Trimming the Tree
Gillian Foster loved decorating for Christmas, but this year was a little melancholy, decorating alone; not that she didn't usually decorate alone; her former husband usually had some reason for missing out on trimming the tree; but this year Gillian felt alone. This was an odd feeling because she'd been feeling pretty euphoric since her divorce--free and alive for the first time in years. She knew a lot of that had to do with Cal and Emily and the time they were spending together. It was like having the family she'd always wanted. That's when it hit her why she was feeling a little blue, Cal had taken Emily to see Zoe in Chicago and Gillian was feeling more alone without them than she ever had without Alex. Heaving a sigh, Gillian opened one of her boxes of ornaments and began to adorn the tree with them.
Gillian was half-way through decorating the tree when there was a knock at her door. She looked at her watch, "9:33, I wonder who that could be." She opened the door and saw Cal standing there.
"Cal, I thought you were in Chicago!" Gillian exclaimed.
"Been and back, love." Cal replied, "I wanted to get Em there and talk to Zoe about some things, but I wasn't about to get stuck there for Christmas! Can you imagine? Me, Zoe, Em, and Roger snowed in together? Why? Did you miss me?"
"Maybe . . . ." Gillian said. "I could use a hand trimming the tree."
Cal replied, "Not the lights, I hate putting on the lights, they get all tangled, then there's cursing, slammed doors, and electrocution, someone, usually me, gets electrocuted by those lights."
Gillian laughed and said, "You'll be happy to know it's a pre-lit tree! No tangles, cursing, or electrocutions, guaranteed!"
"Well, that's all right then. Let's get this tree decorated." Cal walked into the living room and began poking through the ornaments, many of them from Gillian's childhood.
"Let's hear all the stories, this one first." he said, picking up a felt ornament shaped like a reindeer with pipe cleaner antlers, googley eyes, and a round, red felt nose.
"I made that in the first grade," Gillian said snatching it from his fingers and hanging it in a place of high visibility on the tree. They spent the next hours hanging up decorations, sharing stories from childhood Christmases, favorite presents, and the truth about Santa—who it was agreed was obviously real.
"How about a cup of tea, love?" Cal said as he place the star at the top of the tree, and Gillian went to the kitchen to prepare some refreshing earl grey. Upon her return, she saw that Cal had something in his hand.
"What's that she asked, placing the tea tray on her cocktail table.
"It looks like another ornament," Cal said, handing her the box. Seeing the box up close, Gillian sucked in her breath, it was blue, Tiffany blue, but it was much too big to be the type of Tiffany box a girl wanted to be handed by the man she loves. Still, it was Tiffany blue and Cal was offering it to her like he was offering her his heart. She took it, gently opened it and released her breath as she saw that it was indeed a beautiful Crystal Christmas ornament.
"Cal, it's beautiful, you shouldn't have." She said to him, torn between gratitude and a wish that it had been a smaller, more ring sized box.
"Love, why don't you take it out and find a good place for it on the tree," Cal said.
Gillian gently grasped the silver chain attached to the crystal bulb and extracted the ornament from the box. It was clear cut crystal that seemed to have a message painted on it in silver and something dangling in the middle. Gillian held the bulb up to the light and tried to read the message, Marry me, love. A beautiful diamond ring glittered in the middle of the bulb.
She gasped and looked at him, "Cal!"
He took the ornament from her, removed the top to extract the ring and got down on one knee.
"You are the only thing I want or need this Christmas and every Christmas to come. I've spoken to Emily and Zoe, they're all for it. Please, make me the happiest man on earth, marry me love."
She saw the truth of his love and commitment in his eyes. She looked at him, at the ring, then she took the ornament turned and ran into her study.
Much to Cal's relief she was back an instant and with the ornament and said, "Let's put this on the tree." She handed him the ornament, which he looked at, inside dangling where the ring had once rested was a piece of paper inside that simply said, Yes.
From that Christmas on, as Gillian, Cal, and their family trimmed the tree, the ring would rest firmly on Gillian's left hand, and the ornament, note and all, would be put on the tree in a place of honor, as they retold the story of their very first tree-trimming.