It was such a busy time of year. People bustling exited about the upcoming holidays. Lots of people would be rushing to get all the Christmas shopping done before the last minute. Today she would leave the baby with her aunt Edie who lived with them while she would try to finish the shopping for Christmas. Kelvin, her husband would drop her off at Eaton’s so she could do her shopping. Once done, she would meet him for lunch and take the subway home. She decided to bring Robin her five year old with her for the day.
She dressed and prepared breakfast for the family. Then she dressed Robin and told aunt Edie she would be back mid-afternoon. Out the door, rushing, not to keep Kelly waiting, her older child in tow, she noticed the snow falling lightly and remaining on the ground. She hoped it would not worsen, as she and Robin were only clad in shoes. In any case she had already decided to take a cab from the station as Robin would be tired after the trip downtown.
The traffic was moving nicely and she arrived at the store just before it opened. Giving her husband a kiss goodbye, she took Robin by the hand and stepped out on the sidewalk.
“I’ll see you at the Savarin in the Windsor room at noon,” she said as she closed the door and watched as her husband drove away.
Others waited at Eaton’s main entrance, anxious to get shopping as soon as the doors opened. This would be a busy day. Perhaps she should have left Robin at home but she thought she would take her to have her picture taken with Santa Claus if time allowed.
Rushing around she felt excited herself, about the oncoming holiday. She and Kelly, the two girls, Aunt Edie and Kelly’s mother Maude would all be together for Christmas. The only one missing was Darcy her son. He and his wife Zelda were going to her parents for Christmas dinner this year.
The time seemed to fly and at one point Robin started to complain. “I’m tired Mommy. I don’t want to walk anymore.”
Just a few more things to see and she would be almost finished but the child was getting more and more tired and lagging behind or hanging on her coat tails.
“ I have an idea,” she said as she crouched down to be face to face with the little girl. “You just sit on this chair, and I will be right over at that counter to get something from the salesgirl. Now don’t move. I will be right back.”
“Okay Mommy.”
Lilly approached the sales counter and turned to make sure that Robin was still sitting on the chair. Satisfied that she would not move, she began her conversation with the girl. It could only have been second, a minute at most, but when she turned back to look at the chair, the child was gone.
“Oh my goodness,” she replied. “My daughter is not where I left her.”
“Don’t worry Madame. She can’t have gone far and I am sure she will panic and start hollering.”
“Oh no,” Lilly replied. “She is the silent type.”
Meanwhile, Robin had seen a table right near where her mother had been standing with these beautiful round glass balls. She noticed as someone shook one and was curious so she got down from the chair and approached the table. There were magnificent little villages inside the globes. When someone shook them it snowed inside. She watched carefully as someone else turned one of the glass balls upside down and then set it on the table. The snow came down in a flurry resting on the ground around the village. She could not resist and picked one up to try for herself. It was magical.
Clutching the globe she slipped it inside the white rabbit muff she had around her neck, gripping it firmly with her hand it for safe keeping.
All of a sudden she remembered she was told to sit and wait on the chair. She turned around and there by the counter was a woman, her mother, she thought. As she approached she realized it was not her mother. Looking around she then realized that she did not know where she was, so she stood next to the counter and wept silently.
What seemed like hours for both Robin and Lilly passed.
Lilly then spotted her daughter and quickly gathered her up.
“Why did you not stay where Mommy put you? I was so worried. Thank goodness you are safe.” Lilly’s heart was beating overtime as she was so anxious about losing Robin. So much so she did not here was Robin was trying to tell her.
With the incident behind them she put the little girl down but held tightly to her free hand. Robin smiled, happy to be reunited with her mother and happy with her little treasure.
Glancing at her watch Lilly realized that she had just enough time to get to the restaurant to meet her husband. She strolled quickly across the main floor of Eaton’s past the bronze statue at the front door and out into the fresh air.
It had stopped snowing and the sun was shining. It was just a block or two to the restaurant and she looked forward to a relaxing lunch with her husband.
When she got to the restaurant Kelly was waiting for her. They were escorted to their table and began to look at the menu. Kelly ordered two glasses of water and a Shirley Temple for Robin, who sat quietly at the table her one hand still fondling the globe inside her muff.
Lilly recounted the missing child adventure while they sat waiting for their lunch, and both agreed that you cannot take your eyes off a child for even a second.
As Robin held tightly to the globe inside her muff a smile came across the little girls face. Lilly happened to notice and said, “What is it Robin?”
With that the five year old removed the globe from its safe spot and showed it to her parents. Pleased with it, she began to show them how she could make it snow on the tiny village.
“Where did you get that”, her mother asked in astonishment?
“At the big store”, the child replied, not realizing that what she had done was wrong.
Kelly looked at the scenario and let out a laugh. “Never thought we would have a cleptomaniac in the family”, he said. His wife's face was showing that she did not know how to deal with the situation, so he continued, “Don’t worry Lil, after we have lunch you can take it back on your way to catch the subway.”
“What will I say?”
“Just tell them the quiet child that was lost was not really lost but planning her next caper”, Kelly said with a chuckle.
The rest of the lunch was relatively uneventful and on her way home Lilly returned the globe. No one was the worse for it except Robin who wondered why she lost her new found treasure.
That Christmas under the tree there were several gifts for Robin. A baby doll, a doll-house and her favourite of all time, a snow globe.