The Perfect Gift

Tania was hard to shop for. John found this out the first year he met her and was in for a double whammy for presents. They had been seventeen and she giggled as he asked her what she wanted for Christmas and she asked what he had gotten for her birthday. His eyebrows had shot up at the discovery of her birthday being just over a week before the holiday.

“Well, what do you want?” he asked.

“Anything,” she laughed. “I’m easy to shop for.”

As it turned out, that was quite a lie. John had difficulties finding something for her and that had not changed over the years. He would find himself hard pressed to find the perfect gifts for her, sometimes buying things that went together, other times, two things completely opposite. All of the presents he gave her were well thought out, but they were always so damn hard to find. John couldn’t give the girl just anything. Every year she just told him that anything he got her would be fine, but John knew better. Tania was a classy lady, a girl who was so opinionated; some cringed when they saw her coming, someone who knew exactly what they wanted. John didn’t dare pick something frivolous like some of his friends did with their girlfriends. When Garrett told him he had gotten Melanie a zombie he rolled his eyes, despite knowing Melanie would love it. Kennedy offered up that he had gotten Em more peanut butter than he knew existed at a time and John had laughed, knowing that to Em, that was the perfect present. But Tania was different than these two. To him, Tania was special, she was the one girl who could give him a reality check and bring him down to earth when he got hot headed. She was the girl that could have him hard within seconds of entering a room. What do you get a girl who has that effect on you? A diamond ring? No, John wasn’t quite ready for marriage. A puppy? No, Tania had two of those already. He sighed, running a hand through his hair as he walked along.

He’d been shopping for weeks already, looking around in different cities he went while on tour, but had only managed to get her a birthday present. He’d found it as he scoured the city of Seattle, finding her a copy of Oscar Wilde’s Dorian Gray. It was old and worn, he’d found it second hand, but when Tania opened it on her birthday, the sight of her face was enough to know that John had done well. She had to give her copy up just a few days before that, when the spine broke in half, and complained constantly about how she didn’t have the time or money to go pick up a new one. John hadn’t known he was going to get that for her, it just sort of popped out at him as he walked along the streets. That’s how he got many of Tania’s presents. They just seemed to appear in front of him. But now, it was Christmas Eve, and he had yet to find her the perfect Christmas present.

His phone rang; it was loud and shrilling, interrupting his thoughts. “Hello?”

“Hey John, what are you doing?”

“I’m out looking for a present, Gary,”

“Shit, you still haven’t found one for Tania?” Garrett laughed.

“No,” John said hotly. “What did you want Garrett?”

“The guys were wondering if you were still coming over tonight.”

“Nah,” John sighed. “It’s going to take awhile before I actually find a present for her I think. I’ll see you guys tomorrow at the party, okay?”

“That’s cool man. Good luck.”

Luck was exactly what John needed. He needed a goddamn miracle, if he was being honest. None of the things he was finding were right for Tania. Sure she might like some of it, but John didn’t think she’d love it. With all of those gifts, he would have gotten a smile, a thank you, and a peck on the lips. What he wanted was to give her the gift that would get him a grin, a thank you, and some time in bed. He wanted to see her face light up and then to see her looking at him with such adoration, it would become unbearable. It seemed as if a gift that would cause that reaction did not exist.

He walked along the streets of Tempe, glancing in shop windows, damning himself for not starting the search earlier that day. Most shops had closed early for the holiday. He had tried to pry out gift ideas from the girl for weeks, even back at Loren’s wedding, but she was tight-lipped. She’d give him a peck on the lips and bound off; winking as she called back “You’ll do fine, John! You always do.” It was times like these that he wished that Tania was more like his old girlfriend, Celia, who always told him what she wanted as gifts. John sighed, instantly regretting think that; he wanted Tania to be nothing like Celia; she had cheated on him, and he hoped that Tania would never do that.

John shuffled along the sidewalk, muttering excuse me’s as he ran into other last minute shoppers. He should have been more observant, he was alert, looking all around him for something – at this point, anything – to give to Tania. His eyes were wide open, searching, but there was nothing. It was all ordinary, everyday things that she would pick up for herself. John needed something special, he needed something Tania wouldn’t have a chance of getting for herself or from anybody else.

This was a special Christmas; it was their fifth one together. He could do something classic and go with jewelry, he could be lame and go with a gift card to her favorite store, he could do something silly and get her a gag gift; but none of those were gifts John could give. They weren’t gifts he would give. They didn’t necessarily have any thought in them, although, he could spend hours, picking out the perfect chain for a necklace, the charm for a bracelet, a ring for a finger. He could pick out something that Tania would love but it wasn’t what he wanted to give her. John liked to give out gifts that made his heart beat faster; the ones that made his palms sweat as he handed over the present, and the ones that caused him to bite his lip in anxiety. He wanted the kind that made his head go dizzy as he watched her unwrap it, knowing, but still hoping she would love it half as much as she said she loved him.

