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Speaker 1: Being a single father. It's sometimes like walking a tight

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rope over a pit of fire. Every step feels like

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it could be painful, and no matter how careful you are,

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you always get burned. My life hasn't been great, far

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from it. A dead end job at a local hardware store,

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overdue bills piling up on the counter, and more sleepless

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nights than I could count. But there was one bright

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spot in it all, my son Danny. He was the

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kind of kid who would smile his way through just

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about everything. He deserved way more than I could hope

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to give him, Yet he never so much as complained,

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even when he had all the reason to. He worked

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hard at school, did his chores without grumbling, and always

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tried to cheer me up when he saw me staring

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at the stack of envelopes marked past due. It was

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just a week before Christmas. When he came home from school,

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his face lit up with that kind of pure joy

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only kids seemed to have. He'd been going on about

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this toy for months, a limited edition figure from Mackie's

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Fun Time Playhouse. Mackie's was a live action show in

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our small town with over the top mascots, characters, in bright,

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oversized costumes, and a line of toys that drove the

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local kids insane with obsession. The one Danny wanted, Mega

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Mackie de Luxe, was the crown jewel of the set. Dad, Dad,

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he said, practically bouncing with excitement. Missus Higgins said, I'm

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getting an award at school for doing so good on

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my tests. You remember what you said, right? My heart sank.

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This was the best, worst case scenario to get him

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to do well in school. I promised to get him

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the toy he wanted if he did well. Lately he

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had been struggling, so it was motivation to improve. The

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catch is that it was the hot seasonal toy, near

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impossible to get, especially this late into December. But now

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here he was looking at me with those big hopeful eyes,

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and I couldn't bear to let him down. Of course, buddy,

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I said, feeling a hole open up in my chest.

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I'll get it for you, just like I promised. You

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earned it. Danny turned around and ran off to tell

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his stuffed animals the good news. I sat there, staring

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at my hands, knowing I had no idea how I

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was going to pull this off. The toy wasn't just expensive,

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it was impossible to Every store was sold out and

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resellers were charging hundreds in line. I didn't even have

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enough in my account cover Grocees for the week, let

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alone some overpriced hunk of plastic. But I couldn't break

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my promise to Danny. He'd done everything I'd asked of

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him and then some. I couldn't let him think his

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hard work didn't matter. And that's how I found myself

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parked outside the Maggie's warehouse at three in the morning.

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I checked every retailer in a realistic travelable radius, and

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a few I knew I couldn't get too none in stock.

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I'd even entered phony sounding raffles with no luck. It

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wasn't like I planned it ever since I promised it

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to Danny. I'd driven by the warehouse dozens of times

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on my way to work, a massive, ugly building on

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the edge of town, surrounded by chainling fences and flickering floodlights.

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Each time I gone past, the security seemed lax, a

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single old man standing guard. I didn't even have to

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cut the fence. Some one else already had, probably teenagers

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looking for a thrill. They must have been young, because

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instead of the broken fence being pushed in, it was

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peeled outward, such an inefficient way of breaking in. Slipping

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through the gap, I crept toward the loading dock, my

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heart pounding so loud I was sure it would wake

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the whole town up. The warehouse smelled like stale plastic

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and motor oil, an industrial smell that I had a

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bitter cling to it. The air was cold, biting at

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my skin. As I tiptoed between the towering shelves, my

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heart beat thudded in my ears, each step, feeling like

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I could set off an alarm, even though the place

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was clearly unguarded. Then I stumbled upon the mascot suits.

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They stood in a line near the back, the oversized

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fabric woven heads cock slightly to one side, Mackie the Fox,

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Cheery the Bee, and Giggles the Clown, three life sized suits.

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Their colors faded under the small amount of illumination the

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moon provided. I hurried past them, swallowing the dryness in

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my throat. I wasn't there to cork at creepy costumes.

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I was there for Danny. I finally found the toy

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aisle rows of brightly colored boxes lined the shelves, all

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of them holding smiling, cartoonish mascots of Mackie's fun Time Playhouse.

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Inside Mackie was front and center on most of the packaging,

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a red and orange and ppromorphic fox with a wide grin.

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He wore a striped vest and a crooked top hat.

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And on the middle shelves was a lineup of Mega

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Maacki deluxes. The box was bigger than I'd expected. The

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figure inside was detailed, almost disturbingly so, with joints that

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looked like they could move independently. It came with a

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miniature version of Maki's signature stage, complete with tiny props

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and battery powered spotlights. The words the Ultimate Show Fox

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was scrawled across the front in bold, glittery letters. I

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grabbed it and clutched it to my chest, and I

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turned to leave, my heart pounding louder than my footsteps.

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The warehouse was deathly silent, save for the occasional creak

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of the building. As I approached the section where I'd

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seen the mascot earlier, I froze one of them was gone.

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This meant there were still people working here, moving around

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stock and products. I would have to be attentive for

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people working around. Mackie and Giggles were still there, standing stiff,

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but cheery was missing. Then a faint shuffling sound, followed

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by the clatter of something metal hitting the floor. I

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talked behind a shelf, clutching the toy to my chest

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so hard I could hear the box crinkle slightly. The

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sound grew louder, and my pulse thundered in my ears,

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drowning out everything else. Please don't catch me, I repeated

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that same sentence over and over again in my head.

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I peeked through the gap between two boxes and I

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saw movement in a dim light. My fears swelled to

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a boil, and I bit my lip to keep myself

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from making a sound. Then the figure stepped into view.

