Disclaimer: I do not own The Casagrandes and make no profit of any kind from this story.
Last Minute Shopping
The sky was overcast that Sunday the twentieth of December. The promise of fresh snow had been made for the entire city in just a day or two. Many people were rushing about, hoping to run errands before the storm would start. Every adult with a to do list was trying in earnest to accomplish as much as possible while the children were eagerly awaiting the chance to play outside in a winter wonderland.
In an apartment building on the corner of a busy street, a young girl looked out from her living room window. Unlike most kids her age, she wasn't as excited for the upcoming snow storm. Normally, she would be, but at the moment there was something else on her mind. She looked down at the sidewalk and watched as her mother exited the building, stopping to wave to her.
"Good night Ronalda! I'll see you in the morning!" She called.
Ronnie Anne waved back at her mother. "Bye Mom! Have a good night at work! Make sure to tell me if you see any cool injuries!"
"I will!" Maria replied, letting out a small chuckle before heading off.
Once her mother was out of sight, Ronnie Anne quickly left the window and took a quick look around the apartment, making note of whether or not anyone was around. She was planning to take advantage of her mother's absence and look around for some things. Presents to be precise; yet to be wrapped and hidden away somewhere. She was certain that by now her mother had gotten a fair amount of shopping done, but still hadn't wrapped them yet. The lack of anything beneath the tree was proof enough of that. Of course there was a bit of ground to cover since her family shared two apartments. So she'd need to work quickly and discreetly.
She chose to start her search inside of her mother's room. It was the safest bet as well as the most obvious place to check first. And as luck would have it, the apartment was currently empty, giving her an excellent opportunity.
Ronnie Anne took another quick look around to make absolutely sure that she was indeed alone. The last thing she needed was for Sergio to fly in and catch her red-handed. It was not ideal to let him have any leverage on her, especially not this time of year.
Finding that the coast was still clear, she quickly stepped into the bedroom and slowly shut the door behind her. Then she went straight to the closet and opened it up. Her search yielded nothing, but that was fine. There were still plenty of other places to check.
Minutes later, Ronnie Anne had finished searching her mother's room. In the end she had found nothing at all, not even anything for Bobby or any other member of the family. Nothing under the bed, or in any of the drawers of the bureau It was time for her to move onto the next room. First she'd tidy up to try and make sure she left no evidence she had been in this one first. But as she set to work putting everything back the way it had been, Ronnie Anne heard a door closing.
Someone had just entered the apartment.
For a split second, Ronnie Anne froze before she hastily went to finish putting the room back in order. The moment she had it the way it was before, she went to sneak out. But she wasn't fast enough. The door was opening before she could reach for the handle. That was when she found herself caught by her abuela Rosa.
"Ronalda? What are you doing in your mother's room when she is not at home?" Rosa asked.
"Oh, hey Abuela." Ronne Anne replied, smiling sheepishly. "I was just…."
"Sneaking around, trying to find your presents?" Rosa finished for her. "Your mother told me you might try something like this. I honestly cannot believe that you are actually doing it!"
Knowing better than to lie and risk letting things get worse, Ronnie Anne let her head hang a little. Rosa took this as a sign that her grandchild not only admitted to the deed, but was feeling bad about it as well. Now she just had to be sure that Ronnie Anne understood why her actions were something to frown upon.
"Come with me, Nieta. We need to talk."
Rosa led Ronnie Anne into the living room and sat on the sofa. She gestured to the space beside her and Ronnie Anne joined her without hesitation. As she sat beside her abuela, she kept her hands folded and her eyes on the floor.
"Do you know why what you were doing is wrong, Ronalda?"
"Because I was sneaking around my mom's room."
"Yes, I already said that. But what about it specifically was bad?" Rosa pressed.
"It's disrespectful?" Ronnie guessed.
Rosa nodded. "That is a big part of it, but there is more to it than just that. Going into your mother's room and looking through her things is disrespectful. That is for certain. She would be upset enough by just that as it is. But you were trying to find the presents that your mother had gotten for you for Christmas. That is a very inconsiderate thing to do to her. It would spoil the holiday if you found them and discovered what they were."
"But does it really matter if I know what they are ahead of time?" Ronnie Anne asked. "It's more important that I like them, right?"
"Of course it matters if you know what your presents are before you open them. For your mother, seeing the surprise on your face is the most rewarding part of Christmas. I'm sure you can understand that. How do you feel when you see the look on your mother's face when you give her a gift for her birthday, or for Mother's Day?"
Ronnie Anne thought for a moment. "It feels good to see her happy."
"Exactly. On Christmas it is the same. Except you can experience that feeling with your whole familia. That is why it is called the season of giving."
"Yeah, I guess that makes sense."
"You guess?" Rosa repeated, quirking an eyebrow. "Guess nothing, Nieta. It makes perfect sense. Maybe you should try it for yourself. There's still plenty of time to do a little shopping."
