The Present
Christmas Eve 2005
It was eleven o'clock on the dot when Drake finished his shift at Guitar World. It wasn't
because he had a winning smile. It was because Audrey embarrassed him by calling up
his boss last week and stating that her son would be attending midnight mass with the
family at church. His belief in 'a God' might have been zilch, but he usually did enjoy
attending the Christmas Eve services. No matter how clichéd the movies and songs
were about it, it really was a magical time. A time when people were uncharacteristically
nice to each other as an inner warmness filled the air like being in a living Norman
Rockwell painting. But he didn't feel like going this year. He buttoned up his jean jacket
under the awning then doing his best to escape the raindrops before he got to his car.
Normally he would check his hair (naturally) and turn on the radio, but he just needed to
sit for a moment. He opened the glove compartment and took out the gray velvet box.
Drake put it in the top pocket of his jacket. He had to go home to change his clothes
before he picked up Torey. He invited her to midnight mass and she said it would be all
right as her and Mom usually didn't exchange meaningless gifts until five in the morning.
Drake didn't know if he could go through with proposing tonight. He wasn't sure if he
even wanted to be with his girlfriend tonight. At face value it sounded like a callous
thought, but it wasn't. He didn't know how he could face the woman that he loved if he
couldn't go through with proposing.
Drake put the key in the ignition and headed towards home.
Josh used a vacation day that he had coming and didn't have to work at the Premiere
on Christmas Eve, but Helen was making him work Christmas day because the re-
release of The Empress Strikes Back was going to be a huge money-maker for the
theater and she needed all of her staff present. Josh was quite angry that Drake thought
everything was naturally and predictably all about him.
Didn't Drake even think that of course Josh wanted Walter back at home where he
should be? He was going to join the family for midnight mass and Christmas dinner for
the sake of the kids, but it was not the same. Josh didn't mention to anyone that he sent
his Mom Josie a pair of small pearl earrings from Rutherford's. He even purchased a
PO Box so the letters wouldn't be sent to the house to disturb Mom Audrey—or Drake.
Josh sat alone in the living room chair looking at the deceptive Christmas tree. The
lights were all blue green. There was something soothing about that color. The tree
topper was not a star but an angel. Audrey liked a uniform tree like the kind you see in
those big architectural magazines. This year's theme was golden bows. For one brief
moment of holiday happiness Josh was able to see Megan and Mom Audrey decorate
the tree before he went to work tonight. It did look rather nice. The stockings were hung
by the fireplace the traditional red with white tops. Their names were all written on them
in red and green glitter.
Dad, Mom, Megan, Drake, and Josh.
Peter's stocking (also said Dad) was in the bottom of Drake's dresser drawer. Drake
didn't think that Josh knew that, but he knew lots of things.
Josh flicked the table chimes with his finger with the spinning angels as Drake came
through the front door. He wasn't going to say hello and Josh couldn't be bothered. How
he could ignore him so well proved to Josh that maybe Drake didn't really care about
him in the first place. Sure he saved his life a few months ago, but he had to do so.
Apart from the pearl earrings to his birth mother the only other gifts Josh had to give
were to Audrey, Walter, and Megan. He did buy Helen a Happy Times plastic cup that
came from a fast food restaurant off Ebay, but other than that there were no more
presents. Nothing for Mindy since she wanted nothing to do with him since Campland
turned him a promising school stud to a Creepy Loser people had to stay away from
and nothing for Drake. Josh would have purchased a present for Torey, but it just would
have been too uncomfortable especially if his brother was around. Did Drake even
know that she liked Elizabeth Barrett Browning's poetry?
He doubted it.
"Merry Christmas, Drake." Josh said in a comfortable bravado tone when he knew
Drake was upstairs and out of earshot.
He wasn't the Creepy Loser. His brother was. Josh had to get ready for midnight mass
but he made sure that Drake was in his own room before he went upstairs.
This was the worst holiday ever. Next year would be different.
Next year he wouldn't be a minor and forced to be here. He discussed his future plans
with Mom Josie and they did not include anyone here except for some brief one-way
discussions with his Dad.
