InsaneJournal

There was something wonderful about slipping through the crowded London streets ; weaving in and out of the Christmas crowds and slipping past the workers in their bright yellow jackets, clipboards and forced smiles. Penny only wanted to make it to the record shop, not be caught and forced to fill out a form indicating how she felt about kittens being forced to wear clothes.

Entering the shop was an assault on her ears ; somebody with a sense of humour had put on Bob Dylans Christmas Album and the voice crooning out Christmas tunes and cheerful lyrics was a stark contrast to the mounrful tones of his voice.

Penny found herself standing in front of the Christmas section clutching a collection of records to play at home.  She adored Oliver and loved sharing a flat with him ; one of the many benefits was access to the record player. It meant she could indulge in music after work and not have to wince every time Celestina Warbeck trilled out one of those awfully pitched notes.

Shifting her albums - the type of music she'd be embarrassed to admit owning in public - she reached forward to pick up a Christmas album. The cover was lurid, gaudy and with enough red cheeked elfs to catch her attention.

A large hand swam into view, blocking the portly santa and Penny reached for the album at the same time. It was the last on the shelf, and it was one of the few albums she could play on repeat for a few hours without Oliver or Meghan staging an intervention.