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Gayle made a noncommittal sound. The way things were with her girls, she was unlikely to be allowed to take her granddaughter out unattended. She still wasn’t entirely confident they’d actually turn up for tea.
She watched as the woman selected a shimmering mermaid outfit. “Is she going to like that?”
“Like it?” The woman laughed. “I’m guessing she won’t take it off for the whole holidays.”
Gayle glanced at Stacy, who was still pulling boxes from the shelves. “I’ll have one, too.”
Stacy added it to the pile.
By the time they reached the checkout, Gayle was feeling dizzier than she had when she’d first stepped into the store.
“Would you like any of these presents gift wrapped?”
“Please. All of them. Apart from the tree, obviously.” She paused. “You really are excellent at sales. You should consider doing something more with that talent.”
Stacy stared at her. “More?”
“You could work your way up, I’m sure.”
“Thank you for the compliment, but I love my job.” Stacy scanned the gifts. “Promotion would mean being locked away in a back office somewhere, and I’d hate that. I love being out here amongst the action. And I just love the kids. Why would I want to change that?”
Why indeed? Gayle no longer had the confidence to answer that question.
She left the store, assured by Stacy that her parcels would be delivered within the next couple of hours.
She let herself into her apartment and paused, struck by the oppressive silence. Normally she treasured the quiet of her apartment, so why did today feel different? She had a sudden urge to rush back out onto the street so that she could soak up the atmosphere.
Was she really missing the cacophony of piped Christmas music? The shrieks of children whose parents were struggling to keep them under control?
She felt isolated and removed from a world where everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.
She was Scrooge, only without the unfortunate nightwear.
This time of year had never affected her before. She’d never been the type to peep through the window of other people’s lives and envy them. She’d been too busy building her own.
The conviction that she’d made all the wrong choices hadn’t gone away as she’d slowly started to recover. If anything, it had grown stronger.
She poured herself a glass of water and drank it slowly. Her phone told her that she’d had twenty-four missed calls from the office, but she felt no urgency to return any of them.
Why was that?
Maybe for the same reason she’d just spent a fortune in a toy store.
She was floating in a strange place between her old life and a new life.
By the time the delivery arrived from the toy store, she’d recovered a little, which was just as well, because the bags and boxes kept coming until her apartment was piled high.
Had she really ordered so much? What was she going to do with it all when tea was over? What if they didn’t want to spend Christmas with her, despite her efforts to show them she could change?
She stared at the bags and boxes, wondering where to start. Fortunately she’d never been afraid of hard work.
The tree. She’d start with the tree.
Rolling up her sleeves, she started work and she worked for four hours straight, pausing once to eat a yogurt from the fridge.
Finally she was finished, and she stared in wonder at her transformed apartment. The acres of glass which usually gave a minimalist feel, now reflected all the tiny lights she’d strung around her bookshelves and the tree itself. Under the tree were stacks of gifts in all shapes and sizes, wrapped in shiny paper and tied with bows.
Gayle collapsed onto the sofa, exhausted but satisfied.