Then he'd be out of San Diego and this family forever.
Drake stood in front of the mirror as he buttoned his cobalt blue color shirt with the swirly
white stripes and black trousers. His stomach was churning. He hadn't eaten anything
since half a slice of cold pizza during his break at Guitar World. He knew he had to
leave and be out of here before his parents realized that he wasn't going to midnight
mass. He grabbed his black blazer out of the closet.
The engagement ring was still in the pocket of his jean jacket. He hesitated for what felt
like the longest minute before putting the box in the inside pocket of his
suit jacket.
He opened up his acoustic guitar case to take out a box he had hidden in there for
safekeeping.
When he and Torey were making out on her sofa on Thanksgiving night and he inquired
what her fragrance was. Of course, she could've just said Lava soap and it would have
still turned him on. It was a hard to find bottle of Bob Mackie's discontinued Perhaps
perfume. It was the one of the few things that Mrs. Becker let her daughter use of hers
and like the aqua silk scarf he put under the family tree he knew while the thought was
there these really were decoy gifts. Well the scarf was for when the family came back
from midnight mass the Nichols-Parker tradition was to open one present before going
to bed and he wanted Torey to be included in the family custom.
The engagement ring was Drake's real gift to Torey, but he didn't know if he could go
through with presenting it to her. He knew how Spidey proposed to Audrey. His mom
always used to like telling this story around Valentine's Day, but sometimes his dad
would tell him and in great detail.
Flashback-1991Peter Parker stood in the doorway of the master bedroom smiling watching his five year
old son put on one of his button down shirts. He did choose a snazzy mint green.
"I caught you, Drake!" Peter scooped up his son. "Do you want to go with Daddy for a
ride?"
"Where?"
"The jewelry store. I have to pick up your Mom's Valentine's Day present. If I don't, I'll be
sleeping on the sofa tonight."
"Why, Daddy?"
"Because a man who forgets Valentine's Day, a birthday, Christmas, or heck even
arbor day will wind up sleeping on the sofa because he forgot to buy his wife a present.
Girls like presents."
"I like girls."
"I know you do. After the jewelry store would you like to get some ice cream?"
"Yeah! A banana split."
"That sounds like a plan."
Peter didn't bother to take his shirt off his son. He wanted to keep him in the land of
make believe and happiness forever. Youth was fleeting. He wanted his son and baby
daughter to have carefree childhoods. Audrey, bless her, wanted the kids to have (and
him at times) much unnecessary structure. Life didn't have to be what you penciled in,
it's what you did outside of the lines that shaped your personality and where you got
your true character from.
Flashback Interrupted"Drake!"
"You scared me, Megan."
"Cool."
"What did you want?"
"Are you ready?"
"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm going to pick up Torey."
"I know. We're all going to midnight mass." Like her brother, Megan's belief in a God
was non-existent, but she also liked the ceremony.
"I'm not going," Drake, said as he buttoned his blazer, "I need you to cover for me."
"I've been doing a lot of that lately."
"Please. Torey and I are going to exchange presents."
"Uh—All right. Well you better leave right now. I'll stall Mom and Dad so they don't see
you leave."
"Thanks, Megan," he tapped her on the head, "You're the best."
"Whatever."
Megan left the room so she could lie to her parents. Drake didn't even bother to ask if
Walter and Audrey looked ready to reconcile. They didn't. It's been how many months
now? And a 'sudden' making up like this was a Hollywood cliché. A happy ending on
Christmas Day. Real life didn't quite work like that.
Drake took the box of perfume that he had wrapped in snowman wrapping paper with a
tiny red bow on it and put it in his outside jacket pocket. When he spotted Megan in the
kitchen pretending to need help buckling her pink formal Mary Janes from Dad and
Audrey tying her also pink hair ribbon was when Drake was able to make his clean
getaway.
Torey got a key made for Drake but she made him promise on his guitars that he only
use it when her mother was not home. He sat on the living room sofa nervously
munching on the leftover pretzels in a bowl that were left out from the last time he was
here.