"But, I don't have a lot of money." Ronnie Anne replied. "I don't think I could get everyone something."
"I can help you with that. How would you like an advance payment on some extra chores?" Rosa offered. "There's always some work that needs to be done in the building."
"Maybe…. Yeah. I can help you out a bit. But do you think that I'll be able to get a gift for each member of our family? I don't know if I can find something for Carlota, or Tia Frida, or even you."
Rosa chuckled. "That is what makes it so fun. Going out and searching through the stores to find a gift that is just right for someone. It's like a scavenger hunt, except you won't know what you're looking for until you see it."
"Okay, you've convinced me." Ronnie Anne said, standing up. "That does sound like it could be fun. First thing after breakfast tomorrow I'll head out and see what I can find. But for now, think I can get started on some of those extra chores?"
"As a matter of fact, yes. There are some smoke detectors that need new batteries. And there's also a little hole in the wall by apartment 1A that I was planning to patch up. With your help we can finish both just before everyone comes back to watch our latest tele novella tonight. Come along Ronalda, let's get started.
-The next day-
Ronnie Anne stepped outside, warm and cozy in her purple winter coat and matching knit cap. In her pocket was a nice amount of cash; the forwarded payments of the many chores she'd be doing for her abuela over the next week or so. She had helped out with a couple more things that morning before breakfast and would be doing a little more that evening after dinner, which she had also promised to help prepare. She would need to keep a close eye on the time to make sure she didn't run late, especially since the rides to and from the department store would take a little while.
After a short walk, she arrived at the GLART station and went to the platform to wait for the next train. While she was waiting, she heard a pair of familiar voices nearby. She looked and noticed Sid and Adelaide were standing just a few feet away, mixed in with the crowd. Ronnie Anne navigated around the people that stood between them, excusing herself as she went. Once she got close enough, she tapped Sid on the shoulder.
"Hey!" Sid exclaimed happily as she saw her best friend. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm heading to the department store to do some present shopping for my family."
"No way, that's what we're doing!" Sid replied. "There's a pocket watch we have on layaway there and today is the day we can finally bring it home. It's going to be for our dad from the both of us."
"Cool. So since we're all going to the same place, do you think you could help me pick out some stuff? I'm not used to shopping for so many people at once and having some second opinions would be great."
Sid nodded. "Sure. We didn't have anywhere to be afterwards and I'm sure my mom won't mind as long as we let her know. I'll text her right now."
After sending the text to her mother, Sid started to chat with Ronnie Anne about the upcoming holiday. Ronnie Anne told her about the talk she had with her abuela, including how she had been caught sneaking around. The train arrived and the three got on to find seats. As they traveled, Sid and Ronnie Anne continued their conversation. Ronnie Anne already knew what to get for some of the members of her family, namely her brother and Carlitos. For pretty much everyone else she only had a vague idea at the best. She explained that was why she could use Sid's help. As expected, Sid was more than happy to help out.
A short while later, they arrived at the stop closest to the department store. From there it was a quick walk up half of a block to get there. As they entered the store, Ronnie Anne couldn't help but notice how large it was. She had been to stores like this before, but it was a very different experience now that she was doing the shopping. It was hard to tell where she should start. The closest section to the entrance was women's clothing and it seemed to take up a pretty wide area alone.
Not even bothering to give the women's clothing section more than a glance, Ronnie Anne started for the toy section in the far back corner of the store. She figured it would be easier to find a gift for Carlitos first. And while she was at it, she might see something for CJ or Carl too.
Ronnie Anne turned to ask Sid if she had any ideas. But Sid wasn't there. Adelaide was also missing. A few seconds of searching later, she spotted the two sisters on their way over. Sid was pushing a carriage and Adelaide was sitting inside of it. As they rejoined Ronnie Anne, Sid offered her a small smile.
"Sorry, but Adelaide insisted that we get a carriage."
"Well she's gonna need it for all the stuff she needs to find." Adelaide said. "Or do you want to carry it all?"
"I know, I know." Sid said. "I heard you the first time. So, what are we looking to get first, Ronnie Anne?"
"I was heading to the toy area to find something for Carlitos. He's really into this one little kid show about a stuffed lion. So I'm trying to find a toy or something from the show. Or at least a stuffed lion."
"What if they don't have either?" Sid asked. "Do you know anything else you could get for him?"
"Uhh… not really. But he's still just a baby so I'm not too worried about his gift. If anyone, I'm gonna have a hard time finding something for Carl. Something tells me that he'll probably dislike pretty much anything I pick out for him. I know what he likes, but that doesn't exactly mean that I'll know what he'll like."
"You lost me." Sid replied, tilting her head. "What?"
"She means that she doesn't know if he'll like anything that he doesn't already have." Adelaide explained. "Lucky for you, he and I were talking about what sort of stuff we want for Christmas the other day. I can show you exactly what he'd like."
Adelaide directed the two older girls through the toy aisles to a section with puzzles and models. She pointed to one of them, Ronnie Anne's eyes widening when she saw what it was. A big smile broke out on her face and she grabbed it and took a closer look.
