Daddy Issues

58 - A small thing

It took a lot of thinking, but in the end, I think I came up with a good gift for Dan. It's a little risky, so I hope he'll like it. He said they weren't going to be exchanging gifts, so I offered to help him set up, so I can give it to him before everybody else gets there.

'Oh good, you're here.'

Dan opens the door with his elbow since he's busy vigorously whisking something in a bowl. He looks a little haggard. Which is surprising, because he usually seems to have everything under control.

'You alright?' I ask him, raising my eyebrows a little.

'Yes,' he says, clearly distracted. 'Just got started a little late. I always misjudge how much work everything takes.'

'Well, tell me what to do and we'll fix this shit.'

For the next hour or so, Dan has me prepping vegetables, helping him make some sort of trifle for dessert and setting the table. It's a good thing I'm here, because nothing would have been done by the time the others got here if I wasn't. But now, we get everything in order with about 20 minutes to spare.

'Sit down,' I tell Dan. 'You look exhausted. Calm down a little before the others get here, I'll get you a drink.'

'Thanks, Em.'

He sits down on the couch with a sigh and gratefully accepts the beer I hand him.

'Don't know what I would have done without you,' he says, clinking my glass of wine when I take a seat beside him.

'You'd be lost, of course.'

He smiles and closes his eyes while he sinks back into the cushions.

'I am exhausted,' he says. 'Should be just cancel everybody?'

'I mean, it's a lot of food for two people.'

'They can just pick it up and go back home.'

I chuckle and let myself relax for a moment too. But then I notice the time again and realize that if I want to give him his present privately, I need to do it now.

A little nervously, I get up to get the postcard I got from my bag. When I return to the couch, I clear my throat to catch his attention. He opens one eye and looks at me, a little suspiciously.

'What?'

'If you've got the energy, I'd like to give you something.'

'What?' he asks again, opening both his eyes now, as he sits up straighter. 'I told you we're not doing gifts.'

'Yeah, I know,' I say, getting more nervous now that I'm about to hand it to him. 'It's just a small thing. Here, just take it.'

I thrust him the postcard that he takes from me, still with a slightly wary look on his face. Then he looks at the card and smiles.

'That's very cute.'

I smile nervously in return. It's just a silly Christmas card of some penguins in Christmas hats decorating a Christmas tree with the help of a friendly polar bear.

Then he turns the card around to read my message.

'Dear Dan. Merry Christmas. I just wanted to give you this card to-'

'You don't have to read it out loud,' I say, feeling super self-conscious now. Read in your head like a normal person.'

He looks over to smirk at me, but then, thankfully, reads the rest of the cards in silence. But I'm not sure that's actually any better as I wait anxiously for him to finish the rest of the message, which reads: