Friday Fictioneers – Gifting

It’s that time of year when the shops are full of stressed customers desperately searching for inspiration and that perfect gift. Taking a break from my own retail odyssey, I opened Her Royal FriFicness Rochelle‘s email, and sucked my pencil as I pondered Nick Allen‘s prompt pic:

Mercifully, inspiration arrived much quicker at my desk than in the West Quay Shopping Centre. Too much so in fact, and I had to butcher another 100 or so words to reach the FriFic limit.
I’ve shared my 100 words with The Frog and posted them below.

Right, gotta run – I need to get on ebay and look for Christmassy stuff.

 

 

Every November, gift-buying for one Kansas housemate stressed Dorothy. Leo was easy – grooming products. Amazon tokens for SC funded books for his Masters in Philosophy. The perennial problem was “What to buy Tino?”

She resolved annually not to buy oil (again!) but inspiration was forever elusive and she regularly caved. He always smiled and was heartily grateful (“it’s very useful!”), but the growing row of empty cans in the garage embarrassed her.

So when Leo suggested Secret Santa, Dorothy was delighted. And outwardly she appeared delighted at the name she drew. But inwardly, silently, she screamed. What to buy Tino?!?!?