The wonderful gift of Christmas- A Christmas story - Part 22 - Final

Image source 

Maria went to bed so late the previous night that she totally overslept.  She woke up the next morning from the laughter that came from the kitchen. It seemed like she was the only one left upstairs and quickly put on some clothes and combed her hair into a ponytail. She looked like a teenager when she walked down the stairs. 

"Morning mommy, Terrence made us breakfast."

"Come on madam, come sit down, breakfast is served." Terrence said jokingly and she couldn't help laughing. She was not used to being served, but it felt good. 

"Hmm I can get used to this." Maria said and winked at Jonah.  

The kids went outside to play with the dogs, and Terrence sat down at the table.  

"Are you going to move into the new house?"

"I have not yet made up my mind, but it might be easier to live there.  There are twelve bedrooms and the guesthouse. I want the women to feel as much love as possible. I know exactly what they are going through, so if I can get a social worker on board, and perhaps a psychologist then we are set to go. I want it to be retreat where the women can recharge in safety before going back into the world. I was thinking of getting Mr. Settler on board.  

He might have contacts for jobs for these women that can't support themselves, and he could handle all the legal stuff. But with the amount of money that we have available, we might be able to support these women with a small amount of money so that they don't have to struggle. Many women believe that they have to stay in relationships because they can't stand on their own feet.  I was lucky.  I had you and Mr Settler, but they don't."

"Seems like you have it all planned out already. " Terrence said and smiled. He wondered where he and Gabriela would fit into her plans, but he planned to get involved too. 

"I'll be working at the shop, but I would love to get involved."   

Maria smiled at him. "Of course you will be involved silly. I won't be able to do this without you Terrence."

Maria really liked Terrence.  He was one of the most straightforward and most stable people that she had ever met. 

"I want you and Gabriela to move in with us Terrence. I really like Gabriela and she needs a stable home. It might be good for her to move into the house and have some stability around. As far as I could make out, her mother is somewhat of an unstable person, and Gabriela needs all the love and support that she could get."

Terrence agreed, but he could not imagine living in such a big house. It was going to be an adventure. 

Maria's phone rang shortly after. It was Sarah and she invited them to come to the house for lunch again. Carlos was nagging to see Jonah and Jenny said that she would cook lunch again. Even though everyone who worked at the house had a lovely time, they were still very unsure of how things would work.  

They all received their salaries but they didn't know if Maria was going to keep them all.  Maria seemed like a very nice person, but they all wanted to know where they stood.  If they had to find new jobs, they would have to do it shortly.  It was nearly the end of the year, and the job market was not new to them. It was difficult to find new jobs and if they had to they had to find a new place to live too. 

Maria willingly agreed, and told Sarah that she had some news to share with them.

Maria asked Terrence to call the kids to get them ready and asked them all to pack some clothes.  They were going to stay at the new house tonight, as it would be easier to plan from there.  Maria called Mr. Settler to join them for lunch, and this time he accepted. 

Just after eleven o clock, George stopped in front of the house, and drove them straight to the house.  The two boys were delighted to see each other and went out exploring immediately. The girls went back into the library and Maria and Terrence joined everyone in the kitchen.  It was all cosy and warm, and Jenny made them some hot chocolate.  

Everyone sat around the kitchen table and chatted like old friends.  Sarah and George had been working for the Walkers for nearly twelve years, and today was the first day that this house came alive.  The Walker's were always out and on a trip somewhere, so they had gotten used to the silence, but it was lovely to hear the laughter of children.  

Sarah and George never had children, but they had each other. They had been married for nearly twenty years, and were delighted when they were appointed at the same workplace.  Mrs Walker used to say that the main reason why she appointed them was because they had no children.  Both Sarah and George disliked the previous Walker's but they both surely liked the new Mrs Walker.   

Jenny had been appointed eight year's earlier and it was only after Mr. and Mrs. Walker passed on that she brought Carlos here.  He lived with her mother and she hardly got to see him. Life has been good to her since she had her boy with her, and she wanted it to stay that way.  

The doorbell rang, and Sarah went to open the door for Mr Settler.  He was totally amazed about the size of the house, and whistled through his teeth when he walked into the kitchen.  

Terrence introduced him to the others, and Jenny made him some hot chocolate which he gladly accepted.  It was exceptionally cold, and the kitchen seemed so inviting.  He sat down and as soon as he did, Maria stood up.  

"I have an announcement to make." Maria said and everyone quieted down. 

"I want to change this house into a shelter for abused women, and I want you all to stay on, and help me achieve my dream. Mr. Settler I will be very glad if you could join me in this adventure, and I'm sorry to say, but I will not be able to take on the job you offered me.  I will need to spend every minute planning here, but I want you to handle all the legal work for us please."

Everyone clapped hands and seemed very excited.  Jenny had tears in her eyes, and quickly stood up and gave Maria a big hug. 

"My husband abused me...until I left him. It started shortly after Carlos was born." Jenny said and took her place beside Sarah. 

"This is the best thing that you can do with all this money. I will be very glad to help and assist where I can. If I had a place to go to, I would've left him sooner, and I would not have to struggle with all the emotional scars." 

