Christmas eve day
It's the day before Christmas, and all through the mall, procrastinators are shopping. Some are more frantic than others. Logan is one of the less frantic, but he's certainly not in the best of moods. There are too many people, and they are mostly in moods even worse than his.
so he's not smiling when he gets to the checkout line and deposits his Christmas presents-to-be on the counter. He's not glaring, either, but he's got that sort of dazed shopping look about him, the one that says he's overwhelmed by all of this thinking about people who aren't him crap. All he wants to do is go home and play video games until he falls asleep.
But he's got to have gifts - Trina wants to see him for Christmas. She didn't say if Chad would be there or not, but Logan's not going to have Chad try to psychoanalyze Logan for not bringing Chad a gift. Besides, he needed to get things for some Milliwaysians, anyway.
He looks up from his gifts when the petite and pretty blonde salesclerk says cheerfully, "Hello! Thanks for shopping at Macy's! Did you find everything OK?"
"Yeah," Logan says. "Fine, th-"
He breaks off, noticing her nametag. It's not exactly common, an old-fashioned name for what seems to be an outdated idea in 21st century America.
"Thanks, Grace."
The woman - a girl, really, she can't be more than 16 - smiles broadly. "You're welcome. I'm glad you got what you need. So many people seem to look so hard, and still they can't find the right things, you know?"
Logan gives her a long, hard look, so long that her smile dims slightly as she runs the items over the scanner. "Maybe," he says finally. "Maybe they just shouldn't look so hard. Maybe the right things just come, given time and space and...thought."
Grace's smile brightens again. "I've always thought so," she says. "Not that it doesn't take time, but more that thought counts for a lot more than just this helter-skelter running about that most people seem to do, you know?"
Logan nods, still pondering. "I guess," he says a bit absently. "I mean, you're probably right."
Grace laughs. "Maybe. I'm wrong more often, though."
Logan smiles back at her then. "I think maybe not so much this time."
She shrugs, ducks her head. "I dunno." She tells him his total, Logan hands over his credit card and their interaction is complete when she tells him to have a nice day and a merry Christmas.
"Sure," he says. "You too, Grace."
That smile, which oddly enough reminds him of Amy, and the odd coincidence of meeting Grace when it's almost all he's been thinking about since the last time he was in Milliways, will be sticking with him for some time.
so he's not smiling when he gets to the checkout line and deposits his Christmas presents-to-be on the counter. He's not glaring, either, but he's got that sort of dazed shopping look about him, the one that says he's overwhelmed by all of this thinking about people who aren't him crap. All he wants to do is go home and play video games until he falls asleep.
But he's got to have gifts - Trina wants to see him for Christmas. She didn't say if Chad would be there or not, but Logan's not going to have Chad try to psychoanalyze Logan for not bringing Chad a gift. Besides, he needed to get things for some Milliwaysians, anyway.
He looks up from his gifts when the petite and pretty blonde salesclerk says cheerfully, "Hello! Thanks for shopping at Macy's! Did you find everything OK?"
"Yeah," Logan says. "Fine, th-"
He breaks off, noticing her nametag. It's not exactly common, an old-fashioned name for what seems to be an outdated idea in 21st century America.
"Thanks, Grace."
The woman - a girl, really, she can't be more than 16 - smiles broadly. "You're welcome. I'm glad you got what you need. So many people seem to look so hard, and still they can't find the right things, you know?"
Logan gives her a long, hard look, so long that her smile dims slightly as she runs the items over the scanner. "Maybe," he says finally. "Maybe they just shouldn't look so hard. Maybe the right things just come, given time and space and...thought."
Grace's smile brightens again. "I've always thought so," she says. "Not that it doesn't take time, but more that thought counts for a lot more than just this helter-skelter running about that most people seem to do, you know?"
Logan nods, still pondering. "I guess," he says a bit absently. "I mean, you're probably right."
Grace laughs. "Maybe. I'm wrong more often, though."
Logan smiles back at her then. "I think maybe not so much this time."
She shrugs, ducks her head. "I dunno." She tells him his total, Logan hands over his credit card and their interaction is complete when she tells him to have a nice day and a merry Christmas.
"Sure," he says. "You too, Grace."
That smile, which oddly enough reminds him of Amy, and the odd coincidence of meeting Grace when it's almost all he's been thinking about since the last time he was in Milliways, will be sticking with him for some time.