Christmas is always a stressful time of year for me. The entire family piles into Mom and Dad’s massive home and stays together through four painful days of pretending. My older brother is a complete ass. As a child, he bullied me and treated me like shit, and he continues to do so at every gathering.
I'm not married and have a great job, but nothing is good enough for him. He always claims to have the best of everything. He said I must be gay since I don't have a girlfriend and teased me for playing video games all the time. Actually, I love my life, but he makes me feel like there's something wrong with me. My family sees nothing wrong with his banter and laughs at all his mean jokes about me. To be honest, I made the decision that this would be my last year. Why should I continue to put myself in a stressful situation just out of obligation?
He has a gorgeous wife, and last year I developed an affection for my niece. We really hit it off because she loves playing video games as well. She had just turned six and had all the features and kindness of her mother. I wondered to myself if she was even his.
I brought my Xbox this year and looked forward to her being a welcome distraction between her father's barbs. Three days before Christmas, everyone arrived. I didn’t see her at first, but she pranced and twirled about in her cute little festive outfit. She had grown a bit and acted much older.
I was the first one she greeted. She rushed to me with kisses and hugs as my brother started in on me from the moment he walked in the door. I could see his wife was not happy. They had obviously been fighting because I could sense the chill in the air. It made me happy, and I wasn’t even sorry.
"Guess what, sweetheart? I brought something very special for you and me this year!" I exclaimed excitedly at her. She was so beautiful, with long blond hair flowing around her perfect face. I especially noticed her dainty fingers as they pressed against mine.
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