g is for gift

my husband frank and i have been married almost 36 years--most of those years, his gift giving has left me a little cold, to say the least--now he knows this and will not mind me sharing this---

the first Christmas we had together, we were just dating---unmarried women take note----he lavished me with dozens of thoughtful things, i had no idea that this was just a ploy----i was young and stupid---

well the years went by and i came to kinda accept this missing link in my husband, although i never completely gave up the distant hope that i could make him understand, how easy it was to get me a "meaningful" gift---

so one night as we were taking our friday night pizza quest ride----if i haven't explained that one, it may be saved for letter you know what------okay, anyway----we, more like i started the dreaded discussion of why don't we start over with the gift thing---promising to search high and low---you will appreciate the low part in a minute------for the "perfect meaningful gift"--

that Christmas i had told my husband everything i could think of to ensure that i would get my heart's desire--it could be anything that was special, to me--something that made me know he gets me, that after all our years together he knows me---knows what i like, what i dream of ---and remembers me, stopping on the sidewalk in that little town we visited and pointing out that bracelet that reminded me of my great aunt lily----how hard could this assignment be--

i even made it simpler--i told him that my parents had this spinning wheel under their house-it used to sit in our living room when i was very young---i had to have it--mama had said she didn't care---she wasn't sure of the condition i would find it in----i talked about this must have special thing, at least 15 times a week---

on Christmas eve---which is when frank and i open our gifts to each other----i was waiting for it----he left to go to his car---i held my breath----i was so excited----

he came in first, empty handed---explaining---"now before i give you your present, i want you to know, i was crawling around, in the dark, under your parents tiny crawl space, in the dirt for you"----my glee was increasing with each word of his reprimanding apology----

and then he stepped back to the porch, lifting it in----there it was--what was left of my mother's old spinning wheel---just a piece of wood, the rest of it had rotted----

i threw my arms around my husband and cried like a baby---something i rarely let people see me do----never has any object gift meant more to me---he knew me, he listened to me, he crawled on the ground for me--

later one of my best friends told me that she almost called frank and told him to make sure he got that thing--because she thought i might kill him if he didn't---but she hadn't called him---he had done it himself-

that Christmas eve we slow danced all around the living room to michael feinstein's "isn't it romantic"---i shall never ever forget it---it was so "meaningful"