• Her fingers glided over the keys of the brand new piano that her mother bought for her. she hadn't been able to play for years, due to complications. she wasn't a very good pianist, but she wasn't really bad either she was in the middle. her life ambition was to be a historian, she dreamed of nothing more than going all over the world learning and educating others on history. she was different from the kids at school. she was a senior in high school, and without a boyfriend made school life even worse. the fingers slowed suddenly, the song was coming to an end. her mother stood over her listening to the song. when she ended the last chord she lifted her hands, and her mother said "well done Elizabeth, that sounded lovely."
    she beamed, she absolutely loved to be praised, because she doesn't always do things right. she got up from the piano and hugged her mother. "thank you, this gift is lovely." "anything for my graduating senior." it was Christmas day, and the piano was not the only thing that she received. on top of the piano she received a movie a game and some history books. she had given her mother a beautiful sapphire bracelet.
    her father died 6 years ago, and as she finished hugging her mom she looked up to the photo of her dad in his air force uniform. she let a single perfect tear fall to the floor as she remembered the fateful day the air force called saying that her father died in the war. one of the enemy airplanes fired at my dads plane and it crashed and burned. she was sad because they had called on her birthday, her twelfth birthday had been her worst. she spent her birthday at the funeral home making arrangements with her mom. it was a sad day the next day when she sat there in the church with her mom at her dads funeral.
    her mom never remarried, she never even went out on dates. so it was only her mom and her. they had no man to protect them, love them, or lavish them with gifts. it was only them and their cat muff. what a Christmas indeed.