Christmas Conundrum
Usagi sighed again, thumping the pause key on her laptop in frustration, finally exhausted of Michael Buble's "Home" blasting on repeat. There was simply no comforting her. She felt as if she were having the loneliest Christmas she'd ever experienced. Mamoru had been torn away from her, just a little over a week before the holidays, off on a business trip to Brazil, with no contact to hope for aside from an E-mail or two.
That was the worst part of the deal: not talking. She could deal with not seeing him; she had her parents and her girlfriends to keep her entertained, and Christmas was normally spent with her family either way. Sure, she would miss his company, but she could manage. Now, not talking at all for two weeks? That was a tough pill to swallow for a couple that was used to talking every minute of the day. Quick texts, loving phone calls, daily visits, little surprises; these were the things that Usagi and Mamoru flourished off of, and even on other business trips, Mamoru had always traveled places where Wifi was easily accessible and video chats got them through. Campina Grande, Paraiba, Brazil would be the death of Usagi. Small town, big investment for his company, and no Wifi hotspot within a thirty-mile radius of Mamoru equaled one very lonely and unromantic holiday season for Usagi.
"I'm here! I'll miss you, but time will fly by. Just think that when you're in your bed, trying to sleep but thinking of me, somewhere halfway around the world, you're on my mind, too. I love you, and I'll see you in two weeks!
Yours,
Mamoru"
And that was the last she'd heard of him, an E-mail 8 days old, sent from the airport he'd arrived at. Christmas was two days away, and she suddenly found herself wishing she'd been as thoughtful as he had, to give him something for him to open the morning of December 25. They'd exchanged gifts before he'd gone so they could see one another's reactions, and he'd read her card, but he'd made her leave his sealed, only to be opened on Christmas day; if only she'd thought of it.
She sighed again, pushing her computer aside, pulling the sheets up to her neck and shutting off the lamp on her nightstand. Another night with no idea where Mamo-chan was or what he was doing. Another night that she'd turn her back to her alarm clock blaring not only the time, but also the date, December 23, 11:39 PM, reminding her yet again that she'd be alone under the mistletoe in little more than a day.
Meanwhile, halfway around the world and little known to Usako in Tokyo, Mamoru was busy planning the Christmas of a lifetime for her. He was currently in the process of getting his present shipped; he'd given her a few before leaving, but this was the big one. He sighed, frustrated, but knowing that this gift absolutely had to get to her in order for her Christmas to be better than it would turn out otherwise. Squaring his shoulders, he walked on, ready to do whatever necessary to make sure that the love of his life would have a wonderful Christmas, regardless of the circumstances.
'Who the hell would be ringing my doorbell at 7 AM Christmas Eve morning?' Usagi thought to herself, pouting on her way towards the front door. She'd rolled out of bed after the incessant ringing woke her up, not even bothering to change out of her plaid pajamas.
"I swear, Minako and Rei, if this is one of you," she muttered to herself as she continued down the hallway of her apartment.
Taking a peek through her door's peephole, she could only manage what looked like a bunch of colors mixed together. She really needed to get that thing fixed. She unlocked the door and opened it with the chain still on, peeking through the crack.
"Yes? May I help you?" she asked, trying her best to sound friendly at this ungodly hour.
"Good morning miss! I have a flower delivery for a Miss Usagi Tsukino. Is this the right address?"
Usagi slammed the door shut quickly, throwing the chain off and pulling the door wide open, taking in the large bouquet of various exotic, colorful flowers the deliveryman was holding. She smiled, admiring the arrangement and wondering who could have sent them to her. Her parents? Maybe the girls, to make her feel better since Mamoru wasn't around.
"Uh, miss? Excuse me?" the man groaned, now noticeably struggling to hold up the large arrangement in his arms.
"Oh, my gosh!" Usagi exclaimed, coming into realization that the man was having a hard time. "I'm so sorry, here let me take them out of your hands," Usagi said, pulling the bouquet into her arms and scurrying over to her dining room table with it. She returned to the deliveryman, thanking him and wishing him a merry Christmas while handing him a tip. He gave her a strange look, but smiled.
"You have a merry Christmas, yourself, miss. Enjoy your flowers! I can tell they were arranged especially for you by someone who truly loves you."
Usagi blushed, wishing the man a good day and shutting her door as he walked away. She barreled over to the flowers, excited to read the card and who they could have possibly come from.
Upon opening the small, folded card, all she found on it was a ton of gibberish she could not read for the life of her in handwriting she'd never seen before. She stared at it perplexed for a few seconds, wondering if it was written in some kind of code or another language. It had no name she could recognize on it. She finally settled on it being another language and decided to try translating it, jumping on her laptop. She typed into the search box:
"Para a mulher mais bonita do mundo, em um dos dias mais bonitos do ano. Feliz Natal, Usagi!
Com amor,
Seu admirador secreto"
Usagi stared at the screen, reading the translation of what she'd just typed in:
"For the most beautiful woman in the world, on one of the most beautiful days of the year. Merry Christmas, Usagi!
With love,
Your Secret Admirer"
Usagi couldn't for the life of her understand what in the world was going on. The second the language detector on the translator had identified it as Portuguese Usagi had been excited, assuming Mamoru had sent it. But if it had been him, she would've recognized his handwriting. And signed, "Your Secret Admirer"? They had been together for years now. Clearly, Mamoru's admiration for her was no secret. Could it be a joke he was playing? But then how could he send her flowers? He was in Brazil, and these had come from a local floral shop here in Tokyo. Maybe one of the girls was playing a practical joke on her. She decided that had to be it.
"This has to be Rei's doing," she muttered to herself walking back to her room. Rei wanted to play a joke on her at 7 AM, mocking her lonely Christmas and waking her up? Two could play at that game, sister! Usagi reached for her cell phone on the nightstand in her room, giving Rei a call.
It went straight to voicemail, as if she'd been anticipating it!
Usagi left her a quick voicemail giving her a piece of her mind, then turned and looked towards the massive arrangement on the dining room table again. It really was beautiful, and the more Usagi looked at it, the harder it was to believe that Rei could have had such a lovely and expensive looking arrangement sent to her as simply a joke. But it simply couldn't be from Mamoru, and whom else could it be from?
Usagi decided not to trouble her mind over it anymore, crawling back under her covers. She closed her eyes, trying to think the flowers and the fact that it was Christmas Eve morning and Mamoru was half a world away out of existence.
Across town, Rei had just finished having breakfast with her grandpa and was retreating to her room. She turned on her phone, about to call Yuichiro when she realized she had a voicemail. She retrieved it, listening to Usagi go on and on about what a terrible friend Rei was for sending her fake flowers when she was all alone this Christmas season, and had to pull the phone away from her ear on various occasions, finally bringing it around to stare at it, still hearing the muffled sounds of Usagi's yelling. She raised an eyebrow, pushing "7" to delete the message, cutting off Usagi's rant, and shrugging her shoulders.
"Crazy woman," she muttered to herself as she dialed Yuichiro's number, rolling her eyes.
A few hours later, around 11:30 AM to be precise, Usagi awoke on her own, ready for the day. She was never much of a breakfast person, with the exception of Mamoru inviting her over to his place or taking her out for some, so she hopped in the shower. Her plans for the day consisted of lunch with the girls at 1 PM, and dinner at her parent's house at 7:30 PM that night. She quickly decided she'd use the few hours she had between the events to clean and organize things around the apartment, and get all the gifts she needed to take with her ready and packed into her car. As long as she kept herself busy, Usagi knew she wouldn't think too much about Mamoru and missing him.
