It wasn't as crowded as Alvin thought it would be. He was suspecting that the lines would be a mile long and that he would have to fight tooth and nail just to get what he wanted. Yet, somehow, he was lucky this year. His habit of last minute shopping didn't interfere with the actual act of shopping, since most of the people had seemed to have been finished early or had just decided to forget it.
Yet, he couldn't forget it this time. If it was a gift for Simon or Theodore, he would have just shrugged it off with an I-O-U and went on his merry way, knowing that particular gift was expected from him on Christmas. In fact, it was pretty much what he did for those two this year. His girlfriend was a completely other story.
After the birthday fiasco a month ago, where Alvin brought her to a football game instead of getting her a gift she would have probably liked a lot better, Alvin knew he was on thin ice. She was a high class gal, and an extremely famous international model and actress. It seemed like she was just meant to be on his arm—they were a power couple. If he didn't get her something she wanted to Christmas, his pride would feel the sting and he would be the laughing stock of the entire entertainment industry after she dropped him flat.
After actually asking her what she wanted, he decided to wait until last minute to get it. It was just a pair of shoes, after all. Some sort of really popular shoe by some guy named Steve Madwoman or something like that. It wasn't like it would be something difficult to get and something that would cost him an arm and a leg. And besides, the Chipmunks were coming out with a new album in February. He had other things to do with his time.
That was where his mistake was-waiting so long.
He ended up visiting every shoe store in the area on Christmas Eve and he was just about ready to throw in the towel and try to make amends with her. He would never beg her for forgiveness. But he would try to get on her good side. It wasn't until the last store that he found the shoes. A retro 1920's style of dance shoes. They were the last pair on the shelves and they were just her size.
Needless to say, Alvin was feeling great. His little gamble had him worried, but it had paid off in the end. All he had to do now was cash out, walk out the door, make Simon wrap it up for him, and place it under the tree, with her name, Jacqueline, on it. This was perfect.
"That'll be $205.63," the cashier said, ringing up the item.
"What?" Alvin moved his head to the side, carefully eyeing the girl.
"I'm sorry, sir. Sometimes I mumble. That will be $205.63."
Alvin looked at her with wide eyes. Who would…? "They're only a pair of shoes! Who would pay that for just a pair of shoes!?"
The cashier looked a little exasperated. "They were on sale, but our sale prices ended half an hour ago. So they're back to retail price. And for a pair of Steve Madden's, that's not too shabby."
"Not too shabby! Highway robbery, is more like it!"
"Sir, there's a line and I don't make the prices."
Alvin looked behind him to the haggard mass of people, all eyeing him impatiently. 'They have no idea who I am,' Alvin thought to himself. He had half a mind to just turn around and leave. That was just way too much money for shoes. But then Jacqueline would be very upset with him. It might cost him more in the long run to get her to let it go. He sighed, mumbling about the price, as he pulled out his credit card to pay.
Without letting the cashier bag the shoebox, he picked it up and tucked it under his arm, pocketing the receipt. He angrily stomped out of the store, keeping his eyes straight out to the parking lot. He really couldn't understand why his football tickets for her birthday would cause her to ask for such an expensive pair of shoes that she would probably only wear for two weeks. And she had a million of them, already. But this was what she wanted.
"Wait!" he heard a voice call out. There were voices all around as people were shuffling out to their cars to go home. "I said, wait!" Alvin kept on walking. Whoever this girl was, she was nearing him. "I said…WAIT!" she practically roared, grabbing a hold of Alvin and swinging him around to face her.
Alvin kept his balance, being naturally athletic, and glared at the girl. She seemed to be about a year younger than him, no more than seventeen. She had auburn hair tied up in a ponytail and she was wearing an old jacket, but one that she obviously tried to keep neat and clean. Behind her clear, light blue eyes, he could see a fire. But, he didn't know her. "What!?" he screamed back, yanking his arm away from her.
She seemed utterly offended at his tone and he could see her bit back whatever it was she wanted to say. But then she put on a very sweet and beautiful smile, trying hard to keep whatever insult to herself. She motioned to the box. "I need those shoes and want to buy them off of you."
