Had she been waiting for this moment all year? Candy felt she was a bit like the person in the song, Christmas Wrappings..she kept missing this guy she wanted to spend Christmas with. Well, actually it started last year when she met a friend of a friends..accidentally at the coffee shop. Of course, he didn't have time for her then, nor New Years and not even at Halloween.
But he was mighty fine to look at. Maybe, it was good she didn't really know him. Otherwise, she might really hate him.
Yeah, that kind of thing happened to Candy. If not that, her best friend Jackie decided to be Jack who found love in some chick from FOREVER 21. So yeah, she got a lot of alone time these days. Her parents were divorced with new families. Things hadn't been the same since her grandmother passed away.
She couldn't think about that now. After all, she was trying to make do... the best she could for her mystery man, with a store bought rotisserie chicken and Stove Top, but she'd forgotten the cranberries.
She rushed down the isle hoping to make the last minute purchase, yet the lines were endless.
She squinted hard wondering what to do. Next thing she knew, she was getting a text:
"Sorry, babe, somethings come up."
"WHAT" She practically yelled at the phone and went to direct dial. Of course, he didn't pick up.
She sighed.
It felt like the end of the world as she nursed her bottom lip. It was hopeless. No need to buy anything. Just another lonely Christmas.
With her shoulders low, her hands tucked into her jeans pockets, she made an effort to look at no one, but as she got to the doors of the grocery store to step out, she saw the familiarity of the old sneakers. Slowly, her eyes moved up and there she was face to face.
She squinted.
"Do I know you?" She wanted to know.
He cleared his throat, about to smile.
"Candy? Right?"
"Huh?" She pressed her lips tight.
"We..we met at this Christmas party." He told her.
"Did..did I throw up, on you?" She wanted to know.
"No." He told her.
She slightly sighed a bit of relief.
"I'm Ollie." He was even lipped. It was quiet. The snow started to fall, out of nowhere..like a Christmas surprise.
"Are..are you doing anything..for Christmas?" He finally asked.
She shook her head, no.
"OK!" He was much more enthusiastic than she expected. "Well, since..since we didn't have a chance to..to really talk before..um, maybe you..you could come over. I mean..I mean..my Foster mom's got all these cookies and my dad's there."
"Wait? You're dad lives with your Foster Mom?" That sounded really funny to Candy.
"Something, like that." Ollie shrugged. "But I'm actually her only foster kid. She's got all the daughters."
"Oh."
"But, really, Betty wouldn't mind." He told her he needed to clockout. He would get her a coffee while she waited.
Candy guessed she could wait. He even called his foster Mom and let Candy talk to her. Candy just smiled. Maybe the world wasn't entirely awful.
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