Joy to the world, the Lord is come
Let earth receive her King
Let every heart prepare Him room
And heaven and nature sing

IN the morning, Grandma was up before Sarah, a happy little smile on her face. She laid the table with a freshly-brewed pot of tea, toast with scrambled eggs, and slices of papaya.
“Thank you, dear Lord, for this meal,” Sarah prayed as they sat down to a nice little breakfast.

Over the next few days, Sarah began cleaning and packing as she rearranged and decorated the little house. It now had a festive look and, from an old radio she had found, beautiful Christmas songs filled the air.
A promise to her Grandma was being fulfilled as Christmas drew closer.

An unexpected tragedy had awakened Sarah to the fact that life brings changes and challenges. If you want something better, you have to work to make that change yourself and not wait for someone to do it for you.

After the tragic loss of her husband and her baby on the way, she had felt lost; the grief and trauma were too deep for her to handle alone at her young age. So, with advice, she had spent time with her mother-in-law and a few other relatives in New Amsterdam. The comfort of family was what she needed until her baby was born. She almost suffered another nervous breakdown after the baby’s birth because the father was not with them anymore.

Four months later, she had managed to pick up the pieces of her life, and with her finances running low, she had decided to return home to her Grandma. As her thoughts returned to that day at the park, she remembered Raj, and, without knowing why, a smile came to her lips.
One of life’s changes, maybe?

In her journal, she had noted that she would reconnect with her friends and be more interactive with society. ‘I lost my partner in life,’ she rued with deep regret. ‘Now I have to walk this road alone, but along the way, a few kind hands to hold would be good.’
The first step she had to make was to go back to work; that would set the tone and pace of laying a solid foundation for her child. Two weeks later, after sending out applications, she got a call from the manager of the Pegasus Hotel, where she had worked as a server, and was reinstated in her old job.

“This is so great,” she exclaimed, thankfully to herself. “I have to work hard and stay strong to make life better from here.”

So she strove daily in her quest, keeping positive thoughts in mind and finding her own little joys with her baby daughter, church, and close friends.

The festive period was a very busy time for the hotel, with the hotel fully booked for lunches, dinners, and cocktail parties. She was one of the servers at a special staff dinner for a tech company, and as drinks were being served, she noticed Raj at the table where the CEO and company directors were seated. He was looking sharp in a well-fitted suit that made him look very handsome.
“Impressive,” she expressed to herself.

As the dinner got underway, she tried not to look his way, but as she began serving a table next to his, he called her, “Miss.”
She turned around and answered cordially, “Yes, sir.”

There was a slight smile of recognition on his face as he looked at her, but she tried not to smile back, just holding a pleasant look.
“Another bottle of wine, please,” he requested in that same deep, smooth voice.
“Yes, sir,” she nodded.

The wine was served, and he said to her in a low tone so only she could hear, “You can smile a little; it’s Christmas.”
She did, just slightly, so only he saw the smile, and moved on to continue serving the other tables.

At the end of the dinner, the guests began leaving, but Raj stayed a while longer, then left with the group from the head table, nodding his head a little at her, maybe to say ‘good night’.

As she was leaving work for the night, the receptionist called her, “Sarah.”
“Yes.”
“A gentleman left this note for you.”

Sarah took the note, not sure who it was from, then smiled when she saw what was written: “It’s raining and it’s chilly; a taxi is standing by to take you home – Raj.”
“This is so nice of you,” she said, relieved.

It had been a hard day; she was tired, and it would have taken a while waiting on the bus. That night, as her eyes closed in sleep, she murmured, “I still don’t understand this attraction towards him.”

The next day was a full day again for her, taking Grandma to the doctor for her usual check-up and doing a little shopping. The Christmas rush was on, and the shopping areas in Georgetown were wildly busy. She had to send Grandma home with a church elder’s son’s taxi so she could get some shopping done. She took a bus home later, and navigating the potholed street due to the heavy rainfall with shopping bags in both hands was kind of tricky. Her foot slipped at one point, and she almost fell.
“Darn!” she exclaimed in annoyance. “When is anyone coming to fix these bad streets?”

She reached home safely, put her bags down, and said, frustrated, “Some improvement is really needed in this community.”
“You can take up the initiative,” Grandma said.
“Oh yes, I will,” Sarah accepted, a determined glint in her eyes.

Isabella reached out to her, and as she held her daughter, she said affectionately, “In my life, you are my little joy.”

And lying in bed that night, looking at the stars through her window, she asked, “What else is there for me?”
Raj’s image flashed in her eyes, but she shook her head with a doubtful smile. “Maybe not.”
Life does not always bring you roses, but one can dream, and who knows, magic can happen.

Later that week, she was working at the poolside restaurant and bar and did not see when Raj walked in. A live band was playing, the place was almost filled, and all the servers were busy. Once again, as she was attending to another table, he called her. She heard him on the second call and, turning, saw him sitting at a table with a very beautiful girl.
“Oh,” Sarah exclaimed silently, not surprised but feeling a little pang of disappointment. “Yes, sir.”
“Can you take our order?”
“Yes, but I have two table orders to fill.”
“We can wait.”

She nodded with a cordial smile, noting that the girlfriend wasn’t pleased about the wait. As she served them drinks, Raj spoke to Sarah in a warm, friendly tone, but when the meal arrived after a short wait, the girlfriend’s tone towards Sarah became a little condescending. The evening didn’t go too well for Raj, and after paying the bill, he said quietly to Sarah, “Sorry about that.”
“That’s okay,” she said, and gasped at the generous tip he left for her.

And so it was: one of the most eligible bachelors in town—his masculinity, a statement that charms the mind—coming in with different dates, incredibly beautiful girls, but the server, a simple and beautiful girl, held his interest.

The last week before Christmas, as Sarah was leaving work, she saw Raj waiting in the lounge. He was on his phone but ended the call when he saw her and asked, “Can I offer you a lift home?”
“What happened to your girlfriend?”
“She left in her own ride to a friend’s party I didn’t want to be at.”
“Oh,” she hesitated a little, and he said, “You’ve finished late, and you’re tired.”
“Yeah,” she sighed. “Thanks.”

On the way, he asked her, “How’s Isabella?”
“Oh, she’s doing fine, getting a little more mischievous.”
“I can imagine,” he said with a little laugh.

There was a pause as she relaxed in the plush comfort of his luxury car, feeling the tiredness slowly drain from her body. “I feel I can just sleep here.”
“I have a better idea,” he said with a little jest.
“No, you don’t,” she said, sitting up a bit.

He looked at her and stated, “You know I never really get to talk to you, don’t even have your number.”
“Why do you need to? I’m not in the rich class of your girlfriends; I’m just a simple, working-class girl.”
“You’re in a class of your own; that’s unique, and I like that.”

She looked at him, surprised, not sure what to say, and on reaching her home, he asked her, “Any special plans for Christmas?”
“Hmm, not really.”
“Well then, can you and Isabella spend Christmas with me?”

Once again, she was surprised, unable to answer, but it had been her wish for something new and special in her life. He was waiting patiently for her answer, and she said, a unique and new feeling in her heart, “I would love to.”