Evan Walker interrupted a game of Candy Land. “Nap time, kids. Put the game up.”
“Can we finish,” Nick asked. “I’m not tired.”
Evan raised his brows. “Are you talking back to me, son? Surely not.”
Sonya kicked her brother under the table and tossed plastic game pieces in the box.
“But, Dad,” Nick continued as he collected the cards. “Why do we have to take a nap if we aren’t tired?”
“Children need naps. Don’t question me.”
“That’s not fair,” Nick grumbled as Evan left the room.
Sonya’s little eyes stretched in horror before she squeezed them shut and shook her head. “Santa won’t bring you anything, Nick. You were bad.”
“Not that bad,” Nick defended himself. “I didn’t mean it.”
“You sassed back,” she groaned. “You forgot to say ‘yes sir’.”
“But I’m not tired. Are you?”
“We have to be. Dad said.” Sonya opened her eyes but the lines on her brow deepened.
“How can I be tired if I’m not?” Nick asked. “That’s stupid.”
Sonya put her hand over her brother’s mouth. “You’re going to get in more trouble. They won’t take us to see Santa,” she charged in a pleading tone.
“I can tell Santa I’m sorry,” Nick decided as he put the cover on the box. “I’m not always bad.” Sonya promised she would remind Santa of that fact when they went to the mall later.
They went to their room, where Nick put the game in the closet and they climbed into their beds. Nick closed his eyes and lay still on the top bunk without getting out of bed once or requesting a drink or a bathroom break. He didn’t kick the wall or whistle. He kept his eyes closed, even when Sonya asked if he was sleeping and he whispered back, “No, I’m pretending.”
“Me too,” she let him know.
An hour later, Tracy and Evan Walker stood at the bedroom door and watched their children. “Don’t they look sweet?” she asked.
“Always, when they’re sleeping,” Evan answered. “Or pretending to be. Watch Nick’s eyes flutter under his lids.”
Tracy smiled. “Neither of them really sleeps during their naps any more. But I need the break,” she said before waking them.
The children giggled often but said little during dinner. Evan and Tracy discussed the guest list for their annual Christmas party. “I hope Kyle doesn’t drink too much this year,” she said with a sigh.
“You know he will,” Evan warned. “He gets on my last nerve too, but we have to invite him if we ask the others in my office.”
Tracy swallowed the bite she was chewing before asking the rhetorical question. “Don’t you wish you could just tell people like him how you really feel about their behavior?”
Sonya pulled her lips between her teeth and waited until her parents finished their conversation to speak. “Do we get to go see Santa tonight?”
Tracy deferred to Evan with raised brows. He examined their plates. “Depends. Nick, are you going to finish up those green beans?”
Sonya shot him a pleading look. He lowered his head and answered, “Yes, sir.”
“Thank you!” Sonya cheered. Evan left the room and Tracy turned her back to start cleaning the kitchen. Sonya watched her brother’s eyes water as he choked down a bean and gagged, then checked to make sure neither parent was looking before she stuffed the rest of his beans into her own mouth.
“Thank you, Sonya,” he whispered. “I’ll tell Santa to bring you a lot.”
Sonya dressed quickly and sat silently by the front door to wait while the rest of the family prepared for their trip to the mall. When everyone else was ready, Evan went to see what was keeping Nick and found him going through his sister’s toy box.
“What are you doing?” Evan asked. “Does Sonya know you’re in her things?”
“No, sir. Don’t tell her,” Nick asked.
“Why shouldn’t I? You know you aren’t supposed to get into other people’s things. Why are you in her toys?” Evan demanded.
“I wanted to see which doll she had so I can ask Santa to bring her a different one,” Nick explained.
"You expect me to believe that? Why would you ask Santa to bring things for Sonya? She can ask him herself.” Evan shook his head. Nick worked quickly to return the Barbies to their original position, avoiding his father’s eyes.
“I wasn’t doing anything wrong,” Nick insisted.
“You talking back again?” Evan asked on his way to the door. “It’s not too late to send Mom and Sonya to the mall without us.”
“I’m sorry, Dad. Please let me go.” Nick closed the toy box and ran to his father’s side. “I promise I’ll be good now.”
When everyone was buckled into their car seats, Evan turned to back the car out of the drive. “Nick, are those cookie crumbs?” he asked, eyeing the seat between his children.
Sonya closed her eyes and rested her head against the wing on her toddler seat. Nick brushed crumbs to the floorboard and received a lecture about crumbs being just as big a problem on the floor as they were on the seat.
“You think they don’t need naps?” Evan asked Tracy. “Look. Sonya’s sleeping already. She falls asleep every time we get in the car.”
Sonya opened an eye to peek at Nick, who had slid down in the seat to smash the crumbs into the carpet.
“We have some shopping to do first,” Tracy warned as she woke Sonya to get out of the car. “If you guys behave while we shop, we’ll take you to see Santa before we leave.”
“We’ll be good,” Nick promised.
Sonya followed the wrong pair of blue-jeaned legs in the camera store and got separated from the family for a few seconds. “Sonya!” Nick shouted. “Where are you?”
Several customers set aside their shopping to look around for the missing child. “Here,” Sonya’s shaky voice responded as she ran toward her brother.
Evan smiled and nodded so the customers would return their attention to camera bags and film. “Do you have to cause a scene everywhere you go?” he hissed at his son. “Keep an eye on your sister and your mouth shut.”
Tears welled in Sonya’s eyes. She slid her hand in Nick’s. “Dad, do we still get to see Santa,” Nick asked. “I won’t yell again.”
“We’ll see,” Evan said.
Nick held Sonya’s hand tightly and kept his eyes glued to Tracy’s purse. Once, he tripped over the wheel of a stroller a customer pushed in his path, but didn’t lose track of his sister or the purse, and he didn’t shout. He maintained perfect control in the bookstore, and exhaled a heavy breath when his mother led them to the end of the Santa line.
“We’re only paying for one picture, so you have to go up together,” Tracy advised. “The pictures aren’t that good and they cost too much.”
“Ain’t that the truth,” the mother in front of them agreed. “Shouldn’t have to pay to see Santa in the first place. It’s a racket.”
