Oliver

Màthair always wanted a girl. She loved all her sons, but she often remarked, "If only you had a wee sister!"

When we weren't at school, Athair kept us busy at his shop in Falkrik. "One day, you lads will inherit the family business!" he would promise.

To be sure, it is a respectable position to be a shopkeeper, but I never cared for it, at least not when I was younger. When I finally got the courage to mention it to Athair, he smiled.

"Hiram, one day you will understand the pleasure I feel going to work each morning. You just need to learn what sort would suit you best. There's more than one type of shop in Scotland!"

In my leisure time, I would whittle a bit on the first twig I found. I don't mean to brag, but I had a knack for it. I began using blocks of wood to carve whatever I fancied. Màthair would admire the little figurines I made and place them on her shelf.

I remember well when Oliver, the neighbor's son, came to visit. "Mrs. Flaversham, may I please borrow a cup of sugar?"

"Of course!" Màthair went to get it.

Oliver noticed at the figurines. "Who's the sculptor?"

"Hiram makes carvings for us all to enjoy!" Athair responded.

"How much?"

Athair frowned slightly. "I beg your pardon?"

"Me cousin has a birthday next month, and it would be a grand thing to give her one of those carvings as a present."

I suppose you could say that's how I got into business. I dedicated my entire week to making something extra special.

"Perfect!" Oliver exclaimed as I handed him my latest masterpiece. "How much is it I owe you?"

I refused payment. "It's a pleasure to be helping a friend."

"A trade then?" he suggested. "I can teach you a bit about repairing musical instruments if you teach me to make these!" He held up his sculpture.

I agreed, and every day after that, we taught each other what we knew. Oliver was impressed, claiming I learned quickly and had nimble fingers. I found I greatly enjoyed repairing broken items. My next task was learning how to work with mechanics.

The best Christmas present I ever received came when I was a young man. I had just used my knowledge to make a toy by hand, and I was proud of my work. As I walked through the streets, I noticed a child staring at the window of a toy shop.

Forgive me for meddling, but I simply couldn't resist, and I meant no harm by it. "Do you see anything in there you like?"

The child nodded. "I like that one, Mister!" He pointed. "I want it for Christmas, but it's too expensive!"

By a strange coincidence, the toy he desired so much looked a bit similar to the one I had just made. Pulling my masterpiece out of my pocket, I asked if he would like to have it.

His eyes lit up. "Thank you, Father Christmas! It's perfect!"

I didn't have the heart to tell him I wasn't Father Christmas, but I knew then that I wanted to be a toymaker and dedicate my life to making children happy. The boy ran to his older sister and told her about what I had done. Before I could make my exit, she came to speak with me.

"You're Oliver's friend, aren't you?" she asked.

"I am," I admitted.

"I'm his cousin."

I have little memory of the rest of our conversation. All I remember is the way the snow fell on her hair. I admired the gentle look in her eyes and her warm smile. She was beautiful, but I was too shy to tell her so.

"…And since you and Oliver have been friends for years, I was wondering if you might like to visit us on Christmas," she was concluding.

I must have agreed to the idea. On Christmas, my two brothers and our parents brought food and gifts to the neighbors' home, where their entire family was gathered. As for my new acquaintance, we soon became close friends and began spending more and more time together.

"I never thought I'd live to see the day you'd put on a suit!" Erasmus, my older brother, joked one day.

"You ought to treat Hiram with more respect," argued Theron, my younger brother. "He's going to church in his finest attire. The bells will toll, and life as he knows it will cease!"

He and Erasmus laughed and gently slapped each other's backs.

"You make it sound as if this were a funeral!" I exclaimed.

"I've got nothing against it," Theron stated. "I suppose it happens to all of us eventually."

"Most of us," corrected Erasmus. "What's it like knowing you're about to be married? Aren't you frightened?"

"This is the best thing that's ever happened to me," I answered.

My wife and I were happy together for a few years, and then she announced someone else would be joining our family.

"It's a boy! I'm sure of it!" she stated. "We should name him after my cousin Oliver. After all, Oliver's been your best friend for years!"

I agreed that would be the perfect name for our son.

"But if it's a girl, would you be disappointed?" she asked.

"I would love a little girl just as much as a boy," I replied. "All I want is for the baby to be healthy."

She smiled. "Aye. That's all that matters."

Needless to say, my brothers gave me more than my share of trouble about it.

"I pity you, Hiram!" Erasmus would often say. "While I'm spending my nights sleeping, you're going to be spending yours trying to please a wee bairn! You'll have to serve him night and day like an obedient slave! You'll have more work than you ever dreamed possible, even in your worst nightmares! Every morning when I wake up, I give thanks that I'm not you!"

"Wait until your son gets older!" Theron would add. "You'll have to take him to school and help him with his work! You'll have to buy clothes for him, take time from your busy schedule to play with him, feed him, teach him not to get in fights, and keep him safe! All kinds of dangers can come to a lad if his father doesn't look after him properly!"

Athair tried to comfort me. "When you look into the eyes of your own son for the first time, everything will become natural. Instinct will teach you how to care for him. You will be a good father, Hiram; I'm sure of it. It's jealous your brothers are that they aren't blessed with their own families."

As my dear wife and I had hoped, our baby was born healthy and strong, but we realized we had been mistaken about one important factor.

"What do you think of her?"

I gazed at the sleeping bundle in my arms and wondered how Heaven had ever managed to spare such a perfect angel. I knew I would never again want anything else in my life, and I was overcome with love more powerful than anything I had ever imagined.

"Words fail me," I finally whispered.

"Do you like the name Olivia?"

"It suits her." I lightly placed a kiss on my daughter's head.