Wordcount: 562
Quote:
Sweet Treats (5) : There’s no shortage of holiday themed popup shops and specials at your local places, and after a long day there’s nothing better than a nice treat for yourself. Maybe you decided to try something new, maybe it was a gift, maybe you got one of the coupons in the mail to try the place out–however you wound up with this drink, you’re in for a good time. No matter what your preferences are, the drink is delicious. Hot, cold, sweet, bitter–there’s a version of it for everyone. But, the flavor isn’t what makes the drink so special–it’s how good it makes you feel. There’s no alcohol in it, but drinking it can leave someone feeling tipsy, warm, and in a general good mood. Inhibitions aren’t lowered and there’s no negative repercussions for having the drink; it might make children more hyper, but the drink just has the ability to put someone in a pleasant mood.
She strolled down the sidewalk, dodging the puddles of murky winter melt, and completely ignoring the guy who was huddled under a few rather nasty blankets and a sign in front of him asking for a handout. As if she was going to spend any of the hard earned money she had on someone who could get off his a** and find a job. Just like she had. She had to pull herself up by the bootstraps so she didn’t understand why others couldn’t do it too. Shannon didn’t bother to remember the things that others had done to assist. It didn’t matter to her, not at all.
The woman made her way down the sidewalk and after a while decided to stop at one of those small stalls that were selling holiday type things. Shannon ordered a drink and a ‘hot coco’ bagel, a chocolate bagel with some chips or marshmallow things in it. She paid and headed along, enjoying her treat of hot cider and bagel, or at least enjoying the cider since the bagel was passable at best. There was no real chocolate flavor until you hit a chocolate chip and the freeze dried marshmallows were pointless. They did nothing to add any real flavor. But the hot cider! Now that was good. It was a nice mix of spices and cider, just the right temperature to warm you up in the nippy winter air, and the cup was a decent size for the money she paid for it.
Strangely enough, as she walked and enjoyed her little treat she felt better and better, as if she was drinking a spiked drink rather than a normal one. Even the bagel tasted better with each sip of the cider. She finished her treat and tossed the trash away, smiling at the little kid that was stickily munching away on a candy cane. Shannon didn’t even hesitate to slip one of her last bills into the hands of a woman holding a sign that claimed she was homeless. “It's not much but Happy Holidays,” She said as she grasped the lady’s hands and gave her the twenty. Shannon didn’t even blink at the contact or the hug that came with it. She just laughed and smiled before heading away. There was a smudge of something on her sweater but she didn’t freak out, she didn’t scowl or blow her top, no she just smiled and made her way into a store, after holding the door open for several people that is, and moved to the bathroom to clean herself up.
As she stood there, drying her sweater under the hand dryer, and looking at her still beaming face in the mirror Shannon wondered what was so very different? Why was she acting like this?
And did it matter?
If you had asked her just a few hours ago she would have argued with you but right now she didn’t think so. Right now she had the best of ideas. Grinning Shannon slipped back on her sweater and hurried back out to buy several gift cards from the fast food place. She didn’t have any cash left but she could at least make sure those few people who really needed the meal would be able to order what they wanted, like every person should be able to.
‘Twas the Season’ after all!
