Charity's Secrets (11 page)

Once
it's in his hands, he still seems unsure, staring down at a digital picture
player in his hands. "It's nice," he says.

I laugh
at him. "That's not so much the gift. You need to open it and turn it
on."

"Ah,"
he says with a nervous chuckle.

He
pulls the player out of its box as looks for the power button. It comes on,
displaying a short splash screen of the manufacturer’s logo. Justin watches the
screen and a picture of me comes up smiling at him.

He
smiles back without realizing he's doing it.

After
ten seconds the picture changes to the next. It's me holding a sign that says,
"I
love and adore you."

Ten
seconds later it changes again.
"For our first Christmas together, I
want to give you something special that you didn't have in the past."

Ten
more seconds.
"After my next picture, find the channel selector on the
bottom of the frame and change it."

I get
my envelopes ready.

The
last picture comes up. I know that it's me holding a sign that reads,
"For Christmas—I'm giving you your childhood. This time you can spend it
with me."

I'm
nervous, and Justin is bewildered as he changes the player to the second
channel.

"I
found all of your old photos and had some turned digital. They display for
ninety seconds each. I hope that's enough for you to open these as you
watch." I hand him the first envelope while a picture of him with his dad
comes up.

In the
picture, both of them are wearing baseball gloves and Yankee caps. For a moment
he just stares at the picture, lost in it, drawing out the memory of that day
and the time with his father, then he pulls the envelope flap and slips out two
home plate tickets for the Yankees.

"Wow."
His voice is soft and shaky. It was the only word he had at the moment. I've
never seen him so wonderfully emotional.

I hand
him the next envelope and the picture changes. He's sailing with his father in
this one. His childish smile is enormous, just like his father's. From the
envelope he pulls reservations for an all-day sailing trip aboard the
Adirondack on the New York Harbor.

His
father holding him on a pony, and a session at Claremont Riding Academy.

Holding
a football with his dad in a Dallas Cowboys jersey and Cowboy's tickets with
hotel reservations.

The
finale pictures are next. These have me the most nervous.

A picture
of him and his father holding up a goldfish in a plastic bag that's obviously
just won, that I've paired with tickets for SeaWorld in Florida. Justin's eyes
twinkle while he remembers that day.

And
finally the two of them with Mickey Mouse ears on. His father looked so damn
happy and proud in the photo. Justin slides out reservations for the Polynesian
at Disney and park passes. By this time, Justin is struggling to hide the
wetness in his eyes, and I am not hiding my tears at all.

"This—"
His voice cut out, and he clears his throat to try again. "Charity, this
is incredible. Thank you so much. I'd forgotten all about these pictures, and I
can't believe you found them." He keeps staring at the last photo.
"This was the only time I've ever been there. I haven't had a family, no
reason to go back. This—" His voice goes again. "This is more than a
gift, Charity, you're my reason to go back."

"You
really like it?" I ask, still unsure of myself and my message.

"It's
the best thing anyone has ever given me—I love it. It makes my surprise for
today seem small."

Thank
Christ!

"There
are a lot more photos for the viewer. I have them all on the thumb drive for
it."

Justin
stands up and steps close to me. There's something so different, so amazing in
his eyes. There really are not words for the emotion he's showing, and I am
swept up in it. His hands grab my face and hold it as he draws himself closer.
I watch his eyes close a moment before mine do the same, and his forceful lips
press into mine, opening them for his wonderful tongue. The world vanishes into
oblivion and leaves us falling.

BECAUSE TONY IS OFF
for the holiday, Justin has a service pick us up. He
still hasn't told me anything about this other surprise of his and where we are
going, only that this car ride is part of it. I recognize before we get there
that we're heading for the airport where he keeps his Hawker, and I'm not
surprised by now to see that it's ready to go and Shain is there waiting for
us.

"Where
are we going?"

Justin
just laughs. I can't give him too much trouble—I see the same thrill and
anxiety in him that I felt giving him his gift earlier. He was respectful to me
and I should be the same.

There's
a woman sitting next to Shain in the cockpit area of the plane. I wasn't
expecting that. "That is Shain's fiancé," Justin tells me, seeing my
confusion. "Shain was good enough to work on Christmas Day, but I wanted
to sweeten the deal. I ordered him to bring her where we are going, made
reservations and everything is taken care of for them to have almost as
wonderful a day as we will."

I can
see the excitement in her eyes despite that it's obvious Shain coached her on
how to act in front of Justin—JP.

In the
sky, I have no idea where we are headed. I'd really thought once we got going,
I would recognize the direction, but it obvious to me now how easy it is to get
turned around once you're off the ground. We didn't go far, that much I know.
We were up and then down, just like that.

Quicker
than D.C.

Two
limos were waiting for us when we landed. One was for Shain and his lady, the
other Justin whisked us off in quickly while Shain took care of the plane.

As
we're driven, Justin pulls a blindfold from his jacket and insists I wear it.
"We're close enough, and you'll understand the surprise in just a little
bit. Just let me have this a bit longer," he pleads.

I would
want him to do it for me, so I abide.

Eventually
the car stops. "Can you honk once please," Justin asks. The driver
obeys and the limo lets out a short blast. I reach for the blindfold so I can
see. "Hold on just a moment," he says, grabbing my hand. "I want
to be sure."

We wait
a brief moment, but I’m going to bubble over soon. He’s asking for way too much
patience from me.

