Days of Chocolate and Hope

Have you ever wished to live someone else’s life? I have. Sometimes, I wanted to be someone else, even if just for a day. I wanted my life to feel different—less lonely. Maybe I longed for the things money could never buy.

I was fourteen during that cold winter, a Christmas I will never forget. That winter break, my mom made me go with her to the mansion where she worked. She spent her days cleaning the homes of wealthy families, while my father stayed at home with a hangover. I didn’t want to go to my mom’s job, but staying home with my father wasn’t any better. 

I sat bored in the kitchen, a room the family never used. They didn’t like children and had made it clear to my mom that they didn’t want to see me wandering around their house.

Six days before Christmas, I decided to go outside to explore the rich neighborhood. It was cold as it is every December. I struggled to zip up my jacket which was too small, but it was all I had.

Just as I was about to head back to the mansion after freezing myself, a voice broke through the stillness.

“Amelia! Come here, honey, it’s cold!”

I froze. The street was empty, except for me and an older woman standing a little further ahead. She smiled warmly and once again she said.

“Honey, Amelia! Come here!”

Confused, I hesitated but began walking toward her. She kept calling me Amelia, though that wasn’t my name.

“Hello, miss. Are you looking for someone?” I asked, genuinely curious.

“Miss?” she chuckled, her eyes crinkling with warmth. “Honey, you know you can call me mamma, grandma, nonna, or any nickname for a great-grandmother you can think of.”

The old lady giggled, but I still didn’t understand why she was acting so familiar with me. “Alright, alright,” I said, trying to pretend I knew her.

Before I could say anything else, she gently grabbed my arm and guided me toward her house. It was enormous, just as big as the mansion where my mom worked. My eyes widened as I saw the luxurious interior through the windows.

As soon as we stepped inside, she called out excitedly, “Marie! Look who was outside!”

Moments later, a maid rushed down the staircase, she seemed to be confused and alarmed. “Miss Caroline! Who is she?” she asked, glancing from me to the older woman.

“She is Amelia, my great-granddaughter. Oh Marie, you need to wear some glasses!” Caroline Said.

The lady looked me up and down, her gaze lingering as I shrugged my shoulders awkwardly. The silence felt heavy until she broke it with a warm smile.

“Amelia needs a nice, hot chocolate to warm up,” the maid said as she looked at me. “Do you want to come to the kitchen with me?”

“Sure!” I replied, unsure of what else to say.

We walked to the kitchen, Marie whispered in my ear, “Miss Caroline has dementia. She’s confused… she thinks you’re her deceased great-granddaughter, Amelia.”

My stomach twisted as I processed her words.

“Please,” Marie said softly, “Just pretend for now until we figure out a way for you to leave without upsetting her.”

I nodded, but I was worried I put myself in trouble and I was unsure of how I’d gotten myself into this strange situation. 

We made two warm, sweet and tasty hot chocolates, and we also ate a slice of the most delicious cake I’d ever tasted. We sat in front of the fireplace. I was very comfortable since the couch was as soft as a cloud.

After a while, the doorbell rang.

“It must be Elena, Carolines granddaughter.” Marie, the maid, said.

They spoke for a few moments by the door, and from what I could hear, Marie was explaining the whole situation to her.

Then, Elena entered. She walked over to the living room and sat next to me.

“Elena, would you like some hot chocolate?” Miss Caroline asked.

“Sure!” Elena replied.

Miss Caroline took my hand in hers, her smile warm. “I’m so glad to have my granddaughter and my beautiful great-granddaughter with me,” she said. “This Christmas couldn’t be more perfect.”

I forced an awkward smile, unsure of what else to say. Elena, immediately, gently wrapped her hand around mine as well. “I’m glad too, grandma,” she said softly, her voice full of affection.

After a while, Miss Caroline fell asleep. I expected Elena to ask me to leave at any moment, but she didn’t. Instead we had a conversation.

"Where do you live?" Was the first thing she asked, her voice soft. "I’ve never seen you around before."

I hesitated for a moment, unsure if I should tell the truth or make up a story. In the end, I decided to be honest. "My mom works in the neighborhood. She’s a maid."

Elena nodded thoughtfully before continuing, "My father used to work as a dishwasher. He had to work hard to pay his way through university, then he became the founder of a popular bakery. The cake you just had is from the bakery he founded." She stopped for a while and asked. “What is your name dear?”

“Lucy,” I replied.

“Lucy, let me tell you—destiny is not written yet. You are the only one who can change your own destiny,” Elena said, her voice full of warmth.

“Thank you, Elena,” I replied slowly as my voice was breaking.

Without a word, Elena hugged me tightly. She seemed like such a kind lady, just like her grandma. I noticed she was crying too, though I couldn’t understand why.

