Page 27 of Little Saint Nautilus

They both looked at me before pulling the carts away from each other and murmured apologies. I sighed with relief that the scene was over, but I scooted as close to Cory as I could, while still allowing us to move.

Cory nudged my shoulder gently. “Well done, little one. This time of year brings mixed emotions. People get really stressed out, especially shopping, but there’s also a lot of joy and hope, too. Sometimes, folks just need a little reminder.”

I was definitely going to remember that. If a couple of words could turn a situation around, I was prepared to ‘Happy holidays’my way through the entire store.

Cory expertly guided us, avoiding any collisions like the one we’d seen, and when we reached the Christmas section, my jaw hung open. It was beautiful. So many lights and bright colors. My head swept from side to side as we walked through the aisles, trying to see everything.

“It’s pretty fun, huh?”

“Yes! It reminds me of the creatures that can create their own light, but nothing like this.”

When we walked into an aisle that had hundreds of tiny baubles hanging from ribbons, Cory stopped. “These are ornaments for the tree. There is also tinsel and garland, which are both glittery decorations to add some sparkle. Pick out whatever you’d like.”

“Anything?”

“Within reason. I’ll let you know if it’s not doable.”

I pushed up on my toes to give him a quick kiss. “Thank you!”

Leaving my Cory anchor, I faced the wall of ornaments. There were so many, it was hard to know where to start. Many had animals or people in funny costumes. A man with a red and white suit was done in a wide variety of styles. Snow, stars, feathers, and long, pointy drops of frozen water. More designs than I thought possible. Iscanned up and down carefully as I walked through the aisle until I saw something that made me squeal excitedly.

I took it off the hook and held it in my hands. The details weren’t exact, but the likeness was close enough to see what it was meant to be. I rushed back to show Cory. “Look!”

He was beaming as he watched me, his ocean-blue eyes sparkling as if the setting sun danced across the surface of the water. “A seahorse?”

“Yes! Oh, I love seahorses. I’ve befriended many. They are such delightful, playful creatures. I’ve never seen a rainbow one like this, but I think I would very much like to have this one.” Even in the unrealistic size and coloring, it gave me a tiny glimpse of home. It would be nice to look at, and maybe make me miss the ocean less.

“Of course, little one. I happen to love seahorses, too. I’m a pretty big fan of marine animals.”

“Like nautili?” I asked.

“Mmm. Nautili have always been particularly fascinating to me, more so now.” He gave me a wink, making my belly flutter with excitement.

I placed the seahorse gingerly into the cart. “All right.I’m done.”

Cory snickered. “Typically, a tree has ornaments on all sides. It wouldn’t do to have just one.”

“Oh. I can get more?” I didn’t want to seem like I was taking advantage of Cory’s generosity. He’d already given me clothes that other customers in his shop would have had to pay for. I was beginning to realize everything had a cost, and I came out of the sea with nothing.

Luckily, he didn’t seem bothered, but I would have to inquire more about money later. Cory turned me, and pointed me back at the ornaments. “Let’s get some more.”

I returned to the wall and when I looked near the seahorses, I let out a loud laugh. “Ha! It’s a crab!” I grabbed the bright red creature. It had long eye stalks with eyes that floated around. It was completely ridiculous.

I showed it to Cory. “It is completely unrealistic. Nothing about it makes sense.”

He grinned. “It’s whimsical; it’s not meant to be realistic, just fun.”

I returned several more times, adding more whimsical sea creatures to the cart. “Okay. I think that’s all of them.”

“Perfect. They’re going to look great on our tree.”

Soon we fought our way to the front of the store. I didn’t cling to Cory quite as tightly, but I did continue pushing the cart with him, so we could be as close as possible. A sense of excitement I didn’t expect to feel moved through me, as I thought of putting all the silly portrayals of sea creatures on atree. I found the irony amusing. I didn't think I would find anything amusing today.

Seeing his excitement in the store had been amazing, especially after he looked so lost and heartbroken at the cove. It was infectious, too. I felt like a little kid, eager to get home and decorate the tree. Now that Nemo was here, it made me realize I missed decorating. It wasn't that I had a particular knack for it, but it did make me happy. Doing it when it was just me felt silly to go through all the effort, especially if I would be the only one to see it. But now I wouldn't be, and the thought made me feel giddy.

We stopped at my favorite hole-in-the-wall taco shop, and knowing everything was new to Nemo, I got a wide variety; carne asada, chicken, al pastõr, and even fish. I got one of each in both crunchy style, where the tacos were fried, and street taco style, where they used smaller corn tortillas which were warmed but soft. The smell in the cab of the truck had me practically salivating.

When we got to my apartment, I gave Nemo the food and a couple of the bags with the ornaments, while I grabbed the tree. It was such a simple act, just taking stuff in, but it felt so domestic. I used to joke about liking that I was on my own, giving me the freedom to do whatever I wanted, like my grandfather, except… I didn't.

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