“How do you know so much about this, Clancy? Ugh.”
“I read crime fiction.” Without missing a beat she added, “That’s how I relax.”
Kiki Lowenstein’s Last-Minute Gift Ideas
One of the simplest ways to turn any ordinary item into a special
gift is by personalizing it. This technique will work on serving
trays, cups, clipboards, or any smooth surface. If the surface
is multi-colored or patterned, so much the better.
1. You’ll need enough letter stickers to spell your recipient’s name or a message. (Tip: Stickers with a clear backing or stickers that are a silhouette of the letters work best.)
2. You might also add stickers of flowers or any other designs. For example, if your gift is intended for a teenage girl, stickers showing cell phones or hearts might be appropriate. For a boy, skateboards might be cool.
3. Carefully clean the surface of your gift with a bit of rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball.
4. Adhere the stickers as desired.
5. Coat the stickers with clear nail polish. Make sure to especially coat the edges of the stickers as this is where they are most likely to peel up.
(Tip: Tell the recipient not to soak the item in water when washing it. While the nail polish makes a great seal, you don’t want to risk letting water get underneath.)
Dodie walked through the back door. She was holding hands with Horace. “Sunshine, we need to talk in my office.”
Even if I do own a part of the business, this still sounded suspiciously like a summons from on high. I got up reluctantly and gave my two co-workers a mock salute.
“We who are about to die, salute you,” I said.
“Right,” Clancy laughed. “Kiki Lowenstein, you are such a card.”
I didn’t feel much like a card. I felt like a little kid trooping off to the principal’s office.
I sat next to Horace, and Dodie made herself comfortable behind the big desk. The day was wearing her down. Her color was fading and the dark circles under her eyes were more prominent. Still, she sat up straight and tall, so I knew she was on the mend.
“I visited Bama.”
“Right.” Tell me something I don’t know, I thought.
“I told her that you wanted to visit her. She still doesn’t want to see you. I’m sorry. Just so you know, it wasn’t the photo of her in the paper that tipped off her ex-husband.”
“Right.” I didn’t much feel like contributing to this conversation.
“No. In fact, I doubt that he even saw the picture in the paper. He was already hot on her trail because it was so unusual that three kids whose ages matched those of his children exactly were enrolled in the soccer program here about the time Bama and the kids disappeared. And his kids loved soccer. The school system actually has a protocol for protecting the children of abusers, but as a law enforcement official, he had a good idea what that protocol was. He visited one school after another and got nowhere. But then he posed as someone from a national soccer association, and well, he knew what to say and how to say it.”
Dodie grabbed a bottle of water from her purse. The treatments dried up her saliva, and she was never without a liquid to sip on. “Sunshine, I asked the counselor to talk with Bama. It can be very difficult for an abused woman to see clearly who is on her side—and isn’t. I probably should have pushed her harder—”
Horace stopped her. “Kiki, the truth of the matter is Dodie hasn’t been thinking straight. There’s an aftereffect to these treatments. They call it ‘chemo fog.’ The patient’s brain isn’t as sharp as usual. What I think my darling is trying to say is, she’s sorry.”
“That’s right. I am. I’m partially responsible for putting you at risk, and I apologize.”
This took a while to sink in. I mean, to my mind, Dodie was infallible. All wise. All perfect. Sure, on one level, I knew better, but on another, I’d pegged her as Super Woman. Even though Super Woman never existed, even in comic lore.
“Where do we go from here?”
“She gave me a note for you.”
Kiki—
I’m still not letting you off the hook, but here’s the deal, I can’t do the cruise. My face is a mess and my fingers on my right hand are broken. The boat leaves on January 5. You know the materials. I want you to take my place.
(signed) Althea Vess McCallister
Althea Vess McCallister. As I folded the letter and slipped it back into the envelope, I realized I never even knew Bama’s real name.
“She told you what’s in here?” I asked Dodie as I tapped the envelope against the desk.
