A/N: I love this song. I highly recommend listening to 'Christmas Shoes' as you read this. This song makes me cry every time I hear it...Anyways, my first songfic, so sorry if it stinks. But I tried. An early Christmas present to all of you!
"Next." The cashier deadpanned, making it obvious he would rather be anywhere else then working in the shoe department of the mall on Christmas Eve. In all honesty, I would have rather been anywhere else, too. But, once again, I had waited until the last minute to do my Christmas shopping. I sighed and moved up; the only person left in front of me was a little girl, anxiously pacing back and forth and holding a pair of stunning white shoes. As I looked closer at her, I could see she was dirty from head to toe; her chocolate-brown hair looked as if it hadn't been brushed in ages, and her clothes were ragged and worn. And when she moved up to pay, she looked the cashier straight in the eye, and I couldn't believe what I heard her say:
"Sir, I wanna buy these shoes. For my momma, please? It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size." The cashier simply nodded, either exhausted or not caring, as the girl turned to look at the clock on the wall, bouncing anxiously. She turned back to the cashier after a few moments. "Could you hurry, sir? Daddy says there's not much time." The cashier looked up for just a moment, but it was enough to get the girl to explain. "You see, she's been sick for quite awhile, and I know these shoes will make her smile. And I want her to look beautiful if momma meets Jesus tonight." After hearing her say this, my heart nearly stopped with sorrow. I could see my own shock at the explanation reflected in the cashier's eye as the girl pulled pennies out of her pocket for what seems like years. After counting the change, the cashier looked down at her sadly, and said:
"Sorry, kid, there's not enough here." The girl's eyes grew wide, and she frantically began to search her pockets for any loose change she might have missed. After a few seconds she turned and looked at me, her eyes brimming with unshed tears.
"Momma made Christmas good at our house," She explained. "Though most years, she just did without. Tell me, sir, what am I gonna do? Somehow I've got to buy her these Christmas shoes." Well, what's a man to do? I just had to help her out. So I fished my wallet out of my back pocket and, taking out a fifty dollar bill, laid it on the counter. And I'll never forget the look on her face and she smiled brightly and said,
"Momma's gonna look so great!" And I knew then, as the little girl ran out of the store, tightly clutching the shoes to her chest, that God had sent her to me to remind me what Christmas is all about.
I remember that day as if it were yesterday. I also remember the next day, Christmas day, in the obituaries: Mrs. Noelle Shay. A Mother, Wife, and Daughter who will be missed, and who met Jesus in her Christmas shoes. I smile to myself, tears forming in the corners of my eyes as the very same girl I helped all those years ago turns the corner on her way to her locker; she doesn't remember me from then, but I remember her.
"'Morning, Carly." I greet her. She looks up at me and smiles.
"Good morning, Principal Franklin."
A/N: Reviews are greatly appreciated. And sorry if it was bad, but I always felt that Principal Franklin is very close to Carly, Sam, and Freddie, and this song made he think of Carly, soo I put them together. I hoped you liked :)