Chapter 4: Silent Night, Holy Night

When we returned to the apartment, Jessica immediately went to get out of her work costume and have a shower. Although it had been a shorter shift than she usually worked, it had been busy, and she was tired. I still put on my best mock pouty face at the thought of her taking off the red dress, and she came over and gave me a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek, then promised me once again that if I was a good boy, she would put her Santa outfit back on again for me tomorrow. Tomorrow couldn’t come soon enough.

She came out after her shower wearing her housecoat, and the three of us had some sandwiches before getting ready to go out for the Christmas eve service at a church just up the street from the building the girls lived in. Katelyn made even simple sandwiches taste good. I have no idea what she put in them, other than tuna and some kind of cheese, but the end result was amazing.

Katelyn brewed us a pot of coffee, and we each had a cup after supper while we sat at the table. I reached over and took Jessica’s hand in mine, and told her that there was something I wanted to say to her. Katelyn asked if she should leave, and I said no, I wanted her to stay.

“Jessica, I met you just 24 hours ago, and even though we hardly know each other, I like you and your sister a great deal. I’ve talked with both of you a lot in the time since we met, and I’ve been watching how you interact with each other. And what you have is pretty special. You have been such a great support for Katelyn, and I can tell that she appreciates all you have done and continue to do for her.

“When I look at you two, and look around this apartment, it is obvious that you’ve worked hard to provide for both yourself and your sister. And it is also obvious that you’ve succeeded. You’ve had to be both a big sister and a mother, to a certain extent, and from the time I’ve spent with Kate today, I’d say you’ve found the right balance.

“I also know that in a job like yours there are good weeks and there are bad weeks. You told me yourself that some months there’s enough to live on, and some months there just isn’t. And you told me that because of that, you’ve got some debt hanging over you. I put Kate on the spot today, and asked her what she knew about that debt, and she said that there is some money owing on your credit card that you just can’t seem to get ahead of. She can see that this is worrying you, and so can I. And especially since you’ve been kind enough to invite me in to share your Christmas, I really want you to have a Christmas where you don’t have to worry.

“So,” and I paused to reach into my pocket and pull out a certified cheque, which I placed on the table in front of her, “I want you to accept this from me, not as a gift, but as a loan. You can use it to pay off that credit card, and then you won’t have it hanging over your head anymore.”

Jessica looked down at the cheque, which was for $15,000, and gasped.

“Alex, I can’t take this from you. This is far too much. You can’t afford to give me this kind of money. You’re crazy.”

“Jess, please trust me. I can afford to lend you this amount.”

“No. It’s too much. You can’t give this much money to me.”

“It’s not a gift, Jess. It’s a loan. An interest-free loan, but still a loan. Someday, I want this money back from you. And there are no strings attached to this, whatsoever. I’m not expecting that loaning you this money will mean you owe me any favours at all. Really. I just want you to take it, and put it in your bank account, and pay off that other debt.”

“Why? Why would you do this to me? What have I done to deserve this?”

“Well, you listened to me, when I was having a rough day. And you welcomed me into your home, when I was feeling like I had no home left at all. But more than that, you’ve spent the past few years working your ass off to look after your little sister, and to make sure she had the best start in life that you could give her. For that, you deserve my respect, and yes, if I can help you in some small way, you deserve that help from me, and from others as well.”

She passed the cheque across the table to her sister. “Kate, did you know he was going to do this?”

Katelyn shook her head. “I knew he was thinking of doing something, but I had no idea this was what he was planning. Really.”

“Jessica,” I said, “how much money are you short on in an average month, when things aren’t good?”

She thought for a minute. “I don’t know. Maybe $200 or $300. Somewhere in there.”

I did a quick calculation. “And do you know how much interest you pay each month on that credit card debt? I’m guessing it has to be over $200 a month, on a balance that high. So, if you didn’t have to pay all that in interest every month, you’d be making enough even in the bad months to pay all your bills, right?”

The light bulb came on, and she saw what I was thinking. She nodded. But she wasn’t quite done.

“Are you sure you can afford to do this? Really?”

I looked into her eyes.

“I’m certain,” I said.

Jessica looked across the table at her sister, with an unspoken question in her eyes.

“Jess, you’ve given up so much over the past few years for me. I know it hasn’t been easy, and I know you’ve had very few people really offer to help you out. Alex is offering to do that. I’ve seen how worried you’ve been these past few weeks, and I know this is why you’re worried. So please, please, let him help you. And then as things get better you can give it back to him. I know you’ll pay him back. But please, let him help you look after everything.”

Jess was quiet for a moment, then stood up, with tears in her eyes, and came and knelt beside my chair. She wrapped her arms around me, and kissed my cheek.

“Alex, this whole mess has been like a weight around my neck for over 2 years now. I’ve been losing sleep over it, especially lately. I just couldn’t see any way to get out from under it, and it’s been getting worse and worse because of the interest. And now you’ve given me a way to fix it. Thank you. I will accept this money that you’ve offered me, and pay off what I owe. But I will pay you back, I promise.”