If Romeo wore sneakers...

Chapter 55: I'll take this any day./Romeo

"Dad." I whisper, but he doesn't hear me. He never hears me anymore. "What are you doing?"

"Sweetie," My mom speaks up. "Your dad has to stop by the hospital, there's a break in his stem cell research."

"Dad, it's Christmas." I spit. "I'm sure it can wait."

"Son. I have to go before your mother and I's vacation." My father says regretfully.

"You bastard." I cry out. "You and I both know that if SHE were here, you would be too."

"Romeo!" My mother cries.

"It's true!" I say directed at both my parents. "Just, go Dad."

My father pauses before leaving the house behind him. Everyone stops in their places and listens to the sound of his car driving away.

I glance over at Cordelia, Oh what she must think of me. Her eyes shy away from mine and stare down at the floor. I hate my dad, I hate him for making me feel this way, I hate him for trying to forget her, I hate my dad for putting Cordelia in this awkward position.

"Presents anyone?" My frail mother asks glancing in my direction.

I nod and place my hand on the small crook of Cordelia's back. My mother leads us into the living room that is no longer cold and white with black accents. It is now a merry room flourished with a large Christmas tree and lights hanging everywhere. Small gingerbread figurines entrapped in garnish.

I smile as Cordelia squeaks in awe. I raise my nose in the air and breathe in the crisp smell of the apple pie, sugar cookies, and gingerbread men and women with their matching houses.

Christmas is my mother's favorite holiday. She spends hours and hours fingering through mindless home catalogs and perfecting the house to make it look the the cover of a brochure for the North Pole.

Cordelia breaks away from me and rushes to admire all of the symmetrically hung candy canes and Christmas ornament upon the tree. She coos as she run her fingers over the sparkly bows that rest upon every present that my mother had neatly wrapped.

"This one is yours Cordelia!" My mother says excitedly, as she hands Cordelia a precisely wrapped green box with a sparkly red ribbon and a small card dangling of the top that my mother sprayed with a pine cologne.

"To Cordelia, Merry Christmas!" My mother reads as she passes the gift to Cordelia.

Cordelia's delicate hands move quickly as she unties the bow and slowly tears off the wrapping. Her hands pull out a small black dress and she beams.

"It's the one from the mall, you went back." She giggles.

"That I did, you just looked so perfect, I had too." My mother smiles.

"My turn!" I smile as I reach far underneath the pines of the tree and pull out a small box.

"Oh." She peeps.

Her eyes widen as I place the small box wrapped in gold with a thin white ribbon in her hands.

Her eyes flick to the card.

My dearest Pocket, I'm going to stop writing now because I sound like an elderly man. Merry Christmas!

Love you, Romeo.

I smile as she unwraps the small, delicate necklace. It really is lovely.

"Here," I pause. "Let me help you."

I stand up from the sofa and walk over behind her. She hands me the necklace and the chain rubs against my skin. I slowly pull the necklace back and latch it.

"There!" I say gleefully.

Cordelia turns and smiles at me, and in that moment I smile back, because for a second, I'm not the boy with the dead little sister at Christmas, or the kid with the sucky doctor dad who doesn't pay attention to him. I'm just Romeo, a kid in a nice house on Christmas with his mom and his girlfriend.

To me, that sounds like a pretty good deal.