The First Time Ever I...
1972
The first time ever I saw your face
I thought the sun rose in your eyes
The life-sized Santa's elf doll seemed to smile at Kyle as he drove his automatic floor scrubber down the main hallway of the mall past the Christmas Village display late one night. The smile caught him off guard making him believe he was seeing things as the display was shut down and only the cleaning crew remained in the mall. He made a complete sweep to the end of the corridor and on his way back, he decided to investigate. As he looped past the display, he realized the doll was actually human. He was drawn to her unbelievably beautiful face. She had pale skin, nearly white blonde hair, a cute smile with deep dimples, a touch of rouge on her cheeks and deep, cherry red lipstick. He gave her a tiny wave and drove again up towards the main entrance. As he drove along, he thought about her. She was seriously cute in her little red and white elf hat, dark green stockings and a dirndl dress which emphasized her attractive figure.
Kyle kept wondering what the girl was doing at the display so late in the evening and on his next trip by the display, he pulled over and turned off the scrubber. "Hi," he said before kicking himself.
'What a lame way to greet someone,'
he thought to himself.
"Hi. You with the cleaning crew?"
"Yup. Helps pay the bills while I go to school part-time."
"Oh? Where do you go?"
"I'm at the JC. Trying to get enough credits so I can transfer to City University."
"Cool. What's your major?"
"You're gonna think it's lame. Sociology."
"Well, not lame, but what're you gonna do with a degree in sociology?"
"I want to help people. Maybe work for a nonprofit somewhere. Maybe go to grad school and work towards a degree in social work."
"Cool."
"What about you? I mean, what do you do when you're not making presents for Santa?" he chuckled.
"I go to school also. I'm a senior at Wilson High."
"Got plans for next year?"
"College, I guess. I've got several applications in. We'll see."
"What about right now? Why are you waiting here?"
"My sister is supposed to pick me up but said she'd be late. I didn't want to hang out by the mall's front door and told her I'd show up at eleven. She'll pick me up then. Oh! It's almost eleven now, I gotta go."
"Want a ride?"
She smiled at him before saying, "My mother told me to never take a ride with a stranger. I'm Elsa, by the way."
"Kyle."
"Good. We're not strangers. Where should I sit?"
"There's really no place to sit. Here, stand in front of me."
After she hopped on, he had her stand in front of him with his arms around her holding onto the wheel. He had to lean over to see around her but was very aware of her cute little butt right at eye level and the faint smell of sweet perfume. He started the machine, disengaged the cleaning mechanism and drove as fast as possible.
"Woo-hoo," she laughed as she held her hands up in the air. He decided to have a little fun and started to weave some, causing her to grab onto his arms as her joyful cries switched to giggles and shrieks of mock fear. "Help me, save me from this maniac driver," she called out into the empty corridor, her voice echoing back.
"There's no hope for you, my dear. I have you in my clutches and will tie you to the railroad track unless you tell me where the gold is hidden!"
"Never! Never!" she exclaimed with melodramatic flair, "I would rather die than lose the money for the orphanage."
They both cracked up as he slowed down and drove to the main entrance. Through the doors he could see a white sedan waiting. She jumped up, told him it was her sister, thanked him for the ride and let herself out the door. He turned around and drove back down the corridor to resume the boring task of cleaning the floor of the mall, all the while thinking about the cute and funny girl he'd just met.
On the next night, Kyle drove up to the Christmas Village with a bit of anxiety. 'Would she be there?' he kept wondering. He made a loop behind the display and once in front, he could see she was there again, pretending to be a doll. He smiled at her and though her eyes sparkled, the cute smile on her face remained frozen. He made a few funny faces at her without causing her to laugh or move, so he turned off the machine, crawled over the red ribbon barrier and approached her.
"Hi, Elsa. Pretending to be a doll so you don't have to put up with my driving?"
There was no answer though he could see she tracked him with her eyes.
"You know, bad little girls get coal in their stockings and if you don't talk, I'll tell Santa you're a bad little girl."
Still no answer, though he could see she was struggling to keep from laughing.
"And bad little girls occasionally get spanked," he laughed as he approached her. Right as he was about to touch her, she jumped up giggling and gave him a quick hug.
"No, I'm a good little girl. I should get nice things in my stocking."
"Nope," he laughed, "Coal, only coal for you."
"Aw, puleeze!"
"Well, we'll think about it. So, another late night waiting for a ride?"
"Yeah. One of our cars is in the shop and my sister has to pick me up."
"How does she know when you're ready?"
"Oh, we plan for it in advance. I can't really be seen using a pay phone now, could I?"
