She took me out at night to the elementary school and told me she wanted the Christmas 🎄 that the school had thrown out that day.

“I’ll buy you a fucking tree!” I smiled sarcastically… and continued. “I don’t steal and I’ll be fucked if I’m going to start with stealing a Christmas tree from an elementary school!”

“But they’ve already used it and won’t be using it again.” She was smiling however I thought she might have tears in her eyes.”

“You have a point I guess.” I relented. “Why don’t you steal it?”

“I can’t carry it.”

“I see that. “

Maise was probably closer to 60 than 50 with dyed jet black wirey shoulder length hair. Her dark eyes looked sunken against her porcelain white skin. I found her strangely attractive.

As I carried the stolen tree down Norseman Avenue towards her home, I told her,

“Never again.”

I left her house on boxing day and never spoke to her after.