ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS

-Part I-

Zed's back hurt and his face had three new scratches- one above his left eyebrow that stung, and two other smaller ones on the right side of his jaw.

He had just finished debating with a customer, politely, of course, who insisted that an eight-foot Christmas tree could fit into the back of her small hatchback. After measuring the inside of the vehicle to prove that it could only fit a six-footer without damage to the top of the tree, she still insisted they try to fit the larger tree. The next ten minutes were spent maneuvering the tree at an angle inside the car while still trying to protect the pristine point from being damaged.

The owner of Zombieland Trees, his boss, walked up and collected the money for the tree from the customer just as Zed hopped out of the car. After the business-side was handled, Zed waved his arm in front of him, giving the car owner the honor of shutting the back. He knew it wouldn't shut and gave one last warning. "I really think we should trade this out for a shorter tree. We've got some beautiful six-foot firs in the back corner."

She shook her head defiantly, feeling smug in her insistence. Just as she slammed the hatch-back closed, they all heard a snap. "Oh no!" she exclaimed.

Pressed against the window was a broken tree top. From behind the cash register, his boss shouted, "Sorry. No refunds. Zed, it's your break time."

Zed stepped closer then looked back over his shoulder. As soon as he saw his boss leave the area, he said, "If you'd like, I'll reshape the top of that tree for you. It will look like it was always meant to be six feet."

"Really?"

"Yeah, sure. It's the holidays, after all."

He spent twelve minutes of his lunch break helping the customer out- a customer who drove away from the Christmas tree lot with a smile on her face. She had tipped Zed five dollars, and he knew exactly how he'd spend it.

After tossing his work gloves on the shelf next to the register stand, he rubbed the fresh wound above his eyebrow again, and told his co-worker, "I'm taking off. I'll be back in a bit." He hoped he still had enough time to grab a coffee from his favorite coffee shop.

There was a chain coffee place closer to the tree lot, but he liked the one two blocks farther down best. He didn't like it for its coffee, though there's was quite good. He liked the staff there and found them friendly. But a petite white-haired barista was his favorite, and he couldn't stop thinking about her.

As Zed started for the coffee shop, his buddy on the lot began teasing him. "Going for another cup of Joe? How many times have you gone over there this week? Four?"

"Maybe… maybe five." Zed turned and began walking backward so he could jab back. "You still stalking that bartender down at Zeke's?"

"Changing the subject is a sure sign that you have it bad."

"Have what bad?"

His co-worker belly-laughed, leaning his elbows on the counter. "That's either the best damn coffee in town she's serving over there, or you're a goner."

"I was a goner the first time I ever laid eyes on her, my friend."

The playful taunts continued, and Zed should've been paying better attention, but with his back to the world, he ran right into someone.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Happy Holidays! I hope you enjoy this festive short story! I'll be posting updates every Monday leading up to Christmas.