Annihilate Me: Holiday Edition (20 page)

Out
of all the gifts we opened, there were three of note, beginning with Tank’s
major gift to Lisa.
 
It was a ring
from Cartier, and not just any ring.
 
From my time spent with Blackwell, I now knew a fair bit about jewelry
and because of that, I knew that what I was looking at when Lisa opened the box
must have cost him a fortune.
 

It
was a platinum ring set with a large, heart-shaped sapphire that was surrounded
by brilliant-cut diamonds that fanned out on five different layers, all falling
away from the stone.
 
When I saw it,
my reaction was the same as Lisa’s—my hand went to my mouth.

“Oh,
my,” Blackwell said.
 
“Well,
then.
 
So, we are serious, now
aren’t we, Tank?”

He
smiled at her.
 
“Very serious.”

“Wonderful,”
she said.
 
“Just wonderful.
 
I’m very happy for you, young man.
 
Now, let me see, Lisa.
 
Why do you look like you’re going to
faint?
 
Oh, my dear, snap out of it.
 
Look what Tank just gifted to you.
 
You can’t pass out on him now—get
it together.
 
That’s right.
 
Put it on.
 
And stop shaking.
 
Yes, kiss him if you must.
 
All right, kiss him all over if you need
to.
 
He deserves it.”
 
She turned to me with a bemused smile.
 
“As you would say, the ring is beyond
beyond, Jennifer.”

“It
certainly looks it.
 
Nicely done,
Tank.”

“Thank
you,” he said.
 

“Let
me see it,” I said to Lisa.

She
held out her hand to me.
 
“Can you
stand it?”

“I
can’t.
 
It’s amazing.
 
Congratulations!”

The
second gift that caused a stir was Alex’s gift to Tank.
 
It was a Rolex Yacht-Master II, and it
was as masculine as it was glorious, with a silver and rose-gold band, and a
beautiful blue accent that rounded the dial.
 
It was so large, it wouldn’t disappear
on Tank’s thick wrist.
 
And when he
put it on, I saw that I was right.
 

“I
don’t know what to say, Alex,” Tank said when turned his wrist and admired the
watch in the light.
 
“You shouldn’t
have done this.”

“I
did it for a reason,” Alex said.
 
“If you’re going to be my best man, I need you to be on time for the
wedding.
 
I can’t be standing at
that altar alone, buddy.
 
I’m going
to need you there.”

“Alex—”

“That’s
the reason, Tank. Now, there is no excuse if you’re late, OK?
 
Not that you would be anyway, but now
you’ll have no reason to be.
 
You
need to be there with me before Jennifer walks down the aisle.
 
Consider it a selfish gift.”

“You
and I both know better.
 
But I won’t
be late,” he said.
 
He looked down
at his watch again, and then he shook his head.
 
“This is too much.”

“No,
it isn’t.
 
Look what you’ve done for
us this year.
 
Let’s be straight
with one another.
 
Consider that a
small token of my gratitude for having you as a friend and as a colleague, and
for seeing us through a difficult time.”

“All
right,” Tank said.
 
“Thank you.
 
I’ve never received anything like this.”

“It’s
about time that you did,” Blackwell said.
 
“Let me see.
 
Look how
handsome it is, Tank.
 
It’s just
large enough.
 
And I love the
contrasts in colors, Alex.
 
Very
handsome.
 
Excellent choice.
 
Well done.”
 
She put the palm of her hand on Tank’s
cheek and said, “Just enjoy it.
 
OK?
 
Can you do that?
 
I know it’s not easy for you to accept
anything like this, but it came from Alex’s heart.
 
So don’t overthink it.
 
All right?”

“Sometimes
that’s difficult.”

“But
you’ll do it for Alex?
 
And I have a
feeling that you’ll cherish it.
 
Am
I right?”

“Yes,
ma’am.”

“Then
that’s that.”

While
the girls opened their gifts, even I had to gape when I saw that Blackwell had
bought them Birkins.
 

“Mom!”
Daniella said.
 
“These are
impossible to get.
 
How did you get
not one, but two?”

“I’m
you’re mother,” she said.
 
“I have
connections.
 
I’m Blackwell.
 
I can do anything.”

“Thank
you so much.
 
Oh.
 
My.
 
God.
 
And it’s the coveted
bright red Hermes Rouge Indian Matt Crocodile Palladium bag.
 
My friends are going to be so jeally.”

Seriously?
 
I thought.
 
Just jeally?
 
That’s a seventy-thousand-dollar bag.

“Mom,
I love it, and thank you for thinking of me,” Alexa said.
 
“Unlike Daniella, I couldn’t bear owning
a crocodile bag because the species is nearly extinct.
 
But if we could have a moment of silence
for the cow that died for my bag, I’d appreciate that.
 
I know that the cow in question was at
least used for its meat and its other parts, such as its hide, which means that
its death wasn’t in totally in vain.
 
You can see its life in this bag, which is beautiful.
 
But I need to be thankful for it before
I accept it.
 
Would you all please
take a moment and thank the cow for giving its life for this?.”

