So I’m walking through Food Lion minding my own business on Christmas Eve. The store is packed and I would have rather been lying on my new sofa basking in the glow of accomplishment when all of a sudden I am interrupted by the sound of my cell phone ringing. I can’t leave the house for five minutes without someone bugging me. I look at the screen and I see it is my boyfriend (that’s what I call him now) …
Me: Hello?
Him: What ‘cha doin’ face (that’s what he calls me)
Me: Walking through Food Lion
Him: Hey, can I ask you something?
Me: Of course
Him: (hesitates) Well, there’s something that I’ve wanted to get you for a while and …
I thought I had dropped the call because he had stopped speaking
Me: Hello?
Him: I’m here
Me: You said you had to ask a question
Him: (nervously) Well, it’s just that I don’t want to get this thing if you don’t want it … I mean I guess I could keep the receipt … I don’t know … I’ve wanted to get it for you for a while …
Me: Okay
Him: I’ll just get it
Me: Okay
Him: Okay. I’ll see you shortly
Me: Okay
I hang up the phone dumbfounded not knowing what the hell he was talking about but I have this sick feeling in the pit of my stomach all of a sudden.
A few hours later I’m in my kitchen frying up some catfish. I love catfish. The cornbread is in the oven and the kids are eyeing the Christmas tree, then the clock, then the Christmas tree, then the clock …
Passion: Ma, I’m going to wake up at 5:00 tomorrow
Reason: I can’t wait until tomorrow, Mom! I love you!
Me: I love you too, Baby
My boyfriend shows up with a truckload of gifts. He and my children have never had a warm relationship so when he presented them both with cash-filled cards I was surprised and touched by his thoughtfulness. My greedy kids said a hasty ‘thank you’ and began thinking of all the extra stuff they were going to buy with the money.
He came in with two boxes for me. One was huge and the other was medium-sized. I had one medium-sized box for him. After dinner he asked if we could go upstairs and exchange gifts. We would not be spending Christmas morning together (which is when I open my gifts) so I thought his request was reasonable. He grabbed the medium-sized box that he had for me and we went upstairs to my bedroom.
I made him open his gift first – I got him a digital camera. He’s been bugging me for one for the longest time. His eyes lit up like a kid’s and I knew that I made the right choice. I’m not even going to tell you all the things he plans to do with that daggone thing.
He hands me the medium-sized box that he has for me. It is wrapped in brown shiny paper with a gold bow.
Me: You didn’t wrap this did you?
Him: Why do you say that? Because it’s too nice?
Me: (laughing) I’m just saying … (carefully opening the gift trying not to rip the paper)
Him: Just rip it!
I finally get the paper off and it is a beautiful jewelry box. It really was lovely and when I opened the jewelry box there was another box inside. The smaller box was wrapped with the same brown shiny paper and gold bow. The same sick feeling is coming over me and I don’t want to open the smaller box. I take a deep breath and remove the paper carefully.
Him: I hope you like it
Beneath the paper is a white box. I open the white box and inside I find an exquisite diamond and platinum cross necklace. It is simply gorgeous and the sick feeling immediately leaves and I exhale.
I mentioned a few months ago that I had seen a diamond cross that I had wanted to get for myself. It was wrapped in white gold – not platinum and it was slightly bigger than the one he bought. I saw mine at Kay’s. He went to Jared. I was very pleased. But also very confused. This couldn’t have been what he was talking about when he called me. He hadn’t wanted to buy me a cross for a long time. I just told him about it a few months ago. What the hell?
This morning when the kids and I got up to open our gifts I reached for the huge box that the boyfriend had brought over. As soon as I ripped off the paper the confusion was all cleared up. What was inside? The thing that he’d been wanting to buy me for at least two years.
A GE stainless steel professional style deep fryer.
Men.
What is meant to be will be
