Tension was brewing in the air. Cory was just kilometers away from confronting the disaster that had just occurred at his childhood home. Cory was still a child, encountering new challenges and learning lifelong lessons everyday. Nothing had changed. He still went to school; he still had Topanga and his parents still lived in the same home.
Just meters away from the destination, everyone was quiet. This was a silent night, but not as peaceful as the song. The only sound heard was everyone's feet, trudging in the snow. Cory thought about all the moments he had shared in this one area of land. This was not just a house but a home, his home. “Dad?” Riley asked. “Can I ask you something?”
Cory sighed as his foot landed hesitantly on the front step. “Sure. But before you do, I want you all to know, that whatever happens, this is Christmas, the happiest time of the year. I want to make sure that whatever happens after I open this door, won't change the way we feel about this time of year.”
Topanga rubbed Cory's back. “Mom? Dad? Is everything going to be ok?” Riley questioned. Before she could answer, her grandmother, Amy, opened the door, tears gushing down her face. Cory ran inside, with Topanga behind him. Amy grabbed Auggie and took him to the toy room, Cory's old room. “Maya? What’s happening?” Riley cried.
“Kid,” Maya replied. “Everything will be ok.” Sound blasted from the siren approaching outside. The ambulance ran into the house with their equipment. Riley rushed to Topanga, crying. Maya turned to the side, accidentally straight into Josh’s arms.
“Get off me!” Josh shouted at Maya, abruptly. Maya walked away crying. This house didn’t hold the merry Christmas spirit. It was Christmas Eve, but for this family, it was just a general eve, or a disastrous eve.
Riley and Maya watched as the ambulance wheeled out Alan on a stretcher. They could faintly hear what the head worker was saying to Amy and Cory. “We will do some tests and let you know how he is. Remember to have a safe and joyful Christmas.”
Riley turned to Maya. “This is the one time of the year that I see my grandparents…” Riley told. “Is that wrong?” Riley felt bad, as this could be the last time she ever saw Alan, her grandfather, and her family never made the effort to visit them in Philadelphia.
“No, kid,” Maya answered. “I don’t see my father at all, no matter if it is Christmas, New Year’s Eve, or my birthday… There are only a very few amount of people that I see who actually care about me. Life is full of disappointment, full of tragedy, full of heartbreak.” Riley comforted Maya and sat down as the family awaited an update on Alan’s situation.
The doorbell rang. Cory uncertainly stood up to open it, but Josh showed him to sit down and went himself. Everyone starred as his hand grasped the doorknob and turned to open. It was now or never, to found out if Alan was all right, for Riley to know if she would ever see her grandfather again. Riley wished in her mind, that her Christmas present would not be a phone but for her grandfather to be healthy. The door opened. TO BE CONTINUED