CHAPTER 26

Christmas that year was a rather sedate affair. Since there were only three of them, Kyle's mother decided that Christmas dinner was to be prepared and held at his grandmother's.

So the morning before Christmas, we arrived at Bea's country-style home, arms laden with goodies, groceries and gifts, much to Bea's delight. Kyle's mother did not waste much time before she started with dinner preparation. Kyle and I helped whenever we could, while Kyle's father busied himself with Christmas decorations.

Later on, while the turkey was baking, we were all in the main family room, putting up the Christmas tree. It was a perfect picture, Kyle and his parents at the tree, putting on their favourite pieces of ornaments, supervised by Bea in her rocking chair. My mind wandered to Trish.

We did not see each other again after that fateful encounter at Kyle's den. Lisa had mentioned briefly that both she and Trish would be leaving the day after Christmas for Thailand, where they planned to meet up with some friends. I would not be seeing her again, and I felt a pang of regret.

On Christmas morning, Kyle roused me early, saying that everybody was waiting downstairs to open the Christmas presents. I quickly brushed my teeth, splashed some water on my face and made my way down. I received a Seiko from Kyle's parents, and a complete set of English-French reference books from Bea. Kyle got a brand new tennis racket from his parents, and a novel by his favourite author from his grandmother.

Later, when we were in our room, Kyle produced a small box from a drawer and handed it to me. "From Trish," he said.

I took the box and gingerly untied the tiny string that held it together. Inside was a delicate gold chain, and the small card attached read, "Love, Always. Trish."