"So what time is this ballet production, Frasier?"
"Eight o'clock, Niles. And I managed to use my fame to obtain the most incredible-."
"Box seats, Section F Front Tier?" Niles interrupted, eying the tickets in amazement. "Well, Frasier this is certainly… Why I couldn't even get tickets this close to the stage! What a view we'll have!"
"Exactly, Niles. They are usually impossible to get this time of year, especially to the coveted Nutcracker performances But Roger Cleveland owed me a favor."
"Ah, right. Because of the faux paus he caused you when Die Zauberflöte was in town for one show only!"
Frasier emptied his glass of sherry and shuddered. "Don't remind me, Niles. Oh Lord, that was a disaster to end all disasters! I hope I never have to encounter that situation again!"
"What happened?" Roz asked.
"What happened? What happened?" Frasier repeated, his voice rising with every syllable. "I'll tell you what happened!" He began to pace the room and his breathing became more pronounced.
"In an effort to impress Deanna Netterfield, an exquisite woman I met while jogging, I decided to take her to an exclusive opera. I called up months in advance and specifically requested two tickets directly in front of the stage, Orchestra Section A, seats twelve and thirteen so that we would have an unobstructed view of the performance! They assured me at least a hundred times that there would be no problem and I immediately handed over my American Express Platinum card! Well, imagine my horror when we arrived at the performance only to find that our seats had been… dare I say it… given away!"
Daphne and Martin gasped collectively, leaving Frasier to shake his head. "Exactly!"
"So what happened?" Martin asked.
"Well they had to seat us of course, but we were forced to sit in, dare I say it… the Upper Balcony!"
Martin, Daphne and Roz's audible gasps frightened even Eddie, who darted for the kitchen.
"The nerve of them!" Martin said, a little too dramatically.
"That's horrible! How could they?" Daphne added, trying unsuccessfully to hide her laughter. Roz, meanwhile said nothing, but began laughing as well.
"Gee, I'm sorry I asked." Roz quipped, causing Martin and Daphne's laughter to spill out.
"It's not funny!" Frasier yelled, disgusted by his friends and family's reaction to his night of horror. "Deanna was so upset, that she refused to see me again!" He seemed to be comforted by the fact that Niles was the only one who wasn't laughing and instead seemed as angry as he.
"Don't beat yourself up over this, Frasier. This Deanna person doesn't sound like she was worth your time, and if you ask me, you struck gold out of the situation. Imagine, Section F, Front Tier! I still can't believe it!" Niles said, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder.
Daphne continued to laugh. "All that because of some bloody mistake in the seating arrangements? That's the most ridiculous thing I ever-." But her smile disappeared when she locked eyes with Frasier's angry glare. "I mean… that's horrible, Dr. Crane! And your brother is right! That woman wasn't worth your time! If a man took me to an opera or even a ballet, I wouldn't care where we were sitting, as long as I could see the performance! I'd just be happy to be there with such a thoughtful man. The only dates I ever go on involve a bad movie and even worse food!"
Niles smiled and touched Daphne's back. "That's very admirable of you, Daphne. And I'm so sorry."
Her eyebrows rose. "What could you possibly be sorry for? You didn't do anything, Dr. Crane."
"I'm sorry that you haven't... had an evening that you deserve. For you deserve so much more than dinner and a movie."
She was touched by his thoughtfulness. "Thank you, Dr. Crane." She said, rewarding Niles' gesture with a smile. When she saw that Frasier was still angry, her cheeks reddened. "I'm sorry, Dr. Crane. I won't interrupt again. Please.. go on with your story."
Frasier scoffed. "I'm glad you're all so amused, but I think you'll find that these seats will give you an unparalleled experience of what is a very stunning ballet production!"
"Well, thanks Frasier." Martin said. "This isn't at all what I expected but actually I'm kind of glad about that."
"I'm sure you are, Dad." Frasier replied without as much as a hint of emotion.
"All right, well if this meeting is adjourned, I'm going to see if I can catch the rest of the Sonics game!" Martin said, grabbing his cane and heading for his chair.
Roz crossed the room and grabbed her coat. "I should get going, too. Frank said that he would meet me at Nervosa's, so I made a bet with Taylor about how long he'll stay in there before he sees how big I am!"
Daphne smiled sympathetically and hugged her friend. "Oh Roz… You look beautiful and if this Frank person can't see that, then he's a bloody idiot."
Roz began to cry and the women hugged again. "Thanks, Daphne. I just wish that I wasn't so pregnant right now."
Daphne's eyes went to Roz's protruding stomach and she touched it lightly "You don't mean that at all. I can't wait to meet my niece or nephew!"
"You're right. I don't mean it. But I do have to get out of here. "Thanks everyone.
When Roz was gone, Niles smiled at his brother. "Thank you, Frasier. I'm really looking forward to seeing this performance. I haven't seen this since we were kids. Remember how much Mom loved this?"
Frasier looked at the tickets in Niles' hand and smiled. "She certainly did. And I'd catch her humming the songs all the way into February. I know this isn't a traditional gift by any means, but I thought that it was something that our whole family could enjoy."
"It was a thoughtful gesture." Niles said.
"Daphne certainly thought so." Frasier replied smiling at Daphne wore a faraway look as she stared at the Nutcracker ticket in her hand. After years of agonizing and pondering over finding the perfect Christmas gift for his family and friends, perhaps he had finally gotten it right.