Four

Garrett

I watched as child after child walked over to Santa to tell him what they wanted for Christmas and stayed long enough for the elves to take a picture of them. Some kids screamed and cried, terrified of the bearded man in the bright red and white suit. It didn’t matter how friendly he was to them, they wanted nothing to do with it.

Others looked at him like he was the most wonderful person they’d ever seen, and as I watched, I remembered how I felt as a child when my parents brought me to meet Santa. It had felt like the biggest honor in the world to my six-year-old self, and I guess it left such an impression on me that I wanted to remember that feeling as an adult. A quick look at the time let me know it was time to get going. One last glance and I was hurrying toward the door I’d entered through and out to my car.

As soon as I was seated and had the door closed behind me, I took out the journal and gave it another look. It really was beautiful, and I hoped Grandpa thought so too. I tucked it under the seat before starting my car and heading off to work. I’d been a delivery driver for three years now, and every year during the holidays I loved it even more.

Not only did I get to drive all over the place and see lots of decorations and Christmas lights, but I also got to deliver gifts to people that made them happy or very excited to see them arrive on time. When they were late—not so much. I drove one of the big brown trucks you typically saw making deliveries from house to house or business to business. In my case it was mostly a residential area, and I’d had this route long enough I knew most of the people who I made regular stops at. After making my way down Greenback I got onto the freeway and drove toward Rocklin where I’d get my truck.

The weather was beginning to change and even if it wasn’t winter yet, it was definitely getting colder and rainier. It wasn’t bad until you were running in and out of a truck trying to keep a package dry and not slip on a slick sidewalk or wet lawn.

After parking in the employee’s lot and grabbing my uniform and the bag that held everything else I’d need, I hurried inside and right to the backroom to change. “Hey, Garrett, how’s it going?” Jimmy asked as he walked in behind me.

“Pretty good, how about you?”

“The kids are driving us crazy already and traffic was a bitch, but other than that it’s a great day to be alive,” he said making me laugh.

“I stopped by the mall on the way here and there was a huge line for Santa,” I said as I shoved my things into my locker.

“Which mall?”

“Sunrise. I ordered something there and needed to pick it up,” I said and pulled on my uniform shirt over my t-shirt.

“I haven’t been there in years. Was it busy? I know it’s lost a lot of businesses.”

“Yeah, surprisingly so. The line for Santa was at least as long as it was when I was there last year.”

“Maybe we’ll take the kids there. Might be a little less crazy than going to the Galleria. I hate going anywhere near it this time of year.” The Galleria was the biggest mall in this area. It was built in 2000 but had been expanded and the whole area had now become a part of the mall. People shopped and dined and did everything there and the traffic and crowds were always a challenge but a hundred times worse during the holidays.

“There’s still quite a few stores, it’s just not close to how many are in the Galleria,” I said.

“What made you order something there?” he asked, and I explained about the journal and the tradition I’d been continuing with my grandfather.

“Well good luck out there today. As you know it’s only going to get worse.”

I finished pulling on my shoes and after making sure I had everything put away in my locker, I walked out to the front to clock in and get my truck. “Hey, Cecilia, which one am I in today?” I asked, and she handed me my route and keys without a word.

After checking it was the same as usual, I hurried out to the truck and did the same safety check I did every time before leaving and once it was complete I was on the road. My truck didn’t have room for much more than it had already held, and I knew as soon as I started it was going to be a long day, but as I pulled up to the first house and they already had their house decorated, it eased some of the anxiety I felt about getting it all delivered on time. Funny how seeing something you loved could do that.

Traffic was already heavy, and Thanksgiving was still more than a week away. It seemed everyone was trying to get ready early this year, and if all the packages in the back were any indication, then people were shopping early too, which usually meant they’d be shopping for more. “Gonna be a busy one,” I said as I pulled up to the next house.

I’d been driving for a few hours when I decided to take my lunch break. Pulling into a parking lot I found a space at the far end and took out the sandwich I’d brought. Just as I was about to take a bite, I noticed a car sitting at the stoplight to the left of me. The driver slowly turned his head and looked at me, and when our eyes met, both of us smiled. Mr. Elf.

He smirked at me the way he had earlier and jumped when the car behind him laid on the horn since he didn’t go with the green light. He tipped his chin at me before driving off like nothing had happened. “There might be another visit to the mall in my future,” I said to myself and watched as he disappeared into traffic.