"This is great, Adelaide!" She exclaimed before a sudden thought killed her excitement. "Wait, I have no idea if someone else might have already gotten this for him. He'll definitely put something like this on his Christmas list."
"He doesn't." Adelaide replied. "We were looking at stuff online when he saw it. He was super excited at first, but then he got all pouty because it was too late to add it to the list he gave his mom and dad, or to send another letter to Santa. And then he said 'why can't Santa just use emails or social media like a normal person?' Duh, it's because everyone would be messaging him and he'd get bajillions of notifications in a day! He'd never be able to put his phone down!"
Ronnie Anne giggled and handed the now official gift for Carl over. "Well, he's gonna be very surprised when he opens this." She said, turning and spotting something else on the shelves. "Ooh, and I bet CJ would like that one. That's two down. This is turning out to be much easier than I thought it would be."
The three continued their shopping venture. As they moved through the departments, Ronnie Anne found more things for her family. For Bobby she got a men's grooming kit for him to use to prepare for his dates with Lori. She also found a body wash/shampoo kit for her Abuelo Hector in the same area. From that point forward she picked out the rest of the gifts with ease. Afterwards, they went to the layaway counter so Sid and Adelaide could pick up the gift for their dad. With their goals accomplished, the three proceeded to the check out and then began the journey home after everything was purchased.
On the return trip, Ronnie Anne asked Sid if she could hold onto everything she had bought until she could find a good time to wrap it all. It would be tricky considering how many people they'd need to avoid, but Sid was confident that they could pull it off. Once they arrived back at the apartment building, Ronnie Anne went on to scout ahead. Slowly but surely, Sid and Adelaide managed to sneak all of Ronnie Anne's purchases up to their apartment with no trouble at all.
After a quick discussion, the girls went their separate ways. Ronnie Anne returned to her apartment, the smell of tamales reaching her nostrils. As to be expected, she found her abuela busy in the kitchen. She stepped inside and took a peek at the food as it was being prepared.
"Smells great, like usual." She commented. "How long until they're ready?"
"Still a little while longer, Ronalda." Rosa replied. "How did your shopping go?"
"Got it all done in just one trip. And I did it all in one store too."
"Que maravillosa, Ronalda. I'm so proud of you. I can hardly wait to see what you got for everyone."
"Do you want me to give you the money that's left over, or would it be okay if I kept it?"
Rosa chuckled. "Of course it's okay, Ronnie Anne. It's your money, you just need to finish earning it. You go and do whatever you want with it."
"In that case, I think I'll go down to the mercado and stock up on those ice pops that I like."
Ronnie Anne went back out the door and down to the first floor. As she made her way around to the mercado, she noticed something that hadn't been there when she had gotten home. One of the mercado's regulars, Maybelle, had set up a folding chair by the door. She was ringing a bell and had a red bucket hanging from a tripod beside her. When she saw Ronnie Anne approaching, she stopped ringing the bell and set it down.
"Hello, Ronnie Anne." Maybelle greeted. "Heading inside the mercado?"
"Hi Maybelle. Yup, I was going to grab some ice pops. Why do you ask?"
"Do you think you could do me a favor? I was gonna get myself a cup of tea from inside. But the moment I got here someone had a donation for my charity bucket. And I don't like the idea of leaving it unattended, even if it's just a bit of change. Would you get the tea for me? I'll give you some money, whatever extra there is can go to those ice pops you wanted."
"Okay. Thanks Maybelle." Ronnie Anne replied, taking her own money from her pocket. "In that case, I guess I won't need this anymore. I'll just put it in here."
She stuffed the money into the slot on the bucket's lid. Maybelle leaned forward a bit, seeming quite surprised. For a moment she was tempted to lift up her glasses, but didn't want to chance letting any light from the setting sun meeting her sensitive eyes.
"Now either I'm seeing things or you just put a nice little stack of cash in there! Even if it was just a bunch of ones, that still seemed like a lot."
"Maybe, but that's okay by me. It's better that it goes to people who need it."
"Bless your heart, you sweet child. Here, I'm gonna give you a few extra dollars and you go treat yourself to as many of those ice pops as you can get."
Ronnie Anne thanked Maybelle and went inside the mercado. She got a cup of hot tea for Maybelle, already knowing how she liked it prepared. Then she grabbed a few of her favorite orange flavored ice pops along with a couple of grape flavored ones and went to pay for it all. On her way back out she gave Maybelle her tea and change, which the woman just dropped into the charity bucket. After wishing each other a happy holiday, Ronnie Anne went back up to her apartment. By the time she got through the door, dinner was ready and being set out onto plates. Ronnie Anne quickly went to put her ice pops away and then joined her family at the table.