Everyone around the table seemed very confident with her idea. Everyone agreed to come on board, and Maria felt very happy when they all walked into the dining room. They chatted and shared some great ideas and after lunch they all went to the living room to share some more ideas.  By six o clock most of the ideas were written down and organized. Mr Settler agreed to finish all the paperwork as soon as possible, and when he left, he phoned Susan the social worker to share the news with her.  

They all agreed to get together in two days to share some more ideas, but Terrence said that he would be happy with anything but he was starting his new job soon.   

Everything seemed to be working in Maria's favor and that night everyone could hardly sleep because of all the excitement.  The kids each chose their own room and Terrence agreed to share a room with Jonah again.  That would leave a full nine rooms available. They would be able to help at least nine women at a time, and everyone was looking forward to this great new adventure. 

Mr Settler arrived early the next morning with all the paperwork. He knew that Maria was anxious to get this whole business started so he worked till late the previous night to get everything done. He phoned Susan the social worker and asked her to join him for breakfast at Maria's new house. Just before nine o clock, Mr Settler and Susan showed up at the house. It was a lovely warm day and the kids were able to go and play outside with the puppies.  Jenny came in early to make breakfast and the kids have already eaten by the time the adults went to the dining room. It was a holiday so they had the whole day to plan and to decide when to open the doors for the community. 

Terrence left very early to start his new job, and he was quite excited for this new adventure.  His life had changed so much over the last few weeks, that it was an indescribable feeling of happiness that he felt all the time. He had no problems, and he felt as free as a bird when he walked into the building that morning.  

Maria and Susan made a list of all the things that needed to be done, and they estimated that it would take about two weeks for them to get everything ready. In a few days Jonah would join Carlos at his school, and because of his absence Jonah would have to repeat the grade.  He was quite excited about that, as that would mean that he and Carlos would probably be in the same class.  Sarah suggested that she take care of Mindy during the day while Maria works, so she did not have to worry about anything.  

Everything seems to work out perfectly as if it was meant to be. The back and forth to the old house and back made Maria tired and by the end of the week, she found a crew that was able to pack up her old house and moved all their stuff to the new house. She was terribly busy arranging everything and she finally knew how much money was available to her.  

Maria phoned the shelter where Jonah and Terrence often stayed and asked the director if she could come and see her. It was nearly new years day and Maria wanted to open her shelter as soon as possible in the new year.  She met Mr Wendell from the shelter and handed him a pair of keys.  

"I would like to make an anonymous donation of $300 000,and I want to donate this house to you to use as a shelter for the homeless. Please use the money wisely and make reparations to the house so that you can house as many people as possible."

Mr Wendell was very happy and surprised and he told her that she was an angel from heaven.  Maria felt good about herself, but for the first time she was grateful that she had met Jack.  If she hadn't met him then none of this would be possible.  She had a very hard time getting to this point in her life, but at the end it was all worth it.  The emotional scars were fading away and she was a totally different person than she was merely a month ago.  

She promised Jack that she would do good with the money, and this was the best way possible that she could spend the money.  Mr Settler suggested that all the money be put into a trust, to which she agreed. She put a little money aside or the four kids to go and study and that meant that the future for Jonah, Carlos, Gabriela and Mindy were secured.  They would all have the opportunity to make something of themselves and become the best people possible. 

Maria had interviews lined up for a psychologist, and she found the perfect lady with the third interview. They were all set to go. She had a few loose ends to tie and then they were opening the doors. Susan had the biggest job of all because she had to find the victims, but she assured everyone that it would not be difficult. 

Terrence helped out at the new shelter a few nights that week, and when all the reparations were done, he brought in the first few people.  He was so overwhelmed by Maria's gesture. 

One night, about two days before they opened the doors to the women center Terrence knocked on Maria's door.  She was exhausted but smiled when she saw that it was Terrence.

"Can I come in?"

"Sure, I always have time for you Terrence. I hardly got to see you this week."

"It's been hectic, but I wanted to thank you."

"Me?  What have I done?"

"Maria, you might not know or realize this, but to me, you are an angel sent from heaven. Ever since I met you, my life has changed so dramatically. You gave me back all that I have lost, and if it wasn't for you I would never have found Gabriella. I am so grateful for everything." 

Maria stood up with tears in her eyes, and gave Terrence a hug.  " I have to correct you on this. It is you, that is the angel. You brought my son back and you helped me get away from Jack. I only returned a favor. I just know that we are good together and that ever since I met you, I have felt whole again."

The emotions were overwhelming and Terrence bent over and kissed Maria for the second time, but it was like their first kiss.  This time, she did not pull back, and for the first time she felt closer to Terrence than she felt with anyone else in her life.  Both of them knew where this was heading and this time they would make sure that it lasts.  They were not going anywhere, so they had no reason to rush anything. They were headed towards the perfect relationship.  

On new year's eve they opened the doors and had a big party to celebrate.  Everyone that was part of this journey joined in the fun.  That evening after the kids went to bed, Maria and Terrence stayed up later than usual.  Both of them were truly excited about everything that was happening to them, and about the opening of the center. They were just about to turn in for the night, when the doorbell rang.  

It was Susan. She smiled when Terrence opened the door. Susan was not alone, behind her stood a woman that looked like she had been traumatized severely.  In two ticks Maria was downstairs. 

"Come in. Welcome to the Jack Walker safe house. Everything is going to be alright." 

Terrence and Maria watched as Susan took the lady upstairs.  This was going to be the perfect year.   

- The end -