"I guess not, you being Santa's elf and all. I'm going to be working in this corridor for a while. Just wave at me if you want another ride?"
"Are you crazy? You almost had me killed last night!" she laughed.
After a few more minutes of chatting, he mounted the cleaner and took off. About half an hour later he was finishing that portion of the mall and saw her waving at him. He drove over and when requested, offered her another ride to the front. The white sedan was nowhere to be seen.
"Shit, she's either late or forgotten."
"No big deal, you're safe inside here."
"Yeah, I guess, but I'm kinda nervous hanging out here by myself."
"I'll stay with you until she comes, OK?"
"Yeah, great. Thanks. So, tell me something about yourself."
"Well, you know I'm going to the JC. I'm a few credits shy of getting my AA degree and then I'll go to City University."
"And you're working because...?"
"Uh, you see, I live with my mom and money's tight. So, I do the best I can."
"And your dad?"
"Took off when I was two or something. No idea where he is."
"That sucks. Sometimes I wish my dad wasn't so involved in my life but I'd never want him to take off."
"What's he do that's so bad?"
"He's an old-school German and is always running my life. I can't make my own decisions at all. He tells me what classes to take, you know, things like that."
"At least he cares about you."
"Yeah, I know. But I'd like to spread my wings a little."
"You're going to college, though, right?"
"Well, yeah, sure."
"Then spread your wings there. He'll never know, unless you go to City University."
"No, he wants me to go to a 'real' college, uh, those are his words, not mine. I know City's got a good reputation."
"Yeah, and it's the only option I have."
"Oh, look, there she is. Gotta go. You working tomorrow?"
"Yeah, six nights a week."
"Ouch. Well, see you then, OK?"
Kyle decided to go in earlier the following night, hoping to spend a little more time with Elsa. After taking care of the offices and restrooms, a job he hated the most, he was able to take a break. He wandered down to the Christmas Village where Elsa was reading a textbook.
"Studying?"
"Yeah, got a test next week so I decided to review it while I could."
"Care to take a break?"
"Yeah, please."
"Uh, I happen to have a key to the food court kitchen and can liberate a soda for you. Interested?"
"You won't get into trouble?"
"No, I'm allowed two drinks per shift and I'll let you have one of mine."
They sat there and talked more about themselves. Kyle mentioned his mother was Latina and father was apparently Anglo.
"That's where you get that gorgeous skin of yours. Looks like a wonderful tan."
"Thanks. I like your skin, too. It's so pale and goes with your hair and eyes perfectly."
"That's due to a lot of Scandinavian influence. My father's people were from northern Germany and apparently there's been a lot of, uh, cross-border 'communication' with the Scandinavians over the years."
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They talked for a bit longer and once the drinks were gone, they strolled down the empty corridor. Elsa found herself liking Kyle even though they'd just met and talked a few times. He was humble, smart and oh so good looking. She thought his skin color was super sexy. Even though she was nineteen and a senior, she had dated only a little, mainly because of her dad. Here was a nice guy who seemed to like her and though he was older, he seemed to enjoy being with her. After her hand 'accidentally' bumped into his, she reached for it and held his hand until they came to the door. Since her ride wasn't yet there, they sat on a bench where she took the opportunity to thank him for the drink and their time together.
"Thanks for the soda. You know, you're a nice guy. How come no one has snatched you up?"
"Uh, I guess 'cause I'm so busy. I work full time, go to school part time and help out at home. My mom does most of the household stuff but I hafta help a lot."
"Well then, I guess we'll have to call this our official 'first' date."
"Date?"
"Yeah. Date. You invited me, gave me a drink and entertained me. Yup. It's a date," she said as she leaned over and gently kissed his cheek. "Oops, there's my sister. Gotta go. See you tomorrow."
While driving Elsa home, her sister asked, "You sure are quiet this evening. How come?"
"No real reason. Just tired, I guess," she lied. She wasn't tired, she was dreaming of that nice guy she had met and how she wanted to spend more time with him.
-----
For the next several evenings they again spent time together while waiting for her ride. On each occasion he would offer her a soda and they would sit together talking and getting to know one another. On one evening she told him more about herself and her family. When she was little, they spoke only German in the home and as a result she was held back a year in school and still had a slight German accent. It also turned out her family was quite wealthy as her father was a successful investment banker. Her mother worked parttime more to keep herself busy than out of true need. In spite of her exposure to money, Elsa seemed to be modest in her tastes and approach to life. Not once did she act superior around Kyle even though he was from a far poorer background. They would occasionally walk around the entire mall holding hands and talking. Kyle had to work extra late because of his long 'lunch breaks' but he enjoyed spending time with the attractive and vivacious Elsa.
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