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“But mom, I look stupid!”
Noah was wriggling in his new Christmas sweater in front of the mirror in his mom’s bedroom. When she said she had a surprise for him when he got back from his dance class, he was kind of hoping for some sort of early present, or maybe McDonald’s for dinner. Not this woollen monstrosity, white with red and green knitted into an indecipherable pattern across it.
“You don’t look stupid, honey.” Olivia reassured him while she fastened her necklace.
“Everyone’s gonna laugh at me.”
“Well then, let them. Besides…” She walked up behind him, showcasing her matching sweater in the mirror as she wrapped her arms over him. “If they laugh at you, then they’re gonna laugh at all of us.”
He huffed. “Mom, please—?”
“It’s just a holiday card, honey, it’s only going out to family.”
“Her family.”
She crouched down to meet him at eye level, taking his hands in hers. “… Our family.”
Alex wasn’t used to having to knock on her own bedroom door. But knowing he was still getting ready in there, that he was still a little unsure of her, it felt like the right thing to do.
“Everything okay in here?” She spoke softly as she gently nudged the door open.
“Yeah we’re just about ready, aren’t we bud?” Olivia asked as she stood up straight, keeping her hands on his shoulders.
Noah grumbled and swayed on the balls of his feet.
“Well don’t you look handsome!” Alex said, filling the silence. “I’m still trying to catch Emmy out here, she’s not being as co-operative…” She held up the little cat-sized sweater, white and green and red, just like theirs, and hers.
“Why don’t I have a go?” Olivia asked, taking the sweater from her hands. “Besides, she seems to have taken a shining to me.”
“Yeah that’s all an act…” Alex called back to her as she walked out the bedroom. “You’ll find out soon enough!” She turned back to Noah, who was still shuffling uncomfortably, pulling at the sleeves of his sweater.
Alex moved further into the room and sat at the foot of the bed, talking to his reflection in the mirror. “You okay, buddy?”
“I’m fine, Alex, thank you.”
She smiled at him. He was so well mannered with her, even if he still didn’t fully trust her. After all, it had only been six months since they all moved in together.
“You hate that sweater, don’t you?” She smirked.
“No…” Noah’s gaze hit the floor.
“You don’t have to pretend with me, you know?”
He huffed again. “I don’t want everyone to laugh at me… Why are we doing this?”
“Well…” Alex started. “My family have always done holiday cards, but, I’ve never gotten to do my own before. It was your mom’s idea, but if you don’t like it, we don’t have to do it again. We’ll, get them at the store, or something.”
Noah finally turned to her. “You promise?”
She smiled warmly. “I promise.” She stood from the bed and moved towards the closet. “… Can I show you something?”
“Sure.” He shrugged, walking over to her side.
He watched as she pulled out a little cardboard box and placed it back on the bed. She took off the lid and he peered over. Bundles upon bundles of holiday cards, some with pictures of snowflakes and stockings and warm fireplaces, others with pictures of families all huddled together, in coordinated red outfits, or matching sweaters.
Noah picked one out from the top of the bundle and studied it intently as Alex sat back down on the bed. A man, a woman, a little girl, a little boy, and their golden retriever. The women were in seasonal red dresses, the boys in white shirts and red ties. The dog even had a matching bow tie.
“They look happy.”
Alex glanced over to it. “That’s my cousin Stan and his family, but the one I wanna show you…” She started to rake through the box “… Is all the way down…” She pulled up a card from the very bottom of the box. “… Here.”
It was weathered and fading, a picture of a man and woman sitting on a couch, their little blonde daughter sat between them, in a red plaid dress and her hair in a half up, complete with matching ribbons and a scowl on her face.
She handed the card over to Noah. It was blank inside, but that wasn’t what she wanted him to notice.
“You recognise the girl on there?” Alex asked.
“Is that you?” He struggled to hold back the little giggle that escaped.
“Yeah…” She grimaced. “That’s… That’s me, in…” She flipped over to the back of the card to read it. “1983.”
“You don’t look happy?” Noah said.
“No, I wasn’t… My mom picked that dress out for me, I thought I looked stupid—”
As if on cue, they heard Olivia shout victoriously from the living room.
“Aha, gotcha! C’mere Emmeline…”
Alex smirked at the noise before turning back to Noah. “And I’d just been told off for talking back, I can’t even remember what about… They wanted me to smile, but I was still angry at them, so I wouldn’t. This was the best one they got out of about fifty takes.” She cringed a little at the memory, her cheeks flushing. “Your mom wanted to do this for me, but… you don’t have to wear the sweater if you don’t want to. You don’t have to smile, either… But… I sure wouldn’t wanna be the reason you don’t.”
Noah looked at her again, contemplating, in their matching sweaters and jeans.
“… I’ll wear the sweater.” He mumbled.
Alex nodded in acknowledgement just as Olivia returned to the room, still victorious, the fluffy ragdoll in her arms now adorning the sweater and clearly mentally planning this new woman’s death, putting their once blossoming friendship back to square one.
“We all ready in here?”
“Yeah, we’re good…” Alex replied as she stood from the bed, placing the lid back on the box. “I was just showing him some of the older ones—”
“Did you show him the one of you looking like a blonde Wednesday Addams?”
“Wednesday has braids, mom…!” Noah clarified, answering her question in the process as he bounded past her to the living room.
Alex opened the closet again and pushed the box back in its rightful place.
“What else did you guys talk about?” Olivia asked, keeping hold of the now wriggling cat, knowing if she let her go now she’d never get her back for the picture.
“Oh, nothing important…” Alex replied, taking Emmy from her and cuddling the cat over her shoulder. Emmy instantly relaxed again and Olivia smirked, exchanging a knowing look with Alex.
The two of them made their way to the living room, where Noah was already sitting on the couch, ready for action. The tripod was already set up with Alex’s phone and a ring light she bought especially for the occasion.
“Alrighty, let’s do this…” Olivia said enthusiastically, taking the seat beside Noah.
Alex kept hold of Emmy while she leaned over from his other side and set up the timer on her phone.
“Okay…” She sighed as she sat back down, repositioning Emmy on her lap. “Everybody say cheese!”
“Cheese!” Noah shouted, to Alex’s delight.
The flash went off and she got up to check the result, unclipping her phone from the stand. She and Olivia sat with beaming smiles, Emmy on her lap looking typically homicidal.
Between them, Noah had lifted his head a little, showcasing another bright smile between them, a little gap on the bottom row where his final baby tooth had fallen out. Their little picture perfect family.