Nobody I know is anywhere within eye sight.  I open the car door and attempt to casually walk into the jewelry store.  Yeah.  I do this all the time.  No big deal. Just picking up a little something for my girlfriend. I saunter into the store behind my mom.  Everywhere I look I see gold and silver.  I try to remember what Joy told me she preferred.  Then, I see it.  Nothing else.  This is what I’m buying her.  I remember Joy telling me she loves the new key trend.  This one, this beautiful key with a purple gem in the middle, is definitely the key for her.  She will love it.

I point out the key to my mom and see her smile and nod in approval.  We go up to the counter, point out the key to the clerk.  The clerk looks at me with a knowing smile.  He pulls it out of the case and takes it to the register.  After handing over some money I had saved up, my mom and I walk out of the store.  I approach the crosswalk at a rapid pace and stop suddenly as I see a car coming.  I stare straight ahead as I walk across and think about the look on Joy’s face when she opens her Christmas present.