Twelve Hours of Christmas

Hour Three - In Which Christmas Is What You Want It To Be

Lewis waits while Henry goes to the toilet, the empty cups stained with the remains of their drinks sitting close together in the middle of the table – almost like they're hugging. Lewis pushes one of them away from the other so that there is a bigger gap between them. He finally feels thawed out and likes the fact that they sat next to a radiator so that his coat and gloves can dry off and warm up before he has to put them on again. He shivers when he thinks about going back outside – he'd rather spend the day inside. Or back at the care home. He vaguely wonders whether anyone is missing him or wondering where he is but the thought soon vanished when Henry returns.

"May I just bring your attention to the fact that there is a girl currently staring at you," Henry says, leaning over the table to pick up his coat. Lewis looks in the direction that Henry nodded in and immediately finds the girl he was on about. She looks about their age, maybe older, with her hands wrapped around her cup and a thoughtful expression on her face. When she notices Lewis looking at her she blushes and looks away but then seconds later her gaze is back on him and she smiles at him. Lewis' turns his head back to Henry.

"You're being awfully rude," Henry says.

"How am I?" Lewis asks.

"You didn't even go say 'hello'. What if she wanted a conversation?"

"If she wants to talk to me why didn't she come over. We've been here long enough."

"Maybe she's shy." Lewis doesn't say anything in reply and instead slips his coat on, feeling the warmth that it's gathered from the radiator move onto his body. "Okay, so," Henry says as they make their way towards the door. "what else don't you like about Christmas?" Lewis waits until the sound of the bell from them opening the door has faded before answering.

"I hate how everyone thinks it's something different and they try to force their opinions on me. And that's just the people who actually celebrate or like it. They want me to think it's all religious or they want me to think it's all about presents or being with family or they don't want me to like it at all."

"Well, I think I know which side is winning," Henry mutters quietly but Lewis hears him anyway. They walk a few steps in silence. "What do you think about Christmas?" Henry approaches the subject hesitantly.

"I don't really think about Christmas all that much." Lewis answers, making sure his feet are dragging along the floor. He has no idea where they're actually walking to and he doesn't want to go there anyway.

"Well, do you like the religious side of Christmas?"

"Not really. People are all trying to tell me different things and for most people, they don't think about the religious part of it at all."

"Right so let's leave religion out of it for now then."

"Are you religious?" Lewis asks.

"That is neither here nor there. We're trying to get you to enjoy some aspect of Christmastime."

"How old are you?" Lewis asks instead.

"How old are you?" Henry says in answer.

"Thirteen."

"I'm a similar age. What do you think about Christmas presents?"

"I don't get a lot of them – if any. And you didn't answer my question!"

"Okay...what about...Christmas decorations?"

"Pointless. You still haven't answered my question."

"Christmas movies?"

"Idiotic."

"You didn't just say that!"

"I did. You, on the other hand, still haven't answered my question."

"Let's think about this instead. What do you want this time of year to be like?"

"I guess I want it to be happier because everyone seems unhappy in winter and I want everyone to be surrounded by people they love which sounds completely soppy but I just don't want parents to abandon their children on Christmas Eve because they can't look after them properly." Lewis can feel his anger rising and tears threatening to form. "I just don't want people to be lonely," he says. "Being lonely is the worst feeling in the world."

"I was not expecting that to come out your mouth," Henry says when he's sure Lewis isn't going to say anything more. "Here's a suggestion for you," Lewis looks at Henry out of the corner of his eye. "why don't you make people happy? Or feel less lonely? Because, honestly, you're making me sad with all your anti-Christmas stuff."

"I try my best." Lewis forces a grin but then finds that he actually means to smile.

"I can guarantee you that by the end of today you will be festive," Henry says. "You will be." Lewis silently warns Henry to not get his hopes up. He still thinks it'll be near enough impossible for him to become in any way festive. But then part of him thinks that maybe it is possible – or else why woud he be following this complete stranger around?

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