Milly tapped her foot along with the rhythm of the music. The cab driver had turned up the volume as soon as the bells sounded at the beginning of the song.

The Christmas lights attached to the roof of the car looked cheap and tacky but they had still put Milly into a festive mood.

She didn’t know what had gotten into Hannah this year. In the last few days, she had gone into some sort of Christmas overdrive. And it was very much rubbing off on Milly.

She looked outside through the window. It was a grey day but that didn’t affect her mood. The New York skyline lay far behind them and they would be at the airport soon.

Her parents’ flight would land a bit early, Milly had seen online. It was a busy day at the airport, though, and Milly thought she would still make it in time to greet them at the exit. She couldn’t wait to hug her mom and dad.

“You like this song?” the driver asked, interrupting her thoughts.

Milly glanced up and met his gaze in the rearview mirror.

“Eh, sure,” she smiled.

He wagged a finger at her playfully, “I saw you shaking your shoulders! You like this song!”

“Alright, alright,“ Milly chuckled, “It’s a fun song this time of year.”

The driver grinned back at her. “I’m a good singer, you know. Very good. But this song is hard.”

Milly leaned forward, amused. “Oh, really?”

He nodded and turned up the volume a bit more. “I don’t want a lot for Christmas,” he sang along.

Giggling, Milly clapped as he kept going. “You are good!” she yelled.

The driver tried to reach Mariah Carrey’s highest notes, but didn’t quite make it. His cheeks turned red and he winked, “Told you, it’s hard.“

Solemnly, Milly nodded. “Very hard.”

“How about you try?” he said, wiggling his eyebrows.

Milly shook her head, “Oh no, you really don’t want me to do that.”

He slammed his hand on the wheel, laughing. “Why not? Will my ears hurt?”

Milly tilted her head, considering the small space they were in. “Yes, probably.”

“Oh, come on, lady! It can’t be that bad!” he said. “Hey, I can give you some tips,” he added sincerely.

Milly raised her hands in defeat. “Alright!”

She took in a breath and let herself go. “All I want for Christmas is yoooooooooouuuuu!! Yoooouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!”

The driver’s jaw dropped. His eyes were wide and fixed on Milly in the rearview mirror.

Winking, Milly pointed at the road ahead of them, “I think our exit is coming up.”

Go to Day 5