“Last year, I lost my older sister, my niece, my nephew, and my brother-in-law after an accident. My parents passed away years ago too, and now my grandma is not doing well.” Elena’s voice cracked as she spoke.

I understood her pain—she had lost everything. Money no longer mattered. She was lonely, just like me.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered without knowing what else to say as I felt heartbroken.

Elena wiped her tears, pulling me into another hug. “Would you like to spend the holidays with us?” she asked. “You’d make my grandma and me very happy.”

This time, I didn’t think about the delicious food I might taste, or the nice experiences I could have, or the presents they might give me. I was thinking about what I had always wished for—being someone else. I would be someone more interesting, wealthier, happier. And best of all, I would be able to help people in need.

“I would love to spend the holidays here!” I immediately answered.

Later, I returned to the mansion, expecting my mom to be looking for me, since I’d been gone so long. Instead, I found her stressed out, struggling with the Christmas tree she had to decorate. We never had Christmas decorations at home, and this year, she had to put all her effort into decorating someone else’s house. I waited in the kitchen until 8 p.m., when it was time to leave.

As we walked to the bus stop, I tried not to think about the cold. My mom broke the silence, asking, “You were probably bored today, huh?”

“It’s alright, Mom. I went outside and met a nice girl. She’s also the maid’s daughter, and the owner of the house loves children, so I went inside,” I explained.

“Alright, but you have to be careful,” she warned.

It took us an hour to get home. When we finally arrived, my dad was gone—off at the bar with his friends, drinking again, using the money he’d stolen from Mom.

The next morning, I was already awake by 6 a.m., all dressed up and ready to go, waiting for my mom to finish getting ready.

When I arrived, Marie opened the door and greeted me warmly. I saw Elena coming, she was wearing an apron, and was holding a sharp knife.

“That knife is huge!” I said, pointing at it in surprise.

“Oh, you’re right!” Elena laughed. “I was making breakfast. Grandma loves honeydew for breakfast, so I was cutting some. Would you mind helping me make some waffles?”

Of course, I had to say yes. I found myself wearing a red Christmas apron, and for the first time in my life, I was going to eat waffles.

“What toppings would you like?” Elena asked, her eyes sparkling. “We have peanut butter, sprinkles, chocolate syrup, Nutella, jam, whipped cream, maple syrup, or cottage cheese.”

“Wow, that’s a lot of toppings!” I said giggling. “At home, we sometimes have butter,” I added with a laugh.

After a while, Marie set the table and joined us for breakfast. Miss Caroline seemed to be  happy to have her great-granddaughter, Amelia, with her. While we ate I couldn’t stop thinking about how different things were in this house compared to mine.

Elena was helping in the kitchen, which made me think that I had never seen my mom’s boss step foot in the kitchen. Despite both being wealthy, they felt so different from Elena.

Later that day, Elena suggested we go to the backyard to play in the snow. But when she saw my old, worn-out coat, she hesitated. “Wait here,” she said, before running upstairs. She came back moments later, holding a beautiful white winter coat.

“Here, this is for you, honey,” she said, her eyes shining with kindness.

“Oh no, I can’t take this.”

“Please, take it as a Christmas gift,” she insisted, her voice soft yet firm.

I tried on the coat, feeling a wave of warmth—both from the fabric and from the kindness of the gesture. I hugged Elena, and we went outside to enjoy the snow.

At six o’clock, during supper time, I joined my mom. She was serving supper with the other maids. She looked at my new coat and asked where I had gotten it. I lied to her, and she believed me without hesitation.

The next day, three days before Christmas I did the same thing. It was the first time I felt genuinely happy during the holidays. Marie greeted me at the door, and this time, I made sure not to have breakfast at home so I could wait and enjoy something with them.

Miss Caroline greeted me too. “Hello, Amelia,” she said warmly.

“Hello, grandma,” I replied.

“Today, Marie and I baked some cookies. Would you like to help us decorate them?” she asked with excitement.

“Sure!” I answered eagerly.

Elena put on some Christmas music, and we all sang and danced while decorating the cookies with frosting in every color imaginable. After a while, we sat down and ate the cookies with cups of hot chocolate. It was perfect.

Miss Caroline eventually fell asleep again, so Elena and I sat and talked for a while.

“Where does your father work?” she asked me gently.

“He’s always drunk, he doesn't have a job” I replied, the words coming out more bitter than I intended.

“Why?” she asked, her voice soft with curiosity. I didn’t fully understand the question.

“Why? Well... I don’t know,” I answered, shrugging.

“There must be a reason someone behaves like that. Did something happen to him? Has he always been this way?” Elena asked softly.

