Christmas Eve

   I continued to keep my dreams a secret from my friends and even my mother. Despite how stupid that might have been I acted that way because I wanted to confirm the meaning of these dreams first before I burdened anyone. It was a struggle but I managed to deal with the situation discreetly. After a few months had passed I stopped having them. They abruptly vanished, which confused me, but at least I wouldn't have to hide them anymore. I was then able to focus more on my studies, my friends, and my dream to become a basketball player.

  During Christmas Break, I helped my mom with any preparations that had to be made. After those preparations, I would occasionally hang out with our group. It was so much fun to spend time with them. We sometimes play some basketball together or just sit on a bench together and chat. I also had basketball lessons. I aimed to make it on our high school's basketball team. Frequently, I would watch them practice whenever I had free time, and seeing their passion and drive just motivated me to put in more effort. With that motivation, I was able to endure the intensity of the lessons and maintain a consistent performance.

  As Christmas drew nearer and nearer my mom tried to contact my father about returning home to spend time with us. Each time he answered, he said if he could stop working in time, he would come and see us, but deep down, I thought he was still disappointed in me. I tried approaching him when I was younger about abandoning my studies to pursue basketball full time but that didn't go well. We ended up making a deal that involved me having to maintain my grades if I wanted to pursue basketball. Trying to juggle both academics and basketball led to stress but I refused to give in.

  On Christmas Eve I gave myself some time to think about everything. Juggling academics, weird dreams, and my disappointed father being absent from my life. I lay down in my bed as the weight of my life crashed down on me. I didn't think at all that I had the most difficult conditions, but for a kid, that was extremely stressful to have to cope with. Tears began rolling down my face. I felt like I couldn't endure the stress anymore. I drifted away in my emotions.

  As this happened I heard a sound. A relentless sound. It freed me from my state. After taking some time to regain my composure I looked for the source of the sound. It was my phone. My friends were attempting to get in touch with me. "Hello." I greeted them softly. "Hi bro! Sorry for calling so late." "No problem." "We were wondering if you want to meet up in the park for a bit," Samantha stated. "Can you come?" Ayumi asked. "Sure. I'll ask my mom and try to get there as quickly as possible." I left the call, sat on my bed, and began crying. They brought me back to my normal self without even being aware of doing so, yet another reason to be grateful for them.

  I put on a coat and asked my mother if I could go and see my friends. "Sure but don't stay out too late. Also, be safe." She hugged me and then allowed me to leave. I admired the beautiful night sky which was illuminated by the lustrous stars. Eventually, I made it there. I scanned the area but no one was there. I sat on a bench and listened to some music. The cold air constantly blew on my face. Gradually, I became drowsier. I couldn't resist the urge any more, so I lay down on the bench and slept.

  While I slept soundly, I thought of all the things that made me happy. Despite being in an uncomfortable place, that was probably one of the best experiences I have had sleeping in quite a while. Without my control, I began dreaming of Ayumi. I never stared at her or looked at her for too long, so when she appeared in my dream, I was caught off guard. I finally realized how beautiful she was. In my dream little by little, she approached me. My heart began pounding. She then began whispering in my ears, "Wake up, wake up."

  Ayumi was attempting to rouse me from sleeping. When I opened my eyes I saw how close she was to me. In utter shock and being flustered I fell off of the bench. "Are you okay?" "Yeah, you just surprised me." "Oh sorry." "Don't worry about it. Where are Sam and Alex?" "You didn't see their text?" "Nope, I was sleeping ever since I got here." "Their parents wanted to spend the rest of Christmas Eve together " "Oh, I see. Don't you have to spend time with your family?"

  "I only live with my aunt now and she's asleep. Being a doctor is pretty exhausting I guess." "Fair." "What about you?" "My father is on a business trip, and it doesn't look like he'll be able to return home in time for Christmas, and my mom and I plan on spending the entirety of Christmas together." "Oh ok." I looked at my phone and saw the time. "Damn, it's getting late! We should probably head home." "Ok, let's go then." We began walking home and because of my dream, I refrained from looking at her too much.

  Ultimately, my temptations got the better of me. I gazed at her and then finally came to a realization. She wasn't wearing a coat. On closer inspection, I recognized she was shivering. "Take this." I was offering her a coat. "But won't you get cold?" "Don't worry about it. Why didn't you bring one?" "My old one had to be thrown away. Plus, it doesn't snow here, so I thought it would be fine." "Please don't make more assumptions like that."  We continued walking in silence.

  "Hey Ayumi, what do you want for Christmas?" She began thinking upon hearing my question. "Probably some more books." "Why do you love books so much?" "Each story conveys a different message, and although some characters might be similar, they have different perspectives most of the time. Learning them is fascinating to me." "Oh, I never thought of that. Quick question. You read a lot, have you ever written anything before?"

  "I tried but they're not good." "Can I read them sometime?" "I don't know. Probably." Time flew by as we talked, and before long, her house was in sight. "Well, goodbye, Ken" "Bye, Yumi." She walked away, and as soon as I turned around, she began running towards me. "What is it?" "I forgot that I have your coat." "Keep it." "But don't you need it?" "Nah I have others at home. This way, you don't have to buy another coat, right?" "Thank you, Ken." 

  I didn't know why b, but for some reason, I desired to hug her. So I did. "Merry Christmas Yumi." She was silent s, so I assumed that I had made her feel uneasy, and I stopped embracing her. "Sorry I, made you feel uncomfortable. It won't happen aga…" I couldn't even finish my sentence. She firmly hugged me leaving me a bit confused. "I was shocked and uncomfortable, pleasen't make more assumptions like that." She said with a smirk on her face. "Touché."

  I returned the hug and she wished me a merry Christmas before ending the hug and going inside her house. Before meeting her I was overwhelmed by the negative things in my life. Now I genuinely felt happy. Because of her, I was able to enjoy my Christmas Eve and Christmas. On Christmas night I lay down on my bed. She was on my mind. Before meeting her, I thought I couldn't make any other good friends like Samantha and Alexander, but she proved me wrong. In the months, have known her for, she has become a great friend.