Duty
"Thanks again for helping me out today, Carly," Freddie said as him, Carly and Sam and Freddie's four children walked into the mall. "Today's the one day that Sam's busy helping her mom and it's my only chance to take these guys Christmas shopping for her present without her knowing. I just really don't think I could handle all these guys in a crowded mall on my own, though."
"No problem," Carly said brightly. "I finished all my Christmas shopping ages ago so it's sort of nice to have something to do."
"What should we buy for mom, dad?" eight-year old Tyler asked.
"Something you think she would like," Freddie replied.
"She likes food," Emma suggested.
"Er, yes," Freddie agreed. "She certainly does. But we can't really wrap ribs or fried chicken, so let's stay clear of that."
"Once we start looking around, you guys will find stuff," Carly told them. "We'll go to all your mom's favorite stores."
"We should split up," Freddie said. "It will be quicker. Why don't you take the girls, Carly, and I'll take the boys and we'll-"
"Dad, I already bought my present for mom," sixteen-year old Jason said. "I picked her up the foot massager she's been asking for."
"Really?" Freddie said. "Oh. Well alright then, you can help me find her a present."
"Wait, wait, wait," Carly frowned. "You're telling me you still don't have a present for your wife yet? Freddie!"
"Well I've been busy!" Freddie defended.
"Well you better get her something pretty good to compete with what she got for you," Carly smirked. "I was there when she picked it out for you and it's gonna wow the pants right off of you."
"Wait, what'd she get me?" Freddie questioned.
"Dude! I can't tell you that!" Carly exclaimed. "But just know…it's amazing."
"Aw jeez…now I'm gonna have to find the perfect gift to compete with her," Freddie groaned.
"Well you always give her really great gifts," Carly pointed out. "I'm sure you'll be fine."
"But Carls, you don't understand," Freddie said. "Gift giving is the one area where I have the slightest edge over her! I mean she beats me at every board game, every gingerbread house contest, every snowball fight…gift giving was my holiday thing!"
"Wow…" Carly said, shaking her head. "You two are the only ones who can turn the season of giving and peace on earth into some big competition."
"Oh don't act like you're surprised," Freddie said, running his fingers anxiously through his hair. "Okay…I can still make this work. Ty, if we can have your gift picked out in ten minutes, I'll have enough time to-"
"I need more than ten minutes to find mom a present!" Tyler argued.
"Oh you're the baby of the family," Freddie said, rolling his eyes. "You can get her anything and she'll gush over it. I'm the one who she'll actually hold stuff against."
"Okay, how about this?" Carly suggested. "I'll take the twins and Tyler to buy their gifts and you and Jason go find something for you to give Sam. You know, before your head explodes."
"You'll be fine with all three of them?" Freddie asked.
"Sure," Carly nodded, smiling at the twins and Tyler. "Come on, guys, let's start in the new joke shop they opened up last week."
"Well, that makes things easier for me," Freddie said as his three younger children went off with Carly. "Alright, Jason, let's start tossing some ideas around. Now I can go the safe route of jewelry, but your mom really isn't in to that stuff…although I think she was saying something about a pair of earrings earlier…Or maybe I should get her the new Pearpod and load it up with all of her favorite songs. Or maybe I can-"
"Hey, um, dad?" Jason said. "Um, I know you're having one of your little crises right now but can I ask you something?
"Oh, yeah," Freddie nodded. "Sure. What's up?"
"Well, um, you-you've been with mom for awhile now, right?"
Freddie laughed. "We've been married for seventeen years, Jason. And we dated for three years before that. And we were friends for a six before that and-"
"So that's a yes then?"
"Er, yes," Freddie said. "Why?"
"Well, it's just…this is sort of my first Christmas with a girlfriend," Jason mumbled, slightly embarrassed. "And I was just wondering…what I should get Eileen."
"Aw," Freddie grinned. "You're having trouble picking out a Christmas present for your girlfriend? That's adorable!"
"Dad!" Jason hissed.
"Sorry, sorry," Freddie said quickly. "Okay, well Jason I'm gonna have to give you advice while we shop. I do still kind of have to find this Christmas present for your mom. Let's go into that store over there."
Freddie and Jason entered the store, and Freddie began pursuing.
"So, Jason, you don't really have any idea of what to get Eileen for Christmas?" Freddie asked.
"No, that's the problem," Jason sighed.
Jason had been dating his new girlfriend, Eileen, for about five months. Freddie thought she seemed like a decent girl. And Sam, though slow to warm up to her, came around when she realized how much Jason liked her (and when she found out Eileen's parents owned on of Seattle's best pie shops).
"I mean…we haven't been going out for too long now," Jason said. "But its been long enough for me to get her a present without it being weird…er, right?"
"Right," Freddie agreed. "Hmm…you think your mom would want some heated pillows? Nah…those can't be safe. Sorry, go on."
"Well what did you get mom for your first Christmas together?" Jason asked.
Freddie laughed. "I got her a giant spoon."
Jason frowned. "A spoon? You said you were good at gift giving!"
"I am!" Freddie defended. "See, when we were teenagers, you mom used to have this giant fork that she carried around in case a meal ever broke out. Man…she loved that thing. So I thought what better to get her than a giant spoon to go with it?"
"Well did she like it?"
"Yeah," Freddie nodded. "Problem was, though, she had sold her giant fork to get my present; a special light beam holder for my limited edition Lou Groundrunner light beam."
"Whoa!" Jason said. "That's amazing! How come you never showed me that?"
"Because," Freddie chuckled. "I had to sell my light beam to get your mom that spoon."
"Huh?"
"Yup," Freddie said reminiscently. "It was definitely a unique first Christmas together. But even though your mom doesn't have her big fork anymore, she still keeps her giant spoon around. And even though I have no light beam, I'll never give up that holder."
