Ruth, my eight-year-old daughter, was in a hurry to finish her letter to Santa. After all, she’s been a good child all year round and she most definitely deserved a beautiful gift. But when I read her letter and learned she was expecting Jolly Old St. Nick to bring her heart-shaped earrings just like the ones daddy gave to her nanny, my heart sank.
The holidays, especially Christmas, have always been about tradition in our family. One of those little rituals that made all the difference and lifted our holiday spirit was Ruth’s letters to Santa. She would always put them in the fridge after finishing them, believing that was how they traveled to the North Pole.
This year, I waited for her to write the letter and go to bed before I could read it and buy whatever she asked for. But when I went through the words, I felt like my entire world collapsed.
“Dear Santa, this year, I love the same heart-shaped earring my dad gave to my nanny. Thank you!”
This didn’t make sense. Why would my husband give the nanny jewelry?
As I thought about it, I recalled the closeness between Jerry and Gloria. He did give her small gifts for her birthdays, but she’s been with us for many years, and we considered her part of the family.
But was there more to the story? I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that he gave her jewelry, and Ruth saw it.
The following day, I ordered a nanny cam. The delivery expenses were huge, but I needed to have that cam while Gloria and Ruth were at the park, birds-watching. Before they returned, I installed the cam and hoped to learn if something between my husband and the nanny was going on behind my back.
In the morning, I took Ruth to school and headed to the office. Until the afternoon, there was nothing unusual. I could see Gloria working around the house and humming along to Christmas carols on the radio.
And then, there he was, my husband Jerry. He was supposed to be at work, but instead, he was standing in the middle of the living room, holding a box wrapped in blue paper.
I shut my laptop and headed straight home.
When I entered, both Jerry’s and Gloria’s faces went pale.
“Gloria, open that box, it’s probably something to match your heart-shaped earrings,” I said while she looked at me with confusion.
“Dorothy, I can explain,” Jerry said. “You shouldn’t have learned this way.”
“Learn what Jerry. That you and Gloria are making a fool of me behind my back?”
“No, no, honey,” Jerry tried to explain. “It’s not what it looks like.”
It was then that Gloria started crying. She was unable to speak because of the sobbing.
Jerry then took me by my hand and said, “Yes, I gave Gloria those earrings, but they weren’t from me.”
I got confused even more. “If they are not from you, then who they are from.”
“Brian,” Jerry said quietly, “my best friend who died of cancer 14 years ago.”
It was then that Gloria revealed that Brian was her brother.
“Before he died, Brian made me promise to be there for his sister,” Jerry explained, and I realized that was why he was so pushy about giving her the job.
“He left me a box of gifts for her,” Jerry said. “He wanted her to have pieces of him for milestones in her life—like birthdays, special occasions, moments where she needed to feel he was still with her. Brian planned all of it while he was undergoing chemo.”
It turned out Jerry was only fulfilling a promise he gave years ago.
“Do you know that Ruth is asking from Santa to give her heart-shaped earrings like the ones you gave to Gloria, Jerry?” I asked my husband. “I read her letter and that’s why I though there was something between you to. You should have told me the truth before you made this mess.”
Both Jerry and Gloria apologized for keeping a secret from me.
I wasn’t mad, I just wanted them both to promise there will be no more secrets.
I also asked from Jerry to speak to our daughter and explain to her why he gave the nanny jewelry. It turned out Ruth loved the story.
And of course, she got earrings from Santa just like the ones she wanted.
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Bored Daddy
Love and Peace