Christmas Guest

Lauren was eager at first about the notion of meeting the lady who was an old friend of her mother's family; she could probably tell her all sorts of exciting things about when Mama was a girl But upon meeting Miss Allenity, and after the lady had stayed with them for a while, Lauren begins to wonder if perhaps it would be nice if she had never come. Miss Allenity is rather authoritative, opinionated, and, perhaps a little too self-confident. All of these mannerisms begin to grow quite wearisome as time goes on, and to Lauren, Miss Allenity feels more and more like an intrusion on her happy family life. But then, does it seem that this unexpected guest might be hurting inside? Could those brief, despairing expressions the lady frequently displays be telling of a sad event in her past? Can Lauren really learn to love someone, as Jesus commands, who is so exasperating? Can she possibly be a light to a person whom she would simply rather avoid altogether?