“Looking for something specific?” An elderly man asked, coming over to John as he looked around a quaint novelty shop.

“No, yes,” John sighed. “I don’t know.”

“Who are you looking for?”

“My girlfriend,” John asked. “We’ve been together for five years and every year she says to just get her anything. But I can’t get her just anything because I love her and it just has to be the perfect gift.”

The older man’s eyes twinkled and he smiled. “What’s she like, kid?”

John smiled for the first time that night. “Well, she’s spunky. She knows what she wants, she’s opinionated, and she is the sweetest thing. And God, but she’s beautiful.”

“What does she like now?”

“Well, she loves writing; she’s graduating from college this year with a journalism major. And she loves music, which I guess is why she’s with me, I’m a musician. She loves helping others and god but she could talk for hours about anything if you give her the chance to. She loves puppies, she’s got two little corgi’s that I swear she loves more than me.”

The man laughed, holding up his hand to stop John and his endless rambling. “Sounds like you got quite the young lady.”

“I really do,” John responded. “What I give her needs to be perfect.”

“Sounds like you’ve got quite the predicament, son. You want to get her something that is equal to how great your girl is.”

“Yeah, exactly!” John said. “But nothing compares to her.”

“Tell you what kid, I have something for you. Follow me.”

John followed the man, to the back of the store, hesitating as they got to a door that read “Employee’s Only,” but the man turned, telling him to keep coming. That back room wasn’t disorganized, but it was small and cramped, and John wasn’t sure what could possibly be back there that was perfect for Tania, but the man just smiled and led him towards another door.

“Where are we going, Mister?”

“Right through here.” The man nodded. “My home. Wait right here, will you?”

“Sure.”

John leaned against the wall, wondering what was in the man’s home, and why he would want to sell it. When he came back, he was holding something that made John’s eyes widen. It was exactly what he had been looking for.

“This here is real special, kid. I bought it for my wife a few months before I asked her to marry me. I hunted around for days looking for something like it and when I found it, it was brand new. It worked perfectly and the wife would tell me all the time it was the best thing I ever gave her. Your girl sounds like mine. I’ll sell this to you for fifty dollars.”

“Won’t your wife get angry?” John inquired, taking it from the man hesitantly, turning it over gently.

The man smiled ruefully, his eyes still sparkling, dimmed. “She died a little more than a year ago.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, sir,” John hastened to say. “Are you sure you want to sell this though?”

“You remind me of myself,” the man laughed. “Always trying to please a girl. My son is grown, he found a girl and has no problem buying her things, and my grandchildren are far too young to get the significance of this and by the time they’re old enough to ask, I’ll be gone. So I want you to take this, wrap it up, and give it to your girlfriend.”

John took out his wallet, his fingers finding the two twenty’s and a ten, and he handed it to the man silently, taking the present and held it up, admiring its beauty. He smiled at the man, thanked him and turned to leave, with the perfect gift.

Tania looked beautiful. She walked into the party radiating her outer beauty as well as the inner, and John’s eyes immediately landed on her. She was talking to Melanie, who was nodding her head, craning it to look behind them at Em, who was already busying herself with Kennedy. The two girls giggled and John made his way of to them.

“Hey Tania, Melanie,” John said, kissing Tania’s lips then Melanie’s cheek.

“Hi John,” Melanie said. “Have you seen Gary?”

“He’s out back talking with Pat,” John informed her. “Or at least he was ten minutes ago.”

“Kay thanks.”

Melanie bounded off, leaving a bemused Tania and a nervous John behind her. “John, why do you look so nervous?”

“I’m not nervous,” he tried to laugh, but it came out forced. He wiped the palms of his hands on his jeans, they were sweaty, and wrapped an arm around her. “Just happy to see you.”

“You see me every day, silly!” Tania laughed, bringing a hand up to cover her mouth.

“And every time I see you, it brightens up my day,” He retorted.

“That is so cheesy, John,”

“Yeah, well…”

The music was loud and people were dancing, they were talking, and there was a lot of drinking going on. As they passed, Jared pushed drinks in their hands, and the two took them appreciatively, sipping on them as they walked out back. Melanie was sitting on Garrett’s lap, whispering in his ear, her hand dangerously close to his crotch, and they stifled giggles as he squirmed slightly, red faced as he turned to kiss her. Pat was next to them, looking around awkwardly. John pulled them away from the crowded area, placing his hands on her hips, he swayed to the music.

