28 days in Christmas Town✔

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Dec 5

Sarayah gave a coy smile. "We should all go out sometime. As a family thing. It'll be fun."

Nosa's expression looked morbid. "I'm not ready to be seen in the public eye just yet."

Sarayah gave a sympathetic look to her husband. "I understand but we can't be cooped up in this beautiful town for days."

"I will. In my own time."

Mom gave them a knowing nod and they all shared a somber look between each other, like they knew something I didn't and I wasn't even interested to find out. "Sarayah, you could participate in the town's festival. You can help me out in my paegentry. You could be a judge. I can inform the town's chairman of your presence and would be good for publicity. It would also keep you busy."

"Who's gonna babysit Colin? I can't just leave him around."

Nosa offered. "I'm still around. Colin's not a problem."

A gleeful smile danced around Sarayah's face. "Great. Problem solved"

I always felt out of place when Sarayah and mom are together. They always understood eachother and conversed comfortably . Even Nosa seemed in the loop and flowed with ease. I, on the otherhand, was used to being invisible and it made me wish I was staying in a hotel right now.

Mom snapped her fingers, breaking me away from my thoughts. "Abbie darling, I went to the market again yesterday and I got you a packet of your favorite cheese crackers. I didn't know if you still needed them"

I struggled to hold back the smile that was creeping across my face, but I failed at that. Her calling me "darling" made me shocked. "Thank you. I'm surprised you remember."

"How could I forget?"

I wanted to point out how many things she had forgotten throughout my life, but then Sarayah said with a snort. "I never understood your obsession with those crackers. It's bland."

"I don't understand your obsession with eating tofu. It's bland too."

"It's healthy. It keeps me trim."

"Too bad you're not trim enough then."

Mom's lips thinned. "Stop it, you two."

We both kept quiet. I hated how sensitive I had become around Sarayah. We always unconsciously banter around each other and never try to bond at all.

Facing me, Nosa was the one to break the ice. "How's the article so far?"

"Surprisingly good. I almost had a writer's block yesterday, but by this morning I had gotten back my groove and ideas came pouring in."

Mom chipped in. "That's great. I can't wait for it to be complete so I can read it."

"Why would you want to read it? It's not like you've read any of my pieces."

Sarayah snorted, earning a scowl from me. "Are you crazy? Have you ever entered the store here?. It's full of magazines and newspapers, specifically in the places you work. She kept every single one of them that it seemed like an obsession. Mom even reads ALL your pieces. Even those crappy ones you wrote when you used to work at that little run-down-now defunct newspaper company."

I was too surprised by Sarayah's admission about mom, than how rude she sounded about it all. I had no idea Mom kept my write-ups. I just assumed that she completely forgot about me. "Is this true?"

Mom had a grim expression on. "Ignore Sarayah."

Rolling her eyes, Sarayah replied. "If you doubt it, you can go check the store. I don't see what the whole drama is about."