BROKE AFTER CHRISTMAS
By
Ron Shillingford
SMASHWORDS EDITION
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Broke After Christmas
Copyright © 2011 by Ron Shillingford
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Natalie closed the front door of her house quietly and tip-toed upstairs with her stash of designer labels.
She could hear the TV on in the lounge where Leo was watching and as there was no other sound assumed her six-year-old son Tristan was napping.
Creeping into the bedroom trying not to rustle the twelve bags she was juggling, she opened the squeaky walk-in closet door as carefully as possible to minimise the threat of getting discovered.
“AAAAHHHHHHHHH!”
Leo was holding Tristan in his arms inside the wardrobe. As she opened the door they shouted in unison at Natalie, palms splayed.
She shrieked, dropped the bags, fell backwards, collapsing on the bed.
Husband and son laughed.
“What the hell Leo! I could have died of fright. That wasn’t funny.”
“It was for us mum!”
“Well you might have thought so but I certainly didn’t. That was worse than tussling with the snotty woman in Jaeger today who tried to snag the cashmere cardigan that I’d just picked up.”
Leo’s smile evaporated. He suddenly looking serious gathered up all the bags and carried them downstairs.
“Where are you going with my things?”
“You know where. We’re fed up of this. Get your coat Tristan.”
Tristan looked at his mum guiltily, shrugged his shoulders with his palms facing upwards as if in resignation of having to follow his father’s orders.
“Sorry mum, but we did agree.”
“Leo! Leo! I need every one of those items.”
Leo was already packing them into the Range Rover for the trip to Westfield Shepherds Bush.
“Enough is enough, Nat. You said this morning you were just going to change that pashmina for another colour, not buy every item in the mall.”
“But it’s all paid for from my Christmas bonus.”
“Hah! You spent that in November and probably spent next year’s bonus last week and the bonus for the year after that…”
“Okay Leo, don’t rub it in. But please, please, pllllllleease let me keep them. I promise that today’s Boxing Day sales was my last time shopping these holidays.”
Leo looked at her.
She smiled that winning smile that made her a catwalk model a decade earlier.
“I’ll make it worth your while, baby.”