"I'm ready, Drake." He stood up.
Torey came down the stairs in a dark bubblegum pink v-neck sweater and a black
pleated velvet skirt she wore pink flats with tiny rosebuds in the center. She couldn't
stand walking in high heels.
"Wow. You look beautiful," Drake kissed her on the lips.
"Thank you. You look very handsome yourself," She looked at her watch, "We're running
late."
"About that. I'm really not in the mood for going to church today. Would it be all right if we
just went back to my house?"
"Sure, Drake."
For a guy that tried to fool most of the world that he was the smooth, happy-go-lucky, in
control sort his girlfriend noticed immediately on how conflicted his inner self was.
Torey held Drake's hand as they walked out of her house.
Drake was a coward and he knew it. The ring felt like it weighed one million tons and
that was a conservative estimate. They made out a little, but when it came time to
exchange presents. He just couldn't go through with what his heart was telling him to do.
"Thanks for the box of guitar picks." Drake kissed Torey on the cheek.
"Your real present is coming tomorrow by Priority Mail. I'm sorry it didn't come today."
"No worries. You didn't have to special order me anything."
"I wanted to. Those yellow picks glow in the dark. And the blue one is—"
"Is from the Devon Malone signature series. I love it. Thanks. This is for you."
He handed her the box with the snowman wrapping paper and red bow.
"Did you pick out the wrapping paper by yourself?"
Why did girls like wrapping paper and bows? She stuck it to his suit jacket.
"I might have."
"Oh my God, Drake! You found my perfume!" She wrapped her arms around and kissed
him on the lips.
If she were this excited over a discontinued fragrance (even if it was her favorite) then
how would she react to the proposal?
"I'm glad that you like it, Torey."
"Like it, I love it." She opened up the box to take out the bottle.
"I'm going to get my guitar. I'll be back."
"Okay." That would give her time to put the perfume on all of her pulse points.
When Drake got to his room he moved slowly. He took the ring box out of his inside
jacket pocket and felt the world's biggest boulder was removed.
"Spidey, what do I do?" Drake said to the air.
He put the ring in the little box in his acoustic guitar case that held some of his picks and
emergency orange flavored tic-tacs and locked it even though he never locked his guitar
cases when they were in the safety of his own room.
After he took the bow off and placed it on the corner of his mirror. Drake took off his
blazer and put it over his desk chair.
He was about to unbutton the top two buttons of his formal shirt and thought that maybe
his girlfriend might enjoy the task more.
"I'm sorry I took so long."
She noticed that he didn't bring down his guitar.
"That's okay." Torey stood up to walk towards him.
"You smell nice." Drake held her hands.
"Thanks." He softly kissed her on the neck.
"I'm thirsty, would you like anything?"
"Soda's fine."
The least Drake could do was pour the Mocha Cola into Mom's special Galway crystal
champagne flutes.
What kind of man was he if he couldn't even propose to the woman he loved?
"How long until everyone comes back?" Torey asked as Drake handed her a flute.
"Around one thirty."
They sat on the sofa as Drake purposely but in soft motion knocked over the Santa
Claus pop-up coffee table decoration before putting his glass down on the marble
coaster. It belonged to Josh therefore he didn't want to see it.
"What to do?" She too put her glass on a coaster as she snuggled next to her boyfriend.
"We could make out."
"Hmm, I never would have thought of that, Drake."
Torey kissed him full on the lips as she unbuttoned the top three buttons on his shirt. She
loved when he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in closer.
"Break it up!"
"Megan! What are you doing home already?"
Torey quickly straightened her sweater and her posture.
"Mom had an emergency cell phone call. She had to go to the office."
On Christmas Day?
"Where's Dad?"
"Parking the car. He said he'd stay. Mom only has to fax some papers and then she'll be
back."
"Faxing papers on Christmas Day?" Drake let the thought come out of his mouth
"Hi guys, your Mother will be here shortly." Walter came in.
