The Good Deed ~COMPLETE~

Chapter 1 : The Encounter

  

November 26th 2005 10:27am

It was a Saturday. Thanksgiving had just passed. Most refrigerators were overflowed with containers full of the typical holiday grub: stuffing, mashed potatoes, corn, green beans and other assorted veggies, yams, honey baked ham and of course the star of the holiday, turkey.

My refrigerator however, held none of the above mentioned goodies. I had spent the holiday with my girl, Sue. Her parents had invited us over for dinner. Although leftovers had been offered, I refused, knowing they would have just sat in my fridge and gone bad. I was never a big fan of leftovers.

The Friday after Thanksgiving is commonly known as Black Friday to most. It is the biggest shopping day of the year and brings hundreds of thousands to local shopping destinations. The largest of which is Potomac Mills Mall, famous for being the east coast's largest outlet mall. Over 250 shops, 15 anchor stores and a huge 15 screen movie theater are just a few of the appealing attractions. The mall stretches nearly a mile from end to end which ia a downside for some but not enough to stop the massive hordes of materialists.

I am not a big fan of the mall and had always promised myself I'd stay away from that place on days like Black Friday and the weekend that followed. Yet, that fateful Saturday, there I was walking the mall amongst the greedy vultures. I wasn't quite sure what had drawn me to that place at that time, although I knew it wasn't to shop. My Christmas shopping would not begin for another three weeks.

Not sure why I was there, I just walked... and walked... did I mention it was a big mall? I observed the crowds; lines trailed out of stores, wrapping around corners, blocking entrances to other stores. It was madness. Anticipation gleamed in the eyes of most, anger and impatience in others. Eager shoppers pushed overflowing carts and carried large bags stuffed full. Everyone was on a mission to get the season's best deals, on the hottest new products. Many of them were rude and pushy. They'd bump you and don't even say 'excuse me'.

I was only walking the mall for half an hour before I became irritable and thirsty. I stopped at a pretzel shop. A large Coke was my only purchase.

I walked a little further until I found a place to sit; one of the few benches that weren't already full. For about 15 minutes I sat sipping my drink and continued to watch the swarming consumers.

It was just after 11 o'clock and I was contemplating leaving the mall; I still hadn't figured out why I was even there to begin with. That's when I saw the young woman; twenty-something, brunette, slim. She carried her purse in one hand and held a small bag from a toy store, in the other. She caught my eye not because she was attractive but because she had five young children trailing behind her. There were three boys and two girls, not one of them appeared to be over the age of six. The children each held one another's hands.

I found it hard to believe that such a young woman could have so many kids. Intrigued, I stood from the bench and followed them. I made sure to keep my distance so they wouldn't notice. I was close enough to overhear one of the youngest, a little girl, tell her mommy she needed to go potty. I learned that little girl's name, when her mother asked her, "Hattie, mommy's in a hurry, can you hold it honey?"

I also learned two of the boy's names, when their mother had to remind them, "James, hold Henry's hand please."

The third little boy, whose name I had not yet known, was complaining of hunger. The mother of five hushed him and said "We'll eat when we get home." I believed that to be a false promise. Each of the five children looked thin and malnourished.

I followed the group of six for the entire length of the mall. I nearly lost them in the crowds a few times, but luckily they stopped to browse briefly: once, to admire some jewelry at a kiosk, another to watch the mall employees put up holiday decorations, which included a large Christmas tree being erected.

As the brunette pushed open the glass doors and exited to the parking lot I learned the names of the other two children. The young woman held the door and as the children passed by her, she said their names aloud. "James, Henry, Thomas, Hattie, Hazel."

Once the young mother was sure she hadn't forgotten anyone, she let the door pull closed behind her.

The air was uncommonly warm for late November. The temperature was 62 degrees. The sun was shining down on everything. The parking lot looked like a vast sea of shimmering metal.

The woman and her children crossed the giant lot, weaving in and out of parked vehicles. They finally stopped at a faded maroon minivan. The sides were dented and dinged and rust covered a better part of the ride. The hubcaps were missing and it appeared to be leaking fluids. All I could think when I first saw the busted heap was, Uh oh, better get Maaco.

As the woman buckled in the last of her baggage, I approached. "Excuse me, miss?" I startled her as she slid the side door shut.

"Yes?" She answered and looked around me and to her left and right, as if she believed we were being watched.

I had come up with a plan while I followed them through the mall; the moment her son, Thomas, had expressed his hunger, I knew what I had to do. As we all exited through the glass doors into the parking lot, I had reached into my pocket, pulled out some money and cupped it in my palm.

"You just dropped this." I lied and held out my hand with the money.

Her eyes widened when she saw it was a $50 bill. Again, she quickly looked around, scanning the parking lot as if she was expecting a hidden camera crew to jump out from behind parked vehicles. She extended her hand and took the money. "Thank... thank you, I... I just..." She stuttered knowing good and well she hadn't drop the cash.

I interrupted her fumbling speech, "no problem at all Miss, just try to be more careful with your money." I called her Miss, partly because I didn't know her name and partly because I had a feeling she was single.

The attractive mother quickly pocketed the money. She thanked me once more and got into the busted up minivan. I stood and watched her as she pulled away from the parking spot. It was at that moment, as she was driving away, that I realized she was the reason I had come to the mall that day. Little did I know, our encounter, was just the beginning.

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Like I said, this first chapter is slow, as is the next one, but it will pick up.  By the sixth chapter, you'll be hooked.

This chapter will be dedicated to the first person to leave a comment.