.

Every window in the house is propped wide open, letting in the cool breeze that typically accompanies the beginning of a tropical thunder storm and the glorious smell of fresh rain clings to the air as it sweeps through the house. In a few minutes we will have to close the windows to protect ourselves from the downpour set to come, but for now we are all just taking advantage of the sudden wave of relief the drop in temperature is providing.