Monte

James and I walked the mall this evening, and it was packed with last-minute holiday shoppers. We soon grew tired from walking and decided to sit beside an indoor fountain and rest while we tried to agree on a place to go for dinner. As we stared at the slow moving crowd, I heard James laugh and say, “It’s amazing how such an ugly couple good produce such a cute kid.”

I scanned the crowd and saw the family standing beside a chocolate shop. It took a few seconds to completely absorb what he had said, but when it finally settled in, I became sick.

The little boy walked between his mother and father, all three with great big smiles across their faces. The young boy went inside the chocolate shop with his father to pick out Christmas presents while the mother stood near the entrance and waited. Even after her family went inside the shop, her smile still remained. And when the father and son came out with bags of chocolate in hand, the three passed by us hand-in-hand.

I became so overwhelmed by their happiness that I began to cry.

In truth, they were the most beautiful family I had ever seen.

Edit: And you know, so what if they weren’t the most fashionable or best dressed people in the world. They may not have the fucking glamour of North Park, but they were genuine people who probably have more decency than the rest of us.