The First Novotny Christmas

Brian wasn’t expecting to get anything for Christmas. His mother never celebrated the gift giving part of the holiday and even if she did, his father wouldn’t allow it. Besides that, he was fourteen years old and should have been beyond wanting gifts for Christmas. He was too old for that now. He was expecting to spend this Christmas the way he did every other. Huddled in his room in the hopes of avoiding his father’s wrath.

It was the last day before Christmas break. Every other kid in his class had gotten a Christmas card from someone. Even some of the teachers had handed out cards to the students. Brian, however, was going home empty handed. This didn’t really surprise Brian. He was the new kid, first of all, and had only been at the school for about a month. Also, he wasn’t very well liked. Probably because he’d stood up against some bullies who were kicking the resident nerd. He’d apparently been the object of their ridicule since first grade and they didn’t like being stopped in their favorite pastime. Befriending the small, dark haired boy who was actually almost a year older but in the same grade had been to Brian’s detriment apparently.

They were being let out early for the day and Brian knew he’d be responsible for his own lunch. He certainly couldn’t count on his mother who was, most likely by now, passed out drunk at home. He figured maybe he could head to the Liberty Diner and see if his new friend’s mom was working. Maybe he could look cute and score some food out of pity. As he was getting ready to leave, Michael walked up to his locker.

“Hey, Brian,” he said with a smile and the tiniest hint of a dreamy sigh.

“Hey, Mikey,” Brian said as he started walking. He was purposely taking strides long enough that Michael had to practically run to keep up with him. He’d really only stopped the bullies because it was four against one and now the kid wouldn’t leave him alone. Since he had no other friends, Brian didn’t completely discourage the hero worship.

“Can I ask you something?” Michael looked nervous.

“You just did,” Brian smirked. Michael looked at him for a minute, then giggled and blushed.

“Right. Anyway. I was wondering what you’re doing for Christmas. I mean, I can understand if you have plans with your own family and all that and it’s completely understandable if you say no, I mean don’t feel bad or anything if you have something else to do.” Michael was babbling.

“Mikey, breathe,” Brian said, hiding a smirk. Michael took a breath, then looked at Brian expectantly. “What?”

“Oh.....I guess I never got to the question, huh?” He giggled and blushed again. Brian groaned inwardly.

“No, you didn’t.” Brian was out the door and heading for the bus stop.

“I was wondering if you’d like to spend Christmas with me and my mom. My Uncle Vic is coming into town and we’re going to have dinner and open presents....” As Michael went on, Brian got lost in thought. A chance at a real Christmas with a real family that actually loved each other and gave each other real presents. A chance to be completely out of Jack’s reach for at least a couple of hours. He hadn’t yet told Michael about his home life. It was too soon in their friendship for that.

“I’d love to,” Brian said.

“I understand. I mean, you have your own family and.....what?” Michael was a little slow on the uptake.

“I’d love to. But I do have one condition.”

“What’s that?” Michael sighed inwardly, knowing it would be something bad. Something along the lines of “Don’t tell anybody.”

“Do you think your mom would mind if I came over like.....Christmas Eve and spent a couple of nights at your house?” Brian asked.

Michael’s eyes lit up. “You mean come over Friday night and stay the whole weekend?” Michael wanted to clarify before getting his hopes up.

“Yeah, something like that.” Brian nodded.

“I have to check but she shouldn’t have a problem with it.” His smile grew even bigger.

Brian pulled out a piece of paper and wrote down his phone number. “Call me when you find out,” he said before walking off. Michael was on cloud nine as he headed home.

Debbie had no problem agreeing to let Brian spend the weekend. She was just happy that Michael had a friend. She didn’t like how attached Michael seemed to be to this boy already, but she figured it was just the novelty of a new friend and would wear off soon.

Vic arrived early Friday morning and was helping Debbie with the baked goods for the next day. They would have enough to do with the turkey and all the trimmings. They wanted to get this stuff out of the way the day before.

Michael was busy in the living room wrapping the final presents. He’d gotten Vic to loan him the money to get Brian a present, promising to work to pay him back. Vic would have happily given him the money but Michael insisted that it was a loan. Vic had even gone out and gotten a gift for Michael’s new friend, going solely on what Michael had told him about Brian. Debbie thought that was ridiculous since Vic didn’t know the boy. Vic said, what was the point of being rich if he couldn’t share his wealth. He was concerned by Brian’s willingness to spend Christmas away from his family and wanted to make him feel as welcome as possible.

There was a knock on the door and everyone jumped. They hadn’t been expecting a knock as everyone they knew just walked in the door. Michael looked at the clock and smiled. It had to be Brian. He finished wrapping the present quickly before going to answer the door. His smile faded when his eyes landed on his new friend. Brian was standing on the other side of the door shivering. He had on nothing but a thin white t-shirt, a pair of sweats and some socks. Said socks were soaked through because Brian had apparently walked over in the snow. His lips were blue and the bottom one was split and puffy and had been bleeding recently as there was still some blood on Brian’s chin. Michael could also see the beginnings of a black eye. He moved aside and ushered Brian in, noticing that the young man had no bag with him.

