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Joe peaked around the corner and smiled when he saw the house on fire. The reason Joe was smiling was that he knew that once Nicky had delved with the drug dealer's warehouse and the drug dealer himself, the drug dealer couldn't sell his "candy" to the children or others in the future, and the area would become more secure for its residents. If you asked Joe, it was a great Christmas gift to give to people.
Joe's original plan was to stroll away nice, calmly and cool, but that plan went out of the window when one of the drug dealer's men identified Joe as the one who blew up the house. And now that Joe was running, he needed to find a place to lay low for a while. When Joe spotted an outhouse, he decided to stay there for a time. After jumping a fence, Joe got inside and texted Nicky.
"Hi, Babe. Love you and all. Could you please pick me up? Some people weren't too happy about me blowing up their house. And I don't know why. Anyway. Love you still. Yusuf."
It only took Nicky a second to text back.
"Sure, but it will cost you. I'm thinking of tying you up to the bed during Christmas and doing wonderful things to you. Love you. Be there in an hour. Love you. Nicolò."
Before Joe could answer back, he heard a miav somewhere in the dark and some movement.
"Sorry," A small voice said. "Peanut won't hurt you."
Joe walked over to the big boxes and saw a little girl sitting behind them, hugging her orange cat. She had braids, freckles, brown eyes, and was an African American. She couldn't be more than 8. To Joe, it was clear that the little girl was freezing, so he took off his jacket and placed it around the little girl's shoulders. Then Joe sat down on the floor.
"I have to admit," Joe said. "It's a pretty good hideout you got."
"Is not a hideout," The girl replied. "It's Peanut and my new home."
The little girl hugged the cat, who wasn't too happy about it, but Joe could tell it was because the little girl was scared of something. Then Joe remembered a silly app he had downloaded and found it. Joe had originally downloaded the fireplace app as a way to spread some romance on a mission that was everything but romantic, something Nicky appreciated by kissing Joe all night long in the cramped space in the attic. Joe placed the phone on the floor, and it made the little girl smile.
"I just thought you needed a fireplace in your new home," Joe said as he leaned back against the wall. "Do you have other plans with your new home?"
"Not really," The little girl replied. "Tomorrow, I promise Peanut tuna for breakfast."
"Peanut sounds a lot like my husband," Joe laughed. "When I met him a long time ago, all he ate was dried and salted cod for breakfast."
"Why?" The little girl wanted to know. "Why did he eat that?"
"He said it tasted better than the bread the monk baked," Joe replied. "Anyway, what are you having for breakfast tomorrow?"
"I don't know," The little girl replied. "I only got five dollars, and I'm using them on Peanut."
Joe looked to his right and saw a backpack.
"That is very kind of you," Joe replied. "Does Peanut's best friend have a name? Just so I know if I'm still the one with the silliest name in the room. My Name is Yusuf Ibrahim Muhammed Al-Kaysani di Genova. But most people call me Joe."
"I'm Rosie," Rosie replied. "Why do you have such a long name?
"The first name I got from my Mother, the second name from my Mother's Father, and the third name from my Father's Father together with my last name," Joe replied. "And di Genova. That's my husband's last name."
Rosie just nodded.
"That's a lot of names," Rosie said. "Why do you have so many names?"
"As a way to remember my family and those who loved me," Joe replied. "Are you also named after someone in your family?"
"I was named after my Father's Mother," Rosie replied. "She was a nice lady."
"Sorry that you lost her," Joe replied. "Listen, Rosie. In my pocket, there should be a small packet. Could you give it to me?"
Rosie found the packet and handed it to Joe.
"That's sticky," Rosie said. "What's in the packet?"
"My husband loves to bake, and he always makes sure to put a slice of cake in my pocket as a snack," Joe replied. "It's called baklava. Do you want a piece?"
"Yes, please," Rosie replied. "If it's ok with you."
Joe took a small piece of the baklava and handed the rest to Rosie.
"Could I ask you to hold Peanut?" Rosie wanted to know. "So that she won't run away while I eat."
Joe took Peanut and placed it in his lap. While Rosie ate, Joe petted the cat, who was chewing on his fingers in an attempt to get loose.
