I felt like a guilty rat as I quietly closed the front door behind me, feeling like I should have woken my mom to tell her what I was doing. I know she would have let me go. But, such is life.
'Hey, sorry about the head.' She looked at it, bringing her hand up to touch. 'Oh, Andi, there’s a little bit of blood.' She grimaced. 'I’m sorry.'
'It’s okay. What are you dong here? I feel like my boyfriend is coming to my window in the middle of the night.' She grinned.
'Well, maybe I’m here to take you on a date.' She laughed.
'What are you doing here?'
'Why? Do you mind my being here?'
'Nope. Just wondering.'
'Well, I just dropped Kelly and Heather off, and wanted to spend some time with you.' A sudden feeling of warmth spread through me as a smile spread across my face. Aw, gee.
'Okay, well let’s go.'
'I have absolutely no idea what’s open still.'
'Well, where did you guys go?'
'To someone’s house for a party.'
'Oh.' I looked around to see the dark streets and businesses. Up ahead came tons of lights from a huge parking lot. We both looked at each other.
'Wal-Mart?' she asked. I nodded.
'Wal-Mart.'
Haley pulled into the nearly empty parking lot of the super center, and parked under one of the lights. We got out of the car into the cold night, and hurried inside the massive store.
We walked in, and of course this late there wasn’t a door greeter.
'Hungry?' Haley asked, looking at a table full of containers of cookies, the gooey frosted kind that I love.
'A little.' I looked at the cookies, reaching out to touch the smooth plastic of the container.
'You like these?' They were the holiday ones, frosted red and green with little candy sprinkles. I looked at her and nodded. She grabbed one, and continued on. I followed, wondering where she was going. 'I think this is the most empty I have ever seen this place.'
'No kidding.' I turned down the main aisle, headed for electronics. Haley followed, looking around as we walked, passing the jewelry department, then the photo development place, turned left and there it was. I loved electronics, and always said that if I have a good enough job when I got older, I would have every type of technology I could get my greedy little hands on. 'Oh, look at that.' I looked at the huge flat screen TV that was on display.
'Yeah, and look at that price tag. Ouch.'
'Some day, you will be mine. Oh, look at that DVD player! It can play up to three DVDs at a time, plus has a burner.' I hurried down the aisle, passing the bored Wal-Mart employee, and began to play with all the buttons and gizmos the piece of equipment had. I glanced over at Haley to see her watching me, a bemused look on her face. 'Sorry. I tend to get a bit carried away.'
'So I see. Come on, let’s go look at all the holiday stuff. I love those massive snowmen and Santa Clauses they have for your front yard.'
I turned away from the DVD players, and followed Haley with every intention of leaving, but then I was stopped yet again.
'Oh, look at all those Play Station games.' I walked up to the locked, glass case, my hands on the doors as I looked at them all, just waiting for me to buy them. I saw the control out of the corner of my eye where you could test games, and began to reach for it when my hand was taken by Haley. I looked at her.
'Uh huh. I will lose you for the night, then I’ll have to explain to your mother why you are still at Wal-Mart. Let’s go.' She tugged on my hand, and with one last, wistful glance at the game cabinet, I followed. Haley held on to my hand as we went, I guess afraid that I’d break free and run back to my homeland of the battery and electric-powered machines.
The part of the store where the garden stuff is kept during the summer time, was lit up and decorated like a winter wonderland. Aisle upon aisle of Christmas ornaments, decorations, yard ornaments, and Christmas cards. I wasn’t real huge on Christmas, but this place could turn the biggest Scrooge into a believer.
'Do you like Christmas, Andi?' Haley asked as she picked up one of those battery-powered Santas that played 'Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer', and danced along. She pushed the red button to make it go, and we both giggled, watching as the jolly old man’s belly jiggled in time to the music.
'Eh, not traditionally. You?'
'Oh, I love Christmas. My family usually goes all out every year. You know, we have the grandparents, aunts and uncles, and the entire clan. It used to be great when I was a kid, then I had an entire playground of kids at my disposal.' She grinned. 'But, as you get a little older, everyone changes so much, and you just lose that. So, we’ll just have to see how it goes this year.' I looked at her, imagining a little Haley running around, playing with all her cousins, fighting over toys and places at the 'grown-up' table.
'Andi?'
'Huh?' Haley was looking at me, brows drawn.
'Where did you go?'
'Little Haley’s house.' She looked at me for a moment, then a slow, adorable smile began to spread from ear to ear.
'Aww, you’re so adorable.' Funny, that’ s what I was just thinking about you. She walked toward me, her arms open wide. I looked at them, then at her as she got closer. Did she want a hug? 'Come here, you.' I guess so. I found myself swallowed up in a massive embrace, my face pinned to her neck, the warmth of her body almost overwhelming. I felt strange, suddenly, like I was guilty of a crime that I didn’t commit. I wanted to get away from her physically. Needed to get away. I almost felt like she would be able to read my thoughts.
Finally, thankfully, she pulled away, and headed down a nearby aisle. I stood where I was, struck by the feeling running through me. I felt alive, energized, and, I wasn’t sure, but I think turned on. I had noticed beautiful women my entire life, the way they talk, the way they move, wanting to be like them, admiring them. And, I had noticed Haley long before she’d ever noticed me. She had had my admiration for almost three years now.
I shook my thoughts back into the cobwebbed corners where they belonged, and hurried to follow Haley.
'Andrea, honey, wake up.' My eyes fluttered open to see my mom standing over my bed, a huge smile on her face.
'What? What’s wrong?'
'Everything’s fine. I just wanted to give you this now.' I looked to see what she had in her hand, and it was the small wrapped gift that had been under the tree since Thanksgiving.
'But mom, Christmas is still a week away.'
'I know. But this is a special gift.' Liking the sound of that, I pushed myself up, grinning the entire time.
'What time is it?' I asked as I took the gift from my mom.
'It’s nearly six.'
I carefully took the beautiful green bow off, setting it aside, as I dug in. My eyes bulged when I saw the check for seven thousand dollars wrapped around a gold keyring with my name engraved in it. I looked up at her, my eyes stinging as tears immediately came to them.
'I promised you I’d match you dollar for dollar, honey. You have done so well with saving your money for this car, that I think it’s time we go look now.'
'Really? Today?' She nodded. Grasping the check in my fingers, I launched myself at her, holding her tight. 'Thank you so much, mom. I love you.'
'I love you, too, honey. But, well, you’re choking me.'
'Oh, I’m sorry.' I pulled away, quickly swiping at a pesky tear that had managed to slip from my eye.
'Get dressed. Your bank opens at seven. I thought I’d take you to breakfast, then we’d deposit this, and go car hunting.' She leaned in and kissed my on the forehead, her face the picture of pride. I smiled back at her,
