Bah! Humbug! Now that's too strong

 

Why were there so many people at Dollar Tree, thought Maddie as she edged her way with her basket. Harley followed. They were on a mission to find something for Maddie's coworkers.

"I can't believe you aren't giving them anything at work?" Maddie looked back at her friend while her knuckles had gone white, clinging to the basket.

"I don't really know them. Nobody said anything about gifts," Harley sighed. After all, she was pretty much low on the totem pole at the diabetic clinic.

Maddie pushed on, and finally she found the cosmetics aisle. "I don't want to be cheap, really, but I just don't have the time to be creative."

Maddie would be placed in Adult Services at the library at the new year. A part of her wanted to make a good impression, yet she was certain Dollar Tree presents weren't going to cut it.

"Oh, look, OPI," Harley pulled down some OPI nail polishes, of course packaged as tiny nail polishes. Maddie saw they were green. Her new boss would love it. Her color was green as in Creativity.

"Thanks." This was good. It was going to work. Just a few little things. She noticed the nail art tools. She was certain her new boss could use them in crafting, another win. Maybe she could do this yet, on such a tight budget.

"What are you getting Rain?" Maddie asked.

"The usual," she sighed. "He's really into the labubu craze, but he likes the vinyl kind.  ONE PIECE labubus. They are on sale on Amazon. I already got it. I don't care if he has it already. It's what he's getting." Harley shrugged as she looked at something she wasn't sure what it was exactly used for. She asked Maddie if it was for the lips for a blush, and Maddie shrugged. Harley put it back.

"That's it? That's all you had to get him?" Maddie looked at her wide-eyed

"Just the usual, like undies, socks, maybe flannel pants."

Maddie nodded as she watched Harley grab the Vitiamin E oil. Maddie took some too. It looked so neat. She knew she needed some.

"Boone said we were only going to get stuff from 5 Below."

"Have you been there lately?" Harley looked at her with a chuckle. "Everything is five dollars or above."

"Yeah, I know. We have like a thirty-dollar limit. And then there is Thriftmus." Maddie nodded.

"I'm so glad you thought of that. I love it. You know, having a Thriftmus party. I love thrifting," Harley smiled.

"I know. Most of my work clothes are from Goodwill."

"But Thrifties is the best," Harley smiled. They both loved the new thrift shop in town.

"Do you think Mercer will come to the party?" Maddie hadn't heard back, but she'd drawn a name for him and sent it to him in an e-mail.

"Of course, he's bringing Sterling," Harley told her.

"Oh," Maddie found herself smiling. "Do you know something, I don't know?"

"I don't know anything." Harley shrugged.

They'd found Funnel Cake Mixes. They each took a few. Someone would need those for a last-minute gift.

She's a stranger knowing life is strange

 Carol cringed just looking at her Amazon App. Honestly, she needed to turn off her damn phone and stay unplugged for a while, but Christmas was coming, and so were packages from UPS, USPS, and good old Amazon. 

Honestly, she was losing sleep, but at least she had Tammy to complain to. Carol's knee was giving her trouble ever since it snowed and got cold. Also, she feared slipping on the ice.

"Why didn't you guys just draw names, like we did?" Tammy asked about the holiday crisis.

"Well, it's not that simple, and you know it," Carol practically snapped as she watched her coffee grow cold. "The girls need things, especially Millie." She sighed. "I don't know what ever got into my mind to let her go off and live with that boy."

"Oh, they look like they're doing fine," Tammy assured her.

"I think she might be pregnant," Carol said out of the blue.

"Really?" Tammy made that sound quite interesting. "I didn't know."

"Well, she says she wants to go back to college." Carol was in a huff when she said it, "But I don't think that girl knows what she wants. Adulting is evidently not as great as she thought it would be." Carol took a sip of her lukewarm black coffee. 

"But a baby?" Tammy looked at her as if that wouldn't be a good idea.

"Maybe it's me just..just wishing for one." She was straight-lipped. "It's true, I feel life is at a standstill and then Wham, I'm in the hospital with something serious and-" She winced. She knew she had to keep working. She didn't like that her husband had retired. He was at home all the time now. And he was always watching the same old TV shows and falling asleep on the couch.

"I know it's me. It's all me." Carol usually felt she was still a teenager in an old body. She didn't really want to do old things, now did she? She didn't want Millie feeling this way either, one day. "There is just so much you can do."

