Santa Clause Love

Love is an unconditioned word fill of all meaning of feelings of heart. And that word can be defined in the story of two people came together with the same goal and same business.

In a small loud town, filled with love of its people, and the smell of traditional Lebanese fresh bread with warm and sweet aroma from Maria’s bakery. Maria have always dreamt of meeting a charming man just like her father who would steel her heart, but she couldn’t find the right man between all she has dated, until the day came and met the unexpected.

It’s 7:00 a.m. just the right time for Maria to open her bakery and start her day with a smile spreading positive vibes to whom around. While she was walking straight to her store daydreaming, she bumped into boxes falling in the arms of a man and meeting his eyes, she starts wondering and wondering through his crystal blue eyes, they were wide just like the blue sky and as deep as the ocean. while she was between his arms, her heart was at ease and she felt safe for the first time after her father’s death. That last for seconds until the man straighten her up and said ‘I beg you my pardon ma'am, are you okay?’ Maria couldn’t respond directly while facing him but at the end, she replied “okay” and ran straight to her bakery, as she enters her store her hearts start beating so fast even, she forgets to breathe, wishing to meet him again!     

After she gathered herself and get back to reality, she continued her routine in the bakery, and at launch break Maria would sit on the chair facing her bakery, looking straight at the store alongside her shop and dreaming about the future where she will be able to buy it and expand her bakery as her father has always wanted to. But unfortunately, that didn’t last. While she was entering her bakery, she met the mayor with the same men who she bumped into him in the morning, welcoming him back to the town, as soon as the man saw her, he went to greet her, the mayor asks if they knew each other, instead of responding the girl asked “who is that man and why are you here?” The man responds “bonjour mademoiselle, my name is Cristiano, I came lately from France, and I am opening my parent’s groceries store turning it into a bakery. As I have noticed we will become neighbors” Maria stared at him fiercely and said “you mean rivals!”, she entered back into her bakery with rage filling her heart and felt like her dream is stolen.

 Cristiano had finished adjusting his bakery in 48 hours. As soon as he opens the bakery people started rushing in, surprised with the new and different types of western baked products. Unfortunately, this has affected Maria’s business, even her usual costumers have not bought from her bakery anymore. So, Maria started her evil plans to destroy Cristiano’s business and gain her customers back. The next morning Maria holds an agreement with two men to make a scene in front of Cristiano’s bakery. They act as they were fighting and arguing, calling him for help and judging, where she sneaks into the bakery and adds magnesium salt to the flour powder. After she completed her plan, the environmental health officers break into Cristiano’s bakery for investigation accusing him of poisoning his customers, so he had to pay a financial tax to save his bakery. However, Cristiano knew through watching his bakery’s CCTV camera recording that it was Maria’s doing, so he decided to avenge her.

The following day, Cristiano sneaked into his rival bakery through an open window, where he took the main baking ingredients and hide them in his bakery. When Maria entered the kitchen, she found out that some of her ingredients were missing, so because of that, she couldn’t deliver her order on time, later the man who ordered burst into the bakery and started scolding Maria. Cristiano couldn’t hold himself back, he entered and faced the man and interrupted him “Mister, I suggest you to stop shouting and let us compensate between us”, the man sneered back “and who the hell are you? Plus, who allowed you to intervene between me and that b..ch!” Cristiano tempered his anger with difficulty, however, he replied to the man gently “Mister, I am here to solve the problem and get to a solution where you and she are satisfied, if you refuse and chose the hard way, in return we will also complain to the police for breaking into the bakery and attacking the girl, and you know the results mister!” The man shrugged and accepted for compensation. As everything cooled down Maria started shivering and tearing, Cristiano approached her, he holds her soft hands with eye contact, whispering to her with sweet voice to inhale deeply feeling the air through her lungs, exhale throwing all the pain out of her heart, and everything will be okay. As she was doing what she was told she gazed again through these magic eyes, drifting her to the world of dreams.

After that day, Maria’s heart would beat so fast every time she meets him, forgetting her revenge and anger. As days passed her regular customers came back, even her bakery became crowded more than before. And it continued that way until the mayor came and asked her and Cristiano to team up and bake for the new year festival.

