3 Christmas Crazy Read Online Free PDF Page B

couldn’t stay, because her parents were waiting for her, but she wanted you to have the gift.”
    Suddenly I felt like crying. “Did she give me gifts other years?”
    My dad hesitated. “A few. I was going to save this for later, but she sent us each a gift this year.”
    “She did?” I was shocked. “What is it?”
    “Are you sure you don’t want to wait until Christmas?” Dad asked.
    “No, this is perfect. Let’s open them now.”
    My dad went into the back room and returned with two huge boxes. Each contained the most awesome snowboards I’d ever seen.
    “She bought us snowboards?” I was stunned. “They’re so . . .” I searched for the right word. They were like no other boards I’d ever seen.
    “They’re prototypes,” Dad supplied. “Your mom called me before she sent them. She’s been staying with her parents in Switzerland while she tries to figure out her life, and she met a man who builds and sells snowboards and ski equipment. She talked him out of two of his boards and sent them to us. They are truly the first of their kind.”
    “Wow, that’s so awesome. I can’t wait to try mine out.”
    “Sunday,” Dad suggested.
    “It’s a date.”
    Dad smiled.
    “So how is Mom?” I had to ask. “I guess she didn’t marry her prince?”
    My mom had been in town a few months earlier, although no one had bothered to fill me in on her presence until after she’d left. After a lifetime of world travel, glamorous love affairs, and exotic adventures, she’d become engaged to a prince, only to realize at the last minute that marriage to a wealthy and powerful man she didn’t love might not be all it was cracked up to be.
    “No, she didn’t get married. After she left here, she went to her parents’ chalet and has been there ever since.”
    “And the guy who made the boards? Is he a new boyfriend?”
    “She says they’re just friends.”
    “Did she mention coming back for a visit? I didn’t get to see her last time, and I thought maybe . . .”
    “She didn’t mention it specifically, but she did say that she misses us and has been thinking about us a lot lately. I imagine she’ll come around after the holidays.”
    I know that most of you are going to find this ridiculous, given the number of times my mom has deserted my dad and me, but the knowledge that my mom didn’t marry her prince and had in fact thought to send us gifts, filled me with a hope that, to most, would seem unwise and uncalled for. What can I say? Every year since I could talk, I’ve asked Santa to bring me my mother. While a snowboard from her isn’t exactly what I wished for, it’s still a lot. Apparently, when it comes to my mom, any hope, as little as it may be, is still hope.

Chapter 5
Friday, December 6
     
    After a long and busy week, it was finally Friday. I tried to tell myself I was so jazzed because of the tree-lighting ceremony that evening, but the truth of the matter was, I’d missed Zak, and his plane would be landing in a few short hours at the airport in the valley. He’d left his car in long-term parking, so he didn’t require a ride, but I’d talked to him the night before and he’d promised to pick me up in plenty of time for the annual event.
    Our town has a long list of traditions. While most stem from our attempt to balance the budget, I feel like the tree lighting is something we do just for ourselves. The tree had been decorated for days now. Each evening, as I passed the park on the east end of town, I thought about how wonderful the same drive home from the shelter would be once the tree and the gazebo were lit. There would be a choir singing favorite carols as someone from the community was given the honor of lifting the switch and bringing Christmas spirit to our small town.
    The ladies’ auxiliary would sell hot cocoa and cookies, while the bars along the main drag would cater to those wishing for a more adult-type beverage. Zak and I were meeting up with Ellie and Levi for a