Father Christmas can't grant this request...
Stan Fuller juggles a full time job as an airline pilot, along with being a single father to eight-year-old Haley-Jo. When he becomes a reluctant Father Christmas at his daughter’s school party, she stuns him and the whole school, never mind the attending press, by announcing she wants a mummy for Christmas.
Carly Jefferson is covering the party for the local paper. New to the village, she is running from a broken past and bitter argument with her mother which resulted in a rift lasting years. Haley Jo’s simple request rocks Carly to the core, especially when her editor wants her to run several follow-up pieces on the child and her father.
Extract:
“Hello, boys and girls.”
“Hello, Father Christmas,” they all chorused back.
“Are you having a fun party?”
“Yes…”
He did a couple of “ho, ho, ho’s” and got the children to guess the names of his reindeer, who were currently up on the roof of the school. Then in dribs and drabs the children came up to receive a wrapped gift. Some were so shy he could barely hear their names, while others, bolder, sat on his lap and gave him a long list of what they wanted.
Finally, Haley-Jo reached the head of the queue. She looked at him, recognition dancing in her eyes. She climbed onto his lap.
“And what’s your name, little girl?” Stan asked, praying she’d keep his cover.
“Haley-Jo Fuller, with a hyphen,” she said. “I use both names, not just Haley.”
Stan nodded. “And what would you like for Christmas?” he asked.
Carly knelt in front of the stage. She snapped several pictures, the recorder taking notes for her.
Haley-Jo looked him in the eye. “I only want one thing for Christmas,” she said in a loud voice, clear enough for the whole hall to hear her.
“Just one?” he asked, slightly worried as to what she was about to come out with. She’d been so adamant about not telling him. “Everyone else had a whole list.”
“All I want for Christmas is a mummy.”
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