Adelaide's Gift - Part 2

Addie slumped in the chair, her face scrunched up and her lower lip stuck out. Getting on Santa’s naughty list had sounded easy when she’d been huddled under her covers last night, but it wasn’t going well so far. She approached the grumpiest man in their building, and somehow inspired him to leave his favored spot of the past decade.

She needed to find someone else who deserved being mean to, since she didn’t want to hurt the feelings of anyone who was nice. She didn’t want to be that mean, just enough to get coal from Santa.

There was a heavy stomping on the outside steps. The door swung open, sending in a blast of cold air, and Missus Norma squeezed through the doorway. She was a large woman, and she stomped up and down the stairs at all times of the day, always bringing home bags of shopping.

Addie’s mom had said, in one of her less nice moments, that Missus Norma always had food and new clothes for herself, but never for her husband, despite him earning the money. She was also rude when Addie met her in the hall, always going first up or down the stairs.

“Hey, Missus Norma!” Addie stood up, stepping in front of the large woman.

“What now, Addie?” She peered over the piled of bags that were gathered in her arms. “I need to get my presents upstairs and out of the cold!”

“Are there any presents for me?” Addie crossed her arms and stood at the bottom of the stairs.

“No, these are my presents.” Norma tapped her foot, her large stomach bouncing. “Now, move out of my way.”

“Why didn’t you get anything for me?”

Norma pursed her lips. “Because you are just a bratty child, and not my bratty child. Step aside.”

Despite the cold of the lobby, a warmth spread from Addie’s heart. This was working. She was being bad! “No, I won’t move. I have more questions.”

Norma scowled. “Out of my way.”

“Do you have any presents for your husband?”

“No. Move.” Norma pressed forward.

Addie took a step back, nearly tripping on the bottom stair, but refused to move to the side. Missus Norma would need to walk over Addie before she relented. “Why don’t you have any present for him?”

“He has everything he needs. He has...” She sputtered, blinking rapidly. “He doesn’t need anything.”

“But you do?” Addie tilted her head and raised an eyebrow.

The tips of Norma’s ears turned red. She cleared her throat. “Yes, I need these.”

“All of them?”

The flush crept into Norma’s cheeks. She looked down at the huge pile of bags in her hands. “I guess… maybe I don’t need all of them.”

It’s happening again! Just like Old Man Beasley. I need to save this. “No, you do need it all. You deserve all of it!” Addie remembered all the things she’d been taught not to think. “You’re the most important person. Take whatever you want!”

Norma chuckled wryly. “Alright, enough with the sarcasm. I get it. Maybe I have been a bit selfish.” She looked at the bags again and winced. “Very selfish.”

“Yes, you have!” Addie tried to sound confident, but her breath was weak. Her arms hung defeated at her side.

“I will return these immediately. And buy my husband that new watch he needs.” Norma spun around, the bags nearly hitting Addie as they flung around.

“Wait, no!” Addie reached out a numb hand, fruitlessly.

“Thank you!” Missus Norma called over her shoulder as she headed out into the cold.

“Drat!” Addie kicked the floor. She felt tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

“What’s wrong, pipsqueak?” Rita, Glenn’s older sister, sauntered down the stairs.

Rita was always picking on Addie, Glenn, and all the other younger kids. Sometimes she’d even threaten to beat them up if they didn’t do what she said. Addie ground her teeth together. Rita deserved something bad happening.

“Did someone hurt your feelings?” Rita leaned over, putting her face right in front of Addie’s.

Addie’s heart pounded loudly in her ears. She wrinkled her nose and glared at the older girl. She felt her muscles tense. She deserves it.

“Didn’t you hear me?” Rita laughed. “Or are you too stupid to–?”

Smack! Addie’s hand slapped across Rita’s face before she realized what she was doing. Her fingers stung. What did I just do?

Rita blinked rapidly, her mind trying to comprehend what had just happened. Her hand slowly lifted to her cheek, where a red mark blossomed. She gently touched it. “You!”

Addie lifted her arms as Rita leapt at her. They tumbled onto the cracked linoleum together, fists flying. Addie covered her face as Rita punched at her, and then grabbed at Rita’s long hair, tugging at it. One of them, it might have been Addie, let out a cry of pain.

“What is going on here?!” Mrs. Rollins’s shrill voice echoed in the lobby.

Hands grabbed Addie’s shoulders. She threw one last punch at Rita before she was pulled away. Mrs. Rollins glared at her, holding her against the lobby wall with her hand. “You’re in trouble now, Addie!”

Addie let out a sigh. Finally! This will get me on the naughty list for sure!

Mrs. Rollins led the two girls upstairs to her apartment, not noticing that Addie was grinning the whole time.