All characters in the story are over the age of eighteen, and consent to all activities. The characters and storyline are of course fictional and bear no resemblance to anyone I know.
Thanks for reading on.
*****
Steve has just finished a meeting at the office of a client and has arranged to meet his stepdaughter, Kelly, in town to buy a Christmas present for his wife, Grace. His track record of buying presents for Grace is not too good. Year one was okay. Perfume that he knew she wore. She accepted that they didn't know each other that well, so it was safe. Year two was better. A trip to Dublin. If he was honest with himself, it was probably that present that prompted her to propose to him. They were married within six months of the present. Year three was the start of his steady decline in present buying. More perfume. Same designer as the first, different scent. Safe, he thought. Boring, she thought. The downward spiral culminated in an Air Fryer last year, which did not go down well at all. Hence, Steve was taking the opportunity to get Kelly to choose the present for her mum this year. It had to be better.
He and Grace have been together for seven years, married for five. He is ten years her junior. Many a dinner party, formal gathering, or just a trip to a bar, he has been introduced as her toy-boy. Funny at first. He turns forty this year, and the joke, like his hair, is wearing a little thin.
The problem with present buying for Grace is that she is incredibly successful and therefore has everything. She currently juggles three directorships of companies after having her own very profitable property business, which she sold just before meeting Steve. He hadn't known how rich she was when he met her; he knew she was successful, but not every successful person is rich, and anyway, he had been a catch, too. Six feet two, fit and muscular from years of hotel gyms, well-read and educated, and with money of his own. He sells advertising space on TV and for magazines, has an amazing list of contacts, not in the same league of wealth as her, but above the average.
They had both been married previously. Steve's marriage ended due to him and his wife drifting apart over time. He was always on the road, while she worked in a local office, near to her childhood friends, and her close-knit family. She kept a steady life that he never quite slotted into. They didn't have children, which, in hindsight, might have given them some commonality to cling to. But; They split; It was sad: Both knew it was best for one another to let the other one live their life to the full. The fact that they haven't spoken in ten years, or crossed paths at other people's weddings, or birthdays, is proof that they weren't really part of each other's lives.
Grace's split from her first husband was also amicable. They parted about six months before Grace and Steve met. Paul is in scrap metal. A hard worker. One of the best guys you would ever meet. Salt of the earth. They had met at school, but as Grace became more successful she outgrew him, his values, his views on life, and particularly his friends. Being such a great guy, he accepted that she wanted more and was happy to let her go. Unbelievably, he was also happy not to take a penny from her recent windfall. He had enough for what he needed, as long as he had frequent access to their daughter, Kelly, he knew she would be well looked after. Great guy. The best.
Anyway, back to now. Steve has left the client. He texts Kelly: "Left Office. On way to JL. Where should we meet?"
She pings back: "G8. Harris Rd entrance. CU in 15"
He assumes she means 'Great' and not a G8 entrance. The shopping together was actually more luck than planning on Steve's part. The client's office happens to be in the same town as Kelly's University, so his trip has given them the opportunity to meet up. He is staying the night at a hotel before heading on to another client the next day. If he hadn't been there for this meeting, it may well have been a Nutri-Ninja or set of cast iron pans for Grace this Christmas, followed, more than likely, by trial separation and divorce.
He arrives at the store and hangs around, looking exactly like what he is. An uncomfortable middle-aged guy standing outside a store that feels completely alien to him, of which he is scared to enter.
It's early December, and the footfall is already pretty high. People bustling past him with a purpose. Wrapped up in hats and scarves, protecting themselves from the cold. Wrapped up in the joys of Christmas, commenting on the million lights blinking in every window, decorations exploding from every possible direction. Steve shoves his hands in the pockets of his jacket and tries to melt away like a snowman in March. He should be better than this at shopping, he's in advertising. This stuff is his job. But somewhere the physical activity never quite made its way into his make-up, never entered his bloodstream.
He's relieved when he sees Kelly. Some protection. Since he was first introduced to her, they got on well. They clicked. She's smart like her mum. She has a good heart like her dad. Where her mother is fierce, she is kind. Where Grace is closed, Kelly is open. Studious, motivated, with an effortless nature. It's not Grace's fault she is how she is. To be a successful female leader, she has had to develop an impenetrable shell. A coat of steel to fight a cast of bigoted men in industry. A sharp tongue to slay them. It's impressive. It's sexy. But on the flip side, it's difficult to feel needed, difficult to know what you bring to the party, difficult to feel valued. Since they have been together, instead of his confidence building, he feels like it has slowly drained from him. Who is he anymore? What happened to him being 'the catch'?
