Ash braced himself. The onslaught began, bodies pressed against each other, massed and moving, breath in wintery puffs expelled. The traffic stopped and the crossing began.
"Jesus," he thought to himself, "Why the hell did I think I could just pop out and pick up a gift?"
It was Sunday night. Christmas was Tuesday, which meant Christmas Eve was tomorrow night and stores would be closed or closing early. This was it for the last-minute shopper.
Jennifer, Ash's girlfriend of the last 6 months, had presented him a list. On the top, circled in pink highlighter was "Jardin du Palais Nuit", her favorite perfume.
He had ticked off the other gift suggestions from Amazon, shipped to his office so Jennifer wouldn't know, but the perfume was something you had to buy in a shop.
Or, as he had now found out, being sold out everywhere, you can't buy it in a shop.
He was battling the crowds on Fifth Avenue, working his way to his last hope. It was now 8:30 pm, and the store closed at 9.
The doorman, casting an eye on his desperate face, and figured the store could hold one more last-minute shopper.
Once inside, Ash tried to get bearings. He made his way towards the escalators. By chance, not design, he had fortunately entered the ladies store side, and saw the sign for the "Beauty Level".
He made it to the counter. A tall older woman with short cropped blonde hair and black framed glasses asked, "How can I help you?"
"I have been all over town, this is my last hope. Do you have any size left of Jardin du Palais Nuit?"
She put on her concerned face. "I am sorry we are sold out. We had a special sale over Thanksgiving and many of our customers took advantage of that then. I sold our last bottle a few days ago."
"Please, Please, my girlfriend is really expecting me to get her some. Can you check in back?"
"I'm sorry, really, we are sold out. I have checked."
"There is a bottle on the counter, I'll buy it with out the box."
"I'm sorry, that is a display, it is not actually of perfume."
"Please miss, this is my last hope, anything? Anything at all?"
"I could suggest a gift card. We should be back in stock at the beginning of January"
Ash had been battling shoppers for hours now. This must have been the twentieth shop he had go to. He had his hands on the counter his head was hanging down. "Nothing at all?"
She looked at him. Probably 26, well dressed, a bit of an athletic build.
He looked up. She could see the desperation in his eyes.
"Look," she said, "I know someone who bough an extra bottle on Black Friday and might be willing to let you have it."
Ash looked up. "I'll do anything to get it for Jennifer. She'll kill me if on Christmas day the one thing she really wanted is something I screwed up and couldn't do."
"The store is closing now. You wait right here while I close out my register and get my coat. If security tells you to leave, just tell them you are waiting for Sally."
Ash waiting by the counter, watched as the customers slowly drained out. Sally headed back wearing winter coat and carrying her purse. "Let's take the service elevator, it's quicker." She led him to the back of the store and the elevator. It got down the street level and a door to the outside.
"I'm Sally, and you?"
"Ashford, but everyone calls me Ash. Thank you for taking pity on me. I know I waited too long, but I didn't know how hard this would be."
"Do you have a metro card? We need to go a few stops."
