A twinkling eye . . .

A twinkling eye can mean many things. The one that is twinkling at me right now . . . is the bright eyes of Santa Clause as I sit on his lap, where Mommy just placed me.
            “And what’s your name,” he asks, jolly just as I’ve always imagined him
            I’m so excited to see Santa, but I am also nervous. I say shyly, “Susan.”
            “What would you like for Christmas, Susan?”
            “I want a little brother and a pretty dress to wear on Christmas. That’s it,” I whisper to him.
            Santa’s eye twinkle even more, and I realize his eyes are tearing up. I ask, “What’s wrong, Santa Clause?”
            “Nothing. Nothing is wrong, Susan,” he sniffles. I reach in my pocket where Mom always puts clean tissues for me when it’s winter and hand him one. When I hand it to Santa he smiles, but does not use it. “Thank you. Just a short while ago, a boy younger than you had come to me. His family cannot take care of him any longer. Some relatives are taking care of him for the holidays, but after that . . . You just reminded me so much of him. All he wanted for Christmas was a loving family.”
            My eyes widen, “Do you think he could become my new brother?”
            Santa hesitates when he says, “It is difficult to say. These things are complicated, grown-up matters.”
            “It’s not complicated,” I tell Santa. “He wants a loving home, and my family wants another child. We’d love him and take care of him no matter what!”
           Tears begin to fall from Santa’s eyes, “I wish it were that simple, Susan.”
            “But it is! There’s nothing complicated about love,” I explain to him. I would have thought Santa would have understood how simple love is.