A Leap of Faith

I Saw My Aunt Kissing Santa Claus

Chapter 9

Note : The conversations written in italic were the conversations they had in the past.

“I Saw My Aunt Kissing Santa Claus”

Today was Christmas Eve Eve as Phoebe would say. To cheer Ben up, Ross planned to dress up as Santa Claus tonight, making a surprise visit to the eight year old boy. He had told Rachel in advance about his plan, so that when Ben asked Ross whereabout, she could make an excuse for him.

Ben was watching his favorite cartoon in the living room with his Aunt Rachel and his baby sister, Emma. Emma was playing with her rattle on Rachel’s lap.

“Where’s daddy?” Ben asked as he realized his dad wasn’t around.

“He had an emergency meeting at his office.” Rachel began to explain. “He’ll be home for dinner. Don’t worry.” She gave Ben a reassuring smile.

“Okay.” Ben replied simply before turning back his attention at the TV.

It wasn’t the first time Ben heard that, so he didn’t ask much details about it. What mattered for the boy was that tomorrow they’d spent their Christmas Eve together at his Aunt Monica’s apartment across the street. He loved being around his aunts and uncles, especially Uncle Chandler. Ben found him very funny.

“Ben, can you watch Emma for a minute?” Rachel asked as she put Emma down on her playpen. “I need to use the bathroom.”

Ben nodded. “Sure. Go ahead.”

“Thank you.” Rachel smiled before heading toward the bathroom.

She was glad at times like this Ben was there to help her. Ben was so attentive when it came to his sister, Rachel was sure he’d make a great brother to her daughter. She loved how Ben cared about Emma and her. The way Ben cared about people around him showed her how similar he was with Ross.

Having a little sister/brother was something that Ben had been wanting since a couple years ago. He felt jealous over his friends whenever he saw them playing together with their siblings. He wanted a brother or a sister for him to play with too. He figured because it was a woman who carried a child, he asked his mom instead of his dad, but their answer would always be the same.

“What about a puppy?” Carol asked, changing the topic she had always tried to avoid. “We can get you a puppy.”

"Yeah, we can go to a shelter and adopt a puppy." Susan chipped in.

Carol and Susan never had a plan to add another child with the help of a sperm donor or through an adoption. For them, Ben was enough. He already brought so much joy into their life.

“But, I don’t want a puppy.” Ben whined. “Please.. Mommy?” Ben pleaded with all his heart.

No matter how hard he pleaded, their answer would always be a ‘no’. Ben didn’t really understand why his moms didn’t want him to have a sibling.

Only if he knew, having another kid wasn’t as simple as buying an apple at the grocery store, especially for Carol and Susan's case.

So, when the first time his dad told him that he was going to have a sibling, he was so happy about it. That was why he loved being around Emma. Though his baby sister hadn’t been able to talk or walk yet much to his disappointment, he still enjoyed being there for her. He loved Emma.

Ben was playing with some toys with Emma on her playpen when he heard the doorbell rang.

“I’ll get that.” Rachel quickly sprint toward the door. “Who is it?” She asked as she peeked through the peephole.