She sighed to herself, walking out of the shower and opening up her laptop, checking her e-mail like she'd done every morning, every afternoon and every night since Mamoru had left.
Nothing. No surprise there.
Closing her laptop, Usagi focused on dressing herself in a cute outfit for her lunch date with her best friends. She decided on a cream lace tank top with a faded green cardigan, pairing it with simple skinny jeans and bright red patent leather flats. To accessorize, she tied some red and green ribbons around each of her odangos, and wore small Christmas tree earrings, and a red patent leather watch to match her shoes to top off the look. She was excited to see the rest of the girls dolled up as well, not to mention berate Rei publicly for that little flower trick she'd tried to pull.
The girls always got peculiar looks when they celebrated Christmas and Christmas Eve, as it wasn't a very popular holiday and reserved more for couples and romance in Japan. But Minako had taught them the Americanized tradition, and they had all adopted it, exchanging gifts, and convincing their families to play the part by having celebratory feasts. Ever since middle school, the girls had celebrated Christmas as the Americans would, and they and their families had grown to love the custom. Usagi smiled, looking forward to seeing the girls' reactions to their gifts.
Just as she was finishing putting all the things she needed into her silver purse, there was a knock on the door.
Usagi paused, raising an eyebrow, wondering if she was hearing things. She waited for another knock, which sure enough came. She glanced at her watch, 12:00 PM on the dot. Another knock came.
"This is turning out to be one strange morning," she muttered to herself, descending down the hallway in much the same fashion as she had that morning. This time when she looked through the peephole, she could make out a man, but no one she could recognize. Again, she opened the door a crack, chain lock on.
"Can I help you sir?" she asked kindly.
"Yes, good afternoon, miss! I have a package for a Miss Usagi Tsukino. Would you happen to be her?" he asked smiling back warmly.
"Uh, yes, that would be me," Usagi answered distractedly, thinking to herself how strange it was to be receiving another delivery. "Let me open the door," she said with a smile, closing the door to pull the chain off.
Usagi noticed the man was young and was holding a rectangular red velvet box in his hands when she opened the door. "I'll just need you to sign this form for me, Miss Tsukino, confirming you've received your package."
"Of course, that's no problem," she replied happily, taking the box the deliveryman had outstretched towards her, and signing the form with the pen he'd handed to her. She wished him a Merry Christmas, to which he responded with a peculiar look.
"Ah! You and your loved one must celebrate the American holiday! That would explain the timely delivery of such a romantic gift," the man said, seemingly more to himself but loudly enough for Usagi to hear everything. He then looked up at her and wiggled his eyebrows.
"Well in that case, Merry Christmas to you, too, Miss Tsukino. I'm sure you'll be having a wonderful one!" he called to her as he began walking back towards the elevator.
Usagi was flabbergasted and didn't even know how to respond to the young man's comments, only blushing, mouth agape. She finally retreated into her apartment, still blushing, and now concerned about the box in her hands. She glanced up at the arrangement of flowers on the dining room table, now staring at her incriminatingly. What in the world was going on with these mystery gifts from this mystery sender?
She finally settled into a chair at the table and opened the box. Inside was a small card, folded just like the one from the flowers. She opened it quickly, realized it was another load of things she couldn't read, and ran over to her room to translate it again:
"Os melhores doces do mundo, para a garota mais doce do mundo.
Dica: Eu não estou longe de você, e você vai descobrir quem eu sou hoje na noite.
Todo o meu amor,
Seu admirador secreto"
Well, what she was reading on the translator settled it. It certainly couldn't be Mamoru, and if this really was one of her girlfriends, she'd be appalled to find out how cruel they could be and how much money they were willing to spend just to laugh at her. Maybe it was her Papa! That would make sense with the clue she'd been given:
"The best sweets in the world, for the sweetest girl in the world.
Hint: I'm not far from you, and you'll find out who I am tonight.
All my love,
Your Secret Admirer"
It was her Papa. That's it. She'd settled on it. In order to make her feel better about her boyfriend being out of town and gone for the holidays, her Papa, the first man in her life, had sent her flowers and chocolates to bring her happiness since she would be spending the holiday alone. It was sweet of him. She smiled, thinking she had the best dad in the world and would thank him that night. Although maybe, she should call him now…
Almost as if on cue, her home phone began ringing. She hustled over and answered.
"Usagi, you are seriously telling me you're STILL in your apartment and we're meeting in forty minutes? GET YOUR BUTT OUT OF THE HOUSE!"
Usagi held the phone away from her ear as Rei screeched into it, then simply stuck her tongue out and hung up. Very much like a young lady in her early twenties. She put the phone down on its receiver and ran to her room, grabbing her purse, which had been forgotten after the peculiar delivery; speaking of which, Usagi was yet to find out about.
She ran back over to the dining room table to have a peek inside the box. Between the lid and whatever it's contents were was a thin sheet of foam emblazoned with what appeared to be a logo that read "Maria Brigadeiro". Again with the words she couldn't understand, but she didn't have time to look it up online now. She lifted the sheet, eyes widening and mouth watering at what she beheld. Or was it her eyes watering and her mouth widening? She was too overrun by the emotions to tell. She figured Makoto would know more about these, so she scooped up the box and headed out her door.
Twenty-five minutes later and ten minutes early for once in her life, Usagi arrived at Oishī Squisitezza, Motoki and Makoto's joint Italian-Japanese fusion restaurant. The two had gone together on the business deal, much to Minako and everyone else's approval, after both had finished culinary school; Motoki had focused on mastering Japanese cuisine, while Makoto had studied international cuisine, of which Italian was her favorite. The restaurant was coming up on its fifth anniversary and had been very successful since opening, to everyone's delight. Not to mention the benefits of owner hook-ups, which meant free meals for everyone in the gang!
Usagi walked in, arms full of gifts, peering around for her group of friends. It was lunchtime on a weekday, so the restaurant was a little hectic, filled with customers on their lunch breaks from work.
"Oh, Usagi! Over here!" Minako-chan called in a singsong voice, waving her left hand around in the air as had become her tendency since Motoki's proposal, about five months back; it was like the girl never got tired of showing off her ring.
Usagi made her way over to the table, careful that none of her gifts should teeter over.
"Here, Usa, let me help you with those," Ami-chan offered, standing up to give her friend a hand.
"Gee, thanks, Ami. If only our other friends could be so kind as to help me while I'm struggling with THEIR presents," Usagi spewed sarcastically, rolling her eyes.
"Oh, relax, Usa. As if you honestly had that much to carry," Rei said snidely. "And WHAT, would you mind telling me, was that crazy voicemail you left me this morning all about, hm?" she asked, leaning forward to give Usagi a hug.
Usagi rolled her eyes, waving a hand. "You don't even want to know. I'll get into it with all of you once Mako-chan has sat down," she replied while hugging both Minako and Ami after putting the gifts down by their table.
"And what's new with you, Miss Bride-to-Be?" Usagi asked her almost-veritable twin.
Minako smiled. "You won't be calling me Miss for very long! I found a cake this week. Motoki, of course, could care less about the design. His main concern is the flavor and filling," she said with a laugh as she rolled her eyes.
"Yes, Minako, we all know you're just JAZZED to be Mrs. Furuhata."
"Rei! Don't be mean, she's supposed to be excited," Usagi chastised her.
"It's okay, Usa, I know Rei's just being sensitive because her beloved YUUUUI is off touring North America and shows no signs of tying down to her," Minako answered mockingly, sticking her tongue out at the raven-haired girl beside her.
"Guys, please calm down before you break into a fight in the middle of our restaurant," Makoto interrupted, walking up to the table with Motoki beside her.