He knew this was whole ordeal was difficult for all of the kids. Walter was quite angry
that Audrey could value work more over spending time with the family. Even if their
marriage was questionable Drake was right you don't leave in the middle of a church
service to fax papers on Christmas Day.
Josh trailed behind wanting to hide up in his room and not even be present. Drake
wasn't the only one who could feel angst ridden.
"Hi, Josh." Torey said
"Hey."
"Merry Christmas." Drake whispered in Torey's ear as he rested his head on her
shoulder.
Torey held his hand. "Merry Christmas." She whispered back.
It was anything but merry.
Megan opened her present like a toddler forced to eat their suppertime broccoli. It was
the new universal remote control that she needed. The card said from Josh.
"That is the one you wanted?" Josh asked
"Yeah. I'm going to my room to test it."
The tension was so thick that you needed a hacksaw to cut through it let alone a basic
kitchen knife. Drake did go upstairs earlier to get the engagement ring box out of his
locked guitar case and he put it in his side trouser pocket.
"Your turn." Drake handed Torey the purple wrapped box with a pink ribbon style that
went around the box in an "L" shape and formed a bow in the center.
"The box is pretty."
"Why do girls like wrapping paper and bows?" Drake asked
"Why do boys like to jump up and hit awnings?" Torey asked back
That made Walter and Audrey laugh slightly, but he was sitting on a chair and she on the
sofa so it hardly counted as a joint laugh.
Josh sat in the corner on the floor playing with his new lime green colored yo-yo.
"Are you going to save that bow?"
"I might," she was very careful to open the box. "Drake, this is beautiful."
She kept her kiss short and sweet with everyone watching them.
"I'm glad that you like it."
"Yeah, I do. I can put it on my winter coat."
Winter coat?
Sure it could be cool—chill in San Diego, California, but it was the way that she
emphasized the words 'winter coat'.
She chose one of those East coast colleges and didn't bother to tell him.
Drake stood up. "We better leave. You have to exchange presents with your mom when
she comes home."
Torey was confused that Drake wanted to leave early as soon as she opened her
'family gift'. She put her perfume and scarf box in a small black bag. She said her polite
goodbyes to Walter and Audrey completely forgetting about Josh who was still sitting in
the corner walking the dog.
"Drake, did I say something wrong?" She stood in front of him on the front porch.
There was a light glistening rain falling from the sky, as the air was hushed. It looked like
a scene out of an old Hollywood movie with all of the street lamps and lights on houses
and outside trees for the overnight view.
"I don't know, Torey. You tell me what you meant by 'winter coat'. But before you do I bet
you chose your college already. When were you going to tell me you wanted to go to
school on the other coast?"
"You are making it sound like I kept it from you. You saw all of my school catalogues if
you remember."
"But you didn't know where you wanted to go. Now you need a big winter coat."
"I did not say the word 'big' and I thought you wanted to go to New York City."
"When we were broken up the second time. I don't know where my future will be."
"What does this have to do with me going to school, Drake? I can't believe you want to
fight on Christmas Day."
She sat on the porch.
"I don't want to fight, Torey. Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I don't know which school I want to go to. I'm not keeping a damn thing from
you. I can't believe you would think that."
"You kept the location from me. If you prefer to go to school on the East coast then just
say so."
"I knew this would happen. Our relationship has had more heartaches than happiness
and you know it too. You're probably only with me because you feel guilty over what my
Dad did to me."
"That's NOT true. What are you saying?"
"I'm saying I don't think I should have dinner at your house today. I don't think we should
be together anymore. Cut the string, Drake. Let me go. Go back to your empty headed
bimbos."
She stood up and walked off the porch.
"NO!" He ran ahead of her.
"Who are we fooling? We're just stupid kids." She let one tear fall down her cheek.
"I love you."
"I love you, too, Drake. But sometimes we have to face reality."
Drake found his nerve at the thought of Torey walking out of his life as he got down on
one knee feeling the dampness from the rain on his knee but he didn't care. Drake took
the ring box out of his pocket, "The reality is this. We love each other and I hope that you
will say yes to my question," He nervously displayed the ring, "Torey Becker will you
marry me?"