Daddy's Little Girl
It was a simple request, really.
"Daddy, can I have a Squeeze Me Ed Doll for Christmas?" 3-year-old Elysia Hughes had innocently asked her father the day before Christmas Eve. (She didn't believe in Santa Claus. Besides, her daddy was far more fantastic in her young eyes).
And being the excessively doting father he was, Maes had earnestly answered, "Of course, honey! Anything for you." To which little Elysia had presented a toothy grin, evoking a similar if not grander one on Maes's face.
But Maes didn't think of how un-simple it would be to actually carry out that wish. He didn't think of, it being the day before Christmas and all, the chaos that often accompanied the "Christmas rush" and that it'd be damn near impossible to obtain the most desirable toy of that season so late in the game.
That was just it, though. Maes didn't think whenever it concerned his darling daughter—a true example of reasoning blinded by love. The only thing Maes did think, however, was that he absolutely had to acquire that doll before Christmas even if it meant fighting teeth and nails for it, as long as it brought a smile to his little Elysia's adorable face in the end.
So when his wife, Gracia, came up to him that night to warn him of stampeding crowds, weapon-wielding parents, and other crazy phenomena known to happen in the low-priced retailing battlefield known as Christmas shopping, he merely laughed it off and valiantly assured her that he would "definitely, definitely come home with the prize; just you wait". Gracia shook her head disapprovingly at this but didn't push the matter further, for she knew from experience and by the determined blaze in his eyes that there was no stopping Maes Hughes when he had his mind set on something. She supposed that was one of the things that attracted her to him in the first place.
So on the following afternoon (on the day of Christmas Eve), as Maes prepared to set off for the tough battle looming ahead, the only thing she could do was see him off with a kiss on the cheek and wish him luck. Little Elysia was there too and she followed suit by planting two wet kisses on both of Maes's cheeks. He promptly returned them with twice the sloppiness, earning him a fit of giggles from Elysia.
Thus, with a purpose in mind and resolve in his steps, Maes Hughes sallied forth.