-    Simon. OK? Just call me Simon. And what is your name?
-    Lucie.
-   Perfectly, Lucie. Nice to meet you. I know that you are very upset. Look, I have a golden candy for you. Take it! 
-    Thanks, Simon. These are my favorite candies.
-    Don`t worry, I will call your parents now and they will pick you up. Do you remember your mother's phone number?
-    Mother went to help grandma; she will not be back till Christmas.
-    Well, do you have a father?
-    I do, Simon. 
-    Let's call him.
-    He will not come, Simon.
-    What do you mean - he will not come? Why?
-    My father is at work...

***
At 6:40 an alarm clock rang and Simon unwillingly stretched out for a phone. There came his working week - the one before Christmas. It was most vexatious for Simon that the second year in a row his shift drops out on the holiday eve. Cunning, cunning this Mike, eternally counts shifts beforehand! Mike was Simon's workmate and it really appeared, that this sly fellow specially calculated working weeks so that to take vacation directly before Christmas holiday. Both Mike and Simon worked as security guards in a shopping center.

 

Their workplace was on the first floor, directly near the escalator and big confectionery shop. Especially it was pleasant to young security guards that here always smelled of chocolate and sweets, and they quite often got something tasty during festive tastings. With the arrival of winter there was established a big beautiful Christmas tree on the special platform near the escalator and confectionery shop for which Simon and Michael were also responsible. The Christmas tree was annually sponsored by the confectionery shop, and besides festive spheres, the big twirled caramels, chocolates and transparent boxes with golden candies of Ferrero Rocher hung on it.

Under a tree, there was a big easy chair on which it was possible to observe the kind bearded Santa listening to rhymes of children and reading by heart the list of the Christmas gifts every day. To the big-bellied old man in a red suit crowded the whole line consisting both of children and of adults. Santa handed to each child candy in a golden foil, and joyful sweet teeth ate it right there.

And if kids scrambled to Santa on a knee, then adults constrainingly sat down on a step nearby and looked the kind old man into eyes with acute fascination. Of course, all adults perfectly understood that it is not Santa, but just disguised and made-up actor. And still a childlike faith in Santa Claus and the purest pleasure from memoirs gave to these men and women a little of courage to feel like children again.

 

The turn hooted, laughed and rejoiced to the forthcoming meeting with Santa. Simon monitored this process for days on end and, to tell the truth, already got a bit tired from the continuous movement of shopping center visitors. He was ready to protect candies and chocolates on Christmas trees, but he quickly got tired of watching the line to Santa Claus. Unexpectedly one little girl in a white scarf and green jacket separated from the crowd, and at a brisk pace went directly to a chair with Santa. Having stopped for several meters before the bearded old man, the girl made a swing and threw in the darling of the people a nut in a shell shouting "I Hate Santa!" The long turn unanimously sighed, and puzzled Simon couldn’t think what needs to be done and was late - the little girl quickly disappeared in a swarm of visitors and it was impossible to catch up with her.

Having run up to the victim, Simon was once again convinced of improbable qualities of the fairy tale character - the bearded old man looked at the security guard with kind eyes and showed with the gesture that everything is all right. Go, Simon, it is just a child. But at heart Simon was upset that some little girl dared to offend Santa Claus – how could it happen? He is the idol of all children!

Next day Simon came to work under the impression of a yesterday's incident and mentally continued to be indignant. But the story repeated! This time the little girl unexpectedly appeared before Santa and with the same shout threw the next nut in the everyone’s favorite. The doomed nut hit Santa directly in a forehead so that the boys in turn and some of their fathers quietly started giggling. This time Simon did not become puzzled and at once started catching up with the prankish child! But the little girl got away, having briskly got lost in the scurrying-about crowd.

Having returned to Santa, Simon saw a good graze on his made-up forehead. People brought pure napkins and someone even called the doctor. Poor Santa assured everyone that nothing terrible happened to him and asked not to pay attention to the incident. In order to calm the agitated security guard, Santa handed him candy in a golden foil. Children are just children, there's nothing to be done. But Simon could not calm down and thought how to catch the little hooligan if she comes again.

Next day Santa sat in the chair with a transparent adhesive plaster in place of the blow. Having decided to rise in defense of Mr. in a red suit, Simon took a fighting position and was internally sure that the nasty little girl is just about to appear. Simon's intuition wasn’t a no-show and approximately at the same time he saw a familiar white scarf and green jacket in the crowd. But once the little girl got the next nut from a pocket, the shopping center security guard seized the violator by a hand so dexterously and quickly that nobody in the crowd noticed this.

In 5 minutes Simon conducted the girl along internal corridors of the shopping center, directly to the security room where they usually bring small pickpockets and pilferers.

… - Lucie, tell me your father’s phone number, I will try to call him. 
The girl looked down and silently gave Simon her cell phone with the father's number highlighted on the screen. The crumpled golden foil fell to a floor. Simon dialed the number and waited long for the answer. After 8 beeps in a tube, the man answered silently and Simon asked him to come to the shopping center for the little hooligan. Lucie did not react to the conversation of the security guard with her father, only hot teardrops dug on a green jacket. Simon tried to talk with the girl and to find out why she does not like Santa, but it was useless. Lucie already loudly sobbed, hiding her face in hands.

In 20 minutes someone knocked to the security room. A man who stayed on the threshold was presented as Lucie's father. The transparent adhesive plaster was pasted on his forehead.

Simon standing behind the door of the security room heard how Santa and his daughter talked. In the beginning, Santa spoke, and Lucie sobbed in reply, then Lucie shouted at the father, and he silently listened. Right at the end both of them cried and apologized for each other. "The poor, poor girl", - thought Simon. Now he understood Lucie’s behavior. All the year round her father worked as the invited actor, traveled around the country in job searches and gave near-zero time to the family. But most painfully the girl reacted to the fact that for Christmas, the most important family holiday, her father entertained other children instead of finding time for the only daughter.

The next morning Simon went to work with an aching heart. Least of all he wanted to see Santa who treated Lucie so cruelly, having exchanged her for work on Christmas. The warm-hearted security guard even thought to approach the actor and to talk to him simply as an involved witness of history. But it was not required. In a big easy chair, he saw absolutely another Santa - low growth and more pot-belly, than that was demanded by an image of the hero. "Merry Christmas!" he told everyone who approached him. 

After the working day, Simon went to the security room to change clothes. He saw a transparent box with golden candies inside on a table. There was a note attached to a box:
Thanks, Simon! 
Santa and Lucie
Simon smiled - he understood, that both Lucie and Santa will be unambiguous happy this Christmas.