About then, she got an email from Amazon. A winter coat was on sale. She'd never had a really good winter coat. She clicked to buy it. She knew nobody was going to think about getting her anything for Christmas.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

 "How's that bed working out?" Cedric grinned at his cousin, Crystal, as he was getting his tab paid up. Granted, he had a lot of change these days in his pockets. He mentioned the things you could find when you move.

He and Dory had found them a home just before winter set in. They were a growing family, and they would be ready for baby Launa to take her first steps. Of course, she was trying to crawl at the moment.

"What are you talking about?" Crystal snapped as if he shouldn't be talking about something so personal, like a bed.

Cedric came back with an open grin and a five-dollar bill for her to keep. "What's going on, Crissy?"

"Nothing." She was close-lipped. She wouldn't look him in the eye. Of course, Cedric stayed a while at the cashier counter with his fist lodged under his chin as if it might be a dare or just a stare-down.

"Can you quit looking at me like that?"

"Those memory foam mattresses are nice," Cedric said. "Guess you're staying warm and cozy these days."

She squinted in a huff.

"Look, I'm not gonna call your moma," Cedric chuckled. "I would never."

Crystal didn't say anything.

Cedric looked past her, then over to the grill. The young man's back was turned to him. Cedric instantly thought that was the one. He'd noticed how they talked to each other. It was hard to know who was mothering whom, but he knew. Even if he might be off, he did hope Crystal did find someone to settle down with. She always liked to say she would go solo, but he didn't want her to be unhappy.

He hoped she was happy. Cedric pointed to a chunk of brownie for two. He knew Dory would eat the whole thing.

"Look, you be kind to ever it is, I want you to be happy. It's just you got to stop fighting it, Chrissy."

She pursed her lips and gave him a slight nod. 

"Let's have some Christmas together," Cedric said. It might not be on Christmas Day, but at least before the New Year.

Never Ever

 

"Don't look at me that way," CW's brow furrowed. He said it before Crystal could. She pressed her lips tight and told him to go to the kitchen and start breakfast. He did as he was told. 

She brushed her hand through her wild hair and went to pick up the mess on the floor to put in the laundry and then to take a shower.

She did wonder what she did last night. What did he do last night? She cringed at the thought as she suds up under the hot water. Honestly, she wanted to stay in the shower, hoping he'd just leave, but no, when she got on her lounge clothes, he already had coffee, scrambled eggs, and toast waiting for her at the dine-in bar where she always ate. 

She was still in a huff as she sat down on the stool while he was still in her little kitchen.

"Look, I'm sure nothing happened," he shrugged. "Besides, I'm not that experienced."

She swelled a frown as if he were a liar.

"All right, you kissed me." His eyes lit.

"But I was naked!" She looked at him as if he had something to do with that.

"Woe..you were the one who kept insisting to take your clothes off..and..and yeah," He did his best to keep a straight face. "I..I kind of liked it." He shook his head, no. "But still." He winced then as he took a sip of coffee in thought. "I kind of let you have your way with me."

"What are you saying?" She was stern, even if she almost spewed her black coffee back at him.

"Oh..you know." He squinted as if he didn't want to say.

"Say it!" Crystal demanded.

"You know..that touchy-feely kind of stuff," CW said, but he nursed his bottom lip and kept his eyes on his plate of scrambled eggs.

Crystal couldn't look at him. Why she'd never.  Yet she nursed the corner of her bottom lip, too. Finally, she ate her eggs and toast. She was starving.

CW  ate quietly standing up. He didn't eat as much. 

She scratched the back of her head in thought, wondering what to do about this one-off. She couldn't remember the last time she'd pulled a stunt like this. How about never, she thought.  She crossed her arms and glared at him.

"Don't you dare say a word about this to anyone." She scolded him.

"I won't." He looked a little bewildered. 

She wasn't sure she believed him, but who was he going to tell?

"You drove us home?" She snapped as if that was the real problem

"Yes." He scowled back.

"You said you didn't drive."

"I don't like to drive, actually." CW pressed his lips even and looked down at the plate of his cold eggs.

She sighed.

"But I can..I can if I have to."

"You should drive more, " she then told him.

"This doesn't mean. you'll be drinking more, does it?" He looked at her as if he were her only child.

"No," she yelped back.

"Good, I don't know if I could take it again, if you drink like that. I mean, you drank a whole bottle of wine. Anybody else, would have thrown up." He told her.

About then her stomach stirred. She needed to throw up.