Rite of Passage

The little man walked in aggressively. Standing under 4ft tall. He came in carrying his box of saved letters. His face flush with the heat of anger.

"Mom, did you get a good laugh. How did you pull this great hoaks off? It lasted years. How many of you were apart of this?"

"What are you talking about?", she asked caught off guard.

"You know.", He said accusingly.

"I might if you would just tell me what you are talking about."

He threw the box down letting the letters and post cards spill onto the floor. She bent over and timidly picked up two letters and began reading. After a few minutes he saw her trying to conceal a smile from forming on her face.

"Honey, it's part of parenting. It's a right of passage for parents and child. A part of childhood. Some fun."

"The lengths you all went to. How funny. You should be ashamed of yourselves."

He then marched out of the room shaking his head.

"What was that all about?"

"Well daddy", the mom said laughing and then handed him the two letters.

He read each letter. The first ended with 'Sincerely, Santa'. The other was a postcard from south america that read 'From, the Toothfairy'.

"Our little man is growing up? Did he discover the truth on his own? Did you decide to tell him?"

"I did not. He heard from others and then put most of it together himself. I told him the postcard was from Grandma and Grandpa. They sent it while they were on a cruise. He wasn't amused."

"Was he at least impressed", the dad asked earnestly.

"Not yet, not yet dear."
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Thirty four years later they all sat humored in a little Livingroom while the little woman infront of them asked frankly if Santa, the Tooth Fairy, and Easter Bunny were real, explaining she knew they weren't, but wanted to hear from them. Unless, they just liked lying to her. He sat recalling the previous scene.

"Can you not tell your sister please? keep up the believing for her?"

"Oh great, now you're making me a liar. So don't lie, except..."

"Don't lie, we are not lying. It's pretending. Santa lives in all of us, in our hearts. It's just for fun. Do you see the difference?"

"I thought it was suspect when I could never meet the Tooth Fairy and there were so many different Santa's and Easter Bunnies. You are being serious this time?"

"Yes."

Her eyes got teary-eyed.

"I should have known gifts, money, baskets of goodies. Too good to be true and last. It was fun for a while."

"It will last for a little longer."

"I'll be in my room playing, pretending I'm not mad.", with that she swiveled around and walked in the direction of her room looking dejected.

The little man, now a grown man understood his daughter.

"We roped her into it early huh?", he said with a smile.

His wife and parents smiled, knowing she'd do the same for her own children one day.

Strangely, they all felt a little ashamed at laughing at her pain. She was just so amusingly cute. He would be here, pretending she was still his little baby girl for a little longer.





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