Getting Into the Spirit of the Season

Celeste had been looking at a handbag too when Euphemia asked her about Rafael's absences, a question which was not that unexpected, or strange. She had a few people ask her the same thing in the past when they found out about her childhood.

Pulling the handbag off the shelf it was on, she shook her head. "No, I don't resent him," she told Euphemia with a somewhat sad smile. "My parents never got married because my mother didn't want to," she said, knowing full well that perhaps the topic was entering into the very personal, but for some reason carrying on anyway.

"Rafael wanted to. He asked her various times over the years, but she always refused, and she refused to let him raise me or go and live with him," she said, remembering the heated arguments between the two when they thought she wasn't around.

"My mother was a free-spirit and believed marriage was a social convention that trapped women," she told her assistant with a tiny shake of her head. Celeste had always been in total disagreement with her mother's radical and somewhat cold opinion of marriage.

"Truthfully? I do believe Rafael loved my mother," she started as she held the bag, "Though, I am not so sure that my mother really loved my father," Celeste told Euphemia somewhat sadly.

"Heck, I'm not that sure anymore if she really loved anybody but herself and her career." Celeste told her with a sigh as she remembered her mother's clear lack of support for anything Celeste did in life.

"No, it's quite alright," Celeste said reassuringly when Euphemia apologised and placed a hand on Euphemia's arm, "You didn't know, and I so rarely talk about it. My mother was a woman very focused on her career and herself, I am not upset.. " she said, "Just kinda sad that she was the way she was," Celeste admitted.

"But yes, you are right," she said seeing the bag Euphemia picked out. "I like that, it looks very cheery," she told Euphemia gesturing to the handbag as they made their way to the til.

"Do you have any plans for Christmas?" Celeste asked curiously.