My Twelve Days of Christmas

I am a twelve-year-old boy, and my life hasn’t been easy so far. My father died two years ago, leaving my mother and I in severe debt.

My mom works double shifts cleaning rooms in a rundown motel, trying to scrape together as much money as she can. I hear her crying at night, and I know she is worried about paying our bills and keeping food on the table.

When my dad was alive, he drank and smoked all the time and could never hold down a job. He blamed my mother for his problems, and I heard them yelling at each other every night. I remember my mom saying something to him about a twelve-step program and how he kept missing meetings and didn’t seem to want to get better. That’s what gave me my idea…