“My first wish is super-duper easy and I bet you have a ton of them just lying around, Santa. I mean, you probably have a whole bunch of elves making them. An X-Box, I mean. So I can play Super Mario Brothers! I mean, the boy next door Roger has one but he’s a mean-o and doesn’t let me play. So if I had one of my own then I could tell him that he can’t play mine and show him!” Jaden stopped, and looked at his Mama in a panic at admitting his kind of naughty intentions. She had her hand over her mouth like she did when she was trying to keep him from knowing that she was smiling though, so Jaden thought it’s okay. He did skip quickly to his next wish.
“And then I want a pony. But not just any pony! A pony with gold hair and brown spots and big eyes, who will be nice to me and will let me pet him and hug him and play with me when I’m sad.”
Jaden started getting the weird feeling in his belly again, that one that he tried not to tell his Mama about, the one that he got when Roger was mean to him or the other kids in Ms. Harris’ class didn’t want to play with him at recess because he was not so good at tetherball and his legs are too short to run fast. Or when he thought that he would never meet his Papa because he died in a war…
He must have been quiet for a little too long, because Santa squeezed his shoulder and whispered to him kindly. “And what’s your last wish, Jaden?”
Jaden looked up at Santa, and he couldn’t help that his nose was burning and his eyelashes feel a tiny bit wet.
“I just want a best friend, Santa. Even more than the X-Box and the pony.”
Santa didn’t say anything for a moment and the look on his face was a little like the one his Mama had when she found out Uncle Ben wasn’t going to be home in time for Christmas.
Finally, he patted Jaden’s head and smiled all big and jolly. He looked like Santa again and Jaden couldn’t help but smile back.
“Jaden, you are a very good boy and Santa can definitely see that. I’ll have my elves work on that X-Box for you. I’m not sure about the pony, but only because you have a very specific one in mind and I don’t want you to be disappointed. But I’ll have my elves take a look for you, how about that.” Santa paused again, and Jaden looked at him expectantly.
“And for that last wish…well, Jaden, Santa thinks you need to just keep your heart and your eyes open like the good boy you are. I’m sure soon enough someone will come along and see how special you are and want to be the very best of friends.”
Jaden thanked Santa and climbed off his lap, skipping over to where his Mama was waiting next to one of Santa’s elf helpers. Her eyes were wet like Jaden’s were a few minutes before, and she was looking at him all funny.
“C’mon, honey. Let’s go home and make a gingerbread house. We’ll get Nana and cousin Lara to help us,” she said, clearing her throat, and reaching out her hand to take his.
“Sure Mama.”
It took four years but he finally got his Christmas wish.