It's Normal

"I need to go Christmas shopping."

"Yeah, I'd love to see that happen."

"Seriously. I wanna get out and do stuff this Christmas. This is the first Christmas I'm not working and I don't want it to go to waste."

"I guess."

"SB." I stared at his back. "Come with me."

"Do you understand the madness you're going to cause if you go shopping?" he shook his head. "I don't think you get it."

"Safaree, you're suppose to protect me."

"You have like 20 body guards."

"Fareeeeeeeeeee." I wined and leaned into his back. "You need to get into the Christmas spirit." I ran my nails up and down his back, drawing random things with my nails.

"I am. I'm so excited. This is going to be so fun. Let's make cookies for Santa." he said sarcastically.

"You just set yourself up."

"Huh?"

"We're making cookies." I dropped my hand from his back and smiled when he turned slightly to look at me. I turned my back to him and stood up off his bed. "Get ready, SB."

"Ready for what?"

"We're going shopping right now." I stopped in his door way and watched him as he grabbed his phone and looked at the time.

"Nic, it's 2:23 in the morning. You wanna go shopping right now?"

"Yeah, there shouldn't be that many people out. Get dressed." I smiled quickly before I dropped my smile and turned, heading towards my room to change.

----

"See." I said as SB helped me get out of the car. I moved to the side allowing him to shut the door. "There's not that many people." I stared at SB as he looked around the parking lot and looked back at me with a dead face.

"Okay." I slightly laughed and grabbed his hand.

"C'mon."

"Wait." he stopped me and turned me towards him.  He adjusted my hat and my sunglasses. "Aight. You good."

"Safaree, there's nobody here."

"You keep saying that but it might not be like that when we walk in. Lemme do my job, I got this." he turned walking off and I rolled my eyes.

"Oh, now you want to do your job. Jerk." I caught up with him and walked behind him.

"Why are coming to WalMart? What are you getting?"

"Just some cute little Christmas decorations for the house. I think I want to get a reef for the door. What do you think?"

"I think it's great if you the one putting that shit up."

"SB."

"What?"

I looked to the right seeing a car coming and sped up behind SB, grabbing hold of his arm.

"Can you slow down?"

"Nah. Let's get this over with." we stepped into the store and were greeted by a little white old lady. She was so cute and short. She grabbed a cart and rolled it over to us.

"Hello, welcome to Wal-Mart."

"Hi, what's your name?"

"Meredith."

"Can I call you Sally?"

I stared at the little old lady as she looked confused. I seen SB trying to walk off out of the corner of my eye and grabbed his hand pulling him back.

"Sure. It's awfully late. What are you two love birds doing out at this time of the night?" I smiled when she said love birds. I think even she noticed the tight grip I had on SB's hand. I didn't feel the need to try and correct her seeing as this lady has no clue who I am.

"Christmas shopping." I said a little too excited. I love the holidays when I can actually enjoy them. "You're a sweet little lady. I want to get you something. What do you want for Christmas?"

She waved her arm at me. "Oh, I don't want anything but to be with my family."

"Aww. That's so sweet. I'm going to get you something anyways, okay? It's going to be a surprise." I said as I felt SB slowly beginning to pull me along. "I'll give it to you before I leave." I said right before he finally pulled me along. He took control of the cart and looked down at me when I slapped his arm.

"Hey, I was talking to her."

"Yeah, I know."

"Okay, so where are we starting? We have cookie dough at home right? I think we should-"

"How you always got a bright idea to do stuff like this but never have it planned?"

"You know what..." I pushed him out of the way and took the cart. "Don't make me hurt you." I turned right down the main aisle. "You look on that side, SB." I looked on the left side while SB took the right. School supplies, school supplies, school supplies, backpacks, more school supplies. Hmmm, maybe coming here was a bad idea.

"Over here." SB put his hand on my back and directed me to the aisle while following behind me. "Yo, they got mad Christmas shit."

"Awwww, this would be cute on the door." I picked up a big red and white Christmas reef that resembled a candy cane. "What do you think?" I turned to SB while holding up the reef, looking between the two. He shrugged. "You're so helpful."

"Aye, I didn't even want to come here. I always get dragged along."

I stared at him blankly but I doubt he could even see that through my sunglasses anyways. I put the reef in the cart and slowly moved down. "Ooooooh, candles." I grabbed a red candle from the bunch and picked it up and sniffed it. "Oh hell no."

"What?"

"Smell this." I leaned the candle towards SB and he bent down to smell it. As soon as he inhaled he coughed. I slightly laughed and pulled it back, putting it back with the other candles.

"I can't with the smell of cinnamon all through the house." I moved down a little a looked at the Christmas picture frames. "We should take pictures."

"For what?"

"Christmas, you doof." I bit my bottom lip. "You think I should call Mommy, Cai, and J? I want to take pictures with the whole family." I picked up a wider Christmas frame and looked down at it. "We should call Mommy Faree, too." I said in a cute baby voice and looked at SB as he shook his head at me.

"You know she hates that."

"That's what she gets for picking on me. Every time I would call you Faree she had something to say." I put the picture fram back and picked up another candle and sniffed it. My eyes bucked before going back to normal. Well, no Christmas candles.