-The next day-
A gentle tapping sounded on the window, catching Ronnie Anne's attention. She went to open it, finding Sid on the fire escape with the gifts she had been holding. There was also some wrapping paper, bows and tags which Ronnie Anne had also purchased the day before. All she would need now is some tape and a pair of scissors from the other room and she'd be ready to start. She got the grape flavored ice pops while she was at it to hand over to Sid as a thank you before she went back up to her own apartment.
Ronnie Anne made sure her door was shut tight and began taking everything out of the bags. She organized the things she'd be wrapping in the order she planned to wrap them, from largest to smallest. That way it would get easier to wrap as she kept going.
"Okay, Mom's gift first." She said to herself, picking up the wrapping paper and scissors.
For her mother, Ronnie Anne had found a massaging back pad which also heated up. It could be placed on any seat so long as it had a back and would need to be close to an outlet. It had seemed too good an idea for her not to get it for her mom. So Ronnie Anne didn't mind that it had cost a little more than the other items. She had even picked out a nice, big, red bow for it too.
Once she had finished with that, Ronnie Anne moved onto the next present. That one had been a good find for her father; a ceramic tree with LED lights. Since he had only just moved to Great Lakes City, he most likely didn't have many decorations for his apartment yet. After she finished wrapping it, she would move onto the presents for CJ and Carl, followed by her Tia Frida, Tio Carlos, Carlitos, Abuelo Hector, Bobby, Abuela Rosa and finally Sergio and Lalo's gifts.
As she listed the order in her head, Ronnie Anne paused. She set down the scissors and went through the order again, checking each gift as she went. Her mother's was already wrapped and she was about to start the one for her dad. Then it would be the build your won pirate ship and train models for CJ and Carl. Following those would be the presents for Frida, Carlos, Carlitos, Hector, Bobby, Rosa and lastly, the pets.
No. Something still wasn't right. She felt like there was a gift missing. It wasn't one for Sid. She had been dropping hints all month about an upcoming 12 is Midnight concert and was fairly confident she'd be getting the tickets, one of which would be for Sid. Was it Adelaide she had forgotten? Had she intended to get her something to begin with?
Ronnie Anne shrugged and set back to work. She could pick some candy out from the mercado that she could gift to Adelaide. That would be good enough. For now however, she still had plenty more gifts to wrap. She picked up the scissors again and cut a large piece of paper for her father's gift, quickly wrapping it up and moving to the next one in line.
A short while later, she had finished the last of the presents. After putting the scissors and tape back and setting the leftover paper and bows aside, Ronnie Anne began bringing her gifts out to the tree. She gathered them up two or three at a time and carefully placed them where she was able to find room for them. Just as she finished setting the last of them down, her cousins CJ and Carl entered the room, quickly taking notice of what she was doing.
"Hey, no touching the presents!" Carl said with self-given authority. "If I'm not allowed to check them, then neither are you!"
"I'm not checking what I got." Ronnie Anne replied. "I'm just putting out some more for everyone, that's all."
In the blink of an eye, Carl was by her side with an excited look on his face. He began to grab at the new presents, looking for his name on the tags. He tossed them over his shoulder as he saw which ones were not for him, CJ catching them before they could hit the ground and setting them down gently.
"Hey, be careful! You might break something!" Ronnie Anne said, angrily glaring at Carl.
"She's right, you know. Besides, you just said you aren't supposed to be looking through the presents." CJ added, peeking at the tags as he put the gifts back.
"Aw man! I only got one!" Carl complained.
"That's because I only got one for everybody."
"Huh, I don't see one for Carlota." CJ noted, rubbing his chin.
"What are you talking about?" Ronnie Anne asked, taking a look for herself. "Of course I got on for… I… I forgot to get one for Carlota!"
"Ha! Fail!" Carl taunted.
Ronnie Anne didn't give him a dirty look like she normally would. She was too busy mentally kicking herself for her oversight. After all the time she had spent looking around for everyone else's gifts, she couldn't believe that she had forgotten someone. But there was no denying that there was one present less than there should have been. Something she planned to fix immediately.
After quickly checking the time, Ronnie Anne made a mad dash for her room. She lifted her mattress and grabbed an envelope which she had hidden there. Inside of it was some money she had been setting aside for the 12 is Midnight concert. It wasn't much, but it would be enough to get something for Carlota. Maybe she wouldn't even need half of what she had saved up, but she'd take all of it just in case.
As Ronnie Anne opened the envelope, she was met with an unpleasant surprise. All of the money was gone. In its place was a slip of paper with IOU written sloppily in red crayon. Ronnie Anne stared at it for all of three seconds before she crumpled it up in her clenched fist and stormed back into the living room. Now it was time to give her cousin a piece of her mind.
"Carl! You better not have spent the money you took from my room!"
"What? I didn't take your money!" Carl defended.
"Then explain how one of your IOUs ended up in my room!" Ronnie Anne countered.
"That could be anybody's." Carl said, crossing his arms. "You've got nothing on me!"
"I'm gonna give you something if I don't see you handing my money back, now!"
