Second Chances

The Very Next Day You Gave It Away.

Saturday afternoon, Maddy peered out the car window as her Uber approached the Christmas tree lot. "Right here's fine," she said, tugging her pom hat lower on her forehead.

George stood on the sidewalk dressed in a long topcoat, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, obviously cold.

She climbed out of the car and was nearly on top of him before he recognized her. 

"Maddy?"

"It's me," she said.

"I see you're rockin' the Oompa Loompa look."

"That's not really the look I was going for. I'm wearing thermals, leggings, jeans, two sweaters, and this old down jacket." She took a step back, her brow furrowed. "What are you wearing?"

"I'm wearing a coat."

"That looks like a super expensive coat."

"It wasn't cheap."

"You've seen Christmas trees before, right? I mean up close?"

He shrugged.

"Trees are dirty. They live outside in forests or on tree farms and they grow right out of the ground."

He turned, looking over his shoulder with disapproval at the mobs of shoppers packing the lot.

"Fresh trees are sticky, too," she said. "You know, tree sap and all that."

"What's your point?"

"We don't wear our designer clothes to a Christmas tree lot."

"You obviously don't."

"I'm obviously not freezing. You are."

"This is your idea of fun?" George asked, rubbing his red nose with a gloved hand.

Maddy inhaled deeply. "It smells like Christmas. Don't you smell that?"

"It smells like New York to me."

"Come on. Let's go buy a tree."

He pointed to a cut tree leaning on a wooden rack nearby. "That one looks good. Let's get that one."

"That's a blue spruce. Spruce trees tend to have sharp needles."

"So?"

"You'll get stabbed a million times when you're stringing the lights and hanging ornaments."

"I'm not gonna decorate it. You wanna do it?"

"Awesome. I'll do it."

"Then you pick the tree."

She grabbed his hand and started down the first aisle. "What we're looking for is a Frasier fir. A nice soft, Frasier fir. Probably about nine to ten feet tall."

"Okay. Let's buy it and get out of here."

"You're kind of ruining the fun."

"How about you be in charge of the fun here and I'll be in charge of the fun when we get back to my place?"

She rolled her eyes.

........

George lit the fire in the fireplace, tossed his coat on the leather chair, then started toward the kitchen. "Sorry. No hot chocolate. Would you prefer coffee or tea?"

Unzipping her jacket, Maddy replied, "Coffee, please."

"Two coffees coming right up."

A storm of static electricity crackled when she pulled off her knit hat, followed by the removal of her bulky sweater over her head. She did her best to tame her hair but due to the static charge, it was nearly impossible. Her head looked like a dandelion puffball. She licked her palms and ran them over her hair, then tugged at her ponytail while tightening her hair tie.