Sam
Christmas shopping season was finally in full swing and with it, sales galore. Wreaths and child-sized candy canes hung from light poles and rafters. Yards were filled with Santa on his sleigh led by Rudolph and other plastic reindeer, and snowmen were lit up as far as the eye could see. Porches were decorated with colorful lights, some blinking and others solid white. When you drove on the streets, most houses had windows showing their beautiful trees. The spirit was in the air and the time was drawing near.
Sam was with Clara doing some picking and choosing for a few important people in her life as Christmas music blared through unseen speakers. She didn’t have many she felt close too, but the ones she had, she cherished. She had become close to Clara and Bill rather fast. She was quickly feeling like one of the family with them and could honestly call Clara her best friend, besides Junior of course.
Through the traffic inside the mall they slowly weaved their way around, in and out of shops. They picked out some things they thought Clara’s kids would like. Of course, she had a list a mile long they had written to be sent to Santa Claus, but of course the real Mr. and Mrs. Claus couldn’t afford everything they wanted. When Clara showed Sam the list she couldn’t hold back her laughter.
“You weren’t kidding about a mile-long list, were you?”
Clara grinned and shook her head, “No, I’m afraid not. Unfortunately, Bill and I have had to decide on getting them what I can find on sale, mostly. He said if we got lucky we can get them both a couple games they want for the PlayStation, but it isn’t looking good so far.”
Sam didn’t have to think about it. She was planning on getting the kids something anyhow, so why not a few games they wanted. Placing her hand on Clara’s arm she said, “I’ll buy the games for them. I can afford it and I want to buy them something anyhow. I’ll put on the presents they came from Santa if you want me too.”
Touched by Sam’s offer she replied, “Sweetie, I appreciate that, but you don’t have to do that. Really. The kids get plenty of things all year and they will get enough for Christmas.”
“I want too. It’s not a problem. Besides, I sort of feel like family and I feel like their self-proclaimed Aunt. Please, let me. I truly want to do this. I was going to buy them something anyhow.”
Clara’s eyes misted up and she hugged Sam.
“Thank you. You have no idea how much that means to me. I’m sure it will to Bill, too.”
“You’re very welcome. It’s my pleasure. Now, let’s go to the game store and get the ones they want.”
Laughing, they finished what they were doing and paid for the items they had already picked out for Bill and Junior. Moments later they were lost in the crowd that seemed to grow rapidly and more intensely by the second.
***
Junior
Junior thought he was going to have a heart attack. He walked out of the small coffee shop in the mall and was only seconds away from walking directly in the path of Sam and Clara. As soon as his eyes laid on them he quickly stepped back into the shop. The last thing he needed was getting caught in the mall by them. He would have to lie about something, because he couldn’t let them know the real reason he was there, especially since he told Sam earlier he wasn’t planning on anything for the day. That in itself was a lie, and he felt bad about that one. Even if it was a tiny white lie, it was still a lie and he didn’t want to make a habit of it.
He watched them as carefully as he could and since they were there at the same time he was, he had to be extremely careful. Times like that he wished he was a ninja, or at least trained how to be stealthy. Thankfully, they were going the opposite direction on where he needed to go. He watched them until he saw them go into a game store and hurried himself to accomplish his goal for the day. A goal that would be expensive, but he didn’t care. In his mind, nothing was too much or too good for Sam.
When he walked into the jewelry store he found that it, too, was packed with like-minded customers. He carefully stepped between a few of them and walked up to the glass counter that showed off some of the most beautiful wedding and engagement rings he had ever seen. He peered into the glass hoping to find something that could come close to Sam’s beauty, but he believed there wouldn’t be a ring in any store that could match up to that. As he gazed upon the selection and amazed at some of the prices a young sales clerk appeared before him.
“Good afternoon, sir. May I help you with something?”
He looked up and into the face of a woman that greatly resembled a young Elizabeth Taylor. He thought that was very cool since Ms. Taylor was well-known for her jewelry.
“Umm, yeah, I hope so at least. I’m wanting to find something incredible, but something I can afford at the same time. If that’s possible.”
“Well, let’s see what we can do. What exactly are you looking to spend?”
He had already considered spending close to two thousand dollars on both the engagement ring and the wedding ring. He wasn’t very sure what the differences would be, but he planned on half for each.
“I’m guessing a thousand for the engagement ring, two for both.”
The Elizabeth Taylor look-a-like smiled and offered him one that was slightly over his range.
“How would this gorgeous ring do?” she asked as she pulled a small blue box from the glass counter. “This is a lovely half carat total weight princess-cut diamond, vintage-style in eighteen carat white gold. Its normal price is fourteen sixty-nine, but it’s on sale this weekend for only eleven sixty-nine.”
He thought for a moment and stared at it in her hand. She set it on the glass and he picked it up to get a closer look. Dollar signs flashed before his eyes and he asked himself if he could afford it. He knew if Sam said “Yes” that the cost of it wouldn’t matter to her, but it did to him. He wanted to get her something she would love showing off. Something she would love to look at on her hand forever. If she said “Yes.” His gut hurt and he didn’t want to put too much thought into it. She was worth every cent and more. Without another thought he set it down.
“I’ll take it.”
As he watched the young sales clerk tie a thin bow on the box that held the symbol of marriage, his heart rate felt like it picked up several notches. When she rang the ring up on the cash register and he handed her his credit card, he did so with a slight tremble in his hand. He knew he wasn’t feeling that way due to fear. He was going through emotions full of heightened excitement. He was at a point in his life where he knew, without a shadow of a doubt, he was ready to ask Sam to spend her life with him. He knew for a fact that he would never hurt her or leave her, and he would do anything to make her happy. He believed God put them together for a purpose and he was going to follow through and spend the rest of his days to make that happen. His only worry was whether she thought she was ready for the same commitment.
He wasn’t worried whether she loved him or not. He was concerned whether she was ready to be married for the second time. If she wanted to say another set of vows. If she wanted to walk down the aisle again. He smiled to himself as the sales clerk handed him the ring and thanked him. He smiled because it didn’t matter to him what kind of wedding they had as long as she said “Yes” and “I Do.” He would marry her in Coe Park or Walmart or Dunkin Donuts. It didn’t matter to him.
When he stepped out of the jewelry store he looked both ways. Until he was in his car and out of the mall he had to be on the lookout for Sam and Clara. If they did happen to come across each other he could say he changed his mind and thought about getting out of the apartment for a few hours. It wouldn’t be a complete lie.
Quickly, he strolled through the crowd as Jingle Bell Rocks flowed from speakers somewhere in the banisters and throughout the immense building. He hurried through the double glass doors and out into the cold and snow flurries lightly floating in the air. With every step, it seemed his smile spread wider. He thought he probably resembled the Joker.