"Here." Abby said, dropping the wrapped present into Carol's hands. "Apparently I'm everyone's delivery girl now."

Carol eyed the card that was slipped underneath the ribbon. It had Carol's name written in gold letters on a dark-green patterned paper. It looked like it was handmade. She pulled out the card and opened it to reveal little folded angel cutouts around a felt Christmas tree. Carol thought it beautiful. But her brows tightened when she saw "From Therese" at the bottom. She suddenly remembered seeing this package before. Therese kept on carrying it around the previous night but Carol just dismissed it as a present she got from someone. She must have been planning to give it to Carol all along even though their meeting that day wasn't planned. That, along with the handmade card, made her feel uneasy.

"She told me to give it to you after I dropped her off this morning." Abby said and shrugged. "Well? What are you waiting for? Open it."

"Right here?" They were in a small coffee shop in New Jersey a few blocks down from where Abby lived.

"Why not? You're going to open it later on anyway." Abby said, eyes never leaving the present. Carol began protesting but Abby kept on insisting and eventually she relented.

"Whoa…" Abby stared in disbelief. It was a handbag of black quilted leather with a strap and golden buckles. "That's quite a present."

Carol sighed. It was exactly what she feared. The handbag looked much too expensive to be a casual Christmas gift. Therese must have spent so much on this…

"That girl must be a lot better off than she looks." Abby remarked, still staring at the bag.

"I don't think so." Carol said, opening the bag to see if there was anything else in it. It had satin inner linings and a tag of some expensive looking brand inside but nothing else.

"Does she work?" Abby asked. Carol couldn't give a straight answer. She didn't want to say Therese was just a salesclerk, and she did say she was already through with working in Frankenberg's. "Well, let me know her secret if she tells you. She looks far too young to be already established."

Therese is much too young, Carol thought. She wondered suddenly about Therese's professional life. All she knows is that she started working as soon as she got out of school, and without any parents to support her, it must have been tough to make ends meet, let alone afford an expensive bag such as that. She did mention she got fired once.

"I'll call her up." Carol said, getting up from her seat. They left the coffee shop and went to a nearby phone booth outside. Carol remembered writing down Therese's phone number on a little slip of paper she stuffed into her handbag on Christmas Eve.

"Hello?" Therese said at the other end of the line after being summoned by her landlady.

"Hello, Therese." Carol said, unsure of what to say.

"Oh, Carol. Merry Christmas." She heard Therese's voice instantly growing brighter and Carol could tell Therese had a big goofy smile on her face.

"Merry Christmas." Then there was a brief pause. "Well, I called to say thank you for the handbag."

"I hope you like it."

"I do. I think it's beautiful." She said cautiously. "But I think it's much too grand a present. It must have cost you quite a bit."

"Oh, no, don't worry about—"

"You should take it back…" Carol quickly silenced her before she could say anything else. "It doesn't feel right for me to accept such a present from you."

But then Therese chuckled which caught Carol by surprise. "I bought that bag because I wanted you to have it. I mean, it looks like you… just at a glance." She could sense a bit of shyness in her tone.

"Well, thank you then…" She said she wants me to have it… Now I can't make her take it back… "How about I see you tomorrow?"

"Really? Sure, I'd like that."

Therese's chipper voice was contagious and it almost made Carol smile a little. "I'll drop by at your place sometime in the afternoon." She remembered agreeing to meet an old friend in the evening and so she had to squeeze it in. She asked for the address and they hung up. Carol's lips pursed into a small frown. If she couldn't get Therese to take back the handbag, she thought, then she should at least return the favor by getting her something nice in return. Her pride prevented her to do otherwise.

"How did that go?" Abby, who was waiting patiently outside the phone booth the whole time, asked.

Carol shrugged with a resigned look. "What did you want when you were her age?"

"A train set." Abby laughed and Carol just looked at her with slight annoyance.

"She's not that young."

"How old is she?"

"I don't know. Twenty-one maybe. She didn't say." Nineteen… "Old enough to smoke anyway."