"Hey, Mako!" Usagi exclaimed, jumping up to hug her friend. She then greeted Motoki beside her, as did the others, Minako placing her hand in the crook of Motoki's arm as she stood next to him.
"Alright," Motoki turned, facing the girls, "Now give me all my presents so I can be out of your hair and back in my kitchen," he said, rubbing his hands together and grinning widely.
The girls all laughed at his antics but handed over their gifts obligingly, and he opened them one by one: a recipe book he'd really been wanting from Makoto, a gift card to Restaurant Depot from Ami, a "Game Over" t-shirt depicting a groom attached to a bride with a ball and chain from Rei, and a special edition issue of one of his favorite manga from who else but Usagi? Along with other gifts she was saving for the next day, Minako gave him a custom made apron that read, 'My kitchen is hot, but my wife is hotter!' which got a laugh out of everyone. After doling out many thanks, hugs and kisses, Motoki made his way back to the kitchen to leave the girls to their quality time.
"So," Makoto asked with a smile once the girls had all settled back into their chairs, "what comes first? Talking, food, or presents?"
"Presents!" the girls all exclaimed simultaneously, which caused them to burst out giggling.
The five best friends exchanged gifts for the next few minutes. Usagi had gotten special items personalized specifically for each of the girls: a personalized bamboo cutting board that said, 'Chopping Faster than a Lightning Bolt Strikes!' for Mako; a beautiful silver picture frame with hearts that said, 'Even a Goddess of Love Needs Her Own Match!" for Mina, with a beautiful picture of her and Motoki already in place; a silver ofuda that read, 'A Fiery Spirit Makes for a Passionate Woman,' for Rei; and a silver stethoscope that said, 'A Doctor's Heart: ¼ Passion, ¾ Compassion," for Ami. Usagi was happy to see that all the girls had loved their gifts, swooning over the personalization and engravings.
As for her gifts, she had received a beautiful, engraved snow-globe from Minako that had a couple looking up at the Moon inside of it and said "Usagi & Mamoru" with their anniversary date on it. Rei had given her a gorgeous porcelain hand-painted bunny figurine for her collection. Makoto had gotten her an ice cream maker, which Usagi had been totally jazzed about, and Ami got her a delicate lace handkerchief, which she had had embroidered with an image of Usagi and Mamoru in shades of pastel, surrounded by red roses and the initials "UM". Usagi had loved all of her gifts, and she'd about died when Ami mentioned she intended the handkerchief for Usagi to use on her wedding day; it was a beautiful and thoughtful gift, but Usa didn't know when she'd be using it, since Mamoru was yet to pop the question.
As the rest of the girls continued to marvel at the other presents they'd received from each other, Usagi remember the box she'd received earlier from the deliveryman.
"Sorry to cut it short, girls," Usagi interrupted, gaining the others' attention, "but present time is over, because I have some serious talking to do with you all about thee strangest thing."
"Tell me this has something to do with your bizarre-o message from this morning," Rei said, sitting up and leaning forward, ready to hear whatever juicy thing Usagi was about to spill.
"Everything to do with it," she replied, a worried expression beginning to cross her face.
"What's the matter, Usa?" Ami asked.
"Yeah, tell us what's going on," Mako urged her.
"Ok, well you guys know how Mamoru's out of town for this Christmas, and how I've been bummed out about the whole thing," she began explaining as the girls all nodded in understanding. "Well, the strangest thing happened this morning. These beautiful flowers were delivered to me at 7 AM today and-"
"Oh, gosh, what an ungodly hour," Mina-chan interrupted.
Rei rolled her eyes. "No wonder you sounded so pissed in that voicemail. The delivery must've woken you up."
"Yeah, tell me about it," Usagi deadpanned. "So anyways, I got all excited wondering who the flowers could be from, and when I open the card that came with them, it's all in a foreign language, no name on it or anything."
"Well that's strange," Makoto interjected.
"Yeah, not even the weirdest bit yet, though. So I look up what's written in the card on a translator, and it says 'The most beautiful flowers in the world for the most beautiful girl in the world.'"
The girls interrupted her, all cooing 'aws'.
"Oh, hush, you girls will never let me get through this! So the translator tells me that it's written in Portuguese, which automatically made me excited thinking Mamoru had sent them. But when I take a good look at the sending address, they'd come from a local flower shop right here in town. So then I type in what the card had been signed with, and it comes back saying, 'Your Secret Admirer,'" Usagi finally finished.
"What?" Rei exclaimed, surprised.
"Exactly," she replied, shrugging her shoulders.
"Wait, wait, wait," Mina said, throwing her hands out in front of her. "So clearly, these aren't from Mamoru if they were mailed from Tokyo today. And this isn't some cruel joke you're playing, Rei?"
Everyone turned towards the raven-haired hothead.
"Guys! Come on! I can't believe you guys could even think so little of me as to be that nasty!"
The girls all snickered.
"Don't worry, Rei, I stopped suspecting you as soon as the second package came in," Usagi added slyly.
"WHAT?" all the girls exclaimed simultaneously.
"Did you say 'second package'?" Mako asked in disbelief.
"Yup, and I actually brought it with me, because I think it's something you might know more about, Mako. You see, it came in this red velvet box, and again, another card signed 'Your Secret Admirer' came with it, but this time, it said 'The best sweets in the world for the sweetest girl in the world.'"
"Okay, now this is getting borderline creepy," Rei leaned forward, scrunching up her nose.
"If you think that's creepy, then the 'hint' this admirer gave me will have you convinced I should call the authorities."
"What did it say, Usa?" Ami said, finally speaking up.
"The admirer said he's not far from me, and that I'm going to find out who he is by tonight. I don't know what to think, girls. I've been telling myself it's my dad, because I don't even want to think that it could be anyone else. I would be totally creeped out, not to mention that I'd outright have to reject the guy. Isn't everyone in the universe aware that Mamoru and I are together? It's been over four years!"
"Let me see this package you're talking about, Usa," Makoto asked, holding her hands out to reach for the box.
Usagi placed the red velvet box in Makoto's hands. As Mako took off the cover and exposed the foam that was covered in the logo, her eyes widened. She quickly lifted the foam and tore off some tissue paper in the way, ogling the contents.
"Oh... My… Gosh…"
"What? What is it!" Rei demanded, curious.
"Yeah, Mako, tell the rest of us what's so exciting," Minako asked, looking towards the brunette.
All of a sudden, the tall beauty rocketed out of her seat. "I HAVE TO GET MOTOKI FOR THIS!" she exclaimed, running towards the kitchen, and not without drawing the attention and strange glances of a few customers.
The remaining girls all stared at each other confusedly across the table before Makoto had returned a few seconds later, Motoki in tow.
"Just look at them, Toki!" she exclaimed, holding the box of what now appeared to be bon-bons up to Motoki's nose.
"All right there, skipper, bring it down a notch," Motoki told her, bringing the box down to where he could actually see what was in it.
He smiled. "Brigadeiros. I almost don't believe my eyes."
"Briga-what?" Usa, Mina and Rei all so eloquently chimed in.
"It's pronounced 'bree-gah-day-rows'. These little balls of deliciousness are a Brazilian delicacy. Well, a delicacy everywhere else in the world, anyways. They're a traditional dessert of the country, and probably one of the greatest sweets you could ever have!" Makoto explained.
Usagi drooled.
"What exactly are they made of?" Ami asked, curious about the truffle-like sweets.
