The Inconvenient Truth

“Well, thank you so much for calling, Ms. Flanners, I will certainly talk with Melody about the incident and we’ll make sure this won’t happen again.” Janice hung up the phone and sighed. She looked across the kitchen island at her five year old daughter who was sipping apple juice while reading an American Girl book.

“Melody.”

Melody looked up over the top of her book.

“That was Ms. Flanners,” Janice announced.

Melody looked back at her pages.

“Melody!” Janice exclaimed.

“Yes, mom,” Melody replied.

“Your teacher called,” Janice reiterated in a pointed tone.

“I know.”

Everyone always congratulated Janice on how advanced Melody was. She’d been the first in her kindergarten class to read. But no one got to see the challenges that come with raising a precocious child.

“Do you know why she called?” Janice asked with a hint of exasperation.

Melody nodded.

“Then explain to me what happened at recess today.”

Melody closed her book slowly, reluctantly accepting that reading time was over, “Haley cried and Ms. Flanners blamed me.”

“Did you do anything to Haley?” Janice pressed.

“I told her the truth,” Melody said matter-of-factly.

“And what truth was that?”

“That Santa Claus isn’t real.”

“Why did you tell her that?”

“Because he isn’t.”

“I know, but-” Janice stammered. “-but Haley didn’t know that yet.”

“Yeah, that’s why I told her.”

“But Haley’s parents didn’t want her to know that Santa isn’t real. Not yet anyways.”

“Why?”

“Because they like to leave cookies out and give Haley and her brothers gifts that they pretend are from Santa,” Janice explained.

She and her husband had always known things could get complicated when they decided not to jump on the Santa bandwagon. But now that those complications had arrived Janice found herself completely unprepared.

“So Haley’s mom and dad know that Santa isn’t real, but they tell her that he is?” Melody asked.

“Yes.”

“So they lie to her?”

“Yes. I mean, no! Well…technically yes.”

Melody’s eyes narrowed. “So parents are liars?”

“No! They’re not,” Janice declared as she racked her brain for a suitable rebuttal. “Um…but sometimes they lie for a good reason. Like we did when your cousin Nicky had that surprise party. Remember? We all lied and said we were sick so he would be really surprised to see us.”

Janice smiled, proud of herself for pulling that one out of the hat.

Melody seemed to consider this information. “But Nicky was happy when he found out the truth. Haley didn’t seem very happy today.”

Now it was Janice’s turn to contemplate. “No, I’m sure she wasn’t happy. With Santa it’s the lie that makes kids happy and the truth that makes them sad.”

“So it’s not like the surprise party?”

“I guess it’s not,” Janice said feeling deflated. “But even so, Melody, you can’t just tell other kids that Santa isn’t real. You have to let their parents decide when to tell them the truth.”

“Okay,” Melody said. Then her brow furrowed. “Wait. Does that mean I have to lie too?”

“Um, no,” Janice said, certain that was the answer she had to give but uncertain of how to qualify it. “But… maybe you could just pretend a little?”

“Isn’t that lying?”

A lightbulb went off in Janice’s brain. “It doesn’t have to be,” she said excitedly. “Like when you and Nicky play pirates, are you really pirates?”

“No.”

“But does that mean you’re lying?”

“I guess not,” Melody admitted.

“Exactly! So when your friends bring up Santa, you can just play pretend.”

Melody nodded. “I think I can do that.”

Janice’s phone vibrated on the counter. She glanced at the message and then stared back at Melody. “Well, you’ll have a chance to practice tonight. Uncle Joe and Aunt Linda are coming over for dinner and Nicky doesn’t know the truth about Santa yet.”

Melody’s eyes widened.

***

There was no knock at the door, just the sudden and familiar noise of incoming relatives, although this time it involved helicopter sounds made by Nicky.

Janice’s sister, Linda, made herself at home in the kitchen as she began tossing a large bowl of salad. The men settled themselves at the dining table and began talking about some football player. The kids darted into the living room as Nicky swooped a toy helicopter above his head.

Janice grabbed her glass of wine and positioned herself between the two rooms so she could eavesdrop on the kids.

“Look what Santa brought me,” Nicky said. His face beaming as he held the helicopter out in front of Melody.

“Wow! That’s so cool!” Melody remarked.

“What did Santa bring you?” Nicky asked.

“Um…these socks!” Melody said as she pointed to her red an white striped candy cane socks.

Janice choked on the sip she had just taken.

Nicky’s face fell. “Socks? Were you bad this year?”

“No. Santa was going to bring me a pony but those people who are always yelling at our next door neighbor to take down his Christmas lights and cut his grass said we aren’t allowed to have a pony in this neighborhood. So Santa asked what he could give me instead and I said I wanted real elf socks that they wear at the North Pole and he gave me some!”

“You mean those are the same socks Santa’s elves wear?” Nicky asked incredulously.

“Yep!”

“And you talked to Santa?”

“Sure did!”

“Wow! That’s so much cooler than a helicopter,” Nicky sank to the floor and stared forlornly at his toy.

Melody looked up at Janice and flashed a thumbs up.

Janice sighed and gulped back the rest of her Merlot.