He looked down at the box and then back up at her, raising his eyebrows. After a moment of assessing that she was serious, he sighed and glared at her. "No." He turned to walk away.
She latched on to his arm again. "Listen, I know how this sounds, but I really need those shoes. I have fifty dollars that I can give to you, right here and now."
Alvin wryly chuckled. "Are you kidding me!? I had to shell out two hundred dollars for these. I'm not giving them up."
"What!? But they were on sale! Fifty dollars should have been more than enough."
"Sale ended half an hour ago." Alvin turned around to continue his trek to his car. He was relieved to see that the girl wasn't following him. Granted he was a little disappointed. She didn't seem to have recognized him, but still, she was leaving him alone.
"Oh, no you don't!" she called after him. Soon she was matching his gait. "What will it take for me to get those shoes from you?"
"They aren't for sale. Now go home."
"I'll do anything. I just really need those shoes."
"Join the club. I need them too."
"Who would go around being so mean to a beautiful woman like me?"
Alvin laughed aloud, seeing his car just twenty short feet away. He had to park in the back of the lot, trying to keep his beautiful Porsche from harm. "Don't try that one of me. I've been around the bend a few times. Now if you will excuse me."
Alvin made a huge show of taking his keys out of his pocket and pointing them at his car to unlock the doors. The girl seemed to look a little desperate as he did these things. He did have to admit that she had charm and beauty, but he needed to get home. Simon would be in bed soon and he wouldn't want to wrap the present after being forced to wake up.
The girl latched on to the box and tried to tug it from him. Alvin moved like lightning, turning around to get a better handle on it. But the girl seemed to anticipate his move. She stepped back a bit, kicked him in the stomach, and pulled the box away. She began to run.
He tried to regain his breath and he watched her go. She really had a kick to her. Slowly, keeping his eyes on the direction she went, he moved into his car. He put the key into the ignition and the car roared to life and he peeled out of the parking lot. He was a little shocked at what had happened, but he was not going to let this girl steal from him. Nobody stole from Alvin Seville.
Alvin took a turn that he was sure she had made, but scanned the streets in despair. She was nowhere to be seen. Somehow, she gave him the slip and she gave it to him good. Alvin thought back to his girlfriend. She was really not going to go easy on him for not getting those shoes. He needed to get them back. They were the only ones that he could find.
After two hours, Alvin couldn't believe it. He hadn't seen hide or hair of her and all the stores that were open late on Christmas Eve had closed. It was nearing Christmas Day. He had spent the last of his time in a rage, trying to find the girl who took two hundred dollars of sewn leather from him. And he didn't even had the time or the store to go and try to find just something else to placate Jacqueline until he could get those shoes. She was going to bury him and everyone would be laughing at him for losing her.
He made a left turn with a sigh. Maybe he could swipe something from Simon or Theodore that he could play off as a gag gift for a day or two, telling her that her present was a surprise or something. It would just to buy him a little more time. But what would his brothers have that she would want? They didn't have girlfriends this year.
Shaking his head, he continue to rack his brain about something. But then he noticed the girl he had been looking for. She was heading through two sliding glass doors into a well-lit lobby. He pulled into the parking lot, filled with cars, and parked his car. He rushed to get inside the building when he noticed the clean astringent smell. He looked around. Alvin was in a hospital.
He shook his head and went to the desk. "Can I help you?" the woman said behind the counter.
"Yea," Alvin muttered out, scratching his nose a bit before looking at her. "I'm looking for my sister. She just took off." Alvin proceeded to give a description of the girl. The woman nodded and directed him down the hallway.
He continued to lie to find his 'sister' until he was on the fifth floor. There she was, at the nurse's desk, looking grave and sad. The nurse and that girl were talking quietly. Then the nurse gave her a sympathetic look before the girl nodded her head to turn to walk down the hall, the shoes still in her hand. Alvin quietly followed, trying to not look very suspicious.
"Brittany!" a tall girl with glasses exclaimed quietly, walking up to the girl that Alvin was following.
"Am I too late? The nurse said there isn't much time…"
The glasses girl shook her head. "She's…she's still with us."
