Pictures For Christmas

This was my Christmas 2018. I was so freaked out and embarrassed by it all. Well, I wrote this story. I am Marissa, and these events happened. We were thirteen once too...

DEC 23

Pictures for Christmas - Story By Christa O’Neill

INT. HOUSE KITCHEN AND BATH. DAY. It is 8:00 AM; MARISSA (36) hurries her son, JAMES (13), along for the last day of school before Christmas break. James is unhappy and begins to get ready slowly. Marissa tidies up the sink and loads the dishwasher. She rotates the laundry. She tells James to hurry. She has a lot to do since Christmas is just a few days away. She has to finish the shopping, she has a couple of appointments, and she has to prepare for guests over the holidays. James tells his mom that it’s not fair; nobody else in his class is going to school today. It’s only a half-day. James wants to stay home and game with his buddies who aren’t going to school. Marissa says, “No way, mister, you’re not staying home alone today!” The TV is on, and there is a broadcast related to teen suicide rates. Marissa thinks about all the predators and stalkers and creeps. She seems disgusted and worried.

Marissa busily checks her to-do list, looks at her new beloved calendar, an early Christmas gift from JOHN (40), her husband. She touches the firefighter-like December photo, John posing topless with a Santa Hat on. She smiles and sweetly moans. John spent twelve weeks dieting and working out and is in the best shape of his life. She quickly admires his physique while adding a few more items to her shopping list; scallops, white wine, and brown sugar, limes, and chocolate-covered cherries. James growls at her, still half asleep and angry that he has to attend school. Marissa reminds James about the number of detentions he’s had of as late and that school attendance is important.

I/E. CAR. DAY. It is 8:15 AM, and Marissa takes James to school. There are a few flurries in the air. There is Christmas music on the radio, and Marissa sings along. James is annoyed and puts on his headphones, so he doesn’t have to listen. Marissa hears an amber alert on the radio. She looks at James and pats him on the shoulder, and smiles at him, knowing he is safe and she worries about him. Marissa answers a call from John. As she says hello, she notices a picture on James' phone that looked Christmassy, but she thought she saw skin. It seemed very suspicious, and she gave James the most horrifying look while she was listening to her husband. She appears puzzled. Could he really have a naked girl photo? No, he knows better. Marissa tells James all the time not to have anything like that ever because he dreams of being a camp counselor, and she told him he would never be if any teacher or person knew that he had those types of pictures on his phone. She is now in disbelief and begins to worry. Her thoughts are confusing her. No, it couldn’t be, she thinks and continues talking to John. James waves bye as Marissa is still on the phone with John. John overhears and says, what was that all about? Marissa explains. John says that he’s a good kid and to trust his decisions until proven wrong. After all, he’s thirteen. What’s the worst thing he could do? Marissa sighs with relief and agrees.

INT. CAR. DAY. It is 3:30 PM, and at the end of Marissa’s busy day, she receives an email from James’s teacher. It says James has been caught taking pictures of girls without their permission. Also, inappropriate items were present on his phone. Marissa starts to panic. Was this the photo she saw this morning? Oh my goodness, James, what have you done, she thinks? He is such s a good kid, he’s too much of a good kid, and what could he possibly have on his phone, she thinks?

INT. KITCHEN. DAY. It is 3:35 PM, and after school, Marissa questions James. She goes to his room. He is busy playing Xbox. Marissa shows James the email from his teacher. She asks him to explain. James remains quiet and tries to avoid conflict and conversation with his mom. He appears scared with wide eyes, and he sinks in his chair. He tells Marissa that the photos have been deleted. Marissa looks at her watch and realizes the teachers have already gone home for their Christmas break.

James tells her that it was only one picture and it wasn’t anyone from school. Marissa asks James, “Are you sure? Are you sure?” She reminds James about his goal of becoming and camp counselor and working with children. He cannot involve himself in naked photos from girls at school. James tells her he knows, he knows. Marissa believes him and is relieved but is concerned about the truth of his story.

INT. BEDROOM. NIGHT. It is 5:30 PM, John arrives home from a business trip, and he and Marissa discuss the incident. Marissa tells John about the suspicious photo on his phone. She tells John about child pornography. And that it is the distribution of child pornography if they are sharing photos. The girls send the boys their photos. The boys are sharing photos. The boys are getting caught vaping, getting caught with drugs and marijuana. John tells Marissa that James knows better, he wouldn’t risk it, and he loves that camp and wants to be a counselor. They both agree to believe James.

