ISAAC
The free purchase was given to Isaac. Mark turned to Isaac and gave them the free order. “Merry Christmas,” said Mark, as he stepped aside and waited for his order to be ready. “Why did you do that?” asked Isaac, before placing his order in. Mark simply shrugged with a friendly grin.
“Why not?” Mark said, as he grabbed his coffee, paid the worker, and waved goodbye to everyone. Isaac and his wife were left in utter shock. They weren’t used to people as friendly as Mark. In fact, they were used to the complete opposite. Everyone they ever dealt with were just plain out rude, so this kind of act from Mark seemed suspicious to them.
The two took advantage of their free order, as they walked out with two coffees, a dozen donuts, bagels, hash browns…basically the entire menu.
As they walked out of the coffee shop and towards their car, they walked by an old, coatless woman putting her bags away in her car. Both Isaac and his wife walked right by the old woman without acknowledging her presence…but the old woman was glad. Ending her day of shopping, she was placing decorations of flowers and “Hug me” teddy bears with some sporting caps of teams from different sports. “What?” Isaac’s wife asked, as he stopped himself from shifting the car in reverse.
“What are you looking at?” she repeated. Isaac couldn’t take his eyes off the old woman, all by herself. Then he lowered his rear view mirror and there, sitting in the back seat were all the different sweets and breakfast sandwiches they received for free. Isaac then reached for his coffee, some bagels, and bursted out of the car before it was too late.
“You must be freezing, ma’am,” said Isaac, as he approached the old woman. She refused to look. Instead, she began to wheel her carriage near the front of the store.
“I got that,” Isaac insisted, as he handed her his coffee and bagels. But she wasn’t looking at the coffee or the bagels. She was looking at the coat.
SUSIE
Flashbacks swam through her mind as all she could think of was her husband, whom she had bought all the decorations for, to decorate his grave.
“Are you-”
“The coat. Is…” she couldn’t even speak.
“Here,” Isaac handed the coffee and bagels to her, but she didn’t pay any attention.
“Coffee and bagels?” he offered.
“Red zipper,” she checked the zipper. It was red. It was red because the old zipper broke off and her husband wanted to replace it rather than get rid of the coat. “Stitches on the left elbow,” she checked his left elbow. It was stitched.
“Where did you get this?” she asked.
“Uh, some consignment shop I think. It was cheap enough, so I grabbed it,” Isaac laughed. Susie looked at him in bewilderment.
“After he died I donated his coat accidentally. Always regretted it,” she grew emotional. The two stood still for a moment.
“There,” he said, as he began to wrap the coat around her, “nice and warm.” He stepped back and smiled at her, as he handed the free order to her. Now he was the freezing one.
“Can I ask you something, sweetheart?” said Susie.
“Of course,” he replied.
“Why…”
“Because why not?” He smiled…and left it like that. “Merry Christmas,” he waved goodbye to her, as he returned to his car.
“Merry Christmas,” she said to herself.
As Susie drove back home, this time she stopped and let the people walk. Rosemary and Tim were walking the opposite way, but as they reached together in the middle they paused. Susie would’ve beeped the horn already, but she couldn’t stop feeling the coat, remembering her husband. Tim and Rosemary then walked one way together, smiling at each other, as Tim smiled at her kids.
As Susie drove by, Amy had just gotten home. Susie stopped for her as well, as she crossed the street and jogged to her apartment. Nearly reaching her apartment complex, Mark was just about to cross the street. Susie, again, stopped and let him proceed. This time, he safely proceeded without dropping anything. Susie arrived home. As she approached her home, carrying the bags in her hand, she noticed Harrick. Susie carefully dropped a twenty dollar bill in his hat. “Merry Christmas,” she said, as she walked up the steps. But Harrick did not respond. He was curled up in a ball, shivering.
Susie entered her home, immediately resting her coffee and bagels so she could hang her coat near hers. She stood back from the coat hanger, as her smile glowed on her face.
Days later, the coat stood hanging on the hanger. She enjoyed waking up each morning and looking straight ahead at his coat near hers. However, every time she awakened, the coat was on the floor. It kept sliding off the hanger and dropping on the floor. Susie walked to the coat. Instead of hanging it back up, she gazed at the coat as she rose. She looked out the window. There, Harrick was in the same position as always, curled up in a ball. Susie immediately looked away, forgetting the thoughts that ran through her head. She then reached her arm in the sleeves of the coat and put it on her. She smiled and closed her eyes. She felt like she was with him…but only for a few seconds. She opened her eyes and lowered her head. Then she lowered her head as tears drained from her eyes. She knew what she should do. She knew what her husband would do.
The next day came. Out the window, Harrick was no longer present. Harrick walked down the sidewalk, satisfied with a coffee, bagels, and the warmth of Susie’s husband’s coat. He was warm. Meanwhile, Susie was back where she didn’t want to be. But this time she was different. She didn’t feel angry anymore. She wasn’t cold.
The doorbell rang. Susie sluggishly walked to the door, glancing by the coat hanger with only her coat left. She opened the door. It was Harrick.
“I found these in the pocket of your coat,” said Harrick, as he handed a pile to Susie. “Thank you very much, again,” he said, as he departed. Susie didn’t respond. She closed the door. Flipped the pile over, but as she did, it all fell from her hand. She lowered herself to the floor, as several pictures rested right in front of her. Each picture was cut out, only displaying Susie and her husband. In those pictures, there were other people, but Susie’s husband cut them out. Susie held the pictures close to her chest as she cried.
A hanger. A coat. Another hanger. No coat. Blessed was all she felt.
Merry Cathy, Harrick, Rosamaria, Isaac, Susie, Tim, Mark, Amy, Susie
Tune in for the second creative short, coming February 2022! sports@eaglegroveeagle.com
