A Holiday with Her

It was the time of the year again. The christmas lights and the lanterns that surrounded the old house brought a lot of memories for Chanel.

Her heart was filled with warmth as she opened the gate and felt the familiar atmosphere that she longed for. It was Christmas day and she decided to go home for Christmas this year after two years of studying in Switzerland.

"Nelly, you're here!" Rhea, Chanel's older sister, greeted her with a grin while her two-year old son was in her arms.

She smiled widely as she ran to her and hugged her tight. "I missed you, Rhea."

"It's been two years since you left to study in Switzerland, right? Did you adapt well?" Rhea asked her while walking towards the entrance of the house.

She clinged to Rhea's arms and rested her head on Rhea's shoulder which made her giggle because it was so obvious that she'd gotten taller than her sister now.

"Why are you still so clingy? Look at my daughter, she's definitely jealous of you right now," Rhea said as she chuckled.

Chanel turned to look at Daphne at the terrace and she laughed when she saw that her niece was indeed glaring at her.

She waved her hand at the little girl and smiled sweetly. "Let me borrow your Mom while I'm here, Daphne. I used to be her baby girl when she was still single." 

"You're still like a kid, Nelly. I bet your boyfriend will be disappointed if he sees this side of you," Jacob, Rhea's husband teased her.

She rolled her eyes and moved to hug her sister again. "Sorry to burst your bubble, Jake. I don't have a boyfriend and I'm not planning to have one yet."

"You're old enough to build your own family, Nel. What's holding you back?" Rhea asked after they entered the house.

When Rhea sat on the couch, she sat beside her and hugged her again. It had been two years since the last time she had the chance to hug her sister that way.

"Are you sure you want to celebrate this Christmas with me?" Rhea asked while brushing her hair using her fingers.

"Yup. I was away for two years so I really wanted to be with you today." She smiled sweetly.

"I still think that you should've celebrated with Dad or maybe with Mom."

Her smile faded at the mention of their parents. She held Rhea's vacant hand and gently squeezed it.

"There's no reason for me to go to them, Rhea. You're all I need." Her voice was full of gratefulness.

"They need your presence, Nel. Our parents are not getting any younger." Rhea's soft and gentle voice always sounded like music to her ears like they always did when they were younger. But still, she didn't like the words that she heard.

"They need me? You must be kidding, Rhea." She scoffed. "They abandoned us a long time ago. Why do I need to celebrate my long awaited holiday with them?" With that, the memories of her childhood came flashing back and tears started to pool from her eyes.

She hid her face on Rhea's chest as she cried silently. She knew that she was being a brat for holding grudges for a long time. However, she just couldn't get herself to forgive them. Their life was so painful because their parents abandoned them and Rhea alone raised her.

Rhea was all she needed. She promised herself that she would do everything to show how grateful she was for having Rhea as her sister.

"Hon, did you mentioned that topic again?" Jacob sat beside her and caressed her back. "Come here, kiddo. Let me hug you."

She hugged Jacob and cried harder. She longed for this kind of comfort. For two years, she felt so lonely while living alone in Switzerland. She was too busy, she didn't have the time to call her sister and she was just so happy that she was finally home.

"You're spoiling her again, Hon. Nelly's not a kid anymore." Rhea complained but she was smiling. She felt happy because her husband and her sister had gotten along well.

"There's no reason not to spoil her." Jacob turned to face his daughter who just entered the house. "Daphne, you're okay with having Nelly as your older sister, right?"

"She's my Aunt. It would be really weird if she becomes my sister, Dad," Daphne said with a poker face.

The couple both laughed at their daughter's remark. Chanel pulled away from the hug and wiped her tears then she moved closer to Rhea and hugged her again.

Rhea wrapped her arms around Chanel. "I won't force you to visit them again, Nel. But I hope that you'll find it in yourself to forgive them."

"You're always so matured, Rhea. I don't think I could ever be matured enough to forget those painful memories and act like nothing happened."

Rhea chuckled. "I'm not as matured as you think. It just so happened that there is a love overflowing in my heart and it's making me spread that love to the people around me."

The night was dark but the neighboorhood was filled with lively lights and christmas songs were louder.

Chanel went to the sala and smiled when she saw her excited nephew sat beside the christmas tree and play with the gifts under it while Daphne was sitting on the couch while playing with her doll.

She walked towards the dining area then she saw her sister preparing the table for their noche buena.

"I wish I could be just like you," she said, her voice is full of adoration towards her sister.

Rhea chuckled and pinched her cheeks which brought warmth in her heart. When she was younger, Rhea would always pinch her cheek to assure her that she was fine just the way she is.

"I would never want to change anything about you, Nel. You are at your best when you are you."

"I wish I could tell those things to myself too." She chuckled as she took a bowl of spaghetti and helped her sister with the preparation. "But I don't think I could."

Rhea hugged her tight. "I love you, Nel. Don't ever forget that."

Rhea's warm smile was the most comforting view for her. She hugged her sister tight because that's the only way she could show her feelings.

"Merry Christmas, Rhea. I love you," she whispered.

Her sister was her savior. She will always be.