Page 57 of Snow Blind
He said nothing, simply happy to be home with family, but not having to spend five days at the beck and call of his mother's whims nearly made him dance. There was a reason he came home only twice a year; his mother, God bless her soul, was absolutely exhausting. One of the things he appreciated about Helen was her ability to sit still. Instead of the flurry of emotions and bounding about, she would sit with a book, enjoying the blessing of being in a safe space.
"I love you as well," he said, looking at his brother, who again shot him a bird while mouthing that he was an unpleasant name reserved for feminine male inmates. "Love you too, Michael."
The love fest continued in the privacy of the home they shared while they decorated the perfectly sized tree. Helen promised him a special reward for cutting down such an ideal tree, ending with spending the night making sweet love. A smile remained plastered on her face during the entire week, which only widened on Christmas morning when her husband opened his present.
"My monogrammed bathrobe! Hell yeah!" he said, proud of the gift. He opened the other packages, surprised at the thoughtfulness of his wife’s gifting. "Your turn."
Helen didn’t expect any of the gifts her husband would give to be a surprise. She expected jewelry, but what surprised her in the other boxes were the gift cards. There was a gift card to the craft store, a gift card for online embroidery shops, and to her shock, a pamphlet on Quilt Town USA, the home of the Missouri Star Quilt Company.
"Jay, what is this?" she asked, looking further to find a prepaid gift card.
"One free weekend, we can drive over to Hamilton," he said. "It is about an eight-hour drive from the house but imagine the fabrics! I have a preloaded gift card with about a thousand bucks on it for you to buy crafting stuff. Your Dad helped me finish the bookcases for your craft room to house the fabrics. Here is a photo of the cases. Do you like them?"
Helen began to cry. She opened her mouth and howled, bawled, slobbered and cried like an infant.
"Baby, did I do something wrong? You don't like the gift?"
"Jay, this is the most perfect gift in the world. You see me. You get me. You understand what I need to be happy," she told him.
"Well, hell. The last one has a gift card to the bookstore, so shit, I'm scared for you to open that one," he said, opening his arms.
"Our first Christmas together is so perfect," she said, kissing him with icky, snot-laced smooches.
"I love being married to you," he told her with the smile still plastered on her face.
In the other room, her Technician phone rang, and she nearly growled at having the perfect mood ruined by work shit. She answered the phone, accepting the call through the company operator. On the other line was Bad Apple, who wanted her to put the phone on speaker.
"Cranberry, is Mustang close by? If so, can you put the call on speaker?"
"Sure thing. Merry Christmas," Helen said cheerfully. "Did the gifts arrive on time? I have confirmation on delivery, but you know how those things go."
Bad Apple was beside himself with the gifts received from his new extended family. "Cranberry, Mustang, we are floored. I only have the P.O. Box for you so I sent a card. Now I feel like a schmuck after opening these wonderful presents. The boys, Ricky, we are all in shock. Mustang, man, you did the damned thang. Thank you both."
"You're welcome. Merry Christmas," Mustang said, pressing the button to end the call.
Helen looked at him. "I sent monogrammed bathrobes and man grooming kits to the guys. Jay, did you send something as well?"
Mustang shrugged and said, "Yeah, I sent each one of them a tool kit."
"A tool kit?"
"Yeah, for Apple, I sent a new gun cleaning kit. Ricky got a grilling kit. Stephen got a chef's tool kit complete with knife sharpeners, and the Jeffrey and Oscar received their first tools in a neat little toolbox."
Helen blinked. The tears began to roll down her cheeks, and before she knew it, she had thrown herself into his arms and cried harder, soaking his chest with tears. "I love you so much. You are just the absolute best. I don't know what I did to deserve you, but Lord am I thankful. Those kids, Oscar, knowing you care. Oh, my God. You got a gift for Ricky too. Oh my, God. I love you so much. Will you marry me so I can be yours forever and ever?"
Mustang said nothing as the warm, squishy feeling moved to his belly. He knew he was in love and this was how it felt. There were no fancy trips to remote Caribbean Islands, extravagant dining at exclusive restaurants, or high-end designer purses, but a simple thought gift for others and a few gift cards. The feeling continued with the knowledge of having chosen the right woman to be his partner filling his soul with gladness as a smile also became plastered to his face.
Helen’s technician’s cell phone rang, but no number showed on the screen. She looked at it, sliding her finger across the glass to engage the call. An idea formed on who it could be, but she would allow this to play out.
“Go for Cranberry,” she said as static filled the line.
“Ola Tia, Feliz Navid,” the voice said.
“Happy Christmas to you as well. Did you get the gifts I sent?” She asked, knowing good and well he had.
“Si, we did,” he said, “Thoughtful of you andgracias.”
“Is Alita nearby, so I can say hello?”
