The boy who moved Christmas
Past their bedtime, two boys press their feet into sneakers and leave the house to say what they expect to be their final words to their seven-year-old brother. In the living room, Christmas has been happening for months, the tree long bedazzled and toys well tested. The neighbouring houses, too, are decked with wreaths and Nutcrackers, as are nearby shops and streets. The town of St. George, Ont., has been celebrating Christmas early because doctors say seven-year-old Evan Leversage won?t live to see it.
After the brothers leave with an aunt, Evan?s mother, Nicole Wellwood, can hear herself swallow in the silent house. Siren-equipped trucks congest the floor and Kangaroo Jack spins in the DVD player, but there are no sounds. Grape-scented syrups line the kitchen counter next to the largest tin of spaghetti and meatballs she ever did see, but there are no smells. Three boys live in the house, the carpet optimal for somersaulting and mattresses prime for bouncing, but there are no movements, no little monkeys jumping on the beds. The place is stunned, the fridge calendar blank. Nicole, a single mother, will soon follow her sons to the hospice to say goodbye to Evan, who has been taken off life support after unsuccessful treatment of brain cancer. Nicole is home calling pallbearers, after already phoning a funeral home and cemetery. Most painfully, she?s chosen a casket. ?None of them seemed like it was good enough for him,? she says. ?I want to give him the best celebration ...
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