Enantiodromia

Ⓣhree Ⓨears Ⓛater

My ring sat on my finger, weighing it down. I fidgeted with the band of silver. It's Christmas and we decided to have the party at our house. It's a small party compared to our annual Thanksgiving party. Just Rupert's and my intermediate families.

We have already eaten the food that was brought and slaved over. And I was nervous. In just a few minutes we would open presents and that terrifies me. Rupert sat down beside me, right in front of the fireplace. Ruby and Ilene trailed quietly behind him, each one taking a seat in our laps. Ruby, while sitting in Rupert's lap, was playing with his hands.

"Mom, can you open yours first?" Rupert asked. She nodded her head and grabbed the present closest to her right side.

"Mom, your present is the same. You two should open them at the same time." I suggested, reaching my hand out and grabbing Rupert's. She looked shocked, but grabbed the present nonetheless.

Ruby and Ilene got up from our laps and walked over to the moms. They both tore at the wrapping paper, letting Ruby and Ilene pick some of the pieces. They got the present completely unwrapped and saw what it was. A photo album.

The photo album had a big "2016" on the front and included everything that happened in the past year.

The first page had one picture, one of Rupert and me. It was at the New Year's party for the 2016 year. We both had "2016" headbands with silver tinsel. Rupert had a noise maker sticking out of both of his ears, which was causing me to laugh. He was looking at me with a goofy smile on his face. The picture had been taken a few seconds before everyone welcomed the new year. When we were putting the photo album, Rupert said this was his favorite picture of us. We both look so happy (and in love), I couldn't help but agree.

The second page had 2 pictures. The picture on the top was one of Ruby and Ilene. They both had a huge smile on their faces. In their outstretched hands you could see they each held a tiny tooth. And each of them had one hand holding up a single note. I remember Joan called me to tell me that Ruby and Ilene insisted on leaving cookies for the tooth fairy. They begged and begged until eventually, Graham and Joan couldn't say no.

The picture on the bottom was a picture of them the next morning. The tooth fairy left them a note explaining how she preferred to eat carrots instead of cookies. And ever since then, to Ruby and Ilene, carrots are called "fairy wands".

The next page was a collage of pictures. The pictures were of Valentine's Day for Joan, Lorraine, Marcus, and me.

Graham took Joan to Disney World and had the hotel send her 200 roses on the morning of the 14th. The picture was of Joan holding the huge bundle of roses with presents scattered all around her feet. Tear stains were visible on her cheeks, her hair was pulled into a messy bun, and the robe that was wrapped around her had began to fall off her shoulder.

The one of Lorraine was a picture of her new boyfriend, Jeremy, and her in a kayak. Jeremy planned a whole day of hiking, kayaking, and picnics, which was perfect for Lorraine's active lifestyle. In the picture, Lorraine and Jeremy were wearing their swimsuits and life vests. You could see a small sunburn on their faces.

The picture of Marcus was him sitting on the couch with the Valentine's candy. He bought himself some candy and spent the day watching cheesy romance movies. Mom managed to sneak into his room and snag a picture of him.

The picture of Rupert and me was nothing too special. It was one of our bed, covered in a rose petal heart. I was still asleep in the bed and sitting beside me were roses, chocolate, and a jewelry box. Thinking back to the picture, I reached up and clasped my hand around the single diamond pendant.

The following page was of Rupert and Nemo. Rupert was covered in dirt and chasing after Nemo. Nemo was running ahead of him, the newly planted daisies in his mouth. Rupert swore up and down, that Nemo was done for.