You're My Gift

I'VE LEARNED THAT Christmas Eve is the worst time to be shopping. It's amazing to see how many people are scrambling to buy some sort of gift to give to their loved ones. I always get my gifts in early October, so something like that seems stupid to me. I learned the lesson that it isn't wise to procrastinate the hard way back in high school. Now, in my final year of college, those years are far behind me.

But I've also learned that people often have good reasons for putting off their Christmas shopping. Though sometimes their lives are just too busy to pick something up beforehand, the main reason for the last minute shopping is the most cliché-sounding one of all. Two people taught me this last Christmas. They also retaught me that a thoughtful gift is always better than a good-looking store bought one.

* * * * *

I had known Aiden McDowell for several years before that Christmas. Both of us were in college to become lawyers, but at the time Aiden worked at Dunkin' Donuts. Aiden and I had met at the Dunkin' Donuts near the campus and had been working the same shifts since our sophomore year in college. He wasn't a particularly special person talent-wise. But he was a hard worker, and I had always admired him for that.

Aiden was one of the friendliest people in the entire world. He could strike up a conversation with anyone, and that was how we had become such good friends.

But even though he greeted each customer with a bright smile, that smile would grow even larger when his shift ended and he saw a man standing in front of the door.

I eventually learned that man was Nico Drewby, a rising basketball player. I also learned that Aiden and Nico had known each other since they were children and that the two of them had been dating since their senior year of high school. Though they loved each dearly, they had decided to not get married until after Aiden graduated from college.

However, as the Christmas season drew closer, I noticed that the smile grew smaller and smaller when Aiden laid his eyes upon his boyfriend.

What troubled me, even more, was that the same thing was happening with Nico. Guessing that the two of them were having some sort of argument, I asked Aiden if he wanted to study for a test in the library after our shift was over. He agreed, and after telling his boyfriend that he would see him later, we walked to the college's library.

Once arriving, we studied in silence for several minutes. A quick glance proved that we were alone in that part of the library. "Aiden," I started, "what's wrong?"

He raised his head up from the book that he was staring at. Though I hadn't noticed it before, he had dark circles underneath his green eyes. "What do you mean?" Aiden questioned, closing his black notebook.

"You and Nico seem upset about something." He stared at me with blank eyes. "Have the two of you fought lately?"

He shook his head. Aiden opened his notebook again and returned to studying. It wasn't until after our little study session was over that I would learn the reason for his missing smile.

* * * * *

As the lights of the library dimmed, and the librarian told the two of us that they were closing for the night, we made our way to the doors.

"I can't wait for Christmas," I said to Aiden as we exited into the frigid night air. "I love seeing people's faces when they open their presents. There's just something magical about it."

His smile turned to a frown. "I do too." Aiden agreed. "I guess that I would be excited about it too if I already had bought all my presents."

We stopped at the crosswalk. "You still haven't bought everything? I thought that you bought your presents when I did, in October."