Ronnie Anne stepped forward, gritting her teeth and cracking her knuckles. Carl, in turn, retreated two steps back and starting waving his arms back and forth.
"Wait, wait, wait! I really didn't take any money from your room. Honest! I don't know how my IOU got in there!"
"So you admit it's yours!"
"Hold on, you two." CJ said, stepping between them. "I think I might know what happened. I saw Sergio going through Carl's stuff yesterday. Maybe he took the IOU."
"Yeah, good idea!" Carl said, nodding and taking another step back. "Let's go ask him!"
There were no objections from Ronnie Anne, but only because she knew she could trust CJ's word. The three went to Bobby's room where the macaw often roosted. Inside, they found a lump beneath the blanket on Bobby's bed, right by the pillow. Ronnie Anne stepped up and gave it a firm poke, the lump letting out a squawk of surprise.
"Hey! What's the big idea?!" Sergio exclaimed, poking his head out. "Can't a bird mope in peace?"
"Why are you moping, Sergio?" CJ asked, looking concerned.
"I got Priscilla a really nice gift; a big box of fancy chocolates." Sergio explained. "But she didn't want them and smacked them right out of my talons. Then she stomped on it before kicking it aside and me out. That's forty bucks I won't be getting back."
"Forty bucks?" Ronnie Anne repeated, narrowing her eyes at Sergio. "Just where did you get that kind of money?"
"Uhh, you know… just lying around…" Sergio answered a touch nervously.
"You mean like, oh I don't know…. In my room? Under my bed?" Ronnie Anne pressed.
"Nooo….."
"Yes. You did, didn't you?!"
Sergio got out from under the blanket with a bit of effort. He flapped his wings and got up close to the ceiling. From there he slowly began moving towards the door, keeping his eyes on Ronnie Anne the entire time.
"Okay, so I did take the money. I left you and IOU didn't I? You'll get your money back. Carl's good for it, I swear!"
With that he took off through the door. Ronnie Anne felt the urge to give chase, but held hack. As she accepted that all of her money was gone, she let out a frustrated groan and scratched at her hair.
"What am I going to do now? I don't have any way to get Carlota a present! She'll be the only one who didn't get something from me!"
"I can give you some money." CJ offered. "It's not a lot, but maybe you can still find a nice gift for Carlota."
He left the room, heading to his own. Ronnie Anne and Carl went to follow. As they left Bobby's room, CJ was on his way back with a ten-dollar bill in his hand. He held it out for Ronnie Anne to take, giving her an almost apologetic smile.
"Like I said, it's not a lot. But I hope it helps."
"CJ, this is plenty." Ronnie Anne replied, accepting the money. "I'm sure I'll find something I can get for Carlota with it and I'll try to pay you back as soon as I can."
"Don't worry about it. You can get it back to me whenever. I know you're already busy doing a lot of chores for Abuela."
Ronnie Anne hugged him really quick and then hurried to her room. She put on her coat, hat, scarf and mittens as fast as she could and then went to the apartment door. After getting her boots on, she opened the door and started down the stairs. On the way, she bumped into her mother, who was heading up. When she saw her daughter heading out, Maria stepped in the way to stop her.
"Hold on there a second. Where are you going?" Maria asked.
"Just heading out for a little bit." Ronnie Anne answered. "I'll be back before dinner."
"You aren't going far from the building, are you?"
"Um, yeah. I was going to catch the next GLART downtown. Why?"
"Because it's starting to snow and I don't want you being anywhere too far away."
"So it's snowing. It's December, snow isn't surprising."
"It's going to be a big storm, Ronalda. I don't want you going outside unless you can get back inside right away if the weather starts getting worse."
"I won't take long. I promise."
Maria crossed her arms and stood firm. "I think it would be better if you waited. Whatever it is can wait until after the storm is over. Alright?"
Ronnie Anne didn't argue and went back up to the apartment with her mother. The two removed their winter clothes and Ronnie Anne wen to make some hot cocoa for them both to enjoy. Then they settled down on the sofa, Maria finding something for them to watch on the television.
-The next day-
Ronnie Anne glanced out the window again. The snow was still coming down strong and odds were that it would keep up until after dark. As a result, she was stuck inside and her plans to go to the store were again postponed.
"Great." She grumbled. "Tomorrow is the last day before Christmas and I bet that the department store is going to be a total zoo."
"So don't go." Carl said from his place in front of the television. "Now keep quiet. The commercials are going to be over any second!"
"You could try one of the stores around here." CJ suggested. "And when it stops snowing, maybe you can shovel around the building to earn a little extra money."
"Abuela asked me to do that as one of the chores she wants me to do. So I already got paid for it." Ronnie Anne replied, stepping away from the window. "But I think you're onto something with trying the stores around the neighborhood. It'll definitely save me some time. And ideas where I could start?"
"You can always try that thrift store that Carlota likes." CJ answered.
"Pfft, yeah right. Like that'll be a good idea." Carl scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Hey Prima, I got you some used piece of junk as a present! Feliz Navidad!"
