“I don’t want to be Santa Claus again!” said Joey. “Those terrible twins — Andy and Sandra, forced me to eat their homemade, rock-hard cookies. They turned nasty when I did not give them a bicycle and a skateboard. I don’t want to meet any more boisterous and unruly kids.”
“Joey, I am sure the kids at St. Mary’s orphanage will not trouble you,” said his cousin James. You are good at playing Santa. The kids will surely be disappointed if our group went without a Santa.”
The children at St. Mary’s orphanage cheered and laughed as Joey entertained them. He saw a little girl, crying. She said, “Santa, my brother Rajesh is in the hospital. Will he become well?” she asked. Joey felt sorry for the little girl. “Your brother will be fine,” he said kindly. The little girl’s face lit up.
The caretaker told Joey that the girl’s name was Rani. “They lost their parents in an accident. Rajesh was a class topper. One day, he complained of severe headache and lost consciousness. We rushed him to the hospital. The doctors could not find the exact cause of his condition. So far the treatment has been free. But now we have to take him to Delhi as they cannot do anything more here.”
The gift
Joey told James and other members of the group about Rajesh and Rani. They decided to participate in the inter-collegiate carol competition and collect donations, to meet the expense of taking Rajesh to Delhi.
However, the day before the competition, it began to rain heavily. “The carol competition has been cancelled!” said Richard sadly.
“And we have not been able to collect any donations also,” said Jane.
“This is Christmas season, a good time to believe in miracles. We must not lose hope,” said James.
“Miracles don’t happen in the real world,” said Joey angrily.
A few days later, Joey once again dressed as Santa Claus and the group visited a retirement home. The inmates enjoyed the music. But Joey’s mind was on Rajesh.
After the performance, one man offered Joey some cookies. Joey took a bite and he nearly screamed, “Ouch! How do you eat these cookies?” The elderly man laughed and tapped his teeth, “They are all false.”
The cookies reminded Joey of the terrible twins. “Look! It’s Santa,” said Andy and Sandra, appearing at that moment. “These are my grand-nephew and niece,” he said.
“Why didn’t you come home to sing carols?” asked Robert, Andy and Sandra’s father. Another man was near him. Timothy introduced him to Joey. “This is Victor Sam, my nephew. He is a surgeon at G.S. Children’s Hospital in Delhi. His family was returning from Bangkok to Delhi via Chennai. But his flight to Delhi got cancelled due to bad weather and so they are here to visit Robert. They had to extend their stay as Victor’s mother-in-law broke a tooth on Andy and Sandra’s cookies,” said Timothy. Joey was speechless.
It was Christmas and they were all in Andy and Sandra’s home. Victor Sam diagnosed Rajesh’s rare condition and began treatment. He refused to take money for it. “Rajesh has regained consciousness. He will be all right in a month. I will come and check up on him,” said Victor Sam.
Joey was sitting with Timothy. “James was right. Miracles do happen.”
GAME:
Answer: Give and Take: Jacket, Rocket, Teddy, Toy and joy
