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The next day brought another round of hectic Hanukkah shopping. The Walkers and Zane found themselves in the parking lot of a much larger mall, filled to the brim with specialty shops and art stalls.
“Now, how in the heck did you find THIS place?” Ed asked as they pulled in.
Edna shrugged and parked the jalopy.
“Someone in my knitting circle has a stall here. I’m gonna say hi to her if we get a minute.”
“Ah…”
Jay rolled his eyes, but Zane seemed interested in the conversation.
“How long has she been knitting?”
“Longer than me, that’s all I know.” Edna confessed.
She chuckled as she pulled out a different hat from their last excursion: A bright pink knitted beanie.
“Alright, it’ll be the same deal as the last time. Just with different themes. Got it?”
Everyone nodded and pulled a name out of the hat. Once they confirmed no repeat names, they all left the car and split off for another round of shopping.
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Edna wandered the mall’s Total Wine, looking for any amount of mulled wine for Ed.
“Oh, what do you know? It’s right there.”
Not only did she find a bottle of traditional mulled wine, but she also found a few experimental flavors: Cranberry, Orange zest, Plum, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Lemon, and Raisin.
“Perfect. He’s going to love these.”
With her basket full, she checked out with no issue and left to find her friend’s art stand.
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“Is this the place? Cost Plus World Market… yep, that’s the one.”
Ed stepped into the market, hoping to find any number of Asian snacks to fulfill Jay’s wishes.
“Ok… Oh, here’s some of that Buldak stuff.”
Ed found a bowl of taco flavored Buldak spicy ramen and set it in his basket. He also managed to find strawberry flavored tart cookies and chocolate puffs.
“What’s this? Wagyu and truffle chips? That’s luxurious.”
He set the can in the basket as well, along with a bag of peelable gummies, mixed fruit mini mochis, and a bag of ramen toppings.
“Last thing, and then I’m out of here. What would Jay like…? Oh! These look interesting.”
In his hands laid a box of grape and peach oolong flavored Oreos.
“Perfect.”
Ed took his basket and checked out, but not before snagging a cup of popping Boba Strawberry Dragon Fruit Oolong Tea for himself as a little treat.
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Barnes and Noble was one of the easiest stores for Zane to navigate. They had been in these stores who knows how many times, even between remodels.
“Ok… Mrs. Walker asked for coloring books. That shouldn’t be too hard.”
The first 2 Zane found were animal themed: one themed to Pusheen the Cat, and the other themed to sea life.
“Alright…”
The next theme Zane looked for was Mandalas. Edna was often seen with these, usually when her hands needed a break from knitting. 2 stood out instantly: Celestial Mandalas and Butterfly Mandalas.
“Perfect.”
Zane wandered around a bit more, wanting to see what other varieties they had.
“Oh.”
Not only did they find a Hanukkah themed coloring book, but they also found one themed to the human body.
“She would appreciate this. She was a nurse, after all.”
The last 2 Zane found were quite vulgar, but they knew she would appreciate the humor. One was called “A Mother’s Love”, and the other was called “50 Shades of Bullshit”. Both were filled with profanity that would normally make Zane blush, but they bought them anyway.
“Perfect. That should be everything.”
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As Zane checked out with their books, Jay found himself wandering into a smaller tea shop.
“Hello?’
“Hi! How can I help you?”
“I’m just looking for some gifts for my friend. What do you recommend?”
Jay fidgeted with the slip in his hand, which just read: “Zane - Tea”. He followed the store owner around and filled his shopping basket with all sorts of tea blends. Of course, there were the classics: Earl Grey, Lemon Ginger, Irish Breakfast, and Chamomile. They also found some more obscure blends together, like a berry hibiscus and a snickerdoodle cookie themed blend.
“What’s that one?”
“Oh, this is an in-store specialty. It’s apple peel, mint, and jasmine.”
“Wow… that’s experimental. I’ll buy a box.”
Jay also bought a box of a standard chai masala blend before leaving, eager to figure out what this new experimental blend was all about.
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It didn’t take long for everyone to gather in the food court. Ed and Edna slammed down enough Chinese takeaway to feed an army, which Jay happily took part in. Only on his 5th crab rangoon piece did he notice Zane curled up in the seat next to his mother.
“Don’t tell me… you bought yourself something?”
“Just this book.”
Zane held out their new copy of The Secret Teachings of All Ages by Manly P. Hall. As they flipped back to their page, their phone buzzed. Edna held the page in place while Zane checked their texts.
“Oh. My schedule got adjusted."
“Really?”
“Greg had me working 10 hour shifts every day until the end of term. Aubrey must have fixed it. Only 4 hour days, in the early mornings, until the day my finals start. And she also gave me today off for no reason.”
“Good for you. At least you have someone in your corner over there.”
Zane nodded and set their phone back. It was here that they both noticed how tired Zane was. In between school, work, flag rehearsals, AND this ordeal… It wasn't a surprise.
But they wouldn’t allow themself to “slack off”. So as they started some of their last readings for the quarter, Jay rushed back in with 3 pretzels and 3 containers of liquid cheese.
“My treat.”
Jay’s parents each took a pretzel and started eating, but Jay had other ideas. He playfully threw a piece of pretzel at his mom, who laughed and threw a piece as well. Soon enough, Jay and his parents had engaged in a lighthearted food fight. Zane just watched on as this fight played out, chuckling to themself as they witnessed it unfold.
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Jay and Zane were dropped off not long after that fight, both exhausted for different reasons. As they left the car and took their gifts with them, Jay looked at Zane to form a plan of attack.
“Will I take the bedroom tonight?”
“Sure. I wanted to camp out in the dining room anyways.”
“Perfect.”
Jay rushed off to the shared bedroom, careful not to wake anyone else up. Zane made their way to the dining room, not expecting to be greeted by their Sensei.
“How was your evening?”
“Productive.”
In front of Wu sat a small plate of gingerbread cookies and a mug of mulled wine. As Wu sipped his wine, Zane sat down next to them and began wrapping all of the books individually. The night was silent, as Zane worked and Wu chugged his wine. This turned out to be perfect for both of them, as they were able to focus on the tasks at hand.
“Alright.” Wu finally said. “I’m going to bed. You should as well. Good night, Zane.”
“Good night.”
Wu left, but Zane didn’t take this advice. Instead, they decided to spend the rest of the night studying for their finals.