The Gift

This story can now be told, because The Gift was delivered this morning. Via a courier - a friend I had dinner with last night delivered the gift to another friend whom I haven't seen in a couple weeks and whom I'm not sure when I'll see again. Soon, hopefully. But the gift needed to be delivered.

My friend N., aka Bug, was recently promoted. A big promotion. Huge! She's now making what I was making after 20+ years in the corporate world - and she's all of 22 (I think - she might be 23?). Anyway, I'm very happy for her and proud of her and glad for her and the college. I hired her into the job she was in when I left, we had a wonderful time working together and she's been doing my old job for the 18 months it's been vacant, so it is appropriate that she is now the 'official' person in the job.

I had been keeping my eyes open for a gift for her - something to mark the occasion. Preferably something for her new office (I didn't have an office in that job when I was there - a sore point my former boss and I still laugh about - and it's been rectified now so the 'new' person in the job will have the space needed. It's all good). I found the perfect framed print at Acacia - the catalog. I liked it so much, I ordered two - one for me, one for her. I had seen it in the catalog some time back and loved it - and now it was on sale so all the better - and two made it perfect.

I placed the order and paid for upgraded shipping to ensure the package arrived in plenty of time. N. and I had lunch together on July 16th - I took 1/2 day off for the occasion. The morning of the 16th, I went to retrieve the package so I could wrap her gift. When I picked up the box, I thought 'wow, this is really light'. And then thought 'well, this is the age of plastic - maybe they are in plastic frames with Plexiglas, instead of real glass. I opened the outer box and found a shoe box. 'Hmmm. This is odd - but maybe they're smaller than I thought and they put them in a shoe box [an athletic shoe box - pretty 'big' - wide] to add an extra layer of protection for shipping'. Um, upon opening the box....it was a pair of tennis shoes. Those 'special' tennis shoes with the weird heel that are supposed to work your calf and thigh muscles as you walk. They were nice. Sadly, they are a size 7. I wear a 7 1/2.

This is about 10 minutes before I need to leave for a meeting in the town of Linden - east of Stockton. So I quickly call the company - they apologize profusely, say they will reship immediately, expedite shipping again (no charge) and ship me a return label for the shoes. Fine. I'm disappointed to be going empty handed but N. will understand. This episode made for a good laugh when shared with a couple people - and I assured N. that the gift was en route.

The package arrives - it's heavier this time. Good sign. I take out one of the prints, briefly inspect it, unwrap it from it's bubble wrap and place it carefully on my couch. In my living room. Why? I don't know. It's where it ended up. And it looked nice.

So, yesterday morning, two weeks from the date exactly, I'm having dinner that evening with a friend who sees N. daily. And I arrange for this friend to kindly deliver the gift to N. I go to the living room to retrieve the print to wrap it - and as I'm wrapping it, I notice a slight 'imperfection' in the upper left corner. It sort of looks like a chip in the glass, though it doesn't really seem to be chipped. Maybe a 'featherish' thing underneath the glass. It's small. I walked by that couch, with that print on it for a week and never noticed. But as I was wrapping, I noticed. And decided 'well, I'll keep that one and give N. the other one. So I go to the box. And I retrieve the other print, still wrapped in bubble wrap. And I hear 'clanking'. And upon unwrapping it, I notice the glass is shattered. Broken across the entire print, diagonally. Now I'm really screwed.

I call the company again - they apologize again. They also, sadly, regret to inform me that the print is no longer in stock. They credit the order - and give me a coupon for $20 off my next purchase. I am gift-less once again.

But I decided 'ah, to heck with perfection'. N. and I are good friends. We talk all the time and we're each other's sounding board when/as needed. She accepts me, warts and all (and there are plenty). She's a true friend in every sense of the word. And she won't mind the slight imperfection of the weird 'thing' in the upper left corner. I write on the outside of the envelope 'PLEASE CALL ME BEFORE YOU OPEN THIS'. And then, I call her and tell her the story. About how many tries it took to get this for her. And I loved it because of what it says - and because I want her to have something to keep that she'll always know was from me. And she laughed.

She opened it this morning and my (other) friend said 'she loved it - and she loves the story behind it even more'. So I guess it's OK.

And now the rest of the story: I still have the blooming tennis shoes. I have called three times to follow up on the return shipping label they were going to email me. I don't have it. Every time I call, they ask 'have you checked your 'junk mail'? Yes, I have. It's not there. It hasn't arrived. The last time I called, the shoes never came up. So I'm waiting another couple weeks and then...the shoes,too...will become part of the story. Because N. wears a size 7! If they charge me for the shoes, so be it! As long as they aren't sitting here unworn, I won't mind a bit. They'll be worn by a great friend! And in that new job, she's going to need good, comfortable shoes.

Congrats, N. I'm so glad it's you filling my shoes!