Donny
Eisenberg was with security and had been watching the young woman and her little
girl ever since they'd entered the store. He'd seen her slip the doll into her purse
and almost grabbed her then, but held back. He'd been a Floor Walker for eight
years now, ever since he'd retired as a bus driver for Metro Transit, and after
all these years he could just tell.
Like he recently told Helen, his
wife of fifty one years, "They just have a look about them. You know.
Trouble."
To which Helen slapped down her
newspaper and stared at him , "All of them Donny? Every single one of them?"
She glared at him, frowning."You know they're people, don't you, not
things? Each one is a person. A living breathing human being who just might be
down on their luck. Can't you sometimes give them the benefit of the doubt? Cut
them a little slack?"
Donny knew she was getting angry but
he snorted his answer anyway, "Never." It seemed they were having
this argument more and more often these days and he didn't know why. "That's
not what they pay me for. The company makes the rules, I enforce them. I'm
supposed to stop them if they shop lift, call the head of security and turn
them over. That's my job."
"So you're paid not to think,
huh? Is that it? Have no feelings? Well,
it sounded like a stupid policy to me when you were hired and it still sounds
stupid," Ellen spat out her words, making her point perfectly clear. Then
she stared at him long and hard, waiting for Donny to say something. Anything. Donny
stared back at her, his mind suddenly blank.
Finally shook her head in
disappointment and stood up, taking her newspaper into another room. Donny
watched her walk away, all his arguments suddenly coming back to him. But they
were unsatisfying and did nothing to alleviate the fact that he was left with
contemplating for what seemed the millionth time in their long marriage, why
his wife was always so mad at him. He turned and looked out the window, seeing
nothing but Helen's disappointed frown, and wondered if maybe, in the long run,
she really might be right.
Now, as he followed the young woman
and little girl through the crowded store, he pictured Helen admonishing him
with a flinty gaze and steely eyes boring into him like two overheated drill
bits. He knew she'd be disappointed in him (again) but he shrugged it off. To
hell with her, he thought. He had a job to do.
It was the day before Christmas Eve
and the place was packed, especially today, a Saturday: parents pushing carts
full of toys, most of it crap that kids would open and lose interest in before
the new year began if not sooner. Harried adults, wound up children, everyone
talking twice as loud as normal just to be heard over the incessant Christmas
music pouring through the sound system. Most people would be driven nuts, but Donny
had learned to tune it all out just to keep his sanity; but he swore if he
heard 'Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells' one more time he'd...Well, he didn't know
what he'd do, but he was sure it wouldn't be pretty.
Up ahead the young woman (he guessed
she wasn't more than twenty one or twenty two) turned into the first of what
was probably ten aisles loaded to over flowing with displays of Christmas lights
of every type and style and decorations of every shape, size and color. Donny
slowed and walked past her to a look at a row of indoor Christmas tree ornaments,
keeping a surreptitious eye on the two of them. She had unbuttoned her ragged coat
and even though she had on at least one sweater and a turtle neck, he could
tell she was thin. Her skin was pale and her non-descript brown hair was cut
short and he noticed that in spite of her street worn appearance, she looked
clean. What struck him, though, were her eyes. Even from where he stood and
even though she wore glasses, he could see they were bright and blue. Attractive,
almost.
Definitely not a drug user, he
thought to himself, assessing the situation. He knew that for a fact. He'd seen
enough of them in the store to know - wild eyed and manic. Not this one,
though. She was calm and under control. And pretty good with her little girl, too,
he thought, now that he had watched her for what, he glanced at his watch,
fifteen minutes or so. Lots better than a good majority of the other shoppers milling
around him, some of whom even bumping into him without so much as even a
'pardon me.' Rude people.
He kept a casual but watchful eye on
the two of them. Were they a mother and daughter? If so, the young woman
seemed...what? Conscientious, maybe? Or thoughtful? Something like that. Not
rude, anyway, that was for sure, and that might count for something, even
though she was a thief. He found himself hoping she wouldn't take anything more.
Megan visually scanned through what
seemed like a hundred different styles of Christmas lights before she found
what she'd been looking for. She'd seen them in a catalog once someone left
behind at work - battery operated white, twinkle lights. They'd be perfect for
what she had in mind. She calmly glanced around and, seeing no one but an old
man looking at ornaments, she quickly slipped the small package into her shoulder
bag - the bag she had lined with tin foil to get past the electronic security
at the exit doors. It was a trick she'd learned from her friend, Alyssa, at
work. 'Yeah, you do that, girlfriend, you'll be golden.' And it did work. Megan
always felt the slightest twinge of guilt whenever she shoplifted, but managed
to push the feeling back down by saying that she'd eventually pay the store
back. And she meant it, too. It just wouldn't be today.