"Hm…" Motoki responded, peering at the contents of the box. "To be honest Ami, I'm not really sure. Brigadeiros are traditionally made from butter, condensed milk and chocolate, cooked until the mixture thickens, then left to sit until the chocolate is the right texture, and cool enough to hand-roll it into these little balls. There's two of each kind, so that's 6 different flavors to sample. This one here appears to be coconut, and this over here is obviously chocolate, but other than that, I'm not sure what could be in them," he said, handing the box back to Usagi.
"Did you geniuses check if there's a guide printed on the lid of the box?" Rei deadpanned, holding up the lid and pointing to the flavor guide printed on the underside.
The group collectively sweat-dropped.
"Eh, didn't see that there, ehehehe…"
"Of course you didn't, Usagi. Now can we try these delicious looking things or what?" Rei demanded.
"NO WAY! THOSE ARE MY SUPER SPECIAL BRAZILIAN CHOCOLATES!" Usagi yelled, snatching the lid from Rei's hand.
"If it wasn't for me, you would've never figured out the flavors on your own you ditz! Now give me a chocolate!"
Rei leaned across the table and began attempting to pull the box from Usagi's hands. Usagi tugged back, and eventually they were so lost in the scuffle that Motoki and Makoto were able to grab a hold of the box before it could fall and spill its contents on the floor, ruining their first and likely last opportunity to try this specialty the way it was supposed to be made.
Makoto nodded her head towards Minako, who did the same to Ami. Next thing Usagi and Rei knew, they were being pulled back into their seats by the others, who'd grabbed each by their foreheads.
"Now, now children, no need to fight," Makoto addressed the two girls scathingly. "Usagi, if it's okay with you, maybe we could just cut the second brigadeiro of each flavor in halves or quarters? Then everyone could try the flavors they wanted, and you would still have one of each for yourself."
"Good idea, Mako! That seems fair, don't ya think, Usa?" Mina-chan chimed in.
Usagi pouted, still the fatty she always was, but nodded. "Yeah, you guys go ahead and try whatever you'd like!" she said with a smile.
The girls all smiled, and Mako-chan began cutting the sweets into small pieces for sharing. The flavors included traditional chocolate, white chocolate crunch, dulce de leche and coconut, honey, peanut butter, and one flavor for Motoki and Makoto's finer pallets, the perfect marriage of Brazilian and Japanese culture: chocolate infused with wasabi. Everyone tasted the desserts enthusiastically.
"Oh my gosh, honey, you've got to figure out how to make these," Mina exclaimed, delighted at the flavor of the white chocolate sweet.
As Mako chewed on the wasabi and chocolate dessert, she turned towards the box, snatching up the foam that was printed with a logo. "That's it! I'm calling this Maria Brigadeiro person and getting the recipe and directions to make these, stat."
Foam in hand, she marched off towards the kitchen resolutely.
The girls all stared at her retreating form until Minako again turned to Motoki.
"Dear, could you please go back there and remind her that she's having lunch with us? Why don't you call that place for her instead?" she batted her eyelashes at her future husband, one of the usual charms she used on him.
Motoki smiled at her. "Of course, sweetheart," he responded, than turned to Usagi. "Thanks for letting me try your sweets, Usa. Where did you get those, anyway?"
Usagi's eyes widened. She couldn't say she didn't know; Motoki was Mamo-chan's best friend and she didn't want him to know about any of this until she told him herself.
"They're…from my dad! Papa sent them to me this morning," she quickly replied.
"Aw, isn't that sweet of him," he answered with a smile. "Alright then girls, I'll see you all later. I'll send Mako back out here in just a minute." With a wink, he turned towards the kitchen.
"Nice save, Meatball Head," Rei muttered.
"Usagi-chan, you've got to figure out who these are from. I could tell by your voice that you're not even close to convinced that your father sent you these," Ami said, worry evident in her voice.
Usagi started shaking her head. "I don't even want to think about it. It has to be him, right? I mean who else could be sending me these expensive-looking gifts? No one has a crush on me or anything. I've been off the market for years! Who could like me?"
"I wonder that about you all the time, Meatball Head."
"Rei, I SWEAR-"
Just then Usagi was cut off by her ringtone. She reached into her purse and pulled her cell phone out, the screen reading 'Unknown'.
'Strange…' Usagi thought to herself as she answered.
"Hello?"
"Us-gig it- Ma-run!"
"Hello? Who's this? The connection is bad, you're cutting out."
"H-ld o-" the line continued cutting out, then suddenly the static quieted. "Usagi? Can you hear me now?"
"MAMO-CHAN? Oh my gosh, honey! It's so good to hear you!" Usagi shot up from her seat at the table and began walking out of the restaurant. "How are you? I've missed you so much, Mamo-chan!"
She heard him chuckle and couldn't help but smile; she'd missed the sound.
"I'm doing great, Usako. I miss you a lot, too. How've you been the past few days?"
"Eight, to be exact, mister! I've been keeping busy to try and keep my mind off of you and missing you! I'm actually at Christmas Eve lunch with the girls right now, and I'm having dinner with my parents later tonight. What about you, love? How's business in Brazil?"
"Business is booming, baby! I'm actually at the airport, which is why the connection was bad and why I'm calling so late. The company moved me out to another town by where I was called João Pessõa, which is the capital of this state. Things are looking good for this deal, Usa. I'm really excited. This could mean a huge bonus for me when I get home!"
"That's great news, honey! I'm glad you're enjoying your work," she paused a moment, then charged into what she really wanted to talk about. "So, tell me, when are you going to be coming home to me again?"
She heard a long pause on the other end as Mamoru drew in a deep breath. She bit her lip. Bad news.
"Well, Usako, there's a slight problem. You know I'd planned on being home next week, so we could ring in the New Year together. The problem is, I spoke to corporate this morning, and they're so pleased with how well the business is in the pre-planning phase that they want me to stay an extra week and oversee the start of the project during the first week of January."
Usagi let out the breath she'd been holding in. "Oh," was all she managed.
"I'm so sorry, Usako! I know you're disappointed, and that you really wanted us to have New Years," he paused, than inhaled sharply. "I do, too. I'll call corporate tomorrow, I'll ask them to have someone else oversee the project. I don't even need the bonus right now, we're fine without it. I'll be there sweetheart, don't worry."
She sighed. She knew he wanted this bonus, because more than that it could lead to the promotion he'd been holding out for as the Senior Vice President of his department, the position he'd wanted since starting to work for the company six years ago. This could be his big shot, and she couldn't be so selfish as to screw it up for him over a silly holiday that would come again next year.
"No," she said plainly.
"What?" he asked, incredulous.
"No, Mamo-chan, I want you to stay. This is an amazing opportunity for you! You might not need the money, but this could be your chance to get Senior VP! I know you've been wanting this for years, and I won't have you miss it for silly New Year's celebrations."
"Usako-"
"Ah-ah-ah, I don't want to hear it. Besides, we can just celebrate twice as hard when you get home with that promotion and your new title!"
Mamoru could hear the smile in her voice, making him smile, too. "Have I told you that you're the greatest girlfriend on God's green earth?"
"Not recently, no, keep talking," she said with a giggle as Mamoru laughed on the other end.
The lovers chatted for a few more minutes, Mamoru promising that he would try to buy another calling card or go to the airport again the next day to wish her a merry Christmas via Skype. Usa agreed and they exchanged a longing "miss you" and "love you" before saying goodbye.
Usagi sighed as she hung up the phone. She was disappointed he'd miss New Years' and disappointed because now she was certain he wasn't her "Secret Admirer" after all. Mamoru was notorious for being a terrible liar, and if he had been sending those gifts, he would have goofed it up and hinted at it or said it somehow. She had plenty of time to think about how horrible the rest of the holiday season would be without him; right now, she had to figure out who this mystery admirer was before she was caught off-guard tonight.
