Page 1 of Snowballing

ONE

ELI

I could barely contain my excitement. Alone in my office, I wanted to scream. Richard, the head of our branch and my boss, just gave everyone their Christmas bonus checks early. I had an additional letter in my envelope. Not only was I the top earner for our branch this past quarter and year, but I was the top earner for the entire division, which earned me a trip to the annual company retreat in Hawaii this February.

The long hours I had worked over the years were finally bearing fruit. As a financial advisor, my job wasn’t glamorous, but after a few more years like this one, I could do whatever I wanted. Wherever I wanted.

I just needed to add a few things to my list and then start checking some off.

Finish Christmas shopping for Trey.

Decide which Christmas parties I was going to. Likely none.

Celebrate my bonus AND my upcoming trip to Hawaii.

By celebrate, I meant fuck the living daylights out of someone.

Ask Nancy to watch Trey while I was in Hawaii.

At least two of those would be enjoyable. I loved shopping and fucking, though my brother would say I did too much of the former and not enough of the latter.

Trey didn’t get out of school for another two hours, so I threw my Challenger in drive and headed for the mall. Richard let the entire office out early today, on top of the two weeks of paid vacation he was giving everyone over the holidays. If he wasn’t getting an award at the retreat, I’d have to start a petition!

If I thought it was a good year for me, it must’ve been a fantastic year for him. Not that he was an asshole, but we worked in finance, where every cent mattered. But our business was slow this time of year since people were too focused on Christmas and family, and he knew that. It wouldn’t be until the start of the New Year - when resolution time rolled around - that things would pick back up for us.

Of course, I had a few clients that would check in before the end of the year, but it wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle from home. If they didn’t already have my personal number, they had my work email, and I checked that daily out of habit.

I shivered as the heat kicked on, though my seat-warmer was already toasty. It was cold for December, but thankfully, we hadn’t seen a lot of snow accumulation yet, despite a few flurries here and there. If the forecast held up, we’d be getting some just in time for Christmas. I hummed along to Sleigh Ride, happy that Sirius had a channel that had played continuous Christmas songs since Thanksgiving.

Pulling onto the interstate, I went through the list of stores I planned on visiting. I had a few items I already pre-ordered waiting for me at several - mostly video game related - but I’d see if there were any last-minute surprises I could pick up for him too.

He was finally getting into sports, having started playing hockey a little over a year ago, and I cringed at the thought that he was likely ready for that conversation. The one about nocturnal emissions and body changes. We already had to pick out a cup together, but he didn’t seem embarrassed at all about it. I’m not sure why I was, but it wasn't like I had been a father before.

Come to think of it, I had seen an uptick in the number of socks in his laundry. It was definitely time. Fuck.

I’d be sure to ask my brother for advice since we’d likely be going to his house for Christmas Eve, per tradition. Christmas Day was always special for me and Trey and nothing would change that this year. I’m sure I had other things on my holiday calendar, but for now-

Jesus, this place is packed.

It was a struggle to find a parking spot. I didn’t think it’d be this bad at one o’clock on a weekday with kids still in school.

After finally getting lucky and feeling proud of myself for not murdering the asshole that stole a spot I had already claimed with my directional, it was only a quarter-mile walk to the mall. I stopped in my tracks as I entered the food court. It felt like I had walked into a beehive that had just been flipped over.

* * *

It had been a grueling hour and a half, but the first two things on my list were done. Well…I was in line to buy Trey’s last gift, so I had time to look for three and four. That is, someone to fuck.

Boston had enough bangable options and while my suits always attracted enough twunks to fill a lacrosse team, I didn’t feel like going into the city tonight. I wanted someone to come to me, which also meant finding someone to watch Trey.

My neighbor Nancy was my go-to since she had experience raising boys, though her four sons had all left the nest years ago. Not that her husband, Sam, was incapable of childcare, but Nancy was the more outgoing of the two. He really only ever chatted me up about sports.

She answered right away. “Hi Eli, what’s the occasion?”

“Afternoon, Nancy! I was curious what you were up to this evening and if you’d be able to watch Trey for me. I’ve got a pretty long teleconference tonight and didn’t want him alone for that long.”

Her cheerful voice came through loud and clear. “Oh, I’ll always watch that sweet boy. Soon enough, he’ll be a young man and I won’t be able to bribe him for hugs with cookies. He’ll be too interested in girls…or boys. Or neither, asexuality is a thing too. I’m down with the LGBTQs.”

I smiled. “Of course you are, Nancy. And it’s one of the reasons I love you.”