“Mom...” Michael called into the kitchen.

Debbie and Vic came into the living room and stopped dead in their tracks.

“Oh my god! What happened?” Debbie asked. They both moved over to help Brian sit down. Vic noticed the way Brian was holding his ribs. Not only did it speak of a current injury, but of past injuries as well. This kid was experienced in dealing with pain.

“I.....I fell,” Brian answered, wincing as he sat down. He couldn’t tell them the truth. He also couldn’t get his teeth to stop chattering. He felt as if he’d never be warm again. Michael ran upstairs to get a blanket while Debbie went into the kitchen to get Brian something warm to drink.

“That might explain the bruises, kid, but not why you’re running around half dressed in sub zero weather,” Vic said. Brian refused to meet his eyes and said nothing else.

“We need to get you out of those wet clothes,” Debbie said when she came back with the cocoa.

“Don’t have anything else.” Brian shivered.

“I’ll go get you something,” Vic said. He sized Brian up, then grabbed his coat and left. Brian looked at Debbie, confused.

“He didn’t get my address...” Not that Brian would have given it to him.

“He’s probably going to buy you something,” Debbie answered. She got Brian to stand up so she could help him out of his clothes. He’d put the hot chocolate on the coffee table.

“But he doesn’t know my size.”

“You’re about the same size he was when he was your age.” She managed to get his socks and sweat pants off without any problem, making sure to move slowly. Fortunately the kid’s underwear was still dry. When Debbie reached for his shirt, however, he backed away.

“No!” he almost screamed. "I....it’s not that wet.” He sat back down and pulled the blanket tightly around him, curling up in a little ball on the couch.

Michael was sitting worriedly in the kitchen trying to stay out of the way.

“Try to get some sleep, Vic should be back soon,” Debbie said. Brian nodded and closed his eyes. Debbie went into the kitchen and looked at Michael. “You sure know how to pick ‘em,” she said before starting to clean up the kitchen.

Brian was sound asleep when Vic got back. Michael was sitting on the floor by the couch, watching him sleep. Vic got Debbie’s attention, then headed back out to the car. Debbie grabbed her jacket and followed Vic to the car. Her eyes went wide when she saw the large number of bags in the back of Vic’s car.

“What did you do? Buy him a new wardrobe?” She started unloading the bags.

“I just have this feeling that he’s going to need some extra clothes laying around here,” Vic answered.

“You know he’s going to outgrow these.” She was speaking quietly as they were back in the house and didn’t want to wake Brian.

“No he won’t. I got them a little too big. They should last him until next year at least.” He smiled a little.

Curiosity got the best of Michael and he got up. “What’s going on?” he asked as he walked over. Vic shoved some bags into his hands.

“Clothes for Brian.” He then turned and went back to the car. They put all the boxes in Michael’s room, then Michael picked out a shirt and a pair of jeans and went to wake Brian. Brian groaned as he sat up, keeping the blanket wrapped tightly around him. He noticed the clothes in Michael’s hand and smiled a little.

“You can take a shower upstairs. There are clean towels and you can just leave your clothes on the floor. Mom’ll wash them for you.” He was speaking quietly, obviously worried about his friend.

“Thanks.” Brian took the clothes and went upstairs, finding the bathroom easily. Brian undressed slowly, noticing the ugly bruises around his ribs in the mirror. He sighed and turned the water as hot as he could stand before stepping into the shower. Downstairs, no one said anything. They went about their normal Christmas Eve activities. Michael noticed a few extra presents under the tree and suddenly had a feeling that Vic was going to spoil Brian. He sighed inwardly but was thankful to have such a kind and generous uncle.

Brian came back down wearing the new clothes and looking a little better. The warm shower had apparently done him a lot of good. Vic couldn’t help but notice Brian’s good looks, even with the black eye and split lip. He elbowed Debbie and indicated Brian.

“No wonder Michael fell for him. He’s going to be a heart breaker when he’s fully grown.” He smiled a little.

“That’s what I’m afraid of.” Debbie sighed as she looked at Michael, then went back to what she was doing.

Michael and Brian were talking quietly in the living room.

“What’s with all the boxes in your room?” Brian asked.

“How do you know it’s my room?” Michael looked at him.

“The Captain Astro curtains and sheets were a dead giveaway,” Brian smirked and Michael blushed.

“They’re clothes,” he answered.

“For you?” Brian asked. He was suddenly jealous of his new friend. Brian also noticed all the presents under the tree. Loved and spoiled, can’t get much better than that.

“For you.” Michael looked at Brian. He wasn’t at all surprised when Brian’s eyes went wide in shock.

“There’s enough clothes in there for a month or more.”

“Uncle Vic seems to think you might be staying here a lot,” Michael responded. Brian was suddenly nervous.

“Why would he think that?” He wouldn’t meet Michael’s eyes.

“Don’t know,” Michael responded with a shrug. He’d noticed his friend’s change in attitude and filed it away for future reference. Something definitely wasn’t right. They sat in silence for a minute before Vic came into the living room.