At that moment, a battle was going on between maria’s brain and heart, her heart is stimulating her to accept and take it as an opportunity to get closer to him and know him better, while her brain is stimulating her to refuse and to work hard for kicking him out from the bakery. Suddenly an idea came upon her mind, how about accepting this offer and take it as an opportunity to be friends, then she would request to collaborate to gather and expand both of their bakery. The next day, Maria gathered her courage and told Cristiano that she accepted to team up. Therefore, they started preparing for the festival at Cristiano’s bakery in the afternoon, and they both spend their time fighting when it comes to sharing ideas, ending with Marias leaving the bakery with anger.

It’s Christmas, and the town is painted with the colors of joy and laughter. While Maria would sit in her bakery watching out through the window, as usual, remembering the day of bliss. And as it turns into midnight, Maria closed her bakery going back home, as she was walking a man appeared at the end of the street wearing Santa clause, with wide shoulders a tall man, forming her father’s appearance. Involuntarily, she ran as fast as she could embracing the Santa and repeating the word, I missed you father. Suddenly she heard Cristiano’s voice, she pulled herself back, as the Santa removed his beard, it appeared that it was Cristiano. Marian tried to escape but Cristiano held her hands asking her not to go, and he hugged her again and said gently “I don’t know how? I don’t know why? And I don’t know when? but what I know that I love you, Maria!” Maria rooted to her place for a moment not believing what just happened, but as she gathered up herself, she looked at his eyes and said “I know when, I know why, and I know how, your eyes my dear had made me fall in love with you.”

Maria and Cristiano, went to the garden and laid on the grass cuddling each other, and after moment of silence Cristiano asked maria, why she was saying that she missed her father? Maria took a deep breath and started telling her story with soft sad voice.

“My mother died at the time I was born and I had no one but my Father. He was a baker, and every year at Christmas he had disguised as Santa clause, baking for me those little cute ginger bread, laughing and joking till midnight. But these happy moments didn’t last, my father died by a car crash when I was 17, leaving for me this bakery and recipes. He had always dreamt of buying the shop that you own now, and that’s was the reason of hating you at the beginning!”

Cristiano sighed and said “I heard your story and now I will tell you mine. I came back to Lebanon after I was deceived by swindlers and they stole all my money after they convinced me for investing in opening a fancy restaurant in Paris. So, I was forced to come back to my town hopeless and depressed, after months while trying to collect the ticket’s fees. I took a loan from the bank for opening my parent’s store and turning it into a bakery which is the only work I know.”

They both felt sorry for each other, where they confessed about their pranks, apologizing and turning it into funny moment. Their night ends with Cristiano saying “happy moments never end”.

The next day, they continued preparing for the annual holiday festival, as they were baking, Cristiano started throwing flour powder and laughing, suddenly Maria tripped and fell on Cristiano, he held her and he started pulling her closer and closer until their lips met, and they had their first kiss!

It’s new year, and the couples have finished preparation as scheduled. The town was crowded as every year, and people were enjoying the taste of love in the cakes and bread they were eating, when it’s time for the count down, the couples joined the people and started counting, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, HAPPY NEW YEAR! As maria turned to hug her love, she found him kneeling on the ground, he said “Maria all this time I would ask and answer myself, it’s time for me to ask and for you to answer, will you marry me, Maria?” as she was looking around in surprise, she saw her friends gathering around her somewhere holding picture her, other were holding red flowers, and others were holding letters of LOVE. Cristiano repeated nervously “Maria, will you marry me?” Maria looked at him and said “for the eyes that I fell in love with them, yes I will”. Spending the night with everyone dancing and celebrating this festival with full of hope and love.

 Maria and Cristiano married after a year, and they collaborated together and they expand their bakeries naming it Santa Clause Bakery, to immortalize their confessing memories on Christmas eve, furthermore, to keep her father memory as a blessing to their bakery. Moreover, they opened a page on Instagram posting their work and their recipes, and gained millions of followers. Although, their life was full of ups and downs but with one cup of love, two spoons of happiness, one spoon of passion, and a pinch of optimist, life can be a piece of cake.

The END

FOR WHAT OUR DEAR EARTH IS PASSING THROUGH, FROM CORONA TO THE DESTRUCTION THAT SOME COUNTRIES THAT ARE PASSING THROUGH, AND FOR MY DEAR COUNTRY LEBANON, WITH ALL THE HARDSHIPS AND FOR THE HOPE WE ARE LOSING, THIS SHORT STORY IS TO INSPIRE YOU THAT LOVE COULD APPEAR FROM NOWHERE, YOU JUST HAVE TO BELIEVE IN TRUE LOVE AND EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY.

“Love is like sugar in a cake no sugar no taste”

 Nour Nachabe