"Well, I'm sure you'll think of something." Abby said and a slight feeling of abandonment struck Carol. She immediately dismissed it. "Anyway, have you thought about what I said about taking a trip? You'll be free for the next couple of months anyway, right?"

Carol's eyes cast downwards. The way Abby suggested it clearly stated that she wouldn't go with her. Maybe she thought it was for the best anyway, since the last time they both took a trip together was when they were still lovers. A slight pang of guilt etched itself into her heart. Carol made it quite clear to Abby when they decided to call it off that it was all for the best and two women should only stay as friends. To be all alone with her would make it much too easy to reawaken those forbidden feelings. If she were to take a trip alone though, she would no doubt fall into the trap of her own thoughts.

Then her eyes caught a glimpse of the shining gold buckle that shimmered in her eye. What if…? "Carol, you're spacing out again." Abby said waving her hand in front of Carol.

"I'll think about it." Carol said dismissively. Her first priority was finding a gift for Therese… and hopefully find out a little more about her in the process.

Who was Therese Belivet to her anyway? Carol thought to herself as she walked along the streets of New York. Just a stranger… who kept me from my loneliness on two separate occasions… a little Christmas angel… a child… Carol sighed as she stopped at a pedestrian light. Why couldn't she be more of an adult? Why couldn't she be more on the same foot with Carol? That way, should they spend a little more time together, they could—

Carol quickly shook her head. No. She reprimanded herself squarely. The thoughts lingered for a little while longer and Carol hated herself for it as she browsed the shops along the streets. She told herself that she wanted Therese to be a little more grown up because she wanted to thank her properly for spending all that time accompanying a miserable wretch. That was the alibi that she decided on, despite how little sense it made.

As she passed by a leather goods store along Madison Avenue, a familiar little golden shimmer appeared from the corner of her eye. It was from a golden buckle on a handbag that looked strikingly similar to the one Therese gave Carol. The leather was tan instead of black and the straps were slightly different but carol was sure Therese had bought it from there. "How much for the handbag with the golden buckles in the window?"

"Seventy-one eighteen with the tax." Carol's eyebrows raised. That amount wasn't very much for her but to Therese, it must have cost a fortune. I guess there's no turning back now. She was tempted just to buy the same bag for her but it would seem awfully curt to do so. "We also have a selection of other goods such as suitcases and valises if you're interested." The salesgirl said and gestured towards the other leather goods.

She remembered the doll valise that brought them to meet in Frankenberg's almost a week ago. Carol turned towards the suitcases. They were perfectly plain in thick leather. Very professional looking, she thought. And right then and there did she decide to take a gamble. Part of the reason why Carol wanted to meet Therese today was to know a little more about her. Carol didn't like not knowing about the people she associated herself with like the ones Harge would just randomly bring to their house, but part of her was also a bit reluctant to know more about Therese. What if she just wasn't the type of person Carol saw herself being around with? What if she was uncouth, immature and just plain hopeless? Then Carol would have to walk out the door and never turn back again.

But she had a strong feeling Therese wasn't like that. She's polite, very sensitive and, Carol had hoped, very mature for her age. She wanted to buy the suitcase for Therese as a way of bringing out the growing adult in her, a staunch contrast to the cup of milk she gave her just a few days ago. If she didn't like or appreciate it, then she's all the more a child than she thought.

The suitcase cost a bit less than the bag however and Carol was wondering if she should put something in it just to match the price of the handbag she received. "We can also print something on it for you if you like." The clerk said. "It'll cost a little extra though."

Carol rattled her brain, trying to remember what Therese's middle name was. She asked her that in passing when they were setting up the tree. Therese… M-something…. Belivet… Realizing the futility of it and the humiliation that would follow should she get it wrong, she asked to have the initials printed instead.

"That'll be seventy-three forty in total. You can come pick it up later after lunch." The clerk said at the cashier.

"Perfect."

$71.18 in 1948 would be worth about $708.87 now in 2016 so it's a really expensive bag.

This will be the last chapter for the year since I'll be a bit busy until January. Happy holidays everyone. Have fun Caroling~