Usagi went back into the restaurant and the girls further discussed the issue, tossing around a few suspects, none of which were conclusive. Eventually, they moved on to another topic and spent a few hours laughing and basking in each other's company over some delicious food, Usa putting the "secret admirer" dilemma on the back burner, but the whole thing still looming in her mind. The ladies split up and went their separate ways around 4 o'clock that afternoon, and Usagi headed home to finish wrapping her parents' gifts and to get ready for dinner with her family. She busied herself tidying the apartment, managed to bake some cookies and make punch without burning the apartment building down, then showered, all the while settling in her mind that it had to be her papa. Who else could it possibly be, after all? And the "Secret Admirer" hadn't said anything her papa wouldn't; he'd called her sweet and beautiful, both of which her dad had called Usagi her whole life. It was Papa, and she had settled on it.
Usagi had slipped on a red strapless dress, made of comfy jersey that flowed to her knees, and fastened a gray skinny belt with a silver sequin bow on it around her waist. She was just pulling on her gray leopard print heels when she heard a knock on the door.
"This cannot be possible," she muttered, grabbing her earrings and slipping them on as she marched down the hallway yet again.
"Package for Usagi Tsukino," she heard a man yell through the door, his voice slightly muffled. She double-checked through the peephole before opening her door.
"Miss Tsukino?" the deliveryman asked, holding out a slim, rectangular, white box with a big red bow tied around it.
"That would be me," she replied with a tight grin.
"Got this for ya, if you'd just sign right here," he asked, handing her a clipboard with a form and a pen. She signed and handed it back over as he surrendered the package.
"Have a good evening," the young man said, turning to head down the hall.
She looked up from examining the gift in her hands. "You too! And Merry Christmas!" she called down the hall before shutting the door with her foot, heading to the table to inspect yet another gift. She smiled. Her dad had really outdone himself. At least he'd certainly done a good job keeping her distracted from being too sad today.
She pulled on one of the ends of the red ribbon that was tied in the beautiful bow atop the box, and it quickly came undone. She made a mental note to figure out later how to make such perfect bows on her own.
As she pulled the lid off of the box, she gasped, dropped the lid, and turned beet red. Judging by this gift, her Secret Admirer couldn't possibly be her dad at all. Usagi reached in, pulling the skimpy bathing suit up by its strings. Usagi wondered just how much the thing was supposed to cover. Her father would never send this, and neither would Mamoru, for that matter. She was dealing with a hentai, now.
She quickly located and then snatched up the card inside the box, stomping down the hall to her laptop yet again. This gift had made her angry, not only because of how inappropriate it was, but mostly because now it had completely thrown her off the trail again!
"Espero que você não acha que este dom é de mau gosto. É apenas o suficiente para trazer para fora o pouco de 'sex appeal' escondido atrás de seu comportamento doce.
Dica:Não há realmente nenhum uso em adivinhação.Vejo você em breve!
Beijos,
Seu admirador secreto"
Usagi didn't even know how to feel when it came to this gift. She made her way back to the dining room table, picking up the string bikini again. It was pale pink, with a pattern of small white daisies, and all the strings were white as well. There were also daisy appliqués at the top of each triangle for the top piece, and at each of the sides on the bottom piece, which thankfully wasn't a thong as she had originally feared. She had to admit it was pretty; it just looked so… tiny. She held the top up to her chest, examining just how much the triangles covered. Hm… She thought about the note.
"I hope you don't find this gift in poor taste. It's just enough to bring out the little sex appeal hidden behind your sweet demeanor.
Hint: There's really no use in guessing. I'll see you soon!
Kisses,
Your Secret Admirer"
Well, the guy had one thing right. She had been cracking her noggin all day trying to figure out who this secret admirer was, and the only thing she was sure of now was that it wasn't Mamoru, and it certainly wasn't her dad, and it simply wasn't anyone plausible, because each and every person that had occurred to any one of the girls had been crossed off the list.
She shook her head and looked at the time, tossing the bikini back into its' box and returning to her room to finish up her hair and makeup. For the time being, she had to put all the strange occurrences of the day out of her head. She had dinner with her family, and unless her secret admirer was by some creepy twist of the fates her little brother, she doubted she'd encounter the man at her parents' home. She was going to be late and they were going to be pissy!
When Usagi arrived at her parents' home, her mother ushered her in before she'd even gotten the chance to ring the doorbell.
"Always late, Usagi! We've been waiting for you for half an hour now," Ikuko chastised her daughter, taking some of the things she was carrying out of Usa's hands to help.
"Sorry, Mama! I was baking and cleaning up, finishing with the gifts… It all took longer than I expected, and then these packages kept coming. Ugh!"
As they set all Usa's belongings down on the island in the kitchen, Ikuko began to sort out what belonged on the dinner table and what to move into the living room. She hustled about, moving gifts under the tree and desserts onto the coffee table in the next room, then returning for the punch to place it in the dining room.
"Packages? You'll have to tell us over dinner, Usa. Did you hear from Mamoru, yet, dear? I know you've been so anxious."
Usagi perked up a little at the mention of Mamoru's name, then slouched again remembering she had bad news to deliver.
"Well, he called from the airport earlier today, and-"
"Oh, will Mamoru-san be coming home early then, Usagi-chan," her dad interrupted, coming up behind his daughter's bar stool, placing a hand on each of her shoulders and kissing the top of her head.
She turned and smiled at him, grabbing a hold of the hand he had placed on her right shoulder with her left hand.
"Hi, Papa. I wish that were true, but it turns out his project is going so well, the company moved him to the capital of the state he's in, and asked him to oversee the start of his project until the first week of January," she explained with a sigh, shoulders slumping further.
He squeezed where his hand was still on her left shoulder, and squeezed the hand he held. "Now, now then, Usa, I'm sure you understand, and I'm sure he wishes he could be with you! But he has to work very hard to provide for you in the future, you know that!"
She gave her father a small smile. "I know. And after this, he's expecting he'll get that big promotion he's been wanting since before we even started dating!"
Ikuko turned and smiled just as she re-entered the room. "Senior VP? Sounds like a dream come true for him!"
Usagi nodded, proud of Mamoru's accomplishment despite the sadness it brought this time of the year. She was happy he was getting his wish and she would support him no matter what!
"Can we cut this mushy mumbo-jumbo and eat? I want my presents. You know, Mom and Dad never let me down, but every year I'm worried about what you'll bring to the table, Usa," Shingo chimed in as he descended the stairs and entered the kitchen, tugging on one of Usagi's odangos.
She turned to glare at her younger brother. "You know, you're in college now, Shingo. Don't you think it's about time to start acting your age?"
He smiled and ruffled the top of her hair affectionately.
"Monkey see, monkey do, ne, Usagi?" he said over his shoulder, walking into the dining room.
He was growing up, and Usa had to admit she didn't like it one bit. At least he was still his obnoxious self, and that would never change.
"Usagi! Kenji! The table is set. Dinner is ready!" Ikuko called from the next room. Usa and her dad walked over and took their places at the table, Kenji at the head, Usa at his left. Ikuko sat at his right hand, and the seat next to her usually occupied by Shingo was empty. Instead, he sat at Usagi's side, and she smiled, knowing he'd done it as for her not to miss that seat's usual occupant as much.
