It took many weeks to accumalate enough to give the kids a very decent Christmas. At first I'd doubted that I could afford very much, and they were at first very small items, but as the weeks went by I was able to get bigger and better things. The very last week/paycheck I was able to buy them each a very elegant robe, each one different, and they weren't bathrobes, but rather looked like something royalty might wear. One had gold and black rich shiny fabric.
All the while I was busy at this, there had been a 'trusted' family member keeping the homefront. He wasn't apparently working, but I trusted him to stay home and take care of whatever. My relationship to him seemed like we were supposedly close in a sweetheart sort of way, like a couple.
Then it was the day before Christmas and I went to put the tree in place and bring out all the gifts. I was getting excited for the kids sake. But everywhere I looked the gifts were GONE! I looked in all the places I thought I'd put them to no avail.....it seemed they'd been stolen.
The guy was there and I began questioning him loudly and in my mind I believed he'd done one of 2 things to betray my trust..........
either he'd taken them knowingly and given them to friends (which he had many) or just left doors unlocked, carelessly (I'd trusted him with keys)that allowed people to come in and take anything.
I ordered him to leave my house and he left.
Then I ran into a tall man who'd been a mentor of my guy or at least a very close confidante....this tall man knew more about my guy than I could, as my guy would confide deep things to him.
The tall man urged me not to believe the worst and he looked deep into my eyes and said that my guy 'loves you deeply, more than you realize, and would never knowingly betray you that way' (words to that effect).
So the missing gifts were still a mystery(about who took them), except that now I had to believe it was perhaps more accidental/carelessness than just plain intentional theft.
Anyway, after all my hard work for many weeks to accumalate them, my kids had no presents for Christmas.
