Chapter 1| Playing Santa
"The negotiation at the moment felt more than nice, what could earth lose in a thousand years? it was more than a fair option it was stupid," Nana stopped with a theatrical flair that made Kimberly chuckle from the doorpost where she stood and watch the huddled doe-eyed children, hungry for every word Nana had to utter.
"Yes, so also is the repeated story that you have told more than a million times, with no facts to back it up, no collaboration with reality," she struts in knowing that Nana will be watching her take her time to unstrap her boot heels, slide her coat from her body and dump it on the couch.
The children took the cue already aware that storytime will be continued next time when grumpy Kimberly is gone.
Nana stood up. She smiled at her grandmother, the only woman she had ever had as a mother figure. Her mom had died during childbirth and her dad never existed.
"You know your eyes used to brighten up once upon a time when I say such stupid words," Nana smiled back at her then frowning picked her jacket off the couch.
"Let's just say I grew up. Besides, my occupation doesn't give room for fantasies. It is all about real facts and how much you can prove with that." She shook her head, not able to control herself from plunging into an argument she has had millions of times with her Nana, "There should at least be something, a fact that collaborates with the most popular myth in the world."
"The story says that it happens every millennium, I ain't sure any human has a lifespan more than a 100,000 so they can give you the facts you need."
Kimberly shook her brunette hair loose from the tight bun it was in. "Remember documentation is eternal. Something so big, a girl leaving her house and siblings to go live with some hideous creature should have made the papers." She threw her hands up in the air.
"Why are you beating yourself up for just a little harmless myth?" Nana's lips quirked with a little knowing smile, "Are you trying to prove to me or yourself, that the underworld doesn't exist."
Kimberly huffed in disbelief, "forget I even brought this up, who cares about the underworld?" Then she heaved sprawling her tired body on a couch, "Besides, this human needs food and is thoroughly drained."
Nana gave her a tender look, her gaze softening, "Rough day huh?"
She nodded.
"Baby, I know we have been through this more than once but you need to take it easy on yourself__"
"Nana, I'll be fine besides I have walked down the cabal and Dominic legal service firm for as long as I can remember with a wistful smile and hope that one day I'll be inside that building, wearing a big frown on my face for no reason and sauntering down the hallway with my lawyer's wig," Kimberley smiled at Her, " I worked so hard for this. interview after interview, test after test__"
"The more reason why you need to take it easy on yourself. You don't need to overstress yourself or exhaust yourself, you falling ill is the last thing you want, trust me."
"I'll be just fine, trust me, Nana."
She chuckled to herself a little as Nana made her way upstairs, Kimberly's coat draped on her arm while mumbling under her breath something she knew was the same old stuff, how she was stubborn and didn't hear a word she said.
She shook her head, as her gaze took in the cozy house that Nana had made so many memories in for her, it became a home. Nana playing Santa every year even till she turned 18 was one of her favorites. At least, in the end, they both agreed that she overgrew that phase immediately she saw her first menstrual cycle and knew that boys didn't have cooties.
Even though Nana doesn't believe she ever did enough, Kimberly knew she had more than enough and she was thankful for the life she had. A family, the love of her life, a good-paying job. She wouldn't trade how perfect her life was going for the world.
Her phone rang inside her handbag interrupting her train of thoughts. She emptied the contents of the bag on the floor, too tired to search for anything.
Seeing the caller's ID a big goofy grin was plastered on her face. "Hello, Ugly."
She could almost imagine him, his nerdy glasses on, his Raven black hair ruffled because of how many times he must have raked his hands over it, a cute mannerism he exhibits whenever he reads his blue eyes shining aglow as the little lamplight he keeps on his study table illuminating his face.
She had known Bryan for as long as forever was, he was her high school sweetheart. The perfect A list couple that was recognized by the whole school and was awwned and fawned over throughout college but what nobody ever thought possible was that they will last this long.
"Hi, gorgeous."
That has been their regular greeting pattern ever since they met each other at the detention room that had forged their relationship.
She still has to work around that picture or try to tune it to her liking when telling her grandchildren how they met but for now, the original story was that Bryan was given detention for the first time because used to sticking to the rules, that was on his bucket list. While detention was not a foreign land to her as a result of her argumentative streak which was so passionate and her teachers didn't seem to appreciate it.
She would love to tell her grandchildren that blinds dropped, pencils rolled, they stared at each other's eyes and knew they were soulmates but nothing of the sort happened. It had turned out to be the scariest day of her life as she could remember holding his hand at the back of the ambulance with an oxygen mask over his face.
He was asthmatic, had an attack right in detention but had forgotten his inhaler.