The girl, apparently named Brittany, nodded and gave the glasses girl a weak smile. "I got them," she muttered, holding up the box. The glasses girl smiled and the two turned to walk further down the hallway.
Alvin wasn't stupid. Something was really wrong in Brittany's life. But no matter how wrong something is, it doesn't justify stealing. He had to know exactly what had happened. So he continued to follow.
The girls turned into a room. "Hey, Miss Miller!" Brittany said.
"Brittany, where have you been?" a tired and elderly voice sounded out, sounding concerned.
"Oh, nowhere special," Brittany answered playfully. "Just getting you your Christmas present!" Alvin could only assume that Brittany was presenting the shoe box to the woman in the room. There was a gasp in surprise and a few giggles, probably from the glasses girl and it sounded like another girl.
"Merry Christmas!" Three young voices sounded. Alvin peaked into the room. There was Brittany and the girl in glasses. Then there was a short blonde on the other side of the bed. On the bed, hooked up with tubes and wires, was an old woman, her hair grey and her face wrinkled, looking shocked at the box. They all looked as if they were pretty poor.
"Girls, you shouldn't have."
"We wanted to, Miss Miller," the little blond said.
"You took us in when we were orphaned," the one in glasses continued.
"And we wanted to make sure you had the best Christmas ever." Brittany pulled open the box and presented the shoes to Miss Miller. "You'll be dancing your way all over this world in these!"
Miss Miller's eyes glossed over and she moved to wipe them while the blond and Brittany pulled the blankets off her feet and put the shoes on. "You look beautiful, Miss Miller," the glasses said to her gently. Miss Miller motioned in a strange way and the girls moved in for a hug. It was then, in the quiet, that Alvin could notice how raspy the woman was breathing. It was hard for her.
"I don't have presents for you, my girls."
"We don't need them, Miss Miller. You gave us so much. It's not easy taking in three girls off the streets and raising them as your own. Your love is enough for us," the blond said, stroking Miss Miller's cheek.
"We couldn't have asked for a better mother," the glasses put in.
"And it's about time that we finally gave you a gift. And don't worry. They were on sale." The women in the room shared chuckles with each other. After a little more silence, the old woman looked at each of them. "I do have a request," she managed out.
"Anything," Brittany agreed with conviction.
"Sing me a song."
The girls took a deep breath after looking at each other. Their voices blended together in blissful harmony and Alvin listened, astounded at their talent. The old woman seemed to love their voices as well, as she shut her eyes to listen better. Brittany was the leader, guiding her sisters in the way that Alvin would have guided his brothers.
It was amazing. Here were three orphaned girls that were taken in to the home of a kind and generous person. They loved each other like a true family. But they were poor. If things had been different. If it was another life, then that might have been Alvin and his brothers. He might have been the one tasked to sing as a dying request to a beloved person. That could easily have been Dave or could be Dave now.
Suddenly, the shoes didn't matter anymore. He felt a deep feeling for these girls. They didn't say it, but they wanted those shoes to that the woman could relieve her glory days as a dancer. She could be dancing to Heaven, and it was likely that it would happen very soon. It was their way of saying that they would be fine and for the poor woman not to go with any doubts or fears.
Yea…they needed those shoes far more than Alvin needed them. And he could let them go.
He turned to walk away. They didn't need some strange guy yelling at them for stealing shoes. They needed each other. And Jacqueline would just have to understand why she wasn't getting those shoes. If she didn't understand it, then maybe it would be better for him to just walk away.
"Why is it," he started to whisper to himself, glancing over his shoulder at the room," that every year, something decides to teach me the true meaning of Christmas?"
Before he completely left the hospital, he stopped at nurse's desk. He handed the woman Dave's business card and asked her to give it to the girls in that room. On the back of it, before he turned it completely over to the nurse, he decided to write a note.
Keep the shoes. I really didn't need them.
Just as he was waiting for the elevator, he heard the code. She was now dancing in heaven, and, hopefully, her girls would be dancing too, if they decided to give Dave a call. And if that happened, Alvin would be glad to make Brittany pay him back in full. "$205.63."