Second Draft: The Holiday Shopping Game (Assignment 2, Long Ridge Writers Group, 2000)

            Fred entered the local mall to finish his holiday shopping two weeks early.  For the first time in his adult life, Fred wasn’t waiting until Christmas Eve to purchase last minute gifts.  He had completed decorating his tree, hanging the lights on the balcony of his apartment and making cookies and candies to give to his neighbors.  With his shadow cast before him, Fred unbuttoned his woolen trench coat.  Gently shaking his shoulders as he unwrapped the woolen scarf from around his neck, falling snowflakes turned from white to gold in dusk’s final light.

            Reaching into his pocket, Fred carefully read the crumbled list.  Only one name remained legible:  Grandma.  He exhaled his fears, breaking into an easy pace, wading into the deep of holiday shoppers.  He smiled an easy smile, warming his round face.  Fred had voiced to himself to change his usual celebratory temper this Christmas.  Usually waiting to the last minute to complete everything, Fred gave Scrooge a run for his money with the Bah-Humbugs.  But since Julie arrived in his life, he found that he wanted to enjoy more.

            The mall wasn’t huge, but fairly sized.  The Holiday decorations brightened the place considerably.  Fred watched the Christmas banners pass overhead, with blinking lights and pine garland.  “Let It Snow” echoed and rolled around the vaulted ceilings, ringing the shoppers’ ears and drowning out any passing conversation.  With another sigh and a growing apprehensive grin, Fred assured himself he would remain in a good spirits for this last holiday shopping.  A passing shopper heavily knocked into his shoulder, pulling his attention back to those around.  Fred glanced back trying to see who had hit him, but the culprit was lost in the bustle, without any apologies.

            “Excuse me…” Fred offered to the swarm of shoppers sincerely through the newly forced smile.  Whoever sent him whirling didn’t stop or listen.  With a turn, his easy pace picked up a little urgency.  Fred thought the sooner he could get his Grandmother’s gift, the more likely he kept his good mood.

            Just as he spotted the mall’s posted directory, Fred came to a quick stop on his tiptoes, towering over a pair of young boys, crouched down in the middle of the thoroughfare.  The younger of the two was attempting to tie his shoes, his older brother helping.  Laden with packages, suddenly aware of the lightened load, their mother stopped to look around.

            “Dylan!  Mark!  Get out of the middle of the walkway to do that!”  She cut a path through the fluid crowd to tower over them as well.  With a stomp of her foot, the shoe was tied.  Grabbing the hand of the brother attached to Mom, the family train pulled out of the station, into the stream of consumers.  Fred watched them disappear into a nearby store.

            “Sorry?” Fred tendered.  He began to wonder if he was invisible.

            After checking for the location of the store, Fred set a determined path, making his own cut through the throng of customers.  Barely a hundred yards into the mall, Fred’s disposition began deteriorating.  Despite his high hopes and happy thoughts, his warm smile had shrunk to a tight line and knot for a brow.

            Upon entering the all-American Shop, Fred was immediately underwhelmed by the over-sale of the store’s theme.  But the nurse’s aid said Nana’s cardigan was wearing thin, so he wanted to get her something she would love and use.  With a garden in her life since he could remember, Fred worried how many more years his grandmother would have, and purchasing an extra nice sweater might help him work through the guilt of not spending enough time with her.

            Navigating the aisles, Fred tried to peer around shoppers at the various piles of clothes lining the store.  Once to the back of the store, he moved towards a newly emerged salesgirl from the “Employee Only” room.

            “Miss?  Miss, could you help me?”

            As she turned to face Fred, she was suddenly accosted by a well-dressed yuppie, asking for a price on a turtleneck he was holding.  Scared and wanting the bad man to go away, she answered his question quickly and succinctly.  But, the yuppie proceeded with color and size questions, leading her to the section in question.  Fred watched them go with an angry gaze in his eyes.

            Marching to leave the store, a deep lavender button down sweater caught Fred’s eye on the wall shelf.  Briskly cutting off a wandering shopper, he marched over to the pile of flowered sweaters, sorting through until he found Nana’s size.  With the sweater in clenched first, Fred made his way to the checkout line behind a gray-haired woman with black-framed glasses.  Her severe bun told Fred she wasn’t going to be pleasant.

            “None of these shirts were marked off on the sale rack.  I want the 30% taken off.”

            “Ma’am,” the checkout clerk began wearily.  Obviously, this shopping day had taken its toll on her as well. “These items are not on sale.  I think someone put them back in the wrong place.”

            “Well, they were on the sale rack.  It’s not my fault.  I want the 30% off.”

            “I can’t do that, Ma’am.  These items shouldn’t have been on the sales rack.  I apologize if you were misled.”  Fred could tell she’s used that line about a hundred times today.

            “Fine.  I don’t want them then.”  Turning, the clerk added the shirts to the growing pile behind her on the counter.  With the register gun, she entered each tag to the total and bagged the items while the elderly lady dug for her money.

            “I just wanted to say,” the elderly lady began as she took her bagged items from the checkout girl, “If I wasn’t in such a hurry, I would have made you get your manager.  The customer is always right, and I should have had 30% off those shirts!  You’re just lucky I don’t have time.”  With that, she stormed off.

            Fred placed the sweater on the counter and fished for his wallet in his back pocket.  The clerk’s eyes were rimmed with red; obviously, she’d cried more than once today.  Fred frowned at the lines already forming on such a young face from the sadness she was experiencing.

            “Don’t mind her,” he said, leaning on the counter top.  “She probably sat on the Yule log or something.”

            The checkout girl glanced up at him from gunning his sweater into the cash register.  She smiled.

            Smiling, Fred handed over the money for the purchase.  “I mean, really, when’s the last time she’d see mistletoe?”

            The sales clerk laughed, as did the person in line behind him.  She bagged the sweater and beamed.

            “You have a good day, sir,” she said, handing the bag over the counter to him.  “Thanks.”

            “Happy Holidays,” Fred replied.  With a twist on his heels, Fred aimed to leave the store.  Two teenage girls stood near him at the counter, both smiling at him.  Fred returned their well wishes with a wink.

            “I would say 15 points,” the older girl said, never taking her eyes off Fred.

            “I would say 10,” countered the other girl.

            Fred stopped to look at them.  His pleasant smile had faded to a fearful scowl.

            The girls giggled from his attention, the younger one covering her mouth.  “It’s a game we play….”

            “While shopping!” the younger cut in over her hand.

            “Game?”  Fred questioned, never loosing his furrowed forehead, taking a step in their direction.

            The girls giggled again.  “Yeah, if you make someone…you know, laugh or something…”

            “Smile!”

            “Laugh or smile, you get points.  5 for a smile, 10 for a laugh…”

            “And 25 if you get the other person to joke …”

            Fred mulled the idea over while studying the girls’ faces.  Seemingly sincere, the girls giggled and shied away from his stare.  His face warmed again with a smile for the giggle twins.  With another wink, Fred made his way out of the store.  In the mall thoroughfare, his pace was relaxed and his grin broad.  With his holiday cheer back, Fred wondered how many points he could rack up before the end of the season.