On Santa's lap - S01 E07

3 months ago

On Santa's lap - S01 E07

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 7

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There wasn't a next time, well not for the rest of the week. It was oddly strange walking out of work not to see some creepy silhouette just leaning against the dodgy photo booth waiting for me, oddly weird.

So when Ash asked me to chill with her after our shifts ended, I didn't really object as she dragged me outside to chill in the colder air. It was Melbourne, when you had three hot thirty one Celsius days, there was a storm on the forth day, today was the forth day.

It was a nice change to be standing outside, sitting on the bench for trams, except the trams ended a long time ago. It was also somewhat dangerous, but what was life without danger.

"What are your plans for the weekend?" she asked taking out a cigarette.

"I thought you were tying to quit smoking?" I asked confused as she lit it up.

"Try being the operative word," she scoffed taking a long puff and I leaned into the chair hoping the wind blows it in the other direction. Thankfully it did and my chanced of passive smoking died down, "But my mum is driving me crazy with this stupid wedding, I am never going to survive it without a ciggy, or ten, or five packets ya know?"

No I don't know, but I nodded nevertheless playing with the hem of my dress. Why did I even wear a dress today? Because you thought it was going to be damn hot. Well it wasn't, we were shielded by the tram stop roof from the rain or else we would have been drenched.

Whilst a few drops still came onto my legs from the wind, it was a nice cool feeling. One that I had missed too much.

"So who's the guy?"

"Who?" I asked confused.

"The dorky Santa guy, he came here for like, every day last week,"

"Oh Nik," I said, well the dorky guy hasn't been here for the last four days, not like I was counting or something, because I wasn't. But Christmas was so close, and was he lacking on his job as Santa?

"He's not dorky," I found myself saying for some strange reason as I crossed one leg over another, "And he plays Santa downstairs and comes up for drinks I guess," I said. The less Ash knows, the better.

But it seemed she knew too much already from the skeptical look she gave me, "You're right he's not dorky, he's too hot to be dorky,"

I rolled my eyes, "He's not that hot," was that my pathetic lame excuse to lie, well why was I finding the need to lie anyways.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW

"Yeah and you're not short,"

"Hey!"

"And the earth is flat, whatever little miss Eve, omg, Elf, I shall call you elf, it fit's since he's Santa and all and you're the overly friendly elf,"

"This isn't even, how did we, urgh aren't we talking about the wedding?"

"Oh right," and that's how the wedding came back to conversation, thankfully. Ash was the oldest daughter of three and one son, so that's where all the problems started when both her younger sisters were married and she was still single. Of course mothers felt the urge to act cupid and set her up.

It was all good till her mum set her up with a married man, not knowing that and things went...well wild. And now her baby brother, at only twenty, was getting married. And while Ash thought it was too son, her mother was jumping at it.

"I mean, he wants me to be his damn best man, touching, but can girls be best mans?"

I shrugged, "Well yeah, I was one, remember Rick? He wanted me to stand in, they just made me wear a very ugly black and white penguin type dress, horrifying actually," I shuddered knowing that tuxedo type dress was at the back of my closet, hidden.

"He got married young too," Ash said as she took another puff, I shrugged, "Well isn't the saying, when you find the one you'll know?" I asked as I crossed my arms across my wait, the storm was picking up and it was getting windy, my hair was out of its pony tail and in my face.

I brushed it out of my face, of course I had to wear a dress on one of the worst days possible, "Well yeah, even if you did find the one what is the hurry to marry and have kids, my mother is so mental. You're so lucky,"

I winced, and she noticed, "Well I don't mean lucky I mean it sucks no-okay I'm making this worse aren't I?"

"No, It's fine, just cold," I lied as I got up, "We should head back,"

She pursed her lips before putting her cigarette out, she already knew the words were out and there was no point denying that she said them. And there was no point me sitting here crying over it. I should get over it.

"What are you going to do for Christmas then?"

I shrugged, "I don't know, we still have weeks,"

"We have less than a week honey, I'm going back to Mildura to celebrate it with my family, why don't you come with me, it'll be fun,"

I doubt anything would make Christmas fun for me, "I'll think about it, thanks for the offer," was my reply, even though we both knew my answer was no, and she was just inviting me to be nice. There was nothing more awkward that going to someone else's place for Christmas, I tried that with Rachel last year.

