The Drama With My Drama Teacher

Ruby Slippers

Ruby Slippers

"So, come on, open your presents!" I insist, releasing Gemma from our hug. She smiles at me excitedly, and begins to unwrap the large box in her lap.

She rips the paper off, and lifts the lid on the box. The smile on my face widens when I see she recognises it to be a shoebox. "What are these?" Gemma blurts out, and picks up one of the shoes from the box.

She gasps when she sees the scarlet red heel.

"Oh my God, Chelsea! No, I can't accept these!" Gemma wheezes, her eyes as wide as plates, but she immediately pulls the other shoe out of the box.

"You're going to have to accept them I'm afraid, I shredded the receipt" I lie, and I give her a wide grin. "Do you like them?!"

"I love them!" Gemma squeals, hugging them to her chest before reaching down to slip one on her foot. I'm delighted to find the shoes fit perfectly, even though I asked Chris for her shoe size.

Gemma puts the other one on, and instantly stands to her feet. She begins walking around the room, and spins around to look at me.

The shoes are four-inch heels, not quite tall enough to be uncomfortable, but classically elegant. They're a crisp white colour, with an intricate swirled pattern created by gemstones running from the toes to the heel.

They're strapless shoes, with the fabric around the heels cut into a waved pattern. I'm thrilled to see how shapely they make Gemma's legs look. I knew she'd love them.

"I thought you could wear them for the wedding! I know you haven't picked a dress yet, and when I saw the shoes they just screamed winter wedding" I explain, and Gemma sits back down on the sofa beside me.

"Chelsea, these are so wonderful" Gemma begins, her voice soft "I can't believe you did this for me"

"Like I said, you're my sister now. And you said before when your Mum gave your sister her old Christian Louboutin shoes you didn't speak to either of them six months" I begin "And we spent too long not speaking, so I'm hoping these will ensure that never happens again"

"I can't believe you remember that story. And I don't want that to happen either" Gemma says, and pulls me in for another hug, before pulling away and looking down at her shoes again. "They're so gorgeous"

"I'm glad you like them" I tell her, and she beams at me. I gesture to the bag again "There's actually something else in there for you"

"Oh, Chelsea. You really shouldn't have" Gemma frets, and I shrug, reaching into the bag to pull out the slender, flat box I didn't have time to wrap.

"This one I didn't buy" I explain, and for a second Gemma looks confused, until she opens the box.

She reaches in, and pulls out a long thin chain. Attached to the end of it, there's a stone that perfectly matches her engagement ring.

"It's stunning" Gemma whispers, putting the stone in the palm of her hand to inspect it closer "It matches my ring... How did you...?"

"It was my Mums" I inform her, and her eyes suddenly well up with tears "I knew your ring looked familiar to me, and I finally figured out why"

"I really can't accept this then" Gemma tells me, and tries to hand the necklace back to me, but I refuse her.

"No, I really want you to have it. You're a part of our family, and I know Chris bought the ring because it reminded him of this necklace. And you refused my Mother's engagement ring, and that meant so much to me; I wanted to show you just how much" I explain, playing with the very same engagement ring that I'm wearing on my right hand.