For the record, UsnavixVanessa is addicting...
Usnavi was supposed to be watching Sonny. The little guy could get into quite a bit of mischief if he was left unattended, but Usnavi had other matters on his mind. He had left Sonny in the back room with a comic book for company and had then come back out to the front of the store, laden with a large cardboard box.
Keeping one eye trained for movement at the door, Usnavi began stringing up multi-colored Christmas lights from the ceiling, every now and then twisting a paper clip around the beams to hold them up. He made sure each string worked before hanging it; how embarrassing would it be if half the lights were burned out?
After emptying the box of all the lights (minus the burned out ones, of course), Usnavi went into the back room again. After checking to make sure that Sonny was still reading and hadn't gotten into anything he shouldn't, Usnavi seized another box and lugged it out to the front.
He began digging through the box, coming across familiar looking garlands and funny porcelain houses, carefully wrapped in tissue paper. A Nativity scene was tucked at the very bottom, which Usnavi looked at for a minute before tucking it back in carefully. Taking one of the garlands, he began to tape it around the counter.
The bell at the door caused him to turn around, jumping slightly when he recognized the girl who had just entered. Her eyes were bright and her long hair was pushed back by the pair of earmuffs she wore. She was wearing the same thick sweater she had on when he first saw her, so bulky that it looked as if she had borrowed it from her father's closet.
"Hi, Usnavi," her voice was surprised, as if she had not been expecting to see him. "I came to do my Christmas shopping. What are you up to?"
"H-hey, Vanessa," he stammered back, pinching his leg to try and shake off his nerves. "Just decorating the place a little. Y'know, making it more Christmas-y." Usnavi tried to pretend that his stomach wasn't turning over as her eyes trailed upward to the ceiling he had just finished decorating.
"You're missing something," she giggled, pointing upwards.
"Huh?" Usnavi looked to the ceiling, mouth open and feeling very stupid. What had he forgotten? Was one of the lights not plugged in? Had a string fallen down? But when he looked, everything seemed to be just the way he had left it. He turned a confused face towards Vanessa.
"Mistletoe always makes a place more festive," she told him, her voice completely calm. Usnavi's fingers twitched, the hint of a smile playing about his lips. "I think you should put some up."
"I-I'll get right on that, V-Vanessa," Usnavi's stammer was back and he was sure his face was bright red. He turned back to finish taping up the garland as Vanessa started walking through the bodega, looking for her gifts. They did not speak again until Vanessa came up to the counter with her items and Usnavi rang them up, giving her a total that was a couple dollars less than what the register told him.
"Thanks, Usnavi," Vanessa said, waving with her free hand as she reached the door.
"See ya at school," Usnavi called after her. He watched through the window as she turned to walk down the sidewalk until she was out of sight. Smiling, Usnavi spun in a circle, waving his hands in the air, before going into the back room again to check on Sonny.
((Festive))