We
lowered our heads, and the moment was granted.

Other
gifts were opened.
 
People pulled
out dresses and sweaters, shoes and pajamas.
 
Blackwell blew me a kiss when she opened
the diamond and ruby necklace I’d purchased for her Harry Winston, and I blew
that kiss right back at her.
  
Alex received the limited-edition, mirrored Dior dress watch I bought
for him, which he held up for everyone to see.
 
Tank received the masculine-looking Breitling
watch Lisa bought for him, and he leaned over and kissed her on the lips when
he tried it on.
 

“Two
watches,” he said.

“You’re
so timely,” Daniella said.

The
last gift of the day was from Alex to me.
 

It
was a thin, rectangular box brightly wrapped in red with a festive silver
bow.
 
I knew at once that it was a
piece of jewelry.
 

“Alex,”
I said.

“I
love you,” he said.
 
“This is just a
token of my love.”

“What
was last night’s necklace?”

“Another
token.
 
Come on.
 
Open your gift.”

I
opened it and saw inside that a poem was written on vellum.
 
When I plucked it out, beneath it was a
box from Cartier.
 
I looked over at
him and he said, “Keep the poem to yourself.
 
That’s my private gift to you.”

“Private?”
Daniella said.

“Yes,
Daniella, private.
 
The other gift,
Jennifer can share with the room if she’d like.”
 
He looked at me.
 
“Read that and know that it’s just one
of the many ways that I feel about you.”

Sometimes,
as with the love letter he wrote to me, he could be unexpectedly romantic.
 
I read the poem to myself.

“I Love You”

By Ella Wheeler Wilcox

I love your lips when they're wet with wine

And red with a wild desire;

I love your eyes when the lovelight lies

Lit with a passionate fire.

I love your arms when the warm white flesh

Touches mine in a fond embrace;

I love your hair when the strands enmesh

Your kisses against my face.

Not for me the cold calm kiss

Of a virgin's bloodless love;

Not for me the saint's white bliss,

Nor the heart of a spotless dove.

But give me the love that so freely gives

And laughs at the whole world's blame,

With your body so young and warm in my arms,

It sets my heart aflame.

So kiss me sweet with your warm wet mouth,

Still fragrant with ruby wine,

And say with a fervor born of the South

That your body and soul are mine.

Clasp me close in your warm young arms,

While the pale stars shine above,

And we'll live our whole young lives away

In the joys of a living love.

“Oh,
Alex,” I said.
 
“It’s just
beautiful.
 
And it says so
much.”
 
I kissed him full on the
lips, and then I pressed my palm against the side of his face while I looked
him in the eyes.
 
“Thank you.
 
I love you, too.
 
More than you’ll ever know.
 
I’ll cherish this.”

“Let
us cherish it,” Daniella said.

I
didn’t look at her or respond to her.
 
Instead, I removed the box from Cartier, and safely put the poem between
Alex and me so Daniella wouldn’t be able to snatch it, which I wouldn’t put past
her if she thought she had the opportunity.
 

When
I opened the box, I unfolded layers of silver and gold tissue paper before I
came upon the most glorious pair of drop earrings made of yellow gold, canary
diamonds, white brilliant diamonds, and green sapphires.
 
They looked like a profusion of
wildflowers, each connected to the other by a single diamond before the
earrings ended in a glimmering star.
 
Unbelieving, I pulled them out and held them up to the light.
 
Lisa, Alexa and Daniella gasped while
Blackwell came forward and said, “Well, well.
 
Now those, my dear, are some earrings.”

“I
don’t know what to say,” I said.
 
“Look at the work involved, Barbara.
 
And the colors.
 
They’re so intricate.
 
And delicate.”
 
I reached for Alex’s hand and squeezed
it tightly in my own.
 
“Thank you
again.
 
I really don’t know what to
say.
 
First the necklace, then the
poem, and now these.
 
I’m floored.”

“Then
I succeeded.”

“To
say the least.
 
Thank you.”

“Merry
Christmas,” he said to me.
 
“The
first of many.”
 
And then he leaned over
and gave me what easily was his most meaningful kiss yet.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

When
it was time for dinner, all of us were suitably dressed when Blackwell came
into the living room at exactly one o’clock, as promised, and laid down the
law.

“It
appears that I have triumphed,” she said.
 

“Really?”
Daniella said.

“Seriously?”
Alexa said.

“That’s
right, girls.
 
And don’t sound so
surprised.
 
Because of the fat
contessa, we have our Christmas dinner.
 
I’ll let all of you be the judge of whether it’s a success.”

“If
the turkey is dry, dinner is going to be a bust,” Daniella said.

Blackwell
shot her daughter a look.
 
“I wonder
if I should send you to the School of Good Manners instead of graduate school?”

“I
was just joking!”

“Of
course you were.
 
Now, if you’d all
take your seats in the dining room, I’m prepared to bring out the bird and
serve the rest of the meal.”
 
She
looked at Tank.
 
“Would you do the
honor of carving the turkey?”