Indian Ameri
Tuesday
A Tired Smile
Loitering among the festive crowd, I was halted by a sequence of lightnings. Turning my head, I noticed this mile long line twisting into a Christmas twirl candy. As I approached the start of the marathon crowd, I noticed an old man stretching his right leg, hugging a child, muttering funny things in his ear, loading him up on his thigh, warming up his happy mood, giggling with him, point at the horizon, and then smile warm and wide to accept more lightnings.
As seconds turned to minutes, I noticed a frequency of children being hugged, picked, placed, tickled to laughter, smiled with, and put word at for behaving good. Then also, there were the break away events like the brat who wanted to punch the oldie in his tummy, baby twins crying on the top of their shrill voice, goggles - who wanted to try grumpy granny's glasses, the crappy parent stamping on his foot, etc. But, as I observed in kill time, his eyes started to twitch at the umbrella of lightning strikes, he stretched his leg further than needed, just to keep it from not falling off, his face drooping heavily trying to hold the fake beard at its place. Yes!! Santa was uncomfortable. Though, he was having a hard time making children laugh at the camera and its multitude of flashes, there was a constant source of warmth in his smile. Then I heard a bystander telling her 4 yr old cutie pie, "Sweetie, wanna say Hi to Santa?" "Mmm Hmmm..." and the 4 year old smiled with her tongue coming of her broken front milk teeth. "Promise me, that you'll behave good this year too", mom requested. The kid nodded in agreement, and made a hand gesture which meant a way of saying, "I swear mommyyyyy"
I smiled at the kid and her mom, and walked past Santa. I was stalled again, but for no reason. I turned back, and saw Santa one more time. He saw me waiting for something, smiled warm, said something to the kid on his lap, and he alone waved his hand at me to the surprise of his parents. I too waved at the kid with a smile. Then both I and Santa went back into our own worlds. As I walked past Dillards, my heart wished for his break. But then, considering the number of good children, who wait on Christmas eve, wanting to have a glimpse of the fat man swooshing past their roofs, climbing down the chimney, eating their cookies and drinking milk, placing their gifts, I curved my lips on the silly wish.
As I drove back with a couple of friends back home, I floated into a dream, of what if's? As I gained conscience into reality, I gave a smack at the back of my head, and said, "Sheesh... Holidays and the jolly good spirit... And life was back into its high gear gravity.
As seconds turned to minutes, I noticed a frequency of children being hugged, picked, placed, tickled to laughter, smiled with, and put word at for behaving good. Then also, there were the break away events like the brat who wanted to punch the oldie in his tummy, baby twins crying on the top of their shrill voice, goggles - who wanted to try grumpy granny's glasses, the crappy parent stamping on his foot, etc. But, as I observed in kill time, his eyes started to twitch at the umbrella of lightning strikes, he stretched his leg further than needed, just to keep it from not falling off, his face drooping heavily trying to hold the fake beard at its place. Yes!! Santa was uncomfortable. Though, he was having a hard time making children laugh at the camera and its multitude of flashes, there was a constant source of warmth in his smile. Then I heard a bystander telling her 4 yr old cutie pie, "Sweetie, wanna say Hi to Santa?" "Mmm Hmmm..." and the 4 year old smiled with her tongue coming of her broken front milk teeth. "Promise me, that you'll behave good this year too", mom requested. The kid nodded in agreement, and made a hand gesture which meant a way of saying, "I swear mommyyyyy"
I smiled at the kid and her mom, and walked past Santa. I was stalled again, but for no reason. I turned back, and saw Santa one more time. He saw me waiting for something, smiled warm, said something to the kid on his lap, and he alone waved his hand at me to the surprise of his parents. I too waved at the kid with a smile. Then both I and Santa went back into our own worlds. As I walked past Dillards, my heart wished for his break. But then, considering the number of good children, who wait on Christmas eve, wanting to have a glimpse of the fat man swooshing past their roofs, climbing down the chimney, eating their cookies and drinking milk, placing their gifts, I curved my lips on the silly wish.
As I drove back with a couple of friends back home, I floated into a dream, of what if's? As I gained conscience into reality, I gave a smack at the back of my head, and said, "Sheesh... Holidays and the jolly good spirit... And life was back into its high gear gravity.
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