Sarah opened the door for them and they walked into the beautiful reception area. The three kids were amazed by the size of the house and Mindy and Gabriella were giggling when they saw Carlos Jenny's son peeping out from the kitchen. Carlos called Jonah to the kitchen and introduced himself. They became instant friends, and immediately went outside to play. Jenny said that she would call them as soon as dinner is ready. The two girls wandered around, and discovered the library. Mindy sat on the floor and stared at all the books. She loved stories and begged Gabriella to read her a story. Terrence and Maria found them there lost in their own world.
"You had better explain to me what is going on Maria."
Maria nodded and asked him to follow her upstairs to a small office that she saw earlier.
"You better sit down Terrence. This might be too much to handle."
Terrence sat down at the beautiful Mahogany desk and pulled out a chair for Maria to sit. Maria told him everything that she could remember and Terrence was just as surprised as she was.
"What are you going to do with all of this?"
Maria laughed.
"To be honest, I have absolutely no idea. I went to see Jack today and this is for real. Mr Settler will have all the papers drawn up before new year and everything will be transferred to my name. This is too good to be true. We both found jobs at the right time, and now here we are. Soon I will have more money than I can count, and I would probably never have to work a day in my life again. But I honestly want to do good with this house and this money, and I want you to help me decide."
Jenny rang the bell for dinner and they walked downstairs towards the dining room.
"We could always turn this house into a hotel." Terrence said jokingly and Maria just laughed.
The kids were already seated at the table, and the food looked absolutely delicious. Jenny had put in a lot of effort and she really wanted to impress them all. Sarah and George sat opposite Maria and Terrence, and they chatted like old friends.
After dinner Jenny suggested that they all have some coffee in the living room, while the kids watched a movie in the theater.
Jonah and Carlos chose the movie, and a few minutes later the adults had the place all to themselves. It was a weird situation as Jenny and the other help was not used to be part of any conversations in this household, but Maria did not want them to feel uncomfortable. She was definitely not used to having anyone help her, but she could imagine that you needed help in such a large house.
After the movie had finished, Maria asked George if he would take them home. The kids begged her to stay but she put her foot down. It was a great evening, and something that she will always remember. She just had to figure out what exactly she was going to do with the place. All three kids had so much fun and fell asleep in the car, Maria smiled at Terrence when they drove past the Christmas tree in the park, and then it hit her like lightning.
"I know what I'm going to do Terrence....I'm going to change the house into a shelter for battered woman."
Terrence smiled at her and said. "That Maria, might be the best idea that you had all day! "
George helped Terrence carry the girls upstairs, and Maria helped Jonah to bed. After George left, Maria and Terrence sat in the kitchen talking. Maria was so excited about her idea that she knew that it would be difficult to sleep. She wanted to do research immediately, and she hoped to speak to Mr Settler about her idea in the morning. She also wanted to call the social worker because she definitely wanted Susan involved. Everything might just work out perfectly.
Terrence finished his coffee and excused himself. He thanked Maria for the lovely day, and told her that he would see her in the morning. Maria stayed and did some planning on a piece of paper. After she sorted out everything on paper, she could finally go to bed. She knew exactly what she was going to do and very excitedly went upstairs. She had a perfect life with the perfect new friends, and she knew that together, they could achieve anything. She fell asleep almost instantly.
-To be continued
Chapter 1 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-1
Chapter 2 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-2
Chapter 3 - https://steemit.com/story/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-3
Chapter 4 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-4
Chapter 5 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-5
Chapter 6 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-6
Chapter 7 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-7
Chapter 9 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-9
Chapter 10 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-10
Chapter 11 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-11
Chapter 12 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-12
Chapter 13 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-13
Chapter 14 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-14
Chapter 15 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/dtbcx-the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-14
Chapter 16 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-16
Chapter 17- https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-17
Chapter 18 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-18
Chapter 19 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-19
Chapter 20 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-20
Chapter 21 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-21
Chapter 22 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-22
Good post my friend..thanks for sharing.
Merry Christmas all the best wishes to you and your family @giantbear
Happy merry Christmas to all of u !!
@giantbear
Congratulations I have been given nice labor
Ok. The story is still going well. I'll be waiting for Chapter 24.
This is awesome. I love reading much on holidays like this, and I always say to myself that I have a friend @giantbear who has this excellent spirit in constructing lovely stories.
Thanks for being here for many, I never regretted following you on steemit.
Merry Christmas 🎄🎁 to you.
Thank you for your kind words. May you have a blessed 2018. Thank you for reading my stories. I really appreciate your support. Merry Christmas 🎄🎁 to you too!
This is an amazing story, @giantbear! I can't wait to see the conclusion. A very Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Merry Christmas 🎄 to you! Thank you for your support!