DEC 27

INT. BEDROOM. DAY. James becomes sick over the holidays and seems sad. Marissa worries if it has anything to do with the incident. James gets the flu. Marissa brings him food, but he isn’t hungry. James is in bed for two days fighting off a sore throat and cold.

DEC 29

INT. HOCKEY ARENA STANDS. DAY. It is SATURDAY, 3 PM. Marissa sits in the bleachers with other moms from hockey. The moms discuss similar stories and incidents with their children. Marissa is in shock. One mom tells her the boys are taking photos of girl’s butts going up the stairs. Another mom tells Marissa a girl is sending masturbation videos to their sons. They talk about sex stories with their children. Some girls are making up stories about some of the boys.

One mom says that some of the boys were taking photos of a hot mom and sharing it, teasing the boy, “your mom is hot,” while laughing at him. Marissa wonders if she is the mom. She thinks could James is taking photos of her? Maybe the boys are taking photos from her Facebook? Those boys are little shits, she thinks. This is very unpleasant and embarrassing.

DEC 31

INT. SPA. DAY. On New Year’s Eve, 3:00 PM, Marissa visits her esthetician, CHRISSY (33), and learns issues and incidents happening with her son THOMAS (13). Marissa looks at a picture of Thomas as she is getting her nails done, sees how handsome he is, and worries and frets more. Chrissy tells Marissa that Thomas and two of his buddies snuck three girls into his bedroom at 11 pm, and she caught them with their clothes off. Chrissy had to drive the kids home and tell the parents. Now Thomas is being bullied on social media and at school because of it. What a terrible thing to have to go through, Marissa thinks.

JAN 4

INT. KITCHEN. NIGHT. It is 6:00 PM; Marissa arrives at home with a bottle of wine. She decompresses as she forgets the brutal and worrisome Christmas holidays. She can’t believe her son is growing up so fast, and she can’t believe the insurmountable amount of problems teenagers have to go through these days. It’s too much. She worries about her son some more. She goes to his room and is about to enter but overhears him question his Xbox buddies, “So what would you do if a really hot, hot, hot girl raped you? Would you tell anybody?” Marissa’s eyes widen. Once again, Marissa is in disbelief that her son is innocent. She doesn’t know what to say to him. She leaves him alone and drowns herself in her bottle of wine.

JAN 6

INT. KITCHEN. NIGHT. It is 6:00 PM. Marissa texts John and says that she just told James to tell someone if he ever got raped that it isn’t right. John texts Marissa and reassures her that everything will be okay with James and not to worry. He texts her, “You know honey, that would be on any man’s bucket list, by the way.” They both share smiley faces. Marissa feels bad. She should not be laughing about rape. Also, she questions herself, should she be brushing all these issues under the rug. She texts John more; she needs to respect James's rights as an individual, she needs to trust him to navigate his own problems, and she needs to find out how to communicate and listen better with him. John texts her back, “Honey, you do all that. You’re a great mom.”

JAN 8

INT. KITCHEN. NIGHT. It is 6:00 PM, and the Christmas break is over, and John arrives home with supper and a bottle of wine and answers from James’ teacher. John tells Marissa that James’s teacher really likes him and he is a good kid. He is fairly innocent. He shows Marissa a picture.

Reveal the only picture found on James’s phone, a picture of six naked women standing sideways with Santa Hats on. Marissa is sitting beside her desk with her calendar and compares the two very similar photos, John topless with his Santa Hat and James’s photo with the naked girls in Santa Hats. Marissa laughs, then cries, and then laughs again as she compares the photos. Marissa says, well, I guess we were both celebrating Christmas with sexy pictures this year.” John is laughing at Marissa. Marissa feels silly because she wasted her entire Christmas holiday in disbelief, worrying about her son and what he’s been up to. She wonders if her calendar and her behavior have influenced her son. Worry, worry, and more worry. Why do moms have to worry so much, she thinks? John says, “I can see that worry in your eyes, honey. Our son is becoming a man, and you need to be mindful of this stage of his development, sweetie.”

UPDATE: JOHN LEFT MARISSA. She lived in isolation and was/is being financially abused.

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