Page 2
Story: The Christmas Bet
We head out our plaza on 6th and 45th street in New York City and head down 45th to shop.
The air is crisp, and temperatures are still mild right now as we start to dip into the forties for our daily high. As we start to close out November, with Thanksgiving just being last weekend, the streets are filled with holiday shoppers. Decorations are quickly coming out of their storage containers and are now strewn about everywhere.
Christmas lights wrap around windows, and displays are adorned with ornaments and trees. Some shops even stack menorahs and dreidel alongside their products. I can smell the chestnuts being roasted by street vendors and hear the holiday music coming from stores as doors open.
This truly is my favorite time of year.
“Where we headed?” I turn my head to Lacy as we walk down the sidewalk.
“The Disney Store up ahead. I need to get my niece Becca a Frozen doll or something.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Or something?”
“Yeah, she’s into this princess thing these days. My sister said that the Frozen movie has been playing nonstop in her house for months now.” She smiles. “So, why not add to it?”
“You truly are evil. Wait until you have kids; you know she’ll get you back.” I chuckle.
Her lip curls up as her eyes narrow. “Hm,ifI have kids. That’s still up in the air. I want you to go through it first so I can make sure it’s what I want.”
“Oh, thanks! Except there’s a small problem with your logic on that one,” I say as we head into the store.
“Yeah? What’s the flaw?” We head towards the Frozen section of the store. From the minute you walk through the front doors of the store, you are transported into a Disney Wonderland. Televisions are placed along every wall, playing the Disney movie of the hour. Walls are stuffed full of toys and memorabilia from movies and shows. Clothes on tables and racks are spread throughout. Kids are running from wall to wall with huge smiles on their faces as they try and get their parents to buy whatever it is that they found.
I stop and turn towards her, my smile widening. “I would need to find Mr. Right and get married first. And it doesn’t look like that’s happening anytime soon.”
Chapter 2
Conner
“Dude, are we on for drinks tonight?” My best friend Roland Thompson calls out from his office as I walk by.
I stop and head backwards towards his office. “Yeah, we are. The usual place?”
“Yup. I texted Tommy and Jack to let them know too.” Roland points to his phone sitting on his desk.
Roland and I have been best friends since middle school. We met Tommy and Jack in high school when they both moved to New York during their sophomore year. All four of us have been close and like brothers to each other.
I was Roland’s best man at his wedding and stood beside Jack when he married his wife a couple years ago. Tommy is engaged to get married sometime next year. He hasn’t asked any of us to be groomsmen, but it’s pretty much a given.
Me? Single as they come. My life is too complicated for me to be tied down to someone. I would never be able to give them the attention they need. My job keeps me busy, and my work hours are insane. I’m essentially married to my job.
My one-night stands work much better for everyone around. I can focus on a woman for the night, and then we go our separate ways. No commitment, no ties, no worry about letting someone down.
I’m a lawyer here in New York City, and I live and breathe my job. Roland and I went to Harvard Law and came out with offers from the same firm. We worked hard to get where we are now, and I am so close to making partner at the firm. Everything I do is one step closer to that goal of making partner here.
Again, I have life goals, and being married or tied down just proves too problematic in my scenario.
“So, six?” I pull out my phone and see it’s already past two. “Shit, I have a meeting at the courthouse in an hour.”
“With Judge Withers?” Roland asks.
“Yeah, had some issues in court the other day with some things that came up over the medical malpractice suit. Good thing this doctor is paying top dollar for his attorney because with the bullshit he’s pulled, I’m going to rake him over the coals.” I shake my head.
“That bad?”
“This guy cuts corners at every turn. Got so many people sick and injured. I’d never want him as a doctor and hopefully when I’m done, he won’t ever work on a single person ever again in this lifetime.” I grin.
Roland groans, “You need some more pro-bono work to offset these asshole cases.”
The air is crisp, and temperatures are still mild right now as we start to dip into the forties for our daily high. As we start to close out November, with Thanksgiving just being last weekend, the streets are filled with holiday shoppers. Decorations are quickly coming out of their storage containers and are now strewn about everywhere.
Christmas lights wrap around windows, and displays are adorned with ornaments and trees. Some shops even stack menorahs and dreidel alongside their products. I can smell the chestnuts being roasted by street vendors and hear the holiday music coming from stores as doors open.
This truly is my favorite time of year.
“Where we headed?” I turn my head to Lacy as we walk down the sidewalk.
“The Disney Store up ahead. I need to get my niece Becca a Frozen doll or something.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Or something?”
“Yeah, she’s into this princess thing these days. My sister said that the Frozen movie has been playing nonstop in her house for months now.” She smiles. “So, why not add to it?”
“You truly are evil. Wait until you have kids; you know she’ll get you back.” I chuckle.
Her lip curls up as her eyes narrow. “Hm,ifI have kids. That’s still up in the air. I want you to go through it first so I can make sure it’s what I want.”
“Oh, thanks! Except there’s a small problem with your logic on that one,” I say as we head into the store.
“Yeah? What’s the flaw?” We head towards the Frozen section of the store. From the minute you walk through the front doors of the store, you are transported into a Disney Wonderland. Televisions are placed along every wall, playing the Disney movie of the hour. Walls are stuffed full of toys and memorabilia from movies and shows. Clothes on tables and racks are spread throughout. Kids are running from wall to wall with huge smiles on their faces as they try and get their parents to buy whatever it is that they found.
I stop and turn towards her, my smile widening. “I would need to find Mr. Right and get married first. And it doesn’t look like that’s happening anytime soon.”
Chapter 2
Conner
“Dude, are we on for drinks tonight?” My best friend Roland Thompson calls out from his office as I walk by.
I stop and head backwards towards his office. “Yeah, we are. The usual place?”
“Yup. I texted Tommy and Jack to let them know too.” Roland points to his phone sitting on his desk.
Roland and I have been best friends since middle school. We met Tommy and Jack in high school when they both moved to New York during their sophomore year. All four of us have been close and like brothers to each other.
I was Roland’s best man at his wedding and stood beside Jack when he married his wife a couple years ago. Tommy is engaged to get married sometime next year. He hasn’t asked any of us to be groomsmen, but it’s pretty much a given.
Me? Single as they come. My life is too complicated for me to be tied down to someone. I would never be able to give them the attention they need. My job keeps me busy, and my work hours are insane. I’m essentially married to my job.
My one-night stands work much better for everyone around. I can focus on a woman for the night, and then we go our separate ways. No commitment, no ties, no worry about letting someone down.
I’m a lawyer here in New York City, and I live and breathe my job. Roland and I went to Harvard Law and came out with offers from the same firm. We worked hard to get where we are now, and I am so close to making partner at the firm. Everything I do is one step closer to that goal of making partner here.
Again, I have life goals, and being married or tied down just proves too problematic in my scenario.
“So, six?” I pull out my phone and see it’s already past two. “Shit, I have a meeting at the courthouse in an hour.”
“With Judge Withers?” Roland asks.
“Yeah, had some issues in court the other day with some things that came up over the medical malpractice suit. Good thing this doctor is paying top dollar for his attorney because with the bullshit he’s pulled, I’m going to rake him over the coals.” I shake my head.
“That bad?”
“This guy cuts corners at every turn. Got so many people sick and injured. I’d never want him as a doctor and hopefully when I’m done, he won’t ever work on a single person ever again in this lifetime.” I grin.
Roland groans, “You need some more pro-bono work to offset these asshole cases.”