“Yes, and I’ve got the store covered. After everything you’ve been through recently, I thought the trip might do you good. Sheila’s agreed to watch Anya, if you wish.”
I nodded. How like the two of them to go behind my back.
“You’ll need this. It’s the contract Bama signed. She’s sent them a letter designating you as her surrogate. There’s a copy of that as well. Here’s a brochure about the cruise.”
Dodie cleared her throat. “Please, try to forgive her. And me.”
Her voice sounded so raspy, I couldn’t stay mad.
Looking at the colorful photos, a warm glow started inside me. I’d never been on a cruise. I hated cold weather. This was going to be cool.
I could understand Bama not wanting me to see her. After all, she had been pretty badly beaten, and I knew from working with her that she was very fussy about her appearance. But, for her to send me on a cruise was an unexpected perk. I mean, I thought to myself, she must like me, right? Otherwise she would have never shared her largess with me.
A rap on the doorframe caught our attention.
“It’s four o’clock, and we’re officially closed. If you don’t mind, we’d like to pass out a few gifts before we hit the trail,” said Clancy.
Horace popped a bottle of champagne. We all toasted the fact we’d gotten through the holiday season.
Dodie loved the shawl I’d crocheted (with a little help). I gave Clancy a cafetière because she loves coffee. Although we kept a pot at the store, we filled that workhorse with whatever brand we could find on sale. Clancy, like me, loved Kaldi’s, so with the cafetière, she could brew up a cup or two for herself. Laurel had noticed my love of java, and she’d given me a gift card for Kaldi’s. I’d given her a new paper trimmer by Fiskars. “If you’re going to be a crafter, this is indispensable. In fact, I’m not sure how any household can be without one.” (And that’s the truth.)
Clancy gave me a simple but elegant pair of silver hoops. “Silver is great with pinks, purples, and anything with a blue tint,” she said, by way of explanation. “You have those nice gold hoops, but these will round out your accessories.”
All in all, a very satisfying exchange. My friends confirmed they knew me well, and isn’t that the joy of getting a gift? I mean, it’s not about the money or the item, it’s the thought. Okay, that’s a cliché. But the thought needs to reflect that the other person really understands you and considered what you might like, need, or use.
That circuitous path led me back to Ben. As I walked the dogs to my car, Clancy said, “You have a bit of a glow about you these days, my friend. Things go well with Ben?”
I nodded. “Very well. Better than I expected. In fact, I did something totally out of character for me.”
With the tension of the work day behind me and a little bubbly in my veins, I felt positively chatty.
“Why? You’re a grown woman. You’ve been widowed for more than a year. Nearly two. You never dated much before you married. As long as you took precautions—”
“Which we did—”
“What’s wrong with getting physical? Especially if you think he might be the one.” She said “the one” in a dramatic voice that mimicked Morpheus from The Matrix.
That sent us both into gales of giggles.
“You know, I’ve kept him at arm’s length waiting for Detweiler. But
that’s silly, isn’t it? Detweiler’s married. I don’t want to break up a marriage. I’m not interested in playing games. Besides, he’s proven to me that he’s not interested.” I didn’t go into details on that last charge.
Clancy studied me. I noticed for the first time the tiny crinkles at the corners of her eyes, those creases that were signs of maturity, not old age. “We haven’t known each other long, but we’ve been kindred spirits from the start. I think you are wise to move on. If he does split with his wife, he’ll come with baggage. You’ll wonder if you were the cause. He’ll wonder if you were the cause. But with Ben, you have a clean slate. True, the good detective has that ‘bad boy’ thing going for him because he’s a cop. So what? You’re not a high school girl trying to rebel against her parents. You’re a woman ready for the commitment of marriage.”
She pursed her lips. “Was he any good?”
I blushed. “Oh, yeah.”
“All the more reason to move on down life’s highway.”
Before we said goodbye, I made a request. “Clancy, you’re smarter about contracts than I am. Will you look this over? I want to go on that cruise, but I’m scared I’ll misread the fine print. I don’t want to incur any obligations I can’t fulfill.”