"Carl has a point." Ronnie Anne admitted. "Rare as that might be. I can't just go buy some random, second-hand thing for Carlota after I got new stuff for everyone else. Even if she had no idea, it would still bug me."
"Just buy her a scarf or something." Carl told her.
"I would if she didn't already have a couple dozen of them." Ronnie Anne said. "I doubt I'd find something she'd like anyway. When it comes to fashion, I'm kinda at a loss about 'what's in'."
"What about make-up?" CJ asked.
"Carlota has tons of the stuff already, remember?" Carl pointed out. "A whole trunk full. She's even got it arranged by brand name, type and color."
Ronnie Anne let out a sigh. "I'll just have to see what else I can find when I go out again tomorrow. But until then, I may as well go and see if Abuela has some chores for me to do."
She slowly made her way out to the other apartment across the hall. Rosa was busy chatting on the phone in her bedroom. But when she saw Ronnie Anne heading over, she abruptly dismissed her with a wave of her hand. Ronnie Anne stepped out of the room for a minute to let her abuela finish the call. Once she had, Rosa called Ronnie Anne back inside. As it turned out, there were a few more chores for Ronnie Anne to do around the building. Enough to keep her busy right up until dinner.
-The next day, Christmas Eve-
It was an early start for Ronnie Anne that morning. She got up, ate breakfast and went out to shovel snow as she had promised her Abuela Rosa. After that she did a few more tasks around the mercado to pass the time until the department store would open. She had put a lot of thought into it and chose to go there even though it was guaranteed to be as busy as could be. She was confident that she could find something for Carlota there that was within her small budget. Then it would just be a matter of getting through the lines, getting back home and wrapping the gift to put with the others.
Ronnie Anne put the broom and dust pan away. She put her hat, scarf and mittens on and made her way to the door. As she passed by the counter she waved to her brother, letting him know she was heading out for a bit. Bobby barely had enough time to open his mouth to reply before she was gone.
The cold air was a stark contrast to the inside of the mercado. Ronnie Anne felt it stinging her cheeks a little as she started heading for the GLART station. Before she could get very far, she heard someone calling her name from across the street. She stopped to look and saw her friend Casey waving to her. He went to a nearby crosswalk and waited for the walk signal, Ronnie Anne waiting on the opposite side.
"Hey Casey, what's up?" She asked as he got close enough.
"I'm out tryin' to run an errand for my mom. Every year we all go to my grandma's where she and her sisters prepare a huge meal for the whole family. Usually my mom makes the desserts and she needs shortening for her baking. But we can't find any in stores anywhere in the city! I already tried Hong's and the Hi & Buy, but they're all out! Do you know if your family's mercado has some?"
"Sorry." Ronnie Anne said. "But I was just there helping out and I can say for certain that the section with the baking stuff has been cleaned out."
"Aw, dang." Casey muttered, letting his head hang a bit. "I don't know any other place to look and we gotta head out soon. It's an hour and a half drive to get to my grandma's house."
"Couldn't your grandma try the stores near where she lives?" Ronnie Anne suggested.
"She already did this morning; no luck." Casey replied. "Same with my aunts and some of my older cousins. Every place they've checked is out. It's crazy!"
Ronnie Anne took a moment to think. She might have had a solution to her friend's problem. But it would mean postponing her own plans for a little while. At the worst, she'd just have to deal with the store being more crowded and stand in longer lines as a result. Although if they were quick enough, maybe it wouldn't as much as an inconvenience after all.
"I think I know a place where you could get some shortening." She told him. "But I can't make any promises."
"Hey, I'm not gonna complain if it's another let down. I already feel like I'm runnin' a fool's errand, so what's the harm if the place you have in mind is out too? It's still worth a try. Lead the way."
Ronnie Anne turned and began walking back the way she came. Casey followed as she went around the corner and then two blocks over. She entered a shop which Casey discovered was a local bakery. And a rather crowded one too, at the moment. He tapped Ronnie Anne's shoulder to get her attention and gave her a questioning look.
"Uh, Ronnie? What are we doing here? My mom wants to make her own pastries, not get store bought ones."
"Oh, that's not why we're here. My abuela knows the owner, and she almost always comes here to buy baking supplies from him. If there's anyone in this city who will have shortening, it'll be him. He always stocks up heavily before the holidays."
"And he sells ingredients to his customers too?" Casey inquired.
Ronnie Anne nodded. "He buys in bulk for that reason. I bet some of the people waiting in line right now are here just to get yeast or flour or something like that."
"Hopefully none of them need shortening." Casey said, looking at the large group of people in front of them. "But I'm willing to take the chance. I'm gonna text my mom so she knows I might be a little while."
The two kids waited patiently as the other customers each got their turns. Many were shopping by themselves, but some were there in pairs or small groups. Slowly but surely, Ronnie Anne and Casey got to the counter where a middle-aged man with blonde hair was working.