Kenji lead the family in grace for the meal and they began to eat, delighting in Usa's punch and all of Ikuko's savory dishes, from the traditional Christmas ham to some turkey, with all the American fixings of gravy, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and more. They chit-chatted about life, about Kenji's work on the magazine's latest issue at the office, Ikuko's newest interest in genres of literature, Shingo's classes at the university. They talked some about Usa's job as an ultrasound tech at an OB/GYN office, about one of her patients who had visited recently with her new baby boy… All of it reminded Usagi about Mamoru. These were the things he loved to talk about with her family when they were all gathered. She tried not to miss him too much through the laughs.
Once dinner was finished, the family moved into the living room to open gifts. Usa had gotten Kenji a fountain pen he'd been wanting since last year's Christmas for his collection, purchased her mother a new stand-up mixer to replace her handheld one, in Ikuko's favorite color, red, and bought Sammy the latest version of Call of Duty, called Modern Warfare 3. Each of them had been extremely excited about their gifts, and Usagi smiled as she sipped her punch and nibbled on one of her cookies, pleased with her performance as Santa this holiday season.
They watched Shingo playing the new video game for a while, as Usagi had insisted in seeing Shingo and the game in action. After a while, he paused the game so that his sister could open her presents, too. Just as Usa was gathering the gifts she'd gotten to open them herself, her mother perked up.
"Usa, I just realized, we never talked about these packages you brought up in the kitchen. What were those all about, hm?" Ikuko asked her daughter, a bright smile plastered on her face.
Usagi's expression faltered. She'd managed to forget about that whole thing for a minute there.
"Oh…. Yeah, those… Well, the thing is-"
Usagi was interrupted by a knock at the door.
Kenji turned to look at the door, exchanging glances with his wife and children before he stood up to get it.
"Strange, we aren't expecting anyone else tonight," he mumbled as he walked towards the door. He glanced at his wrist watch, which read 10:30 PM. "And at this hour…" he continued to muse.
He reached the door and twisted the knob, only to be greeted by… Ami-chan, Rei-chan, Mako-chan and Minako-chan, Motoki-san in tow at her side. He smiled at all of his daughter's closest friends.
"Good evening, everyone," he said to them, happy to see they had all come to his house. Even though this was a family event, the girls had all become like daughters to him, and he knew that Usagi looked up to Motoki as if he were an older brother as well.
"Good evening, Tsukino-sama," they all greeted in a chorus.
"And Merry Christmas!" Minako chimed in.
He laughed and held the door open wide, stepping aside.
"Well, what are you all waiting for, then? Come on in! Merry Christmas! Usagi-chan was just about to start opening her presents. And how many times must I tell you all to call me Kenji, please!"
The girls and Motoki all laughed as they made their way into the living room.
"Hi, Usagi," Rei called out, greeting her best friend as she and the others walked into the room.
"Surprise!" Mako-chan called out as the others laughed.
Usa smiled at all of her friends. "Guys, what are you all doing here? What a nice surprise for me," she said, then paused. "Alright, what is it that all of you actually want," she added, her expression turning serious.
"USAGI-CHAN!" Ikuko yelled. "That is not how I raised my daughter! How rude and impolite of you to speak that way to your friends!"
Usagi's jaw dropped. "But, Mama-"
Ikuko silenced her daughter with a stare, and just as quickly stood from her seat to usher the group of twenty-somethings into the room. "Come on then, everyone, please, have a seat! I apologize for my daughters' insolent behavior! Usagi, perhaps you would like to serve your friends some of the desserts you made."
"Oh, no thank you, Mrs. Tsukino. We all had dinner at our homes and are stuffed," Ami responded for the group.
"Yeah, and with Usa's cooking, we'd all like to live to see tomorrow, too," Rei mumbled under her breath.
Usagi kicked Rei's shin as she walked by the couch the girls had sat on, causing Rei to let out a yelp, which Minako muffled with her hand.
"You deserved that one, Rei-chan," Mina muttered to her friend. "I'll gladly take a cookie, Usagi-chan," she then told her fellow blond with a smile.
Motoki had also gone ahead and served himself some of Usagi's punch.
"Usa-chan, this stuff is delicious!"
She blushed at the chef's compliment. "Thanks onii-san! It's Candy Cane Punch."
After some more chit-chat about the recipe and more conversation of the same nature with the others, Usagi finally sat down to open her gifts. Shingo had gotten her a brand new laptop sleeve that was neon pink, with white, fluffy bunnies all over it in a pattern. Ikuko had bought her a beautiful chiffon dress in powder blue, with delicate tulle flowers adorning its' one shoulder.
"That's for you to wear to Minako-chan's rehearsal dinner! Or perhaps, even to your own, someday," Ikuko said with a wink. Usagi hugged her mom thankfully with tears in her eyes.
"It's beautiful, Mama. I love it," she said, swiping away the tears that had built up in the corners of her eyes.
Finally, her father handed her a box that was wrapped beautifully in gold and white.
"Now, my gift is in two parts, Usagi-chan. You will open the first now, and I will give you the second part tomorrow. It requires some explaining, and just the right timing," he explained to his daughter.
Usagi nodded, and when he signaled it was all right, she began to open the gift slowly. After removing the delicate wrapping paper, she realized what was inside was a shoebox.
"You bought me shoes, Papa?" she asked, looking up at him, gleaming.
His eyes sparkled then, looking at his daughter's shining, excited expression and smile. She would always be his princess, no matter how the years went by.
"Why don't you open it and find out?"
Usagi-chan nodded, and pulled the lid off of the box slowly. She gasped, and her eyes began to tear up instantly. Inside the box, dozens of photos of her childhood were scattered at the bottom, under what looked like a scrapbook. She picked it up and began to thumb through it, filled with images of her and Papa, her parents together, her holding baby Shingo… So many memories. Her eyes welled up as she jumped up to hug her father.
"Papa, this is the most thoughtful, loving gift anyone has ever given me. I'm going to cherish it. Thank you so much," she said to her dad as she buried her head in his chest, just as if she were a little girl.
Kenji chuckled and rubbed the top of her head affectionately. "I'm glad you like it, Usagi-chan. I had some of the designers at the magazine help me plan it out! You'll get the rest of the gift later on," he said with a wink, returning her hug tightly.
She smiled and turned to her friends. "So, everyone-"
"Usagi-chan, you still didn't manage to tell us about those mystery packages! Don't think I forgot, hm," Ikuko said to her daughter from her seat across the room.
Usagi sweat dropped. "Hehe. Oh, yeah, those… I had almost forgotten…" she trailed off.
Rei perked up, already imagining the fire in Tsukino-sama's eyes hearing the retelling. "Yeah, Usa, why don't you go ahead and share with your parents what's going on, hm?"
Usagi glared at Rei, already knowing her motive to stir up trouble. 'And she doesn't even know about the bikini sitting on my dining room table!' Usagi thought to herself.
She cleared her throat and swallowed hard, as everyone's attention had fallen on her. The girls also looked expectantly at her papa. They probably still had the notion it had been him all along, as did Motoki certainly, since that was what she had told him.
"Well, you see, it all started this morning I suppose. I was sleeping and was woken up by a knock on the-"
Just then, another knock on the door of her parents' home interrupted Usagi.
Everyone turned to the door, and again, Kenji was surprised, looking at his watch. "It's past 11 PM! What in the world is going on?" he asked, out loud this time as he approached the door.
When he opened it, he took a step back and looked surprised.
"Yeah, hey, I was told that I'd be able to find a Miss Tsukino here? Usagi Tsukino?"
Usagi stood from her seat on the sofa when she heard her name, and deadpanned. "You have got to be kidding me."
"Why, yes, sir, she is my daughter and she's right in the other room. What do you need her for?"