“Gladly,” she said. “I’ll get back to you quickly so you have time to contact them if there’s a problem.”
“You won’t be spending tomorrow alone, will you?”
She fought a smile. “No. An old friend is back in town. He’s single, and he heard about my divorce. We plan to spend the day together.”
That made me happy.
I drove home, took care of my canine charges, and then on to Sheila’s for the last night of Hanukkah. I can’t say I was surprised when Ben answered her door instead of Linnea.
“Hope you don’t mind.”
“How could I? First of all, it’s not my house! Once again, those roses are beautiful. I’m leaving them at the store because everyone is enjoying them so much.”
“Maybe I should have sent them to your house, but I worried you wouldn’t be there for the delivery,” he took me into his arms and kissed me.
“I’ll take delivery of that any day,” I murmured.
The noise of my daughter letting the swinging kitchen door fly shut caused us to jump apart. I’m sure we had “guilty” written all over our faces because Anya froze. She stared at me and then at Ben and back at me.
“No PDA, okay? I’m not old enough to see stuff like that.”
Ben smothered a laugh.
“Gran said to tell you two we’re waiting in the kitchen.” With an exaggerated roll of her eyes, Anya added, “She always wants to light the candles in there. She’s scared silly of burning the house down.”
The smell of Linnea’s roast chicken hurried us along. I gave Robbie Holmes and Linnea brief hugs before I extended my arms to Sheila. I have to admit, I’m glad these days for her affection. We’re not perfect, either one of us, but we both have our good points. On the balance, she’s certainly fallen on the plus side of the scale more often than the minus, especially if you offer brownie points for the positive impact she has on Anya’s life.
Usually she hugs me quickly as though it’s a chore to check off her to-do list. Tonight, I started to pull back, but she added another squeeze just before we separated. A lump formed in my throat. My poor throat. It was really getting a workout lately.
“Properly, these should have been lit at sunset, but I’m bending the rules because surely it’s sunset somewhere,” huffed Sheila.
“Baruch atah …” intoned Anya and we all joined in, even Robbie Holmes and Linnea.
Sheila passed out her presents first. I squealed with delight when I opened the signed “Queen of Everything” print by Mary Engelbreit. Sheila handed Linnea a bonus check and a box of Godiva chocolate. She’d gotten Ben a new cashmere muffler, Anya received a gift card for her iTunes, Robbie also got a muffler, although he added, “I’ve got my love to keep me warm.”
With that, Sheila held out her hand. “Observe. We are now officially engaged.”
“Wow. That’s quite a sparkler! You did a good job hiding it by turning the stone to your palm.”
“Otherwise I would have spoiled the surprise. It’s from Mary Pillsbury of course. She does designs for all the best people.”
Linnea brought out a bottle of champagne so we could all toast the happy couple.
“I want a June wedding,” said Sheila. “This will be so much fun to plan.”
I could almost hear poor Robbie choking on his drink.
“I need to run out to my car,” I said. My presents were more modest. I’d bought Ben a big bag of Kaldi’s expresso. He was delighted. I made Robbie a small album with pictures of him golfing that I’d borrowed from Sheila to copy. I crocheted a scarf for Sheila, and while I never expected her to wear it, she promptly tossed it around her throat. I was amazed at how nice it looked. Finally, I gave Linnea a tea cozy I’d crocheted.
“Been needing one of these. I saw them using these on Masterpiece Theatre, and I thought to myself, that’s a smart idea. Thank you!” With that, she gave me a heartfelt hug. She added, “I know it must have taken you a while, so I’m doubly proud to own this, because when you make something with your hands you give a person a little bit of yourself.”
I couldn’t have said it better.
Ben gave me a lovely silver starfish necklace from Tiffany’s. He gave Sheila chocolates, and to my daughter, he gave a book of passes to the local movie theatre. I could see his thoughtfulness touched Anya. She stared at the passes, then at him, and then at me. “This is really, really neat. Thanks so much.”