“Michael, why don’t you go help your mom for a minute?” It obviously wasn’t a request. Michael looked at Brian and was about to protest, but simply sighed and went into the kitchen. Vic stood in the doorway for a minute, looking at Brian.

“Thank you for the clothes, Mr.....” He looked a little lost.

“Grassi, but you can call me Vic. I’d say all of Michael’s friends do but you’re the first one he’s had since preschool.” Vic came over and sat beside Brian on the couch.

“You didn’t really have to do all that.” Brian wasn’t looking at him, only at his hands folded in his lap. He started picking at his nails.

“I wanted to. And you didn’t bring any clothes with you so I knew you’d need some for the weekend. You are still staying the weekend, aren’t you?”

“If not longer.” Brian sighed a little.

“Brian, what’s going on? There’s obviously something you’re not telling us.” He continued to look at Brian. Vic kept his tone soft and soothing, wanting to earn Brian’s trust.

“I can’t tell you.” Brian wanted to tell someone. Anyone. But he knew what would happen if he did tell and his dad found out.

“Why not?” Vic was genuinely worried about the young man sitting beside him.

“Because the last time I told someone I ended up in the hospital for a week.” Vic could tell by Brian’s reaction that he hadn’t meant to say that out loud.

“Brian, look at me a minute.” When Brian didn’t respond, Vic reached up and gently turned his head until Brian was looking him in the eye. “You can trust me, okay? If you don’t want this to go beyond us, it won’t. I promise.”

“That’s what my teacher said, then when I told her, she went to the cops.” Brian looked down again.

“I’m not like that, Brian. When I make a promise, I keep it. This will be just between us. No matter what.” Vic watched Brian as he had a mental debate as to whether or not he should tell the truth. Finally, the truth won out and he looked at Vic, a single tear rolling down his bruised cheek.

“It’s....my dad. He gets mad sometimes and I get in the way. I....he didn’t want me to come over but I told him that mom said it was okay and then he got mad because I talked back to him. That’s when he kicked me out.” Brian looked down again. Vic just looked at him in shock. Here was this beautiful, intelligent young man being treated worse than a dog by the people that were supposed to love him and take care of him, and to top it all off he blamed himself.

“Brian, you know you don’t deserve this, right?” Vic was trying very hard to keep his voice from shaking. He wanted to pull Brian close and hold him and never let him go back to that horrid home. The next words out of Brian’s mouth ripped his heart into a million pieces and made him angrier than he’d ever been in his life.

“Why would my dad do this to me if I didn’t deserve it?” He looked at Vic and this time the older man couldn’t keep his tears at bay. He pulled Brian close, hugging him gently and stroking his hair. He couldn’t find the words to try to tell Brian that his parents were wrong. That he didn’t deserve to be beaten and thrown out into the cold, but his voice just wouldn’t work. Brian simply reveled in the feel of someone actually hugging him. He hadn’t been hugged since the last time he’d seen his grandparents when he was eight and it felt so good to have someone hold him, even if that someone was practically a stranger. Vic seemed to honestly care about him, though. That’s all that really mattered at the moment. Vic moved back and looked Brian in the eye.

“Listen to me, Brian. I’m going to keep my promise. I don’t want to, but I’m going to. I won’t tell anyone. But I want you to know that you are always welcome here and you will always be safe. If you need to get away, just come here.”

“But...what if Michael’s mom.....”

“She’ll agree, don’t worry.”

“You can’t tell her.....” Brian’s face was suddenly a mask of terror.

“He doesn’t have to, Brian,” Debbie said from the kitchen doorway.

They both jumped and Debbie moved to sit on Brian’s other side. “I won’t tell anyone either, Brian, but Vic is right. If you ever need a safe place, just come here. Even if we’re not home, there’s always a key under the mat. Just let yourself in.”

“Why would you do this for me? You don’t even know me.” Brian was so confused. His own family didn’t care about him, why would these people he’d barely known for an hour be so willing to take him in.

“Michael knows you, and cares about you. That’s enough for me,” Debbie said with a smile.

Brian looked over at Vic and he nodded. Brian looked down for a minute, then looked at them both. “Thank you,” he said softly, then yawned.

“You should get some sleep and so should Michael,” Debbie said loud enough that Michael could hear her in the kitchen. “I’ll get the roll away and set it up in Michael’s room.” She smiled and went upstairs. When she came back down the two boys went upstairs and went to bed.

“Do you think we’re doing the right thing, not going to the cops?” Debbie asked Vic. Vic thought about it for a minute, then nodded.

“If we go to the cops then not only have we made Brian’s situation worse, but we’ll have broken our promise to him and lost his trust. At least this way he has a way to get away from his dad. He’s got a safe place to stay if he needs to. We might not be able to completely stop the abuse from happening, but we can hold it off for a while.”

“I wish there was something else we could do for him. Some way to get him taken away from his parents or something.”

“You know how the system works, Deb. The cops will go to his house, the parents will lie, they’ll force Brian to lie, the cops will leave. Nothing will be done.” They both sighed. Debbie looked up the stairs as Vic ran his fingers through his hair. Both were sharing an identical thought. “At least he’s safe for now.”

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