"Because my name is SAfaree. See?" he raised up his arm and pointed to the tattoo that had Safaree written in graffiti letters.

"Faree's cuter. Oooooh, what's thi-"

"I'm sorry..." I heard a voice say. I looked to the right of me and this lady who standing there just staring at me. I seen Safaree step a little closer to me out of the corner of my eyes and dropped my hands down to my side. "Hi." the lady said kind of shyly. She about in her 30's and like she was so tired. Poor thing.

"Hi."

"I understand you must be undercover or something but can I ask you a favor?"

Oh. People always want something.

"Sure."

"My daughter is a huge fan of yours...and for Christmas she wanted to get your perfume. But I just can't afford it, you know? I have four other kids. Do you think you could sign something for me and I give it to her? To make up for it?"

"No, of course. What do you want me to sign? Do you have a piece of paper?" I stared at the lady as she dug into her purse and felt SB move up closer behind me.

"It's okay, SB. I'm not going to hurt her." she said while still digging her purse. We all slightly before SB said something.

"Can't be taking no chances."

"You even know SB? Oh, she must be a fan. I have to sign something!" she pulled out a piece of paper and I took it from her. "Hold on, I'm sure I have a marker somewhere in my purse." I walked over to the cart and  dug through my purse. "There has be on in here somewhere." I felt SB lean on the cart and spotted something even better in my purse...along with the marker too. "I got something even better." I pulled out the bottle of Pink Friday perfume that clearly hasn't been touched yet. I heard her gasp and a smile grew across my face to see the joy in hers.

"Nooooo, I can't take that."

"Yes, you can. I'll still write her a cute little note. Here." I extended the PF perfume out to her and she just looked at it. I cocked my head to the side. "Take it." she hesitantly grabbed it and pushed a few candles back giving me space to put down the piece of paper. I took the lid off the marker and looked towards the lady.

"What's her name?"

"Audrey."

"That's pretty. How old is she?"

"15."

"15? Awww a little ladybug."

I wrote a cute little note to her and handed it to her mom. "You tell her I said to be good, okay? No boys and no babies, just books."

"You won't have to worry about."

"Oop!" I laughed.

"I should be going. I can't thank you enough. You didn't have to do this."

"No problem. Have a good Christmas."

"You too."

"Bye."

"Bye."

I waved goodbye at the lady and she turned walking off.

"Well that was sweet." I turned my attention back to all the Christmas things.

"Was that your good deed for the year?"

"I do a good deed all year round Safaree."

"What?"

"Put up with you. Now hand me that." I pointed up to the top at a painting of Santa Clause. He pulled up his pants before he reached up and grabbed it.

"Why Santa always gotta be white? There could be a black Santa."

I was giving him the death glare even though he couldn't see it as I grabbed the painting from him.

"Don't start that mess."

"What? You know you thinking it."  Not really. I held up the painting in front of me and twisted my lips. Hmmm. I guess this could go on the wall you see in the entrance of the house. It doesn't matter, I'll just get SB to do it either way.

"I like it." I picked up the reef and placed the painting down gently before I placed the reef back on top of it. "Hmmm. I want to get stockings for the house. I really need to call Mommy."

"For what?"

"Cause I want to know if they'll be able to make it down here."

"Why don't we just go down there?" I turned, shifting my weight to my right foot and stared at SB as he looked at some Christmas stockings.

"Do you want to go?"

"I'm down."

"Pauz."

"Uhn huh." he extended the christmas stockings out to me and grabbed a Santa Clause hat, putting it on. He stood back and made a pose and I bust out laughing.

"Safaree." I shook my head while laughing. "No. You want to make a deal?"

"Is money involved?" he said coming out of his pose. My laugh ceased and I stared at him. "Shut up and come here." he took off the hat and walked over towards me, tossing the hat back on the shelf.

"Come here. I'm not saying it out loud." he walked closer to me and bent down put his hear to my mouth. "If you dress up like Santa, Mrs. Claus will have a present for you." I said seductively. He leaned back and stared at me with a smirk. I winked and turned back to the Christmas decorations.

"Bet?"

"Mhmmmm." I grabbed a stocking that I figured I'll just fill up with a bunch of stuff for Caiah.

"Aight, deal." I smiled successfully and dropped the stocking into the cart.

"Maybe we should go to the mall."

"It's closed."

"I mean, obviously not right now Faree. But I need more Christmas stuff for the house. Because all of this." I said flinging my hand all over the Christmas aisle. "Isn't working. So.... tomorrow morning?"

"Morning?"

"Yes. You're not doing anything anyways."

"How you know I don't got plans? But nah, if you go to the mall I'm not going."

"Why?"

"Are you renting it out?"

"No, why would I? I'm trying to do normal things this year, Faree."

"You can't do normal things. Ion see why you don't get that."

"So I guess I'll be calling my bodyguards then?"

"The only way."

"You're such a jerk. I hope you know that."

"You tell me everyday."

"Good." I looked over the things in this aisle and sighed. "Alright, let's go. This was pointless." I said while pushing the cart backwards from the front of it. I yawned. "And I'm tired so let's go."

"I told you this was pointless."

"Shut up and push the cart."