Robbie asked if he could borrow me, and we moved into Sheila’s great room. “You all right? I heard what happened with Ross Gambrowski. I meant to call you right away, but I knew you’d be busy at the store. Detective Hadcho filled me in.”
“My neck hurts. Nothing I can’t deal with.”
“After this holiday is over, I’m taking you to the gun club. That’s my gift to you, Kiki. I want to make sure you’re safe. While I’m still not sure that arming citizens is the way to go, at least if you have training, we can decide later what to do.”
I felt a frisson of alarm. “You think Gambrowski’s getting out? Or are you worried about Jerald McCallister?”
“Neither. There have been sightings of your husband’s killer. Besides, I guess a single woman can’t be too careful in today’s world. Used to be, men lived by a code of conduct. Today? Even men of stature like Ross Gambrowski act like thugs.”
“If he hadn’t been a ‘man of stature,’ he might not have gotten away with brutalizing his wife for so long.”
“That bothers me. I’ve sworn an oath to protect and defend, but how many more women like Cindy Gambrowski are out there? Women whose husbands have the social clout to keep them isolated? Time was, we thought domestic violence happened in lower-class families. Now we know, it occurs in all levels of society.”
“I plan to put up a poster in our store.”
“That’s a great idea, Kiki. Now I better get back to your mother-in-law, er, my fiancé.” He blushed to the tips of his ears.
Friday, December 25
Christmas Day
Christmas came softly and bought us a present of fresh snow. Anya wasn’t awake yet. I decided to let her sleep. The snowfall of a few days ago still covered the grass in spots. But mostly, the precipitation had been a stop-and-go feeble effort.
Now it was really coming down. What a picture-perfect Christmas morning!
I decided to visit Monroe before it got too deep. I’ll admit that walking into his shed caused the hairs to rise on the back of my neck. I was still sore from Ross Gambrowski’s manhandling me. But I had a lovely apple for my savior, and I decided that visiting him on this quiet morning would make a perfect start to the day.
I heard footsteps behind me.
“Kiki?” The voice was Detweiler’s. “I hoped I’d find you here. How
’s Gracie’s tail?”
“Healing really well, thank you. Tell your dad thanks, again, from all of us.”
“Did Anya have a good holiday? I mean Hanukkah? And Christmas Eve? I’m not sure what you celebrate.” He sounded desperate. “I know some people open their gifts the night before the day.”
“I try to celebrate everything. That’s what life’s all about, isn’t it?”
He nodded. “I heard about how that donkey saved you. I found this poem for you. I thought you might like it.”
He handed it over shyly.
The Legend Of How The Donkey Got His Voice
After the Christ Child was born long ago
In a stable that first Christmas night,
An angel warned Joseph to leave Bethlehem and
So the whole family took flight.
Then, as the three of them journeyed to Egypt,
They rested when stars filled the sky.
And while they were sleeping, their donkey’s keen ears
Heard King Herod’s soldiers nearby.
He tried very hard to get Joseph awake,
but donkeys were mute in
those days.
Then all of a sudden a miracle happened … he let out
Some great piercing brays!
The family awakened in time to escape and hurriedly
Slipped out of sight.
The donkey was grateful and quite humbled, too,
That God chose to use him that night.
And still, to this day, the loud, piercing bray from a
Donkey so gentle and mild
Reminds us again of that creature’s devotion and love
For the dear Holy Child.
—Author unknown
“That’s really cool. Thank you. I’ll have to share it with Leighton.”
We stood there, staring at Monroe.
“If Anya would like a kitten, I’d be happy to bring one over. If that’s okay with you. Once they’re weaned, that is. But I won’t offer one to her unless you say so.”
“I’m not sure how Gracie would react.”
“I bet Gracie wouldn’t care. She’s pretty docile. You could try a kitten and see. I think Mert has crates. You would just introduce the cat to Gracie a few minutes at a time. She’s always taken well to new dogs.”
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