Kelly shows glimpses of her mother's strength. A fire and determination, but her dominant levels of compassion manage to override it. Almost overcompensate for it. And as she approaches him, it's this he sees in her broad smile and her sparkling eyes. Eyes with the merest hint of make-up, accentuating their blueness. Cheeks rosy from the cold. Plump pink lips, shining from lip gloss. Her long, curly blond hair pulled up into a woolly hat, with a few strands hanging down across her slender face. Her body hidden, but seemingly lovely and warm beneath a stylish, ankle length, black, woollen coat, and a long, purple and pink scarf curled around her neck. She effortlessly gives off a glow as if at that moment in time, right there, he is the most important person in her life - a glow of happiness at seeing him. At a youthful twenty years old, it's a talent. A real talent.
Sensing his awkwardness in his surroundings, she throws her arms around him and gives him a big hug. Five feet seven she is considerably shorter than Steve and reaches up on tip toes to give him a kiss on the cheek. He easily lifts her into the air as she does so, and she gives out a little giggle.
"You look great, Steve, very smart."
"Thanks, Kell. You look great too." He is pleased with his look today for the meetings he has had. Sharp and stylish. A navy blue double-breasted pea coat with large buttons, timeless and polished. Underneath, he has on a ribbed grey sweater; it's December, after all, a bit of warmth and texture to the outfit. He paired it with a safe pair of beige trousers, which balance the darker tones of the upper half of his outfit. He is muscular and tall, so it takes him a while to get the clothes that really suit him, especially as he is not a shopper. He had his haircut just yesterday, preparing for Christmas. Short, neatly styled with a touch of grey at the temples. Maybe he's kidding himself, but he thinks it gives him a distinguished and refined appearance, topped off with a closely groomed beard.
"Come on you, let's get you in there. Once more unto the breach!" She raises a fist into the air and pulls him towards the door with a laugh. In contrast to Steve, this is her domain. Shopping and Kelly are a match made in heaven.
At first, Steve is overcome by people rushing or meandering, never at a comfortable speed for him. The sales people offering samples, or demo's, asking questions in an unfamiliar language. The Christmas music is tingling all around, earworms sticking inside his head. But as they spend more time there, he relaxes. Kelly takes him by the hand, both metaphorically and physically and guides him to the departments that might suit. And in the end, they choose a handbag at a price Steve cannot believe, but accepts as being required, and a lightweight, silk scarf that he would never have known existed, let alone have the courage to buy. They laugh together, mostly at his incompetence, and he realises as they leave the store, he has actually had fun.
"Right, I am buying you dinner," he says with gusto as the doors swing closed behind them, "I won't take no for an answer. It's the least I can do to thank you."
"Sounds great, Steve, only I've promised some friends that I'll meet them at the Christmas Market."
"Oh, okay," his bravado disappearing pretty much instantly. "Not to worry. Well, I owe you. I'll have to make it up to you some other time."
Kelly looks at her phone. "I'll tell you what. Why don't you buy me a drink? I've got a bit of time before I meet up with them."
"Only if you do have time; I don't want to make you late."
Kelly grabs him by the arm again, with a big smile. "Come on, I know the perfect place just round the corner."
As they walk into the pub, the heat from the open fire in the middle of the room hits them full in the face. The pub is an expanse of exposed brick walls, trendy furnishings with a strong feel of traditional British, cosy but spacious. The fireplace divides the room into two, open on either side for walking around. Where they stand has wooden chairs and tables, and brown leather sofas. It's about half full. Shopping bags outnumbering the clientele. Beyond the large brick chimney are higher tables and bar stools and a horse-shoe-shaped bar, all wood, and gleaming gold accents. Two or three people are propped up against it, chatting away.
"What can I get you?" A young barmaid asks as they approach.
"Pint of Guinness, please," Kelly responds in a heartbeat.
"Make that two," Steve adds before turning to Kelly. "I didn't have you down as a Guinness drinker, Kell."
"What, did you think I drank Dom Pérignon every night, Steve?" Punching his arm playfully.
"Umm. Probably. Yes. Sorry," Steve laughs.
"Well, I'm sure there are many things that will surprise you about me then, Steve."
