A Christmas Wish

Calyx’s Pov
Dear Santa,
I know I am a little old to be writing to Santa, but I’m sitting here with the children I babysit and they would not write a letter to you if I didn’t, so here goes. My brother is fighting the war in Afghanistan and has been for just over 10 months. He has not been fortunate enough to come home at all this year and I miss him dearly. He and I are very close, or, we were until he got deployed. I still send him lots of letters, almost one per day, but I rarely get one in return seeing as he is in the battle zone.
So, I guess I’m writing to ask that you send my big brother home safe and sound for Christmas. I don’t even want my parents to buy me anything this year if it means that I can see my big brother for Christmas. His name is Marine Master Sergeant Colby Monde, he is in the 1st Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment stationed somewhere in Afghanistan. Please, send him home so I can enjoy my Christmas.
Sincerely,
Calyx Monde
With Faith and Noah watching, I put all three of our letters in the mailbox and then took them home. Their mother would be returning from work soon enough and then I would get to go home and finish my homework. All I can say is that at 17 years old, I hoped the magic in Santa Clause existed enough to bring Colby home for real.

Colby’s Pov
“Monde, you have a letter here,” today’s mail carrier, Marine First Class Thomas Eager informed me before throwing the stack of letters at me. That was typical, to get a stack of letters. My baby sister, ten years my junior, usually sent one a day and the Marine mail carriers knew that, so they would hold it until they got a giant stack to deliver all at once. But the top letter surprised me, it was addressed to Santa Clause, but in my sisters handwriting it also said my name beneath Santa’s. “You got a kid we don’t know about, Monde?” the Eager joked about seeing Santa on my letter.
“Nah, it’s just my sister. She must have done it while babysitting. The kids are like 5 and 7; they would have wanted to write one with her. I’m just surprised she mailed it to me too,” I replied for half of the squad to hear. I was their superior and I was proud of it. But I did give them an occasion or two to pick on me for.
I opened the letter and read it through. All Calyx wanted was for me to be home for Christmas. It would be the first Christmas I have ever missed if I didn’t make it home. Even though I have proudly served the military for nine years, I have never been deployed over seas at the holidays. This was my first tour to Afghanistan, but I have been to Libya, Egypt, and even Saudi Arabia on work. I just hoped that I would make it home too.

Calyx’s POV
“What would you like for Christmas, dear?” my mother asked on the first of December. I pretended not to hear her as we wondered through the department store at the mall. I was trying to find interest in some clothing, seeing as I was wearing my brother’s clothes to death. I hardly wore anything that did not belong to him. His deployment hit me the hardest; even my mother was more okay with him being in the warzone than I was. “Calyx, sweetie, did you hear what I asked you?” mom proceeded to interrupt my thoughts.
“I do not wish for anything,” I responded without looking at her. I knew that she wore her Are-You-Kidding-Me face. I never really asked for much to begin with, yet my parents always seemed to find something that I liked enough. Usually, it was expensive. We could afford it and a lot more. But I am very simple and that is how I like my belongings. Maybe that was why I tried to keep as much of my brother around as possible. He was a lot like me. Mom was the exact opposite. She liked everything that was bright and flashy, that is probably why I have an iPhone I hardly use and a Mac Book Pro. I was perfectly fine with my pathetic flip top phone, but mom refused to be seen with it, no matter that it was my phone.
Dad on the other hand, was never home long enough to take notice. He works for the government and travels between our home in Michigan and the nation’s capital as well as around the world when it is needed. I don’t complain, he makes us the money that supports Mom’s pretty things and that he gets me a small memento from all the places he visits. We are not that close either, so I really don’t care.
The only one who I have ever identified with was Colby and obviously he is halfway around the world in Afghanistan. I sent him my letter to ‘Santa’ in hopes that he would receive it and respond, but I have not gotten a letter yet. It is disappointing, knowing that I spend a lot of time writing to him, yet he can’t write back. But I know that he is out there making the world a better place for commoners like me. It is part of the reason I love him so dearly.
“There is not one single thing that you would like me to buy for you? Your father will be very disappointed if we have to give you an envelope full of money on Christmas Day. He looks forward to seeing you and Colby open your gifts,” realizing what she said and how it makes me feel, she stopped talking very abruptly. “I’m sorry, dear,” she quickly managed. I just nodded and tried not to remember last Christmas. But with her words, the wound was reopened.
Last Christmas Day was the one that Colby told us that he was getting deployed. He left us on New Year’s Day and I have not seen him since. I am lucky that I know he is still alive; some of his friends went with other divisions of the military and have not been so lucky. I have attended more than one military funeral for people of my town; thankfully, one has not been for my dearly beloved brother.
“That is the one thing I want more than anything for Christmas, Mom. I want for Colby to be there when I open your ridiculous gifts on Christmas morning. That is what I want, if you can’t get me that, which I know you don’t have any power to do, and then I do not wish for anything.”
“I wish I could give you that, more than anything,” she mumbled loud enough for me to hear. We silently led ourselves through the stores at the mall, purchasing things for my cousins and Mom’s friends at the country club before taking our things home.