"Okay
there they are," he says, his voice suddenly thrilled. I feel him help
with the blindfold. It comes off and I look around quickly.

"Oh
my God!
Justin!
" Tears are instantly covering my face and rolling
off my chin. I rip madly at the door with my excited fingers failing to work
right for me. "Let me out!" I scream, almost in a panic while
managing to laugh at myself at the same time.

Finally
the door clicks and I hop out, just as my parents reach the end of their walk.
I throw my arms around them crying, so overjoyed to see their happy faces as
they both wrap around me.

"Merry
Christmas, Baby," I hear my Dad say.

My Mom
is still unable to form a word. She just squeezes me tight while chirps and
squeals bubble up from her throat.

I'm
faintly aware of Justin getting out of the limo behind me. I cannot believe he
arranged this. I let go and turn around to him, hugging him and kissing his
face. "Thank you, Baby! Thank you so much! I can't believe you managed to
get me snow
and
my parents for Christmas."

His
wonderful, satisfied laugh rumbles in my ear. "It's not nearly as good as
what you did for me, but I think it’s close."

"No—it's
better!" I defend.

I hear
my mother beside me. "Thank you so much, Mr. Collins. Thank you for
bringing our baby home for Christmas."

I let
go of him so that I can properly introduce everyone, although it sounds like
there have already been conversions between them while they made their plans
for this.

"It's
my pleasure, Mrs. Powers, and please, I meant it when I said to call me
Justin."

That's
so very typical of my mother. They know about Justin being my boss and that he
owns the security company called Panther that I work for. It will take her a
bit to drop the formality when she’s nervous.

My
father won't have problem. "Justin, it's good to finally meet you in
person. And like my wife said, thank you for this. We really mean that."

Watching
them shake hands, finally seeing them all together, it was a better gift than I
could have asked for. I start crying again.

My
mother pulls herself further into her coat. "Come on inside everybody,
there's no sense in standing out here freezing."

The
smell of her cooking had filled the house and it hit us as soon as we came
through the door; it smells like Christmas. Honey, molasses, and brown sugar
waft in the air. The nostalgia I'm under is intense. I feel sixteen again, and
my day begins to float by way too quickly.

Justin
had put this surprise in the works over a month ago, calling my parents without
me knowing and they were more than willing to help. Really, I'm not surprised
about Justin keeping a secret, but my parents—my mom—that is amazing!

I never
told them about the attack and how Justin and I had met, just like they never
found out what happened to Steve and what he did to me. We had decided months
ago that what they would know is I that had applied to Panther, got the job,
and met Justin at the office. And Justin is rolling right along with it—again,
not surprised. I was a little worried about screwing this up myself, but my
ability to lie and keep secrets has been getting enough practice lately.

Somewhere
along the way, I've become a fucking expert.

There
is something exciting about watching Justin sitting with my father and the two
of them getting along so well. It's like a test being passed while I watch, a rite
of passage taking place before my eyes. My mother looks the way that I feel while
I help her set the table.

Dinner
is wonderful, not just my mother's food, but every part of it. Justin manages
to relax my mom, convincing her to have a glass of wine, and I don't remember
the last time I heard her laugh this much. I also don't remember the last time
I've eaten so damn much.

Ugh!

After
the food, Justin insists on clearing the table. My father always does the
dishes when my mother cooks. I can't remember if I ever told Justin about that
but either way my father appreciated the help.

Steve
had grown on my parents over time, but I could tell they love Justin already.
They don't have to tell me this, I can see it. I believe he won them over the
second he called them about bringing me home, that he understood what it would
mean, not for them, but for me. He's given them something they've never had
before, someone that cares more for their daughter than themselves.

We
settled in the front room after, and I see that every gift I had sent them is
still waiting to be unwrapped. There's also quite a few for me and Justin, and
that upsets me.

"Mom,
you didn't get us more gifts, did you? You guys already sent so much."

She
started laughed, hard. "Those were decoys, Honey," she said when she
caught her breath.

My
father is laughing too. "Those were all from Justin." My father
patted Justin on the back—
I've never seen him do that!

Justin
looked guilty. "I'm sorry," he says softly. "I wanted you to
open gifts with your family, so they couldn't mail theirs to New York. But if
something didn't come in the mail from them, you might get suspicious, so I had
them tell me all the things they
almost
got you, and I had them sent
postmarked from PA."

"You
dog!" I heckled.

"Leave
him alone," my mother defended with a smile. "He did well."

"Oh
my God—you've brainwashed my parents and taken them over against me."

They
all laughed at my teasing. Justin looks damn proud of himself. I'll admit, I'm
adoring every minute of this.

We take
our time opening the real gifts, and when we are nearly done someone rings the
front doorbell. Everyone seems to have expected it but me.

"That's
for you," my mother says.

As I
get up from the floor, I ask, "Who is it? What else is going on now?"

"Just
open the door," my father laughs.

I can
see a shadow through the etched glass and I'm excited as I grab the handle and
pull the door open.

"Melissa!"
I had missed her face so much.

"Hey,
Baby!" she shouts a she throws her arms around me.

I hug
her tightly, noticing a few bags on the porch behind her. "God, I missed
you. I thought I knew how much until just now, seeing you it’s so much more."
My eyes dampen.

"I
know, I know," she says, the happiness obvious in her voice.