Not only did her parents think we were dating, they tried planning a wedding for us. Cute, but no.

Well at least the food was nice.

So I would call myself crazy, or I could just blame it on the hormones, but I didn't know why I was taking the long way from work, the way that passes the Santa Photo place in the middle of the plaza.

Because you want to see the sales Eve

But did I really?

I tried not to look like I was walking too slow as I walked past the place, but on the seat wasn't the familiar Santa I recognized. Not that I walked by the place that many times but this man looking like his pot stomach was real. Not that I was staring in that particular region.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW

I frowned biting my lip, did he get fired?

That made me smile, probably, slapping people's arses did that to you.

I shook my head heading outside to hail a taxi and checking my watch, was I going to be late? I hope not.

It was Evan's day in his school play and I had promised him I would be there, why did I do that? The last thing I wanted to do was watch a bunch of primary school kids acting out Christmas plays for their school. But I did say I would be there.

Partially because his father wasn't and I felt bad for the kid, some type of family had to be there, apart from his mother, Janelle.

Living in the city had its perks but not when you needed to go to a suburb out in the district. I was going to make Ethan pay for my cab bill. It pained me to give the man a fifty realising that a thirty minute drive costs me more than two hours of work.

It was dark when I got out, I had to take special permission to finish early today, not that Mike minded especially since I was filling in for everyone else.

I rushed across the somewhat wet concrete towards the main hall hoping I wasn't too late. It was far too easy to spot Janelle, dressed in her bright red coat she stuck out like a sore thumb right in the middle of the black and grey coats. I excused myself tripping over feet as I neared her. She had her Gucci bag placed on the seat next to her, saving my spot.

"Hey,"

"Hey," she replied taking it as I sat down, "Did I miss anything?"

"Nope,"

"Where's my dorky brother?"

"Work," She replied, her lips pursed no doubt not happy with her husbands lack of involving in his child's laugh. I liked to call Janelle a gazelle in my mind, because of the beauty she held. How did she get tied to a workaholic, not so attractive brother she met at a high school match.

That would be the forever mystery. I turned my attention to the red curtains. It was one and half hours of children singing and acting out Christmas...stuff. I can do this.

I was in tears.

Not from the touchy stupid scenes, but from boredom, hunger and pure hatred for what was going on the stage. They had sung Jingle bells in three different languages in three damn minutes. And I was sick of hearing more Christmas songs.

"Rudolph the red nose rein-,"

Yeah, he will be read in the face when I punched him in the face. It was interval in no time and Janelle the Gazelle turned to say something but I was already half way across the room rushing to buy myself some snacks before I fainted.

Buying a punnet of strawberries, which I didn't even know schools started selling a healthy snack whilst watching the play, I walked back outside. The break was for ten minutes, and I was going to drink in the fresh air rather than the fancy perfume Janelle was wearing. Not that I minded it, it smelled lovely.

But she liked to drown herself in that concoction. I sat on the stairs, the ones that weren't wet and read the sign.

Millhigh presents the 2014 Annual Christmas Show

Alcohol free event

Well wasn't that just boring without alcohol. Taking a bite of an unnaturally big strawberry I plucked my buzzing phone out of my bag, "Hello?" I asked forgetting I was eating and watched the strawberry fall out of my mouth and stain my only nice cream coloured trench coat.

Well this was just perfect.

I licked my finger rubbing the pink stain, please wash out, "You didn't save my number did you?"

"Huh?" I pulled away to look at the unknown number and racked my brain for who could have possibly called at this time, "Oh, Nik?"

"Yay, one point for Eve,"

I shook my head, denying that there was a small smile on my face, "Yeah?"

"You're not at work,"

"Day off," I replied grabbing another strawberry from the punnet, "Why?"

"Nothing, I was bored decided to call,"

I raised an eyebrow as I bit into the strawberry, "People still call each other?" I asked, I mean wasn't texting easier and better, and it avoided accidental slip ups.

"Are you busy?"

I looked at the time, I was meant to go back into the play in two minutes, or I could sit here talking to Nik, which was better?

"Nah, I'm free,"