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 Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2014 3:09 pm
"You think we'd let you off that easy?" America drawled, pleased and smug with it. The confetti had her eyes bright with sentimental mirth and she made note to bring Pey a treat or two soon. The other girl's gift she waited eagerly for him to see, but anytime his eyes or hands approached her own, America found herself feeling unexpectedly shy even as she urged him on with an impatient, "C'mooooon, open them up!" The box from her was of a decent size and weighty, though not quite heavy. It was wrapped in plain brown package paper, with little hand drawn doodles of deer and cats covering it in something approaching a pattern. The little drawings were not particularly good, but somehow, as an evenly space group of scribbles. they weren't as bad as her usual. Simple twine was used in place of ribbon, and the handmade card bearing one of her rather shitty illustrations of a large eared man and a red haired possibly-woman sailing in a ship on the sea. Inside the package was a set of four journals, leather bound and upon handling, giving a sense of quality and longevity, the sort she'd come to associate with the few things he bought himself that were meant to last beyond the month. Quote: You love words and I love your words
so how bout giving them a nice home?
I love you,
Meri
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Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2014 12:33 am
He was silent for a long time--he'd removed the twine and paper with all the care of an extremely frugal granny, ducked his head to hide his grin over the card, and then just fallen quiet at the note and the gift itself. Maybe for a few beats of time the silence was foreboding. Maybe it was suggestive of disappointment. But after a moment he passed his shaky hands over one cover and then lifted the leather to his nose, before opening it to touch the pages and, in a quiet gesture of ownership, dog ear one at random, testing the way it creased under his fingers, feeling out not just the obvious quality but the utility of it. He was giving it, as he gave all fine things that he loved (good food, excellent prose, her), attention and intention. And then he read the note again, as if he were reminding himself it was real. He was, maybe, as bad at properly acknowledging gifts as he was at giving them. Finally, without putting the journal down, he reached to pull her close. "I'm sure they'll be happy to have somewhere to settle down. Thank you," he said, pausing a little before adding: "Meri."
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Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2014 12:58 am
Recognizing what he'd been doing, no further acknowledgement was needed. He liked it, he truly liked it and seeing that was as much a gift as the ring glinting on her finger. As much as hearing him say her name again, the one quietly at the heart of her, under all the loud and proud energy. "I love you so ******** much, Obadiah Ezekiel Have a Buck Thompson," she answered, fierce and pleased and near overwhelmed by the truth of it. "And I'm real ******** happy you were born."
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Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2014 2:46 am
She so often said the things that he didn't know he needed to hear. Later there'd be Peyton's gift too, and the ensuing photos with the cats; there'd be a long bath and a short shower and a lazy midnight waking-up accompanied by a cigarette and a bar of bitter dark chocolate, some for her, some for him; there'd be the true waking-up a few hours later and Taym suddenly pensive and miserable and withdrawn, stubbornly trying to keep her from getting out of bed and using every trick at his disposal; there'd be fights to goad her into and maybe, later still, days later, harder conversations. But for right now, at least, she said the things he didn't know he needed to hear. So he said it back, I love you too, and then, because she already knew the answer and because he wasn't sure it was true but it felt true, and because of all the hurtful, doubting, terrified things that he could already feel piling up behind his teeth for later because this was too much good too short-lived and too full of reminders of the things he'd never have, he made her ask him again what his favorite birthday had been.
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