Read Christmas Daisy for Free Online Page B
Authors: Christine Bush
singing. “Silent Night, Holy Night..” He imagined her reaction, each happy note sung, hitting like a dagger, stirring up old brutal memories, sights, sounds, and loss. He felt sick.
Chapter Six
The news of the Christmas pageant had spread like wildfire through the school. By the time the teenagers had come back to her room, they were already excited about the prospects, and fighting over roles.
“I’m goi ng to be Joseph,” announced Tyrone with teen aged authority. “He’s important.”
“ I think I should be one of the three kings,” said Jimmy, puffing out his chest. “It would be cool to be rich for a change.”
“Well, my name’s Maria, so it only figures that I shoul d be Mary, don’t you think?” Maria flipped her long hair, and several girls nodded in agreement. “I will make a most awesome baby-mama.”
And so it went. After letting them chat for a few minutes, Daisy steered their focus toward the afternoon math lesson, and proceeded to have a very normal afternoon. Except for her thoughts.
Her thoughts raced, bouncing from her early childhood memories and ideas about Christmas to the soul scorching flashbacks of the night that took both her mother and her father from her world. Her mouth ran dry. At some moments, her heart rate played tricks on her, but she got through the afternoon.
“You can talk about this tomorrow,” she offered when the topic came up again. Miss Gracie sent a note came around, announcing the first practice after school, for all students wanting to be involved, and for all staff who cared to help.
Was she willing to help? It was such a small staff, she knew every pair of hands would be needed. But still, she had a right to her feelings. She’d done therapy sessions after the accident, in the horrible six months when she had learned to cope with life again. She had quietly finished her degree, keeping the focus on her teaching certificate. But she had slowly withdrawn from life. And then she had taken the assignment to teach far away, across the ocean, in a different culture, a different environment.
But now? She was here, and so was Christmas. She thought of the kids’ enthusiasm, she thought of the stricken look on Ben Wilson’s face when she had rejected the request to be involved in the contest. Without even trying, she had caused him great pain. And she felt awful. She’d have to find a way to be supportive, and still protect the smashed up places in her heart.
After the dismissal chime rang, and the class was excused for the day, she picked up her guitar from the corner. She sat quietly in her empty room, strumming a note here and there.
Daisy’s fingers felt stiff , she could feel perspiration on her brow, her shoulders tense. She closed her eyes, fingers running carefully over the strings.
“Silent Night, Holy Night,” her voice came out in a shaky whisper, as pain flowed through her body, nerves on fire. She willed herself to go on, to fight through the feelings that ravaged her body.
“Sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in heavenly peace.” She was almost breathless as she finished. With shaking hands, she lowered the guitar to the floor, forcing herself to take in a giant gulp of air.
Hyper-focused on her body, the song, the guitar, she hadn’t heard the heavy wooden door of her classroom slowly open. As she sucked in a second breath of air, she became aware of things around her. Was it air movement in the room? A soft noise? Slowly, still in a state of shock, she turned to face the doorway behind her.
Ben Wilson stood there. His face was open, reflecting a myriad of feelings. He knew. In a flash, she saw the compassion, the understanding, the empathy, the questions..
Something inside of her broke. Her grief driven emotions had been pent up for over five years. She had gone from day to day, lesson to lesson, her teaching being her distraction, keeping those
Chapter Six
The news of the Christmas pageant had spread like wildfire through the school. By the time the teenagers had come back to her room, they were already excited about the prospects, and fighting over roles.
“I’m goi ng to be Joseph,” announced Tyrone with teen aged authority. “He’s important.”
“ I think I should be one of the three kings,” said Jimmy, puffing out his chest. “It would be cool to be rich for a change.”
“Well, my name’s Maria, so it only figures that I shoul d be Mary, don’t you think?” Maria flipped her long hair, and several girls nodded in agreement. “I will make a most awesome baby-mama.”
And so it went. After letting them chat for a few minutes, Daisy steered their focus toward the afternoon math lesson, and proceeded to have a very normal afternoon. Except for her thoughts.
Her thoughts raced, bouncing from her early childhood memories and ideas about Christmas to the soul scorching flashbacks of the night that took both her mother and her father from her world. Her mouth ran dry. At some moments, her heart rate played tricks on her, but she got through the afternoon.
“You can talk about this tomorrow,” she offered when the topic came up again. Miss Gracie sent a note came around, announcing the first practice after school, for all students wanting to be involved, and for all staff who cared to help.
Was she willing to help? It was such a small staff, she knew every pair of hands would be needed. But still, she had a right to her feelings. She’d done therapy sessions after the accident, in the horrible six months when she had learned to cope with life again. She had quietly finished her degree, keeping the focus on her teaching certificate. But she had slowly withdrawn from life. And then she had taken the assignment to teach far away, across the ocean, in a different culture, a different environment.
But now? She was here, and so was Christmas. She thought of the kids’ enthusiasm, she thought of the stricken look on Ben Wilson’s face when she had rejected the request to be involved in the contest. Without even trying, she had caused him great pain. And she felt awful. She’d have to find a way to be supportive, and still protect the smashed up places in her heart.
After the dismissal chime rang, and the class was excused for the day, she picked up her guitar from the corner. She sat quietly in her empty room, strumming a note here and there.
Daisy’s fingers felt stiff , she could feel perspiration on her brow, her shoulders tense. She closed her eyes, fingers running carefully over the strings.
“Silent Night, Holy Night,” her voice came out in a shaky whisper, as pain flowed through her body, nerves on fire. She willed herself to go on, to fight through the feelings that ravaged her body.
“Sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in heavenly peace.” She was almost breathless as she finished. With shaking hands, she lowered the guitar to the floor, forcing herself to take in a giant gulp of air.
Hyper-focused on her body, the song, the guitar, she hadn’t heard the heavy wooden door of her classroom slowly open. As she sucked in a second breath of air, she became aware of things around her. Was it air movement in the room? A soft noise? Slowly, still in a state of shock, she turned to face the doorway behind her.
Ben Wilson stood there. His face was open, reflecting a myriad of feelings. He knew. In a flash, she saw the compassion, the understanding, the empathy, the questions..
Something inside of her broke. Her grief driven emotions had been pent up for over five years. She had gone from day to day, lesson to lesson, her teaching being her distraction, keeping those