Dario watches the girl seated on the carpet in front of the fireplace and going through the old photo albums. She was smiling at the memories in front of her and all Dario could do is try to come up with a logical explanation why she was here, looking like his dead wife.

"There are so many pictures of this cute boy and so little of you with him and your wife, why?" Asks the girl.
"Julie always took pictures and any time I was around she insisted we take it together but as I had been busy most of the time, I am in only a few," says Dario.
"Very few" whispers the girl and flips a page and stops. She runs her finger on a picture and says "she looks so sad in this picture, why?" And gets up from her place and walks to Dario and places the album on his lap and sits on the hand of the chair.

Dario looks at the picture and recalls the day. It was Christmas eve and as always Julie insisted on the family picture. Dario never bothered to see the picture then but now he could clearly see the sadness behind her fake smile.

Flashback

It was the night before Christmas. Julie and her 6yr old son, Mario were seated on the couch snuggling together drinking hot chocolate with tiny marshmallows. Mario was impatiently waiting for Dario to come home so that he could open his presents.
"You know, Santa has a very special gift for you this year," says Julie.
"Mommy, didn't dad say Santa is not real? The gifts that I get are from dad and you and grandmas and grandpas and uncles and aunts.." Goes on Mario.
Julie hated that Dario took away Mario's innocent Santa phase so early into his childhood. But she could see how smart Mario was and made peace with it.

Julie was constantly looking at the clock while she told Mario a beautiful story of Christmas. She sees him fall asleep and kisses his forehead and carries him to his bed. She tugs him in and smiles at her son with all the love in her heart.
She then comes down and places a gift for him under the tree which read "from mom and dad"

Julie ultimately fell asleep on the couch after waiting for hours for Dario. She woke up the next day on the bed and turns to see Dario asleep next to her. He must have carried her to bed. She smiles and snuggles close to him and kisses his neck. He wraps his arms around her and she says "you came in late last night".
"Yeah, the meeting went on late. Those Chinese men didn't care it was Christmas" says Dario with closed eyes.
"Mario will be up soon. He wanted to open his present last night" says Julie.
"You should have opened it without me," says Dario.
"He can't open the gift you bought without you giving it to him," says Julie and sees him smile.
"You are a good woman just like dad said. You make my life very easy" says Dario and pulls her closer to his chest.
They didn't get more time to stay this way as they were woken by a very impatient Mario who was excited to open his presents.

Dario and Julie sat on the couch in the living room and watch Mario open his present. He opens all the presents and in the end, opens the gift from his parents and screams in happiness.
"This is so cool. The new transformers with laser and wheels" says Mario and runs to his parents and hugs them.
"Thank you, mom and dad. I will be so popular at school when I tell everyone I got this. No one can get this during Christmas but you got it for me" says, Mario.
"Anything for you boy," says Dario, and Julie skeptically looks at Dario as he had no participation in buying the gift.

"Now your turn," says Julie and hands Dario a box. It had leather gloves in it.

"I know you like leather gloves but hate how sweaty your hands get when you wear them. These gloves have soft Cashmere inside and leather outside. See, comfy" says Julie.
"They are perfect," says Dario and tries them on and says "I love them"
"Now your turn, mom. Dad gives mom her present" says Mario and Dario had wide eyes.
Julie saw Dario and knew he had forgotten her gift.
"Your dad already gave me my gift," says Julie.
"Where is it?" Asks Mario and she hugs Mario and says "you are my biggest gift from your dad"
"I am no gift. Dad, you forgot mom's gift" says Mario.
"I was swamped with work," says Dario.
"It's ok," says Julie.
"Why don't you buy something tomorrow, on my behalf," says Dario, and Julie nods and says "Time for a  picture," says Julie clearly hurt but covering it with a smile.
She sets the timer on the camera and puts up a smile for the picture.

Flashback ends.

"Did you get her a gift after that?" Asks the girl.
"I don't think so. She started buying gifts for herself after that and gave them to me to later give back to her in front of Mario" says Dario.
"That's so sad. The beauty of receiving a gift is in the surprise. Didn't you like receiving gifts?" Asks the girl.
"I did. Julie always knew what I wanted, what Mario wanted and she definitely knew what she wanted. She liked shopping, so it was no big deal and she never complained" says Dario.
"I think she did," says the girl she looks back at the picture and whispers "you just didn't listen"

Dario looks at the picture and then turns to see another and another. He finally continues to see Julie in a completely different light. Julie had lived for Dario and Mario without complaining.
"She never complained" whispers Dario.
The girl takes away the album and brings it back another one.
"Tell me about this," asks the girl.
Dario smiles and says "these are Julie and I when we were kids. Julie kept pictures of our childhood too"
"She is so cute. What color were her eyes?" Asks the girl.
Dario places his finger under the girl's chin and turns her to look at him.
"Blue. Her eyes were blue as the sky" says Dario making the girl blush.

They go through more pictures and Dario couldn't stop himself from talking about his life with Julie and Mario. He then yawns and the girl asks "are you tired? Do you want to sleep or shall I make you some coffee?"
At this time, Dario didn't want to close his eyes and wake up to see this girl gone. So, he took her offer for coffee. He snickers when he tastes the coffee.
"What's wrong?" Asks the girl.
"I must be completely bonkers to believe you are here looking like my wife and you just made me coffee as Julie did," says Dario making the girl smile.

The girl stands up and faces the large window out looking at the town.
"It's so beautiful. Shall we go out and explore the town?" Asks the girl.
"You can go. I have seen the town many times" says Dario.
"Wanna see it through my eyes?" Asks the girl.
"How will it be different?" Asks Dario and she smiles and says "it will be magical"