Donny went back to his pretend
browsing, glancing over every now and then before moving a few steps. He was
disappointed to see her slip a small strand of some kind of lights into her
purse. Too bad. Now she'd have to suffer the consequences. He made a mental
note: she's got the doll and the lights. He started to get himself ready. One
more item and he'll blow the whistle on her. Just one more.
"Mommy, can we get this,
please?" Little Lisa asked, interrupting Megan's thoughts and tugging excitedly
on her sleeve.
She looked at the object that held
her daughter's interest and tried to hide her grin. "Not right now,
Sweetheart, but maybe some other time."
"Please, please, please."
It was unlike her to beg like she was doing.
Little Lisa had selected a baseball
sized snow globe with a picturesque scene of a quaint cottage and a decorated
pine tree next to it. A little red bird (a cardinal? she thought) sat on a
branch. You shook it up and the snow exploded inside, hanging suspended momentarily
before drifting to the ground, covering the objects in sparkling white. Megan
had always wanted one when she was growing up, but times were tough in her
family with just her mother and Megan's little sister and brother - no father
and not much money (and, of course, no snow globe), the story of her life. Now
her daughter wanted one, just like she had. Funny how things like that worked
out.
"I'm sorry, Honey, but we can't
afford it, now," Megan told her firmly, "We'll have to wait."
"Aw," Little Lisa said,
frowning. Then an idea clicked inside her and, not wanting to give up just yet,
she smiled coyly at her mom and asked, "How about...maybe...tomorrow?"
Megan couldn't help but let her
heart go out to her daughter. Pretending to give the matter some hard thought
she finally said, "Well...maybe, Honey. Maybe," she said, smiling at
her daughter's persistence, thinking to herself, what does it hurt to have
something for a little girl to look forward to? Then she said, "Now, give
me the globe please."
Happy that at least her mother
didn't say 'No,' Little Lisa lovingly handed it to her and then turned away to gaze
wishfully at a display of candy canes. Megan took the globe from her, but instead
of setting it on the shelf, she slipped it into her bag while Little Lisa's eyes
were averted and then said, "Come on, kiddo, we need to get going. Mommy's
got to get to work pretty soon."
Little Lisa sighed, "Ok,
Mommy," she said, and took a last long look at the display of pretty snow
globes (now, minus one) before she turned away, taking her mother's hand uncomplainingly
and, for at least the tenth time that day, left Megan to wonder what she had
done to deserve such a sweet natured, agreeable child.
Donny watched as they made their way
through the frantic crowds jamming the aisles, the little girl holding her
mother's hand tightly. He was the tiniest bit heavyhearted she'd taken the snow
globe and that he'd have to bust them, but there you were. It was his job and he
was good at his job. He decided to wait until they left the store to make his
move. Maybe other shoppers would see him nab them and it would set an example not
to mess around shoplifting in this store. At least not while Donny Eisenberg
was on duty anyway.
He followed discretely fifteen feet behind,
eyes roving side to side watching what seemed like hundreds of people at a
time, all the while zeroed in on the young mother and her little girl. They
were making their way past the long checkout lines (without paying, of course) and
heading for the exit. Once they went through the doors and were outside, he'd
grab them. He'd get them for the doll, the lights, and now the snow globe. Steal
on my watch, Donny thought, not a chance.
He was watching carefully, moving
step by step toward them when, just a few feet before the exit doors, the
little girl stumbled on one of the big thick floor mats meant to soak up water
and slush from outside. Donny made a quick mental note to get on the damn
maintenance crew. They should be cleaning and changing those mats out every
half hour. Then he re-focused on woman. The young mother was only a few feet
from the doors. He started to move toward them.
"Mommy, I'm so sorry,"
Little Lisa said, tears welling up. Megan had grabbed her to keep her from
falling and getting wet, and fought to hold her up by the hand, trying to keep
her off the soaking, soggy mat. "I tripped."
Megan struggled for a moment before
finally getting the little girl straightened out and her feet firmly planted on
the floor, "That's alright kiddo. I've got you, but just try to be more
careful next time."
Little Lisa snuffled, "I'll try
Mommy. I'm sorry."
Megan moved them over by the wall,
off to the side of the flow of the crowd now surging to leave the store, pushing
overloaded carts, clutching packages and bags and struggling to get into their
coats and jackets. She dabbed the tears from Little Lisa's eyes talking quietly
to her to help get her calmed down. Then she glanced outside and her spirits
sank. Flurries were coming down and she could see them already blanketing the
ground. The problem was that the snow would make the drive to work slow and she
couldn't afford to be late. It would also make it treacherous. The treads on her
tires weren't the best and she'd have to be extra cautious to stay in her lane and
not slip into another vehicle. Megan shook her head - it seemed like there was
always something to contend with.
