Christmas with the Gambling Girlfriends 2020

Jingle All the Way

Mary loved her son, Ren, more than anything in the world. That's why she knew she had to make it up to him for Christmas. She and Ryota had divorced in September. There were no hard feelings; in fact, they were great friends. The spark was gone, and so was Mary's straightness. Well, that was never there in the first place, but her compulsory heterosexuality was baggage she didn't want to unpack.

Ren had been talking all year about how he wanted a Turboman doll, but Mary hadn't set out to find one until 8 am on Christmas Eve.

Yumeko loves being an aunt. Her sister had another episode and was hospitalized again, and Yumeko offered to care for her son, Aito, while she was getting treated. She tried her best to get him back to the cheerful boy who drew her colorful pictures and had the brightest laugh she ever heard, but his mom not being there to celebrate Christmas and his dad being nowhere to be found took a toll on him.

Yumeko was prepared to get Aito anything for Christmas, so when he said he wanted a Turboman doll, assumed it was something she could just pick up and have ready under the tree by tonight.

That's how Mary and Yumeko found themselves in a crowded toy store smushed together in front of a "sold out" sign instead of Turboman dolls.

"Sorry," Yumeko expressed once the crowd passed and the two backed away from each other.

"It's fine," Mary brushed her coat as she looked angrily at the rows of empty toys. "I really hope every store isn't like this."

"Me too, but something is telling me it is. I'm gonna go ask someone if they have any in the back." Yumeko started walking away.

Mary had the same idea but went in the opposite direction and was glad she was alone when the worker laughed in her face.

"Turboman has been sold out for weeks!" The man said between laughs.

Mary's eyes were daggers as reminded herself that, no, she can not kill this man because Ren would be devasted if she was in jail during Christmas, but the way he grabbed his side and held on to the wall for support made her fists ball up to keep them from turning his face purple.

"Thank you," she gritted through her teeth as she stormed away. Maybe she could find the toy somewhere else.

Yumeko had gotten the same reaction but in a crowd of people. All of them laughing at her. She had a good poker face and used it to hide her annoyance. She simply wished them all a happy holiday before leaving the store. Surely, she could find a doll in another place.

They were wrong. So wrong.

Mary had been to 12 stores and Yumeko was on 11 when they took a break to eat. Maybe it was fate that they chose the same empty diner at the same time.

Yumeko was sitting at the bar sipping on a mug when Mary sat down one seat away. The black-haired girl looked to the side and smiled at the familiar face. "Any luck?" Yumeko asked as she placed her mug down.

Mary's head turned to the side. She took a small moment to recognize the face, but once she did her eyes lightened with understanding, "Nope. How about you?"

Yumeko sighed, "Not at all. I've been to eleven stores and still no stupid toy."

"Ha, I've been to twelve."

"Is that supposed to be a good thing?" Yumeko giggled.

"Now that you say something," the two laughed before Mary introduced herself.

Yumeko replied with her name. "What stores have you been to?"

Mary listed off the franchises and where she found them. Yumeko just listened in awe. "Of all the toys my nephew could've asked for."