Colby’s POV
It is two days before Christmas and I am finally able to leave the warzone. I talked to all of my supervisors in the last couple of weeks and we finally determined that while I was a good man and Marine, it was way past my time of service. I was good enough to be honorably discharged and I would never have to see the face of the enemy in person again. I was offered a desk job at the Headquarters, but I politely declined. I have a sister back home that is a grown up now and that I want to get to know. And I kind of want to settle down and have a family of my own.
With that, I now find myself trying to navigate the airport in Washington DC. It was the place of my layover and I now had ten minutes to find my connecting flight. I looked at the map on the board in front of me and learned that I was within running distance of my new gate. I quickly grabbed my carry all bag from the ground next to me and ran to the gate. The stewardess smiled as she noted that I was the last one trying to get on the flight. She scanned my ticket and I was shuffled onto the plane. I sighed in relief and found my seat to get comfortable in. I was going home. The only thing that would be better would be the face my sister would have when she first sees me. I told no one from my town that I was able to make it home. I wanted it to be a surprise.
As the plane takes off, I think about the last time I saw my sister. She was only sixteen at the time. Now she is seventeen and almost a woman. She had her naturally dark auburn hair died to a lighter hue; she wore too much make up for a sixteen year old, and had a boyfriend that was pierced in many different places. He gave me the creeps, which was what I shared with my sister. But she was in that state where you can not tell her a single thing because she won’t listen stage. Her letters to me told me that they have long since broken up and that no boy has been of her interest since.
I immediately think of my team back in Afghanistan and the one guy I always looked at as a guy I could respect. He was fresh into the Marines and was young with a sense of nothing. He reminded me a lot of how I think of my sister. If there was ever a Marine I thought I could welcome into my family, it would have been him. He stepped on a landmine and lost a leg out in the middle of the zone, so he was shipped home. I wonder how he is doing. I should probably give him a call; I do believe he lives in Michigan. Maybe I could get them to meet, I knew that Calyx would never notice the missing leg, well she would see it, but it would not bother her.
Before I knew it, my plane was landing in Detroit and I was hopping a bus to my hometown. I was excited. Nothing could ruin my moment of happiness to see the Welcome to Dansville sign.

Calyx’s POV
“Calyx, get the door please!” mom yelled from upstairs. I sighed and paused the TV so that I would not miss a moment of the latest Grey’s Anatomy. It was one of my favorite shows and I did not like to be interrupted.
I went to the big oak door and quickly swung it open. Standing there was my big brother in uniform and all. I actually pinched myself because I thought I was dreaming. Before I realized what I was doing, I threw myself at him. Luckily, he expected it and caught me in a big hug. We spun in circles and soon enough, I was put back on Earth.
“COLBY! What are you doing here? Why didn’t you call and tell me you were coming? I would have come and gotten you from the airport! What are you doing here?” I squealed in happiness. My Christmas wish came true after all.
“Well, I got a certain letter by accident. I think it was meant for the North Pole, but who knows now-a-days. But it told me that my little sister missed me so much that she was willing to give up every Christmas present for me to be able to come home. I hope you held up your end of the bargain, because I’m here!”
“I don’t even care! I missed you!” I was sure to remind him as I helped him with his single bag to enter the house. Mom came to see what I was yelling about and I saw tears in her eyes as she saw her son. He immediately went to give her a big hug and I knew that my Christmas was officially perfect, or it would be once we picked Dad up from the airport later today. We would all be together for Christmas.