Christmas Wish – Daniel 36

 

For back story go here: Story so far, and definitely this one.]

[Relevant back story links also within text.]

Daniel’s latest video chat with Nadia had been cut short. This was frustrating. More frustrating still was that the current chat which he’d been thrown into was proving very annoying and would have to be cut short anyway because he now had to go and collect Daisy from school (a very happy Daisy no doubt, fresh from a Christmas party at school with all the chocolate trimmings and therefore as high as a kite.) The most frustrating thing however was that the conversation he was now having was with Chrissy.

“What I’m saying is I have her for Christmas and you have her for New Year,” she said. “My parents will be here so it will be nicer for her and them – it’ll be a bit of specialness for her in this world of...”

“I do specialness,” retorted Daniel. “I do loads of specialness you ask Daisy – ask anyone. I do specialness like no one else. She stays with me.”

“Granny and Grandad won’t be around after Boxing Day so it’s the only chance...”

“No,” said Daniel.

“I give her experiences she doesn’t get otherwise,” continued Chrissy. “Going to France, for example...”

“Stealing away without telling anyone? Sneaking off – is that the experience you’re talking about?”

“And now I’m offering something else that you can’t give her.”

There was silence.

“That is incredibly below the belt,” said Daniel and hung up.

It wasn’t the final word on the subject, he knew that. He couldn’t really say he won because his parents were no longer around but it would make Chrissy feel appalling. Or so he hoped.

On his way to school he phoned Nadia back, in part to apologise but also to get some sympathy.

“I’m the one who’s helped Daisy through the tough times,” he said. “I’ve been by her side and held her hand – literally – and I’ve had to take the flack when things have gone wrong.”

He calmed down as he walked and talked. Nadia was always a good listener and had the ability to remind him, without being pushy, that he had wanted this responsibility so had to accept what came with the territory. That wasn’t to say he wasn’t right to be frustrated if he felt Chrissy was just swanning in and taking credit or love from Daisy without putting in the same amount of effort as he did.

Time, energy, driving, staking out and arguing. Maybe it wasn’t that conventional in terms of parenting, but it was proof of his love and that was laudable.

“Look I was thinking,” sighed Daniel. “What are you doing over Christmas? I mean, I’m not asking you to come over for ages, but just for a bit. Come and see Daisy – bring the dog...”

“Alfred can be a little boisterous,” said Nadia. “Your house might not be the same.”

“You know what Daisy can do,” noted Daniel.

“I will come over some time,” said Nadia. “But not for Christmas. I don’t think that would be a good idea.”

“It would be great,” Daniel said. “We can make it special and i can ask Daisy specifically if she wants to hang out with us or with Chrissy and that lot and then it’ll be one in the eye if she…”

“Are you asking for me or asking so you can put one over her?”

Daniel was quiet for a moment.

“Sorry, no, that’s beside the point and I shouldn’t have said it,” said Nadia. “It doesn’t matter either way – it’s very nice of you to invite me into your family for the day, but the fact is I’m spoken for.”

“Spoken for?” stuttered Daniel, “for Christmas or..?”

“It’s ‘or’,” said Nadia, picking up on the word he left hanging. “Definitely the ‘or’ bit.”

“So..?”

“I’m spoken for at the moment. Someone special of my own. At least he’s special enough for me at the moment. It’s like I said before,” sighed Nadia, “having Alfred and the other dogs to walk has opened up a whole new network. I’ve met a lot of new people. I guess you could say the dog got me a boyfriend.”

Daniel listened as the world turned and changed despite being restricted and distanced. People, including himself he had to remember, had moved on. Even so it was strange to find the ground shifting beneath his feet, even when he didn’t feel so connected to it any more.

He still congratulated Nadia on her new found love and carried on to get Daisy, wondering if he should get a dog after all. But then he was no longer certain who the dog was for.