The nickname ugly came from how pale he had looked when she came to see him the next day, then a healthy friendship had blossomed and one day, she realized she'd like to kiss him and he felt the same way. Viola!
"I've been thinking about you all day, so I decided to call."
"Wow!" Her mouth closed with a dramatic audible pop, "So you still have time to think about me in your book clustered mind, my encyclopedia," there was silence at the other side and Kimberly could almost see him readjusting his wiry spectacles on his oval handsome face.
"I think about you all the time, Kim." His words were a soft whisper but it sent a flutter down her spine. "During every surgical procedure, every time I wear those damn scrubs, every time I lift another nerdy book, even while I'm on my lunch break, your thoughts never take a break," she chuckled lightly.
"Your thoughts always hover at the back of my mind somehow and my mind always remembers how insanely in love I am with you."
"Better, we won't want those hot nurses of yours getting any idea now, would we?" His soft chuckle felt like music to her ears.
"None of them come close to how hot you are. You won prom queen twice in a row, had many opportunities and agencies willing to take you on for modeling, which you vehemently rejected believing__"
"Modelling is for dumb bimbos." They both said in unison.
"Do I say it that much?"
"Trust me, you won't like the answer."
"But I want to be out there banging out the truth, solving the toughest cases, cracking the biggest mystery, always on the adrenaline knowing that someone's freedom relies greatly on what I can prove, not some faceless body showing off an outfit."
"And you are finally having the opportunity to do that, you work for the biggest firm in Los Angeles and I am super proud of you," he paused, an indication he was looking for an appropriate set of words to switch into a topic he knew she won't appreciate, "About work can you please lay it down a notch. You are always up perusing files, looking up a client, past cases of rival lawyers and it doesn't help that you are always up at the crack of dawn heading for work."
"Nana reported you to me," She groaned, "As usual."
"Something tells me if we were dating when I was 7, she would have also told you I didn't want to floss."
He gasped playfully, a side to him that only she saw, "that is bad Kim, bad girl, bad."
They both chuckled.
"But honestly though Nana had a hand__"
"Not news, she always has both hands and legs."
"But" he enunciated, "I notice the sleeping bags underneath your eyes, how overworked you look, and with the rate you are going, you will end up getting sick. Please try to slow down a bit."
She tsked, idly drumming her fingers on the couch armchair, "For someone who made the youngest successful surgeon in the New York's time newspaper you sound like a hypocrite, let's not forget that you work in your dad's hospital and don't have a workload cut out for you, to prove yourself as I do."
Bryan's father owned one of the biggest hospitals in the country and it was more like a family legacy she had heard more than once. His grandfather was in the medical field, he was a neurologist, his dad a doctor, his mom a doctor, and him a neurosurgeon.
They always look so cool in their white scrubs working hand in hand whenever she drops by to see Bryan, she could almost smell the headline if a picture of that moment is being taken, "Power family"
"You are the best lawyer that I know of. You are so confident, sometimes it gets you into trouble, damn intelligent, efficient, hardworking, professional, passionate about arguing," he sighed, "which sometimes gives me an ache in both my head and heart, but they should be happy to have you. You don't need to prove anything to anybody."
"Try telling that to my sullen, ugly looking boss who looks down on me because of my age,"
His voice reduced conspiratorially, "Why don't we show him what we are made of then, make him swallow his depreciating thoughts he hasn't even voiced out."
"That is why I'm staying up and doing my best__" she chirped in excitement at the thought he was finally on her side.
"And getting sick won't do that." He deadpanned.
"You should be awarded most unsupportive boyfriend of the year and then handed a shining trophy that reminds you how you couldn't even side with your girlfriend even once and picked sides with Nana instead."
"Nana gives me grilled chicken and her infamous lasagna. Her chocolate cookies are amazing, let's not even discuss her desserts that are responsible for my sweet tooth. But what do you give me?" He drawled the last part, "You can't even toast a pancake to save your life."
Her eyes widened in incredulity as he brought up one of their "never to discuss list". Her inability to cook was one of the things she never liked to discuss. Nana had always cooked for her and cared for her generally so she never felt the need to do most things herself, cooking was one of them.
"We agreed we'll never talk about that!"
"I couldn't resist." His words were laced with amusement while she rolled her eyes not believing he found anything about her inability to cook amusing, "I think it is really sweet, how you exclaim and get mad. I know millions of girls who can't cook and that doesn't make you less special to me or less human besides I cook real good. I'll gladly be your chef."
She had butterflies fluttering down her tummy, "You don't even know more than 50 people." She taunted, reminding him of how much of an introverted and reserved person he was. "your colleagues and family members are inclusive."
"I don't need more than 10 people when I have you in my life. You are more than enough."