Along a quiet road in Pembroke, Jayson passed one house after another, watching each one as he went. He finally stopped in front of a particular house, nicely decorated at the end of the road. He was very nervous. He had never done a break-in before, at least not on his own, and never attempted one while the people were still at home. But now he watched very silently through the kitchen window at the family before him, preparing to have a feast. It was Christmas Day, and Bermuda was settling into all of the festive activities normally enjoyed on the holiday eating, drinking, exchanging presents and being with family.But all of that was far from Jayson. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had Christmas with anyone called “family” or the last present he had received. Shuffled from one relative to the next since the age of four, he had learned soon how to shift for himself. Now, at 16 years old, he was pretty much on his own.With a pang of envy, he saw this family, their bright faces wreathed in smiles, as they talked and joked together, busily preparing the meal. They were the sort of family he never had, doing the sort of things at Christmas he had rarely done. His stomach rumbled as he watched a large golden turkey being placed on the table. But, there was no time to think about food. They would probably be too busy with dinner to realise he was entering another part of the house.He crept around to the side of the house and peeped in another window. He saw the living room, festively decorated, with a tall balsam fir standing brightly in one corner. He saw the remnants of gifts that had been opened that day; toy cars scattered on a rug; a new doll propped in one chair, and odd bits of wrapping paper here and there.He decided it was best to slip in quietly, grab what he could, and make a quick escape. Now was the perfect time, while the family was about to sit down to dinner. The last window at the end of the house looked into a ground floor bedroom. It was in darkness. This would be a perfect place to enter, thought Jayson.Slowly, very slowly, he raised the window, praying it would not creak. When he’d raised it just enough to allow his body through, he pushed himself up from the ground and began to crawl in. But what happened next stunned him. His head and shoulders were barely through the window when suddenly the room was not in darkness anymore. Someone had turned on the lights!Jayson was frozen in fear. In the doorway of the bedroom, stood a girl, her young innocent face staring at him with wide eyes, as she said “Who are you?”Trying now to make his escape, Jayson scrambled backward out the window, smacking his head on the frame as he tried to get away. As his feet landed on the ground, he suddenly felt a large, heavy hand on his shoulder. He looked up, terrified, into a man’s stern looking face. The whole family was onto him! Jayson tried to bolt, but the large man restrained him, saying, “Now, don’t try and get away! It won’t do you any good. You want to come inside my house? Well … I’m going to let you!”Startled, Jayson was helpless as the man ushered him through the front door and into the living room, where the rest of the family had assembled. He looked at each of them without saying a word. The children looked curious but timid; the mother looked calm and poised, as though she was about to lecture him. The father, his brow furrowed, looked hard at Jayson. He asked his name and how old he was. Jayson answered meekly, eyes always on the front door.“I’m calling your parents,” said the man grimly, “What’s their phone number?”“I ain’t got any parents,” said Jayson.“Then who are you living with?”“No one,” said Jayson truthfully.“Everyone has a family!” said the little girl impulsively, as she eyed him with great suspicion. Her mother shot her a warning look.“Jayson, why did you try to break into our home?”He could not answer immediately. His lips felt dry, and he dreaded what would happen. He responded finally in a law voice:“Because I’ve got nothing.”There was a look that passed between husband and wife, brief, yet it conveyed their perfect understanding of one another. They seemed to be earnestly contemplating him. Under their scrutiny, Jayson suddenly became aware of his worn clothes, and dirty nails, the sad signs of neglect in someone so young.“Are you going to call the police?” asked Jayson, after several silent moments of suspense.“I ought to call them,” said the man firmly. But then, unexpectedly, his tone softened. “You did wrong by coming into my house uninvited. But …”“We don’t think it would be right,” said the mother, “to have someone your age spending Christmas night in the Hamilton Police Station. Have you eaten anything today Jayson?”Shocked, Jayson looked up at them. What were they saying? Were they actually offering him food, after he had tried to break in? He sat perplexed for a moment or two, before saying in a quiet voice.”“No, ma’am, I haven’t.”“All right, then,” said the mother, suddenly moving into action. “The food won’t wait forever. John, get an extra chair. Kayla,” she said, turning to her daughter, “set this young man a place at the table.”The children looked at each other, perplexed, but, without argument, did as they were told. Jayson, still disbelieving what was going on, followed the mother to the kitchen sink, where she invited him to wash his hands. In a few minutes, the places were set, and the family seated at the table, and Jayson sat with them, an odd Christmas guest for this small family.He could not remember the last time he had sat down with his family or any family for Christmas dinner. His stomach, painfully empty, was now filled with all the good food around him, the cassava, the delicious golden turkey and the traditional Christmas pudding they enjoyed for dessert. It seemed as if he was in a dream, and only the sights and sounds around him could convince him that what was happening was real.After dinner, the family sat in the living room together, the grown-ups with their steaming mugs of coffee, as they admired the tree, and talked among themselves, while soft carols playing somewhere in the background. Jayson had expected, at this point, to be asked to leave, but amazingly, they invited him to stay a while longer. He talked with them, yet they asked no probing questions about his past, or where he came from. They only talked about their lives and children, as though he was a normal Christmas guest come for a visit. He had never had adults talk to him this way before.After a short while, the mother, placing down her mug, said:“This might seem strange, but, when I was in the English Sports Shop yesterday, finishing my Christmas shopping, I picked up something. At the time, I didn’t know why. But I guess it was meant for you to have.”She nodded over to the tree, and Jayson saw something he hadn’t noticed before: a solitary gift, still sitting under the tree. The young girl brought the gift over. It was a rectangular box, carefully wrapped. Jayson, with trembling hands, took the gift, although he was almost afraid to accept it. It had been many years since he had received a gift at Christmas, or his birthday.He unwrapped it. Inside was a brand new track suit, stylish and comfortable. It looked like his size. He glanced down at his own tattered jacket, long outgrown, taken from a Salvation Army box.“Thank you,” said Jayson, his heart racing as he felt happiness, gratitude and sadness all at once.He left them shortly after that. He could only say “thank you” and “merry Christmas” although, to him, it seemed inadequate for what the family had done for him. A day or two later, he told some friends about his experience with this kind family One friend looked at him in disbelief and said:“You’re tripping, man. My auntie lives on that street, I know that house. No one lives there. No one has lived there for years.”Jayson would have argued his point, but kept silent instead. It was several days later before he had courage enough to go back to the house, and he could scarcely believe his eyes, when he saw it standing empty and the windows boarded up. It seemed a long time since anyone had lived there. He could only stare and wonder at the Christmas miracle that he had experienced.