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It was an old man, the security guard, tired, hunched

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over and muttering to himself, was dragging a mop pocket

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across the floor. He stopped near the aisle of costumes,

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moving things around like he was organizing them. I slumped

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against the back shelf, my chest heaving as relief flooded me.

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It was just some guy doing his job. I stayed

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crouched watching the guards shuffle down the aisle. He didn't

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seem in a hurry, and every scrape of the mop

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on the floor fell like nails on a chalkboard. I

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needed to get out. I was robbing the place, and

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the longer I stayed still, the more that fact sunk

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into my bones. I hugged the toy tighter and crept

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toward the far end of the shelf, keeping my steps

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light and slow. The guard mumbled something under his breath

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and moved to another section of the warehouse. The sound

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of his mop bucket squeaking on its wheels gave me

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enough sound to slip past unnoticed. Finally I slipped through

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the gap in the fence, my legs shaking with adrenaline

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as I broke into a jog back to my car.

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The ride home felt surreal, but for the first time

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in a while, I wasn't consumed by the dread of

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bills and bad decisions. The only thing I thought of

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was Downy's face when he'd see the toy. After everything

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the kid had done for me, his hard work and

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his big hopeful eyes, he'd finally have something to smile about.

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I didn't feel proud about what I'd done, not exactly.

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Stealing wasn't something I thought I'd ever do, but life

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has a way of forcing your hand. I'd never been

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able to provide for Danny with much, and I'd spent

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too many sleepless nights staring at the ceiling, wondering if

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he resented me for it. But this finally felt like

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a win. A stolen and guilty win, but a win nonetheless.

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When I pulled into the driveway, the house was dark

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except for the faint glow of the living room lamp

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i'd left on. I stepped inside, careful not to make

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too much noise, and place the toy on the kitchen counter.

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The next morning, Danny would wake up to the best

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surprise of his life. I could already hear his excited laughter,

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imagining his face like as he tore open the box.

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Smiling to myself, I headed to bed. The exhaustion hit

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me like a freight train, and before I knew it,

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I was out cold. The following morning, I woke up

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earlier than usual, my body aching from the tension of

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the night before, but a sense of calmness settled over me.

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Today would be a great day. I shuffled into the kitchen,

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planning to finally hand Danny his present, but it wasn't there.

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My heart skipped a beat as I scanned the room,

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a million thoughts rushing through my head. My eyes finally

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landed on it. He was sitting on the dining table,

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now perfectly centered. I rubbed my eyes, trying to shake

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off the curtains of sleep. I was tired from the night,

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so I probably didn't even remember where i'd put it.

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I shrugged it off and made my way to Downy's

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room with the toy in hand. He was already awake,

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sitting up in bed and rubbing his eyes. When he

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saw me standing in the doorway holding the toy, his

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face lit up like I just handed him the world. Dad,

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he shouted, throwing off the covers and scrambling to his feet.

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Is that did you? I couldn't help but laugh. It's

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all yours, buddy, you earned it. He tore the box

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out of my hands, practically vibrating with excitement as he

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examined it. Oh my gosh, it's the megamac He Deluxe.

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This is the best day ever. Watching him was like

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a bomb to my soul. The way he turned the

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box over and reading every detail, the way he hugged

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it like it was his most prized possession. I felt like,

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for once I'd done something right. Thanks Dad, Danny said,

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beaming up at me, You're the best. I ruffled his hair,

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barely able to stand from the overwhelming emotion. You're welcome, son.

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Just don't forget this was because of how hard you worked.

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I'm proud of you. For a brief moment, the guilt

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melted away, replaced by something I hadn't felt in a

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long time, happiness. Danny was happy, and that was all

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that mattered. After Danny got his toy, I went back

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to work, cycling through the motions of stocking shelves and

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helping customers. The guilt of having stolen something and the

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exhaustion that followed was a heavy combination, but I kept

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telling myself it was worth it for my son. By

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mid afternoon, I stepped outside for a smoke break. The

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cold December air hit me as I leaned against the

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brick wall of the hardware store, taking a drag and

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letting the nicotine reset my mood. I took a glance

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around the parking lot, thinking of what I was going

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to make for dinner for Danny and I. When I

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saw it. Across the lot. Near the edge of the

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street stood Mackie the Fox. Memories of the warehouse rushed

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back to me, but I cast it aside. It was

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just some one in a costume, probably on their way

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to a kid's Christmas party. The red and orange suit

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looked identical to the one I'd seen in the warehouse,

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down to the crooked top hat, but I guess it

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made sense. I took another drag. My heart thudded unevenly

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in my chest. Ah, I muttered to myself, blowing out

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a stream of smoke. Mackie really was popular, and I

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never really paid much attention to it prior. Even on

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my drive to work, I noticed billboards with Mackie and

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the crew posted everywhere, people wearing the merchandise and such.

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It was no wonder Danny was infactuated with them. After

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a few seconds, the person turned and walked away, disappearing

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around the corner of the building. I shook my head

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and forced the chuckle as I headed back into the

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store to finish my shift. When I got home that night,

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Danny was playing in his room with his new toy.

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The lights of the battery powered spot light flashing on

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and off, filtering into the hallway. It was comforting a

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reminder of why I had done what I did. The

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next morning, I got ready to head to work, already

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slowly forgetting the events that transpired over the last few days.

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The morning traffic crawled under a sky smeared with dull clouds.

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I tried to focus on the road, but everywhere I

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looked there was Mackie and the Crew. Billboards, huge garish

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signs taring over intersections. Mackie's grinning face loomed above the

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city with his crooked top hat. One after another, the

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billboards lined the streets like massive sentinels, each one more

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obnoxiously colorful than the last. I wondered to myself how

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it