Tom K. —“Disastrous Christmas”

Prompt

A few months ago, Tom lost his job. The news came as a shock, and soon the family found themselves in a downward spiral of debt and worry. With no steady income, they had no choice but to sell the house they had lived in for the past few years. They moved to a cabin in the middle of nowhere, on the other side of Germany, surrounded by forests and isolated from the rest of the world. There were barely three or four houses within miles. The tension in his marriage quickly grew. His wife constantly complained that he couldn't provide for her and their five-year-old daughter. Tom did his best to keep a smile and bear it, but he knew that the economic pressure had begun to destroy more than just his financial stability. It wasn't long before arguments became part of his daily life. On Christmas Eve, his wife packed her things and left, leaving him alone with their daughter. Tom was paralyzed with grief and guilt. He didn't know how to explain to his little girl that her mother was gone, that she wasn't coming back. So he made up a story: "Mommy's out looking for Santa, honey. She'll be back with him later." Even though deep down he knew it was a lie, he wasn't ready to break his innocent daughter's heart, especially at a time that had always been one of joy and family togetherness.