She knelt on a dry spot to the left
of the exit, zipped up her daughter's coat, tightened her scarf and put on her knit
stocking hat and mittens. Then, in one quick movement, she folded a strip of
foil over the top of the inside of her bag, the final step in making sure she
didn't set off the security alarm. Now she was all set.
She was just standing up, buttoning
up her own coat when, through the maze of people she heard, then saw, a
Salvation Army bell ringer. He was on the sidewalk outside the door; a stocky
black man dressed in heavy boots, an insulated jacket, tan Carhart overalls and
a purple Minnesota Vikings stocking hat. He was also wearing a cheerful smile
in spite of the cold and snow.
Little Lisa had finally calmed down
and was back to being in a good mood. She
saw him too. "Mommy, can we give him some money? Please? Please? Please?"
Megan didn't have to think twice.
She knew there were people out there in much worse shape that she and her
daughter. After all, the two of them at least had a car to live in. "Sure
Sweetie," she said, reaching into her shoulder bag for her pocketbook and
taking out a wrinkled dollar bill. "Here, give this to the nice man."
"Goody, goody." Little
Lisa took the dollar bill, held it tightly between her mittened hands and ran
through the door right up to the guy. "Here, mister," she said, giving
the money to the man who helped her put the dollar in the bucket.
"Why, thank you very much, and
happy holidays to you, young lady," he said kindly, giving her a big grin
and pretending to tip his hat but never once stopping the rhythmic ringing of
his bell.
Megan took a quick look around,
noticing only the relentless crush of the crowd and, for some reason, that old
guy who looked like the old guy she'd seen earlier. But her attention was drawn
back through the doors outside to Little Lisa, who was now happily standing
next to the bell ringer, chatting away like they were old friends. Megan
wrapped her scarf tightly around her neck, put on her own stocking cap and
mittens, and walked through the doors, momentarily holding her breath, waiting
for the alarm to go off. But it didn't and she sighed with relief.
She walked over to her daughter,
took her by the hand and smiled a polite smile to the volunteer, wishing him a
happy holiday. She had bought clothes from Salvation Army before and she was
happy to give something back, even though it was only a dollar. Then they made their
way through the slippery, slushy snow to her car. Little Lisa got into her car
seat in the back and buckled herself in while Megan used a brush to clear the
snow off. Then she got inside and started the old Ford. She let it warm up a
few minutes before putting it in drive and slowly making her way through the
snowy parking lot out to the street and then to the highway where she settled
into the long drive to work, the snow falling ever faster.
Back in the store Donny had been waiting,
watching their every move and he'd seen the young mother give her little girl
the dollar for the donation. It made him hesitate. It was a gesture from her he
hadn't expected and it touched him in a way he wasn't prepared for. He stood in
place, oblivious to the crowd pushing past him and the dirty looks some people
were giving him. He was thinking about the young mother and her little girl, seeing
Helen's face in his mind watching him, almost willing him to think for himself
for a change. He weighed the pros and cons for a few moments and surprised
himself by coming to his decision rather quickly. What the hell? Maybe it was
his good deed for the season. Maybe it was the disarming vision of Helen in his
brain. Whatever...sure he was breaking the rules but big deal. There was
something about the young mother and her daughter. They seemed alright to him-
not career criminals, that was for sure. Maybe they were just down on their
luck. Maybe it was the little girl. She seemed so well behaved and the way she
was with the Salvation Army guy was...well, kind of cute. Whatever the case, he
decided to let them go and, he had to admit, immediately felt pretty good about
his decision. He wondered if he should bother to tell Helen about what he'd
done when he got home. He thought about it as he watched the mother and
daughter trudge through the snowy parking lot out to their car, surprised to
find he was holding his breath until they made it safely. Then he turned back
to the store, thinking that maybe he would tell her. And, if he did, and she
took the time to listen to him, maybe, for once, she wouldn't be so damn mad at
him. It was worth a try. Stranger things could happen.
He started to walk back into the
store, taking out his two-way radio and making the call to maintenance about
changing out the entry mats. Then he saw another person he might have to keep
an eye on. A black woman and a bunch of kids all under the age of ten.
Suddenly, though, the thought of trailing them through the store seemed
pointless. Sure, if they didn't have money and couldn't pay for their stupid
toys and crap, they shouldn't be in the store in the first place. But, what the
hell, maybe Helen had been right - who was he to be playing god? All of a
sudden it just didn't seem that important anymore. Maybe it was that young
mother and her daughter. Maybe it was the image in his mind of Helen's ongoing
disappointment in him. Who knew? But he decided to let the black woman her kid
go past him without bothering to follow. Instead, he took out his two-way again
and made a call, "I'm going on break." He walked to the back of the
store and through a door that said, 'Employees Only.' He sat down and stared
into space, suddenly very tired. Tomorrow's Christmas Eve and then it's over,
Donny thought. Thank god.
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