“John, why’d you pull me away from the party?” She whined, scrunching up her nose.

“Because I wanted to spend some time with you.”

“Are you going to give me my present?” She asked. “Y’know, it’s not fair that you made me give you yours earlier and I still haven’t gotten mine.”

“Greedy little thing,” he whispered, kissing her. “You’ll get it soon.”

“Why not now?” she whispered back.

“Because I don’t have it with me.”

“John?”

“Hmm?”

“Why are we whispering?”

John laughed heartily, causing Tania to giggle again. She pulled herself closer to the boy, her fingers dancing loosely at the hem of his shirt, and just below his belt buckle. John quickly pulled her closer to him and she stood on her tiptoes, kissing him full on the mouth as he wrapped his arms around her, lifting her gently, and Tania moaned into him. She could feel him growing hard and she smirked. She pulled her hand out of his jeans and backed away from them.

“Tease!” John gasped.

“We can finish later,” Tania winked, “after you give me my present.”

Leaving John to tend to his problem, she pranced away, prying Melanie away from Garrett before they started to go too far in the middle of the backyard, and went to find Em. She was standing in the corner of the kitchen, a jar of peanut butter next to her, and Kennedy attached to her lips. Her hands were gripped around his ass and his were rested gently on her waist, one of them slowly moving up, going towards her bra, and the two girls giggled.

“Kenny, you really should try to get a room when you want to do those things to her,” Tania said.

“Hey! Em came on to me tonight, I swear!” He protested.

Em looked at her friends, shrugging, “He had peanut butter.”

“What was that what he got you for Christmas?” Kennedy blushed at Melanie’s comment and she grinned. “Seriously Kennedy? You got her peanut butter?”

“She loves it!”

“He got me a corgi calendar too,” Em said. “But that couldn’t be of use to us right now.”

“Well, I hate to break you two up,” Tania said, “But I want to dance. I got John out back all hot and bothered and he can’t touch me again until he gives me my present.”

The three girls left Kennedy, standing there with nothing but the taste of Em on his lips. Plenty of familiar faces were out in the living room, where most of the dancing was going. It was mainly lame shuffling, or people too drunk to realize they were grinding on one another, but the girls were ready to get down. They’d all had a drink or two and were all up for teasing John when he came in and tried to take Tania away.

“Come on, Tania,” John pleaded.

The party had dwindled, slightly, it was growing later, and Tania smiled. “Are you ready to give me my present?”

“Yeah,” he smiled. “Christmas is almost over after all.”

He led the girl out of the party and to his car. “You didn’t drive right?”

“Nah, Mel did.”

John smiled, telling her to get in and then drove away. Their apartment wasn’t far from Pat’s parents’ house. Tania’s hand stayed locked with his the way there, however, a murmur of Tom Petty in the background, and she turned to him.

“Y’know, you look damn good in those suspenders,” she remarked.

“You don’t look half bad in that dress either,” he murmured.

It had been hard to wrap the present, and in the end, John ended up using a bag and covering it with tissue paper. He handed it to Tania, who took it gingerly, wondering what on earth it could be. He normally gave her smaller, lighter things. John watched her face as she lifted it out of the bag. Tania’s eyes widened, her mouth dropped, and she looked up at John with teary eyes.

“John, it’s beautiful.”

The jewelry box was silver and didn’t look old but it wasn’t exactly brand new looking either. It had been well taken care of. The small little ornament on top was something that resembled a tablet of paper with a pen on top, and Tania pulled it open, gasping at the light pink velvet interior and the light tinkling sound it made. She pulled open the drawer, looking at it, examining it, and tears spilled over as she saw the small silver locket.

“Do you like it?” John asked tentatively.

Tania placed it down on the table beside her and threw her arms around the boy. “I love it John, where did you find it?”

“I know a guy,” John laughed, kissing her lightly.

“It’s perfect,” she breathed, looking at it. “Just like you.”

John grinned lazily, as if it hadn’t taken him weeks to find. Tania pushed him onto the bed gently, snapping off his suspenders and began to work on pulling off his pants as he ran his ran his hands up and down her body in front of him. This was what he wanted. To give her a gift that made her want to do this. That made her feel like she had to give him something more to even pale in comparison. Though, it wasn’t about the sex, he had just wanted to make her happy, to make her smile, but this was a bonus. He watched her as she began to pull at her own clothes, and then, briefly, Tania glanced back over at the box, before turning back to John, kissing him, and retuning her promise that he would get this after she was given her present. The perfect gift.