"Rosie," Joe said. "Why are you hiding here instead of being at home? It's soon Christmas."
Rosie stopped eating and dried her eyes.
"It's better like this," Rosie replied. "For everyone."
"Mind elaborating?" Joe wanted to know. "Why do you think it is better for all that you stay here?"
Rosie didn't say anything for a long while. She just ate the rest of the baklava before licking her fingers.
"My Baby Brother is ill. He is a cute baby called Dennis," Rosie replied. "Do you want to see a photo of him?"
"Sure," Joe replied. "I love babies."
Rosie found her phone. She ignored the texts and calls from her parents and found a photo, which she showed Joe. Joe could tell that it was a happy family.
"My Brother got tummy problems. And yesterday, I heard Daddy say they didn't have money for medicine and food because he was fired," Rosie said. "So, I thought if I left with Peanut, there would be more money for the others so Dennis can have his medicine together with food."
"That is a nice thought of you, Rosie," Joe replied. "But don't you think that your parents are worried about you? And that they miss their little girl?"
"Yeah, I do think that," Rosie replied. "I want to help my family, and the only thing I could think of was to run away."
Joe placed Peanut in the backpack and zipped it before he picked up Rosie to comfort her.
"It's soon Christmas," Joe said. "Why not ask Santa for help? You write a letter to him, and I make sure that it will be delivered before Christmas Eve?"
"Christmas is in two days," Rosie replied. "You never make it to the North Pole."
"Let me worry about that," Joe replied. "You write the letter and go home to your parents, and in return, I'll make sure that your letter will be delivered."
"Joe?" Rosie asked. "What if Santa can't help us?"
"Have a little faith, Rosie," Joe replied. "If you have that, I promise you will go far in your life."
Rosie found a piece of paper in her school bag and wrote the letter, while Joe texted Nicky to find the family who was missing a little girl named Rosie and a cat named Peanut. It didn't take long before Nicky found an address. Then they agreed that Nicky would clear the way so no one would shoot after Joe while he got Rosie home.
An hour later, Joe and Rosie stood outside Rosie's house.
"Go inside, Rosie," Joe said when Rosie took Joe's hand and squeezed it. "I promise they won't be mad at you. They'll be so happy to see you and Peanut."
Rosie chewed on her lips before she looked up at Joe.
"Promise me, Joe," Rosie said. "That you'll get my letter to Santa. So, he can help Dennis."
"I promise," Joe replied. "Nothing will stop me."
Joe pushed Rosie up the stairs and rang the bell before he left. Joe had just crossed the street when he turned around and saw that Rosie's parents were hugging her. Rosie waved at Joe, who waved back when she was carried inside by her Father.
"You did a good deed, my Love," Nicky said with a smile when Joe found Nicky waiting at the car. "For that, you shall have a kiss."
Nicky kissed Joe.
"Thanks," Joe said with a smile. "There's something else I need to do first before we leave this city. I got a letter to deliver to Santa."
Joe held up Rosie's letter, and Nicky nodded.
On Christmas Morning, Rosie's Father Mike opened his email. He hadn't any hopes of getting a reply from any of the jobs he had applied for over the last month. As he was scrolling through the endless of nos and sorry we gave the job to another, he saw an email for a job he couldn't remember he had applied for.
"Debbie," Mike said. "You need to see this email."
Mike turned the laptop around so Debbie could read the email.
"You can't say no to that job, Mike," Debbie said as she hugged Mike. "You get better paid than ever before, so we can pay the bills and get food and the hours are even less than your old job. And you get free health care for the entire family. Mike, Dennis can have his operation and the medicine so he can get well again. It's the miracle we hoped for."
Mike took around Debbie. What they didn't see was that Rosie was sitting outside the doorway, just out of sight holding Peanut.
"Thanks, Joe," Rosie said. "For getting my letter to Santa in time."
Rosie never told anyone about Joe or the letter to Santa. In Rosie's mind, she had met Santa in disguise because Joe had had a big beard. It was her little secret. A secret she knew that Peanut would keep, too.