Sammy and Ilna, love you guys. Always.
REAL McRollers and readers, thank you for your love and support.
Not a Lot at All
Steve held Angie's hand as they walked through Ala Moana Mall on their way to meet Catherine and DJ at Friendly's. More than one set of eyes followed the father and daughter who cut an adorable figure as they walked along. He in cargoes and a t-shirt and Angie in a Mickey and Minnie top, red shorts and combat boots that matched her daddy's.
Pointing to every brightly colored holiday display she saw, the four year old pronounced each store's decorations 'Very pretty'.
"Look at dat one, Daddy, it's Rudolph!" She squeezed his hand while tugging him forward.
"That is Rudolph, very good." Steve grinned down at her. "That's actually right where we're going to pick something up," he explained as they entered the store. "Gary, how are you?" He greeted the man who'd sold them Catherine's engagement ring and their wedding bands.
The manager approached with a smile. "Commander, good to see you," he offered a hand. "And you, young lady. My you've grown."
She beamed at the remark. "I'm four, I go to preschool 'cause I'm a big girl and I like you' Rudolph," she offered while still smiling at the in-store reindeer decorations that matched the red nosed reindeer in the window.
"Well thank you. Are you here to help your daddy pick up a special item?"
"I don't know if it will stay a surprise, but we're here to pick up Catherine' gift," he smirked and glanced at his little girl who had wandered a few steps to the holiday refreshment table the jewelry store had set up.
"Daddy! There's cookies! Can I have one?"
"And this is now my daughter's favorite store," Steve chuckled. "One. We're meeting Mommy and DJ for lunch."
"Okay," she replied without looking back. Her eyes were glued to the goodies. Selecting a gingerbread man decorated with a Hawaiian shirt and santa hat, she took a bite.
"That just may distract her long enough," Steve said as Gary took a box from the pre-ordered area and opened it to display the piece he'd ordered.
"Perfect." He smiled, closed the box and pulled out his credit card. "And Angie's so focused on the cookie that I may actually be able to keep it a surprise from her mother."
After leaving the jewelry store, they continued through the mall with Angie talking about the decorations, the holiday crafts she'd made at preschool and yet another recap of how she and DJ had 'So much fun' at the party with Aunt Carrie and Uncle John.
"We had cheese sticks and quez…queza..dikas…"
"Quesadilla," Steve supplied with a smile.
"Yeah, them." She grinned toothily at him. "They was very yummy. And den we had bacon puffs, Uncle John and DJ said it was their fav'rite but me and Aunt Carrie liked the ahi poke and all the cookies. There was so many cookies…" she continued as they walked down a side corridor of the mall. Off the beaten path, it was a shortcut to the restaurant and took them into a much less traveled area.
They were approaching the mall security offices when Steve spotted a familiar figure a second before Angie did. Her excited squeal had the person she saw looking their way.
"Santa! It's Santa! Hi, Santa!" She was hopping in place waving as he approached with a mall security guard and a high school aged helper dressed as an elf.
When Santa was a few feet away, he waved to the excited four year old and said, "Ho ho ho, Mele Kalikimaka!"
"Mele Kalikimaka, Santa! We comin to see you soon. I been very very good and DJ been very very good." Letting go of her daddy's hand she ran up to hug the jolly old elf himself. Pointing to Steve when she broke the hug, she said, "Dat's Daddy. We's shopping today."
"I know you and your brother are very good, Angie. You're both on my nice list." He glanced up at a grinning Steve. "Mele Kalikimaka, Commander."
Steve returned the greeting as Angie gasped, practically exploding with happiness. "You know us!"
"I know all the children, honey."
"An' you know my Daddy!"
"I do, and your mommy, too."
Santa grinned at the innocence of the adorable little girl who had yet to realize very few people on Oahu didn't know her parents.
"We're going to Friendly's and have lunch with Mommy and DJ. You can come, Santa." She looked at the elf-attired teenager and security guard. "You can come, too. They have yummy chicken nuggets and grilled cheese and ice cream."
"Well aren't you the kindest girl," Santa bent and took her little hand in his. "Thank you, Angie, but we have a lot of work to do before Christmas. I have to meet some children and then fly back to the North Pole for dinner with Mrs. Claus and the rest of the elves. You enjoy your lunch, and I'll see you when you visit me with your brother, okay?"
Curls bounced around her face as she nodded vigorously. "Okay, Santa. Tell the reindeers hi. And Mrs. Claus. And da elves!"
"I definitely will," he winked at Steve who was grinning ear to ear at his daughter's usual friendliness. "Have a good day. You, too, Commander."
Steve nodded. "Steve, please."
"Steve. See you soon." Santa ran a hand over Angie's hair and walked towards the meet and greet area with a hearty, "Ho ho ho!" and a wave to a few shoppers who were walking through that area of the mall.
"DJ!" Angie called from across the restaurant as soon as she spotted her brother and mother in a back booth. "Mommy! We saw Santa!"
"Whoa, where?" DJ reached to hug her and then Steve, who slid in next to him as Angie sat next to Catherine.
"He was goin' to do some work and see kids then fly home an' make toys," Angie explained excitedly. "We was comin' here and we sawed him."
"That's wonderful, sweetheart, did you tell him you and DJ would be coming to see him soon?" Catherine asked while sharing a grin with Steve.
"And then some," he said as Angie nodded.
"I told Santa we was very very good and he knowed already. And he knowed Daddy and Mommy!"
"Cool!" DJ gave her a beaming smile. "He must be getting ready to be in the visiting area for today. Last year he remembered us and he even knew Grandpa's name."
"Grandpa knows Santa?!" Angie's eyes were huge.
"Uh huh," DJ told her. "And you were little but when we visited him two Christmases ago, Grandpa fixed it so a family got surprised when their daddy got home from deployment and he worked on it special with Santa. Isn't that so cool?"
She nodded. "He had to go to da North Pole later but he's comin' back."
"That's right. He'll be back and we'll see him and you can tell him what you'd like for Christmas," Catherine said as she re-fastened a loose pigtail with a red and green tie. "But for now, who's hungry for lunch?"
Both kids said, "Me!" and grinned at each other. "Wanna get the mini sliders and the quesadillas and share 'em?" DJ asked his sister.
"Yes! We can share 'cause dey's both yummy."
"There's two burgers and the quesadillas are pretty big, can we?" he looked at Catherine.
"That sounds like a great idea," she said as the server approached. "Go ahead, tell …" she glanced at the nametag. "Allie what you want."
"Me and my sister are gonna share the mini sliders and the quesadillas," DJ said while Angie pointed to the pictures on the menu.
"They come with pineapple and mandarin orange slices," Allison told them, while looking at Steve, who nodded, then ordered a Bacon & Swiss Turkey Burger.
"That sounds good," Catherine passed the menus over. "I'll have the same, and onion rings to share."
When the server went to put in the orders, Angie gave her mommy a huge smile and asked, "How many sleeps til Christmas?"
With a grin, she glanced at Steve, who barked an 'and so it begins' laugh. "Twelve, baby girl."
"Dat's a lot?" She asked her brother who smiled and shook his head.
"We're gonna have so much fun getting ready that it'll go fast. When you're having fun, it's not a lot at all."
#End. Thanks for reading!
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