A Christmas Tale, part II

It was shortly after 11:00 when Eddie said, "alright, let's call it a day. We can get back here about 4:30 and get ready to open at 5:00. Of course, the company won't let me start paying you until the we unlock at 5:00. Hey, one of you should grab some donuts and coffee so we can gear up."

"Hey, how about a ride home?" Edith, Eddie's mom, asked. She looked exhausted, her gray hair was tangled and looked like straw, dirt smeared down her cheek, leaving her looking like a chimney sweep.

"Christ, mom, you only live 6 blocks from here. The walk will do you good, help you unwind, clear your head."

"I'm so tired, I can't walk that far, I just won't make it. My feet ache, my back is sore, I can barely keep my eyes open. It has been such a hard day, and all I want is a ride home, your building is on the same block."

Eddie pulled his mom aside, "Look, I'll give you a ride home, but you have to keep it down. I can't be seen favoring one associate over another. The company has very strict regulations about that. You remember, chapter 17, page 121, article C, sub heading 1/17f."

"Thanks, Eddie." Edith said, softly. She thought gently of her deceased husband. A kind man who had loved his wife and only son, showering them both with endless affection. Edith was wishing he would have, at least once, knocked this pompous little buffoon right on his ass. If she not been so tired and had enough money for a cab, or even bus fare, she would've laid him out on the shiny, freshly mopped, linoleum floor.

The image of Eddie laying unconscious, while she danced like Ali around his prone body warmed her heart, and made her feel a little better. Maybe my daughter has bus fare, she thought.

Eddie dropped Edith off at the intersection between their respective buildings. In an unusual display
of love and generosity he gave her enough money for bus fare in the morning. It was Thanksgiving after all.

Eddie parked his car, a 1982 Monte Carlo, rust colored, which matched the rust that was had crawled across the bottom and started moving up the sides. Eddie took a little pride in being able to rock the driver's seat from side to side going around corners. There were so few things Eddie took pride in, and it was probably better for everybody that way.

That concludes part II of the Christmas Tale, and Eddie has yet to be visited by the gods of Christmas Past, and still has all of his toenails, and it is only Thanksgiving. And for all of those things I apologize, this is taking much longer than planned, If you can have a little patience things will improve, or at least change, change is good, right?