Chapter 10 - The Star at the Top
Christmas Eve — One Year Later
The snow fell softly outside my parents' house, coating the pine trees in a thick layer of white velvet.
Inside, the living room was filled with the mouth-watering aroma of roasted turkey, cinnamon, and fresh pine. Christmas carols played softly from the speakers, and warm yellow light filled every corner of the room.
My mother was in the kitchen, happily laughing with Ryan as they basted the turkey. Dad was sitting in his favorite armchair near the fireplace, sipping eggnog while reading a storybook to Elsie.
Elsie was six now. Her dark curls fell past her shoulders, and her smile was bright, open, and completely free of shadow.
“Mommy!” Elsie called out, hopping off Dad’s lap. “Is it time for the tree?”
“It sure is, sweetie,” I smiled, walking over with a box of silver and gold glass ornaments.
Together, the family gathered around the massive nine-foot Fraser fir in the corner of the room. Ryan handed ornaments to Elsie, who carefully hung them on the lower branches, humming along to the music.
When all the ornaments were placed, my father stepped forward holding the mahogany display box he had built months ago. He opened the latch and gently took out Elsie’s purple paper star.
The gold tape holding the tears together glinted under the Christmas lights, proud and beautiful.
“Alright, star girl,” Dad said, kneeling down beside Elsie. “Who hangs the star this year?”
Elsie looked at the star, then up at the high branches of the tree. “I want to do it.”
Ryan stepped up, lifting Elsie securely onto his strong shoulders. Dad handed her the star.
Elsie reached up high, her small hands guiding the purple paper star right over the very top branch of the tree. It sat perfectly straight, glowing under the warm lights.
On one of the points, the little gold heart drawn for her father, Noah, caught the light, shining brightly above us all.
Ryan set Elsie gently back down on the ground. She looked up at the tree, her face filled with pure, unburdened joy.
“It looks beautiful, Mommy,” Elsie whispered, wrapping her arm around my waist.
I knelt down beside her, pulling her close into a hug, while Ryan and my parents wrapped their arms around us both.
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The cracks were still there on that paper star, just like the memories of the storm we had survived. But we hadn't hidden them. We had sealed them with gold, turning a moment of cruelty into a testament of unyielding love.
“It’s perfect, baby,” I whispered into her hair, looking up at the shining star. “It’s completely perfect.”