I paused, thinking for a moment. Then something came to mind. “Well, since I was about ten years old, he’s been drinking a lot. He got fired from the taxi company where he used to work. They canceled his license, so he could never work as a driver again.”

“You see, he probably gave up after looking for another job. He might have lost hope,” Elena said gently.

I could see how that could make sense. But then I wondered, if Elena was such a nice person, there must have been a reason why she was the way she was too.

“You’re rich, just like the people my mom works for, but somehow, you’re different,” I said, trying to make sense of it all.

“I believe we’re all the same,” she replied. “Some people just have more assets on this earth than others.”

“Have you always been like this?” I asked, curious.

“No, not really. I used to care about having the most expensive clothes, the best car, the best shoes. It was all I cared about,” Elena said, wiping a tear from her cheek. “Then, last year, my sister invited me to our summer house outside the city, but my boyfriend— the man I thought loved me more than anyone— asked me to go out with him. That day, I realized he had cheated on me. But also, my sister and her family had a car accident. Ever since then, my mindset has completely changed.”

I had no words to say. At that moment, I realized that everyone might have their own battles, no matter how rich they were. Maybe even Miss and Mr. Benson, my mom’s bosses, had gone through something that changed them. I grabbed three of the cookies we had decorated earlier—one for my mom, one for Miss Benson, and one for Mr. Benson.

The next morning, when I first arrived at Elena’s house, I noticed right away that something was wrong. Her eyes were swollen and red.

“Are you alright?” I asked, concerned.

“Mom no longer knows who I am,” she said, her voice breaking. “She woke up more confused than before.”

“Has this happened before?” I asked gently.

She shook her head, and I couldn’t help but hug her. “The doctors said this would happen,” she whispered.

Miss Caroline couldn’t remember me either. If I said I was her granddaughter, Amelia, she would insist she had never had a daughter—how could she have a granddaughter? It was devastating for Elena.

Later, we went to the front yard and sat on the porch, watching the snow fall.

“I thought this would be my best Christmas ever,” I said softly. “The best thing that has happened to me lately is meeting you and Miss Caroline.”

“I’m glad Grandma met you,” Elena said, trying to smile. “She had a great time—at least for three days.”

“I don’t have friends at school,” I confessed. “I have a scholarship to a rich school, and no one wants to talk to the poor girl. Mom works from seven in the morning and doesn’t get home until nine at night. And my dad... he’s always drunk. I have no one to talk to. But these past three days have been amazing. Thank you.”

“Lucy,” Elena said, her voice steady, “you are a very smart girl. If you have a scholarship, don’t let those jerks get to you. You’ll change your own destiny, remember?”

I hugged her tightly, feeling a warmth I hadn’t felt in a long time. Then she continued, “You know what? What if you told your mom to quit her job?”

I giggled, thinking she was joking. “Then we wouldn’t have any money,” I said, shaking my head.

“She could work in one of my bakeries,” Elena said, her face lighting up with an idea. “We can train her. She could have a more decent schedule, and she’d earn more money.”

Tears welled up in my eyes. I stood up, grabbed Elena’s hand, and ran to find my mom to tell her the good news.

Mom was surprised—and a little bit mad too—when she found out I had lied to her for a few days. But then she cried, tears of relief and happiness. Working as a maid was hard, especially for people like the Bensons. The thought of having a better job, one with dignity and better hours, was something she hadn’t dared to dream of.

The next morning on Christmas Eve, something changed in me. I realized I didn’t want to be someone else—I could be myself, but a better version of myself. If I wanted things to change, I had to start by doing things differently.

I decided to ask my dad to come with us to the Christmas brunch at Elena’s house. At first, he refused, grumbling and brushing me off. But I didn’t give up. I told him that failing once didn’t define him, that it wasn’t too late to start over. I even encouraged him to attend Alcoholics Anonymous.

To my surprise, he agreed. Maybe it was the hope in my voice or the way I said it. Or he was intrigued by the idea of a fancy brunch in a rich mansion. Whatever it was, he said yes, and for the first time in years, I saw a flicker of something in his eyes—hope.

My parents and I attended the Christmas brunch together. To my surprise, Miss Caroline remembered me again. She greeted me warmly, her eyes lighting up as if the confusion had momentarily lifted. Elena was overjoyed, and though we all knew Miss Caroline’s condition wouldn’t improve, at least we could now share a goodbye.

The mansion felt alive with laughter and warmth that day. For the first time in a long time, my dad looked content and present, my mom looked calm, and I felt whole. I didn't care about the fancy food or the beautiful decorations—it was about the kindness and coincidence that had brought us together.

And just like that, I had an amazing, merry little Christmas. One I’d always remember—not because of what I received, but because of what I gained: hope, love, and the chance to believe in a better tomorrow.