The young deliveryman adjusted the rather large gift he was holding in his hands in order to be able to look around it and glare at Kenji. "Did you think that this was for you, mister?" the boy asked sarcastically.
Just then Usagi walked up to the doorway and squealed. "Is that for me?"
"Are you Usagi Tsukino?" the deliveryman asked.
"That would be me," she said with a smile.
Just then, he unexpectedly shoved the huge gift at her. "Well then Merry freakin' Christmas to you, and here's your card," he said, snarky.
Usagi blinked, surprised. "Wait, don't I need to sign anything?"
The deliveryman turned around, eye twitching, shaking his fist, but then seemed to bite his own tongue, and continued to walk down the driveway.
"Well, Merry Christmas anyways, and good night!" she called after him. She then re-entered the house and Kenji shut the door behind her.
"I wonder what that boy's problem was," Kenji said to Usagi as they walked back into the living room where everyone else was waiting.
"I'm sure he's just sad that he doesn't get to spend this romantic evening with his girlfriend, Papa, and instead has to deliver gifts to other people's girlfriends! I understand him, poor guy."
Kenji rolled his eyes at his daughter's innocence, always believing people were better than they appeared to be.
Ikuko then interjected. "Speaking of boyfriends, is that from Mamoru, Usagi-chan?"
"Somehow I doubt it," Usagi muttered under her breath, knowing exactly whom it was from. "I guess we'll find out!" she said aloud to answer her mother's question. "Papa, can you bring me your laptop, please?" Usa asked, already preparing for the inevitable translation.
Meanwhile, the girls had begun to pine over her gift.
"This is the biggest stuffed rabbit I have ever seen," Makoto observed, tugging one of the stuffed animals' ears. It was sitting on the floor and nearly reached her chest.
"It's very soft and its fur is so plush! It's almost like a real bunny," Ami added, rubbing the toy's belly.
"It's so cute, Usa!" Mina proclaimed, quite eloquently.
Rei just sat on the couch, laughing at her friends' antics. "So, who's it from, Meatball Head?"
Usagi glared at Rei as she tugged on the flap of the envelope, pulling the card out to read.
"Minha coelha querida,
O tempoestá quase chegandoparamerevelar!Tenho certeza que vocêestá esperando ansiosamenteo momento, mas eu tenho quemantê-la na adivinhação por um pouco mais tempo. Eu nãoposso esperar para vero seu lindo sorrisoquando vocêfinalmente vai saberquem eu sou.Até então, você tem umaúltima surpresapara olhar para frente.
Ternamente,
Seu admirador secreto"
When she typed the message into her father's laptop, the translation said:
"My dear little bunny,
The time has almost come for me to reveal myself! I'm sure you are anxiously awaiting the moment, but I have to keep you guessing for just a bit longer. I can't wait to see your beautiful smile when you know who I am. Until then, you have one last surprise to look forward to.
Tenderly,
Your Secret Admirer"
Usagi smiled softly. She was beginning to grow fond of this secret admirer, whoever he was. She was almost sad to think that she'd have to crush this poor guy, thoughtful as he was in all the little details he'd planned out to send her all these gifts today. And it had to have been expensive, too. She sighed. He had to have known what he was getting himself into regardless, since she had been with Mamo-chan so many years now.
"USAGI-CHAN! What is it, then?" Ikuko demanded, wildly curious.
Usa chuckled at her mother's antics. "It's my secret admirer, Mama."
Ikuko's mouth fell open. "What was that you said?"
Kenji approached his daughter on the couch, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Usagi, please explain, sweetheart. You see, your mother and I are confused. How could you have a secret admirer after so many years with Mamoru-san?"
"Yeah, what he said. You know, I'm confused, too, Dad," Shingo chimed in, raising his hand.
Usa laughed at her brother's antics as well.
"Well, it's kind of a long story…" Usagi began.
"We don't mind hearing it again, Usa. It's kind of sweet," Minako-chan added, smiling.
Usagi-chan smiled and began explaining to her family the various occurrences of the day, each surprise she'd gotten, conveniently leaving out the little tidbit on the string bikini, detailing each of her suspicions and why they weren't really possibilities once they were analyzed.
"I thought you were sure it was your papa, Usagi-chan. When did you change your mind?" Rei interjected.
Usagi blushed, thinking of the incriminating evidence still sitting on her dining room table. "I realized it wasn't him when he didn't burst the second I got here. Papa is horrible at containing excitement," Usa said, a cover-up for her lie.
Kenji laid a hand on his daughter's knee. "Well, it looks like we have quite a mystery here! I guess we'll just have to wait and see who it is. He did say there was one last surprise in his note!"
Everyone nodded, and just then, Ikuko looked at the clock on the wall.
"My!" she gasped. "The time sure has gotten away from us! It's almost midnight!"
Usagi gasped then, just as her mother had. "Mamoru's card! I almost forgot I brought it with me, to open at precisely 12 AM. He said I had to wait until Christmas, but I've been itching to rip it open for more than a week! This way it's not cheating," she said with a wink as she stood to grab it from her purse in the kitchen.
She came back over to her spot with it in hand.
"Usa, it's 11:58 PM. Are you really going to sit there for a whole two minutes? No one will tell, promise," Makoto drawled sarcastically.
"Who cares about the stupid card? What I want to know is who this creepo secret admirer is that's been stalking my sister," Shingo chimed in.
Usagi glared at her brother, then turned to shake her head at Mako-chan. "Opening it before midnight would be opening it before Christmas, and that would break Mamo-chan's rule! I can wait one more minute, I've waited nine days," she added, pointing out that it was now 11:59 PM on Christmas Eve.
Everyone rolled their eyes collectively and stared at Usagi for the next sixty seconds as she watched the clock, waiting for both hands to land on the big number twelve at the top. When they finally reached it, she turned to face her friends and family with a big smile.
"Merry Christmas, everyone!"
Ikuko laughed at her daughter, while everyone else sweat dropped.
"Usa, open the card! We'll exchange pleasantries later," Minako-chan asserted.
Usagi laughed at her friend, then focused her attention on the envelope in her lap. If she hadn't been so attentively and carefully opening the card, she would've heard the footsteps coming down the stairs.
She slowly wiggled the card out of its envelope, taking in the pretty and delicate illustrations on the front, the glitter littered across the cover to represent the glimmer of white snow. She was so distracted by it, smiling, that she didn't notice the same footsteps that had come down the stairs were now approaching her, toes wiggling nervously inside black dress socks.
She smiled as she opened the card, then gasped, a hand flying to cover her mouth. As she looked down at the contents of the card, large hands slipped in to steal the object of her surprise.
Long, slender fingers that were very familiar, that belonged between her own, wound around what was currently brining tears to her eyes.
And then she looked up into his eyes, level with her own, as he knelt on one knee.
"Usako, I have loved everything about you every single day from the very moment that you ran, quite literally, into my life," he said, suppressing a chuckle and swallowing nervously. "You are my love, my partner, my family, my everything," he paused again, tugging at his collar, "and I couldn't imagine a future that you wouldn't be in, or one single Christmas without you by my side. So, without any hesitation I ask, Usagi Tsukino, will you marry me?"
Mamoru held up the diamond ring in his fingers, bringing it closer to her as he took her left hand, waiting for her response with a small grin on his face and a slight quiver in his lips.
