The Girl in the Swirly Skirt

There she was again, his Christmas angel, the same girl he’d seen yesterday and the day before. A real hottie--slender but curvy, with a cloud of shoulder-length dark hair. Today she was wearing a red dress with a skirt that swirled around her like dancing flame.

Rem watched the girl’s progress down the center of the mall. Probably doing some last minute shopping before an evening of holiday partying.

His own Christmas Eve was going to be spent alone. This was his first year in grad school, his family lived half a continent away, and he hadn’t socialized much. In the long run, he knew the straight A’s were worth it, but right now all he could think of was the pretty girl in the swirly skirt.

He checked his watch. Another half hour and his temp job selling t-shirts would be history. Some of the other carts had already closed, but he was keeping Treasure Chest open till the last minute. The mall management sent mystery shoppers around who could write him up for leaving early.

Rem touched the two gold buttons pinned to the rim of his Santa hat. The third button, the one that would have given him a bonus, had eluded him. One never knew who the mystery shoppers were, but Rem was pretty sure his third one had been the guy who lectured him yesterday about the wages paid to garment workers.

“Garment salesmen aren’t paid much either!” he’d finally told the man, who’d stormed off in a huff.

CONTINUED TOMORROW


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