"Hey Mr. Le Roux." Ronnie Anne greeted. "Joyeux Noël."
"Hello Ronnie Anne. Feliz Navidad." Mr. Le Roux replied. "How may I assist you today? Does your grandmother require something for her baking?"
"Not today. It's actually my friend Casey who needs something. Do you have any shortening for sale?"
"As a matter of fact, yes I do. But I only have a couple, six-pound cans. Thirteen dollars apiece."
"Thirteen?" Casey repeated. "I only have a five on me!"
Casey hung his head, feeling the sting of failure after coming so close to achieving his objective. Ronnie Anne hated to see her friend looking so down. Her hand went into her pocket without any need for her to think it over.
"Here, take this." She offered, holding out the ten. "You've been looking all over for it, so it would only be fair you don't leave without it."
"Really? Thanks Ronnie Anne! I owe you big time!" Casey exclaimed, accepting the money. "I'm gonna make sure to save you a couple of my mom's cherry turnovers for when I get back."
He paid for the shortening and gave the change to Ronnie Anne. The two thanked Mr. Le Roux and left his shop. They exchanged a quick fist bump and Casey took off after sending his mother another text. Ronnie Anne then turned to head to the GLART station and head out to find Carlota her gift. But it suddenly dawned on her that she couldn't. She only had two dollars left to spend.
She didn't regret her decision. If she were put in the same situation all over again, she'd still make the same choice. Helping Casey out was definitely worth giving up most of her money. But now she only had one option if she wanted to get something decent for Carlota. She'd need to go and ask her abuela for a little more money.
Ronnie Anne returned to her apartment and started looking for her abuela. She found her seated on the couch with Lalo sleeping on the floor in front of her. On the television was a tele novella about the nativity of baby Jesus. Rosa noticed Ronnie Anne and patted the seat beside her. Ronnie Anne joined her and decided she would wait until the tele novella was over before starting the conversation.
A little over quarter of an hour later the show ended and Rosa turned the television off. She stood up and began walking to the kitchen. Ronnie Anne followed her, trying to think of how to go about explaining the situation. Rosa opened the fridge and took out a Tupperware container, removing the lid. From inside she took out a cream puff and held it out for to Ronnie Anne.
"Would you like one, Ronalda? I just made these this morning."
"No thanks Abuela. I don't feel hungry right now."
"Suit yourself. But there are plenty if you change your mind." Rosa replied. "So, are you looking forward to tomorrow? Seeing everyone open up the present you got for them?"
"About that… I kinda, no, I really messed up."
"How do you mean?"
Ronnie Anne hesitated. "I thought I had done pretty well with my shopping at first. But it turns out that I… I completely forgot to get something for Carlota somehow."
"You forgot Carlota?!" Rosa repeated with genuine shock. "Nieta, how could you forget even one member of your own familia?"
"I don't know. I just wasn't paying close enough attention, I guess. And before I realized my mistake, I had already given what was left of my shopping money to Maybelle to put in her charity bucket. Sergio somehow found and 'borrowed' my savings and then CJ loaned me a little money to help out." Ronnie Anne explained. "But I just gave most of it to Casey because he needed to by shortening for his mom so she can go and bake at his grandma's place. And now I'm running out of time and was really, really hoping you wouldn't mind letting me have just a little more money so I can hurry out and buy something!"
"Ronalda, cálmese." Rosa said. "There's no need to get so worked up. You made a mistake. I'm sure we can make things right."
"So… you don't mind giving me another advance so I can buy a present for Carlota?"
"I could do that… "Rosa began. "But I think I have a better idea. Let me ask you something. The present you got for me, is it something that Carlota would also like?"
"Huh?" Ronnie replied with mild confusion. "Uh, yeah…. I'm pretty sure that she'd like it too. Why?"
"So why don't you just put a new tag on my gift so it can be for Carlota instead?" Rosa suggested.
"But then you won't have a gift from me." Ronnie Anne pointed out.
Rosa placed her hand on Ronnie Anne's shoulder. "That's not entirely true, Ronalda. I may no longer have something I can unwrap, but you will have still given me something wonderful. The gifts you've gotten for everyone will make them happy. And to me there is no greater gift than that."
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely. And besides, it would only be fair. I have something I need to confess as well. I wasn't able to get you the gift that you wanted most this year." Rosa said. "Lo siento, Nieta."
"What are you talking about?" Ronnie Anne asked. "What gift?"
"I was trying to get gift ideas from your mother and she told me about the concert you have been talking about." Rosa answered. "I offered to get them, but when I went online to make the purchase, they were all gone. Apparently they sold out in less than an hour. When you walked in on me on the phone yesterday, I was talking to someone who was reselling his tickets. But goodness me, the price he was asking was ridiculous!"
Ronnie Anne cracked a small smirk. "Yeah, that's not really surprising. 12 is Midnight is crazy popular. But it's okay. Thanks for trying anyway, Abuela." She said, giving her abuela a hug. "So what now? Are there any more chores you'd like me to help you with?"
