This choice: A father battling to get Christmas presents • Go Back...Chapter #5A father battling to get Christmas presents by: Yote   To anybody watching, the father known as David Naylor certainly stood out from the crowd, in that he stood over it at 6' 7", and equally well proportioned across the shoulders. He carved his way like an iceberg through the shrieking crowds trying to escape the bubbling mass of foaming hair depilatory rolling down the high-street, clutching the carrier bags of presents protectively as people ran past, holding their eyebrows in their hands. Even by christmas shopping standards, things were hectic.
Apparently not content just to de-hair the attendees of the 'First Annual Fem-Festival' the organisers grabbed nozzles attached to the metal tank, and jumped into the crowd, hitting random passers-by with arcing sprays of yellow foam.
"Bloody nutters," David muttered to himself. He had nothing in particular against the latest fad of feminisation popular among young men, holding a laissez-faire attitude for what others chose to do in their free time. But he found christmas shopping stressful at the best of times - on account of the crowds and the fact that he stuck out in them like a sore thumb - and the screaming and running and jubilant yells from the festival organisers every time they hit a target were definitely not helping his mood.
One of the organisers, a (woman? fellow? David often struggled to tell the difference these days) person in a long, pink wig and a face caked in make-up, turned their nozzle in his direction.
"Don't even think about it, sunshine," David barked, pointing a warning finger at the fem-boi. "I'll put you on the ground, if I don't put you under it."
The fem-boi sized him up and thought better of it, scurrying away to hunt for smaller targets with a cry about 'toxic masculinity'. David skirted the edge of the main body of foam which was now collapsing back in on itself, and pushed his way into the shopping center, leaving the madness behind. He heaved a sigh of relief at the relative peace. He ran a quick hand over his angular jaw, relieved to find every hair of his short, dark stubble remained intact.
Leedsgate Shopping Centre was done up to the nines, each shop front dripping with lights and tinsels and SALE signs, but he moved past them all with purpose, like a man on a christmas present buying mission. With work as busy as it was at that time, he had left gift-buying late. With only two days to go until christmas, he still needed to buy for his wife, their son and daughter.
The female mannequins dressed in skimpy elf and santa costumes came into view. Already feeling himself burning red in the face, he gave a quick glance around to make sure none of the lads from work were just happening to be walking past, and then quickly darted forwards into Victoria's Secret.
I must stand out like Rudolph the bloody Red Nose Reindeer, my face is so red, he grumbled to himself, as he perused the merchandise, trying to look while also trying to not look. Though he knew Victoria's Secret must get loads of male customers, especially these days, he still felt as though he was transgressing into an exclusively female terrain. He had always been a man's man, and being surrounded by frilly things made him uncomfortable.
A young woman caught sight of his stature over the top of a rack of novelty costumes. He saw her too. She began to home in on him like a heat-seeking rocket, cutting him off at the pass as he tried to make a break for the exit. "Are you looking for anything in particular today, sir?"
"Uh, as a matter of fact I am," he mumbled, digging in his pocket and pulling out a crumpled list. His thick, clumsy fingers unfurled it and tried to smooth out the wrinkles, but his hands were so sweaty that they only served to smear the writing to be unintelligible. "Well I'm sort of looking for..."   indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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