Whether it was because of the fact that Mamoru was here or because he was proposing, or because it had been exactly what she'd always wanted, Usagi couldn't tell why she was completely overwhelmed as the tears that had been brimming in her eyes spilled forth. She cracked a huge smile between her tears and sniffles and managed to nod her head before she launched herself off of the couch and into Mamoru's arms. He sighed, relieved as he hugged her tight, the grin spreading to encompass his face as well. Their family and friends began to clap, and the girls, Ikuko, and Kenji all swiped at their eyes, happy for their Usagi. Everyone was soon laughing together, rejoicing over the beautiful moment as Mamoru slipped the diamond ring onto Usagi's left ring finger, making their engagement official. She blushed as he leaned in to plant a full kiss on her lips in front of everyone.
"I still can't believe you're here," she whispered to him. "Merry Christmas to me!"
"I still can't believe you said yes," he whispered back, and he kissed her tenderly again. "Merry Christmas to me!"
Everyone cooed at the cozy couple as the girls began to surround Usagi to get a look at her ring. Suddenly, though, she tugged her hand away from her admiring best friends, looking around at everyone in the room.
"Now wait just a gosh darn minute. Were all of you in on this?" she asked, glancing about wildly as if she were victim of a conspiracy.
Family and friends burst out laughing.
"You caught us, Usagi-chan," Ami said with a small smile.
Usa's eyes widened. "I can't believe this! How did all of you contain yourselves? Minako-chan, Mama, Papa… You all are terrible secret keepers! Even you, Mamo-chan!"
Kenji laughed. "Well, it wasn't easy, and I so wanted to give you these right away," he said as he pulled a pair of white stilettos out from behind his back. "Part two of my gift, for the wedding, of course. It is tomorrow like I had said, after all," he added. He handed them to Usagi and she smiled. They were white satin, with a square brooch framed in crystals, just like the ones Big bought for Carrie in Sex and the City.
"I love them, Papa. I can't wait to wear them," she said, squeezing Mamoru's hand as her smile widened. "But seriously, how did you guys manage?"
"The engagement wasn't even the worst part to keep hidden. It was trying to keep from laughing over all your freaking out about the secret admirer thing!" Rei perked up, and everyone in the room started laughing.
"Yeah, I struggled to squeeze that 'creepo' comment out without a chuckle," Shingo agreed.
Usagi instantly looked confused. "Wait… What?"
Everyone re-focused their attention on her.
"Usako, did you read through the whole card?" Mamoru asked his new fiancée.
"Mamo-chan, I was a bit distracted by the big, shiny ring in the middle of the card and your presence to notice anything else!" Usa defended herself, looking down to the card in her lap. She quickly skimmed over it, and her jaw fell wide open.
"'P.S. It was me all along! Got you! Love, YOUR SECRET ADMIRER'" Usagi read aloud, yelling out that last part. Smoke blew out of her ears and everyone burst into another fit of laughter.
Before she even asked, Mamoru began to explain how he had arrived at Tokyo International that morning. He had previously arranged for the flowers to be sent to her and had Motoki-san follow up on the delivery. The chocolates he had bought two days earlier before he hopped on his flight, and they had come straight from Brazil, as had the bikini. The bunny had been a last minute addition that he'd seen at a store on his way to the Tsukino's in the afternoon, after he'd dropped off his belongings at his apartment and taken a short nap. The deliverymen for the chocolates, bikini and bunny were all friends of Shingo, although the last was disgruntled because he'd been dumped by his girlfriend that very morning, and Shingo had written all the notes since his handwriting was famously inconsistent. After confirming via text with Mako-chan that the girls were still at lunch that afternoon and that the chocolates had gone over incredibly, he had rushed over to the Tsukino's home. For some ridiculous reason, he was worried that today might have been the day that Usako decided to show up to something early, and he wanted to be in his hiding spot with plenty of time. He had slept for a few more hours there in Usa's old bed, until Shingo woke him after they'd finished dinner to let him know he should be alert. He kept tabs on the girls and what they were up to through Motoki and Ami-chan, as they all waited for it to be late enough to come over; Mamoru had wanted to propose just at midnight, as it became Christmas day. Once everyone was there, Mamoru was nothing but a sitting duck, waiting for the right moment to descend the stairs and give Usagi-chan the surprise of her life. He'd trained Motoki to bring up the card in case Usagi forgot, but he ended up gambling accurately on that she wouldn't forget to bring it and would want to open it at 12 AM on the dot.
As for the phone call he'd given her earlier on in the day, Mamoru had planned it to distract her and throw her further off the trail that he'd come home early. He'd called just after he'd bought the giant bunny, and his promotion had already been granted! He had flown through his business in Brazil in order to get back to Usako on time, and his supervisors had been so impressed that they promoted him to Senior VP on December 22, the same day he left Brazil to fly back home.
"I can't believe it was you this whole time, Mamo-chan! You really got me! I was convinced it was Papa at first. But then, the string bikini threw me a loop, although the bunny could've easily been him as well…" she trailed off, trying to remember holes in her reasoning and why she ever doubted that it was Mamoru.
Kenji then cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, Mamoru-san, Usagi-chan, but did I hear correctly? Was that STRING BIKINI THAT I HEARD YOU BOTH MUMBLE?" He began to yell, turning red. "MAMORU CHIBA, USAGI-CHAN IS NOT YOUR WIFE YET! I WILL NOT HAVE YOU TURNING MY DAUGHTER INTO A DELIQUENT WITH NO SCRUEPELS! DO YOU INTEND TO MAKE A DISHONORABLE WOMAN OF HER?"
Kenji began to throttle Mamoru-san by the collar, and Mamoru began to make excuses, yelling frantically that 'it would only be for their honeymoon', that 'he wanted to take Usagi to Brazil after going there last week', that it would be 'a nice, romantic spot', giving several other explanations in order to save face before his future father-in-law as he blushed profusely.
Usagi laughed uncontrollably at the exchange between her father and future husband as the girls and her mother again began to analyze her ring and Shingo had returned to playing his new video game. She smiled despite herself. Even though this Christmas was a bit of a conundrum at first, it ended up being special, and a better Christmas than she could have ever dreamed up for herself. Surrounded by the people she loved, and most importantly, with Mamoru beside her as she had wanted all along, she now had the promise that soon, he would be there forever. And that made for a very Merry Christmas, indeed.
The End
And there you have it my lovelies, although it is a day late by just a few hours! I did intend to get this out Christmas Eve, but working overtime and TONS of baking for the annual "Noche Buena" pig roast at my family's (yes, we Cubans ACTUALLY roast pigs, over open fires, but not on rotating spits or with apples in their mouths) get together set me back in time, and then we spent the whole weekend out at their home, which gave me no time to wrap this up properly.
If you're wondering where the story came from or why I chose Portuguese and Brazil, it was actually because I was sort of in Usagi's position last year, when my boyfriend traveled to his hometown, João Pessõa, Paraiba, Brazil to spend Christmas and New Years' with his family. I missed him an awful lot and was inspired to come up with this here little story! I was also studying Portuguese at the time, learning his language to better talk with his parents. But it took me some time to really narrow down my plot to where it would be silly to post a Christmas story in March. So I saved it for this year, with a very idealistic ending in mind!
I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and enjoyed celebrating your respective holidays. The biggie for me is Christmas, as we (meaning Christians) reflect on the birth of Jesus Christ, whom God sent as our Redeemer to grant us forgiveness of sins and admonition, that we may have a close relationship with our Heavenly Father through the blood of Christ. What a precious gift to remember and be thankful for, better than anything Santa could bring! ;)
You'll see a bit more of me, as I have some more drabbles to roll out over this week and can hopefully get the next chapter of Exchange out. I've been suffering from a little bout of writer's block over that one.
See you all again soon! Please review and let me know whether or not you enjoyed this!
Love,
Rosie