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“Do you think Raine is already there?” Aisha bites her lip nervously as she tries to navigate through the busy Monday roads. At least most of the traffic will disappear after rush hour, and we will be able to do shopping, as most people will be at work.
We arrive at the mall after parking her antique car and run in to find an irritated Raine tapping her foot.
“Hey, we were stuck in the traffic. Have you waited long?”
S
he opens her mouth, probably to shout at us for being twenty minutes late, so I quickly make a peace offering. “Let’s get you some coffee, with a delicious muffin, for suffering our tardiness?”
Raine smiles and shakes her head at me, then gives me megawatt smile. “Lead the way, and make sure that it’s mocha with double cream and chocolate sprinkles on top!”
“You’ll get a stroke from the sugar you consume today. We promise!” Aisha bounces to the coffee shop to flirt with the barista as we take our seats. I notice her colorful, bright coat with faux fur and shiny black boots. She looks fantastic in her winter gear. Five minutes later, Aisha brings our coffees and sweet treats to enjoy as we catch up.
The shopping mall is bursting with blinking, shimmery lights and decorations hanging from the ceiling. We enforced the rule that no one can receive more than one hundred pounds’ worth of presents, eliminating the billionaire boys’ overspending. We begin our search for the perfect gifts, but I have no idea what to give Logan. He seems to have everything he wants. Is there anything he needs?
“Have you decided what you’ll buy for Logan?” Raine asks me, as if reading my mind. She looks at a belt with the Harley motorbike buckle for Rider.
“Not yet.” At least kids are sorted. I’ve got the books, dolls, and superheroes, as well as a few other preschool toys to play. Even distracted by bling and glitter, I manage to buy clothes and jewelry for Arianna.
“Hey girls, look what I found!”
We both turn to find Lucas and Leif standing by Aisha, looking sheepish. Both men, for some reason, chose to wear similar shade khaki-color parkas with faux fur hoodies, and different shade blue jeans paired with black shoes.
“How did you know where we were?”
At my question, they start to fidget, as if they feel uncomfortable, and it hits me that they somehow have us under surveillance.
“You followed us?” Lucas holds his solid mask better than Leif, whose guilty grin gives him away. “How?”
“Don’t get all freaked out! We tracked you with the app that’s installed on your phone. We had to wait and see where you’d finally meet, and voila, we’re here!” Leif tries to make it sound as if it is not an outrageous idea. That boy needs a good whacking. I look at my sisters, and they both are impressed instead of weirded out. What is wrong with this bunch, really?
“We need some advice about shopping because you placed a limit on the valuable ideas. Now it’s your turn to teach us to shop on a budget.”
I look at Lucas. “You know that you are not allowed to buy anything else, right?”
They nod like good boys and take my sisters to look around the mall. Exhaling, I pay for my stuff and text them.
R and A: Keep a tight rein on their wallets!
Hopefully, they won’t go overboard. Somehow, I am left on my own, so I use the opportunity to find another shop for my sisters and brothers’ gifts. I walk into a sweater heaven, as warm, cozy clothes are displayed in an eye-catching way. The outside wooden benches have pillows decorated in winter designs and there is garland hanging from the ceiling, with fake snow.
I look around for the perfect gifts as my head starts to spin with an upcoming headache. I was never a fan of the shopping experiences because the lighting and rush of people always made me feel drained and tired. I take a seat on the bench to relax, holding my head in my hands, and try to let the dizzy spell pass.
“Do you want some water?” A concerned female voice reaches my ears as the bottle appears in front of my eyes.
I lift my face and crane my neck to look at the Good Samaritan. An older, wrinkly-faced woman sits next to me, her cloudy blue eyes looking at me. Her bleached curly hair is nicely done in a short hairdo, and she wears a lime-green coat with fur sewn on the collar.
For some reason, I feel like I’ve seen her before. I watch her kind smile as she offers me an unopened water bottle.
“Take the water, sweetie, from the woman who doesn’t wish you any harm.” She smiles with amusement as I finally accept the gift from her. Gulping the water, I can feel the clarity return and I start to breathe easier.
“Have you found your way back home, lost one?” With a shiver running down my spine, I turn to look at her.
“Excuse me? Do I know you?” She sits, watching me, until her nonchalant look changes into a determined one. She makes the decision to talk and her expression becomes serious.
“We met on the bridge once. You were lost and told me that you was going home to wait for your boys and husband to come home. You had those autumn leaves stuck to your hair and clothes, and the smell of outside and mud stains everywhere. But your eyes were like black pools, the horror stuck in their depths. I felt an unexplainable desire to aid you. So, I helped you home, don’t you remember?”
Tears start to fall like rain from my eyes as I look at her, as if receiving a puzzle piece I didn’t know I was missing. Shaking my head, I take her old hands into mine.