"Yes, but they don't need to be done today. Or tomorrow for that matter. It's a holiday, Nieta. You've done enough chores for now. Go out and enjoy yourself. Just make sure that you get back in time for dinner."
"Okay. In that case I think I'll go up and see if Sid wants to hang out for a while. After I switch the tags on the gift. Thanks again, Abuela."
Ronnie Anne gave Rosa another hug and left the kitchen. Rosa took out a plate and began loading it up with some cream puffs, cinnamon cookies, hot chocolate cookies and other delicious baked goods. She'd be sure to give them to Ronnie Anne to take with her up to the Changs. Once Ronnie Anne had taken them and gone, Rosa began getting the things she would need to prepare the feast her family would be enjoying that evening.
-The following morning, Christmas Day-
The Casagrande family awoke bright and early, gathering in the living room with the tree. The adults all seated on the sofa or on chairs while the kids had made themselves comfortable on the floor with the pets. Wrapping paper from the many gifts littered the area, more being added to it as the last of the gifts were being opened. Most of the presents Ronnie Anne had purchased had been unwrapped, her mother's being the first. Maria was quick to put her new massage pad to use, letting herself become so absorbed in enjoying it that she almost forgot about her other gifts.
The other presents which had been opened so far had been just as appreciated by their recipients. Bobby, Arturo and Hector had all been very pleased by their own, and both CJ and Carl were very excited to get to work on their new model kits. As for the pets, each had gotten a new accessory. Lalo was now sporting a festive collar with jingle bells and Sergio had a colorful, festive hat. (It was meant for a cat, but there was no need for him to know that.) Now the only gifts that remained were the ones Ronnie Anne had gotten for her Tio Carlos, Tia Frida, Carlitos and Carlota.
"Alright, here's another one for you Carlitos." Carlos said, holding the present in front of his youngest child. "This one is from your Prima, Ronnie Anne."
Carlitos clapped his hands and began to open the present with some assistance from his father. Frida recorded the moment on her phone, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. As the paper was gradually torn away, Carlos help up what was withing for Frida to see.
"Oh, look at that. It's a story book from that show Carlitos likes." Frida noted. "The Brave Lion Visits the North Pole. Que Lindo!"
"I was trying to find a stuffed toy lion, but didn't see any. So I kept looking around and found that."
"Well I'm sure he's going to like it very much." Carlos replied. "Thank you, Ronnie Anne."
"Open yours next." Ronnie Anne insisted, holding it out for him.
Carlos accepted the gift and began unwrapping. While he was handling that, Ronnie Anne handed Frida her gift as well. Frida set down her phone and began tearing at the paper. The husband and wife finished at nearly the same time, both smiling at what they found.
"A new day planner! How thoughtful!" Carlos stated, adjusting his glasses. "Thank you again."
"I got a holiday-themed macrame kit." Frida said. "I know how I'll be spending my afternoon. Gracias Ronalda."
"You're welcome, both of you." Ronnie Anne replied, going to get the final gift from beneath the tree. "Here Carlota, this one is yours."
Carlota had taken longer than everyone else to open her presents. She had been taking photos of them to post on her social media and responding to the comments from her followers. She finished with her latest post and grabbed the gift from Ronnie Anne. As she watched Carlota begin unwrapping the paper, Ronnie Anne started to feel a little anxious. A part of her was doubting that Carlota would like the gift after all. That doubt however was quickly dispelled when Carlota let out a gasp.
"Ronnie Anne, this is so cute! Thank you!"
The gift which had originally been meant for Rosa was a music box. It was large enough to sit across the palms of both hands and had an antique look about it. The inside had a removable tray which allowed for decent storage. And when the lid was opened it would play the chorus from the song 'Hark the Herald Angels Sing'.
"I love it!" Carlota continued, pulling Ronnie Anne in for a hug. "Come here, you need to be in the pic for this one!"
Ronnie Anne squirmed a little, but allowed herself to be in the picture. Carlota posted it and began to talk about what she could store into her new music box. She eventually decided that she could put her favorite earrings inside. At least she believed they'd all fit in the box.
Carlota got another notification and returned her attention to her phone. Ronnie Anne stepped away, smiling and feeling rather pleased with herself. With the way things had turned out, she honestly didn't know if she could be in a better mood. She joined her Abuela Rosa, who was starting to clean up the countless scraps of wrapping paper and place them into a paper bag for recycling.
"So Ronalda, how did it feel to see everyone opening their gifts from you? Wasn't it nice?" Rosa asked.
"Yeah, getting to see them open them was just as exciting as getting to open my own presents. And you were right, it was fun looking for gifts for everyone. Aside of my goof up, that is."
"I'm glad to hear that, Ronalda. So, I take it you'll be doing it again next year?"
"Not exactly." Ronnie Anne replied. "Next year, I'll be getting started on Christmas shopping much sooner. And I'll definitely be sure to make a list first."
The End.