"Er, great story and all, dad," Jason said. "But that doesn't exactly help me with my problem of what to get Eileen."
"Okay, okay," Freddie said. "Tell me about what Eileen likes."
"Well," Jason began. "She-She really likes science, like me. Should I get her a chemistry kit or something?"
"Hmm…maybe that's an option," Freddie said as he continued to look around the store. "You know, I don't think there is anything here your mom would like. Come on, let's keep looking…So Eileen likes science, huh?"
"Yeah," Jason said as him and Freddie walked out of the shop and headed towards Sam's favorite clothing shop. "It's her favorite subject."
"Well that's something," Freddie said supportively as he began to look through a rack of leather jackets. "That actually reminds me of another gift I got your mom one Christmas. We had just finished our first semester of college and Sam had received her first A ever in a class."
"What class?" Jason asked.
"A psychology class," Freddie replied. "She liked the idea of being able to understand why people did what they did. So when Christmas came around I actually found a personality test that one of her favorite psychologist that she learned about came up with online and paid to take it and have the results printed out and framed."
"Um…No offense but I don't really see the appeal of that," Jason frowned.
"Well your mom loved it, and you know why?" Freddie chuckled. "It came back saying I was neurotic, compulsive, socially inept. I presented her with confirmed proof that I was, in fact, a nub!"
"Whoa…" Jason said softly. "Is that why mom always says you're-"
"A certified nub, yup," Freddie nodded.
"I guess that is a pretty nice gift," Jason said as Freddie began looking at some boots. "Maybe I can give Eileen a gift that sort of relates to her favorite science class then."
"Now you're thinking," Freddie grinned. "Do you know what that is?"
"Totally, it's biology," Jason replied. "But what gift could I give her from that? An amoeba or something?"
"Er, let's keep brainstorming," Freddie said. "And let's try a new store too; this place doesn't have anything. Maybe I shouldn't have let this go until the last minute. It looks like most of these stores are out of good gifts."
"Maybe I can get her a microscope," Jason said thoughtfully as him and Freddie left the store and continued to walk the mall. "No…she has three of those. Man, why is this so hard?"
"Well, at least you're on the right path," Freddie said encouragingly. "Alright, let's try this store."
"Dad," Jason frowned. "This is a bookstore. What would you possibly find for mom in here?"
"Well we're running out of options!" Freddie offended. "Come on, maybe you'll find something for Eileen in here."
Jason and Freddie stepped into the shop and began looking up and down the aisles of shelves.
"There should be an app or something for this," Jason sighed. "Gift giving isn't supposed to be this hard, is it?"
"Come on, I know it might be a little frustrating trying to find the perfect present for somebody," Freddie said. "But once you see the look on their face when they open it up, it's all worth it. I'll never forget the look on your mom's face when I gave her my favorite present."
"What was that?" Jason asked.
"Well it was right after you were born, Jason," Freddie said. "You were barely a month old that Christmas. Your mom and I were exhausted from getting up with you every two hours and being new parents. We were both completely overwhelmed. And your mom was especially stressed out because she had all these crazy thoughts that she wasn't going to be good at being a mom. So I wanted to get her something that showed her how wrong she was about that. You know that necklace she wears everyday? The little heart one?"
"The one with all our names engraved on it?" Jason asked. "Wait, you got that for mom?"
"I did," Freddie nodded. "Of course when I got it for her that year it only had your name. Once the twins were born we got their names put on it too. And Tyler's when he came around. But you probably never looked closely enough to see what I had engraved around the border."
"There's more on there then just our names?" Jason said curiously. "What's it say?"
"Well when your mom was young, you know she didn't, er, have the best childhood," Freddie explained. "But there was one book she told me about that her mom used to read to her sometimes that she really liked. So I found the book and found the perfect quote: 'I'll love you forever. I'll like you for always. As long as I'm living, my baby you'll be'. She loved it and she's worn that necklace everyday since."
"That's disgustingly mushy," Jason commented.
"I know," Freddie said proudly.
"See, you're just a natural at this gift-giving junk," Jason moaned. "I can't think of stuff like that; it's too hard! I'll never find Eileen the perfect gift. I'm gonna wreck our first Christmas, she's gonna break up with me and I'm gonna wind up some lonely hobo."
"Um…I think you're being a tad bit ridiculous there," Freddie said. "Look; the thing that I keep in mind every year when I look for a present for your mom is that it has to mean something to her. There should be a story behind it; something more than the gift itself. When I give Sam a gift…I try to put a little bit of us into it. You see what I'm saying?"
"Er…maybe," Jason said. He thought for a moment. "Well…I did meet Eileen for the first time in our freshman biology class. We were lab partners and I thought she was sort of cute…But then she started beating me on every exam! Science was my thing! But no matter how hard I studied, she'd always beat me. But I never really got mad…I always thought it was kind of cool that she was that good at science. And then we got to the frog dissection unit…Obviously she was a natural at the whole thing. But then she accidently got a little too carried away with the scalpel and she cut her finger. So I went and got a bandage from our teacher and when I-I helped her put it on her finger, it-it was the first time I ever held her hand."
"Wow," Freddie smiled. "That's really nice, Jason."
"It's sort of lame," Jason shrugged. "I mean it took me two more years to work up the courage to ask her out."
"Eh, don't worry about that," Freddie said dismissively.
"You know, dad," Jason said slowly. "I think you actually gave me an idea of what I should get Eileen after all…I've got to run to the toy store, but I'll catch up to you later!"
"Alright," Freddie said as Jason ran off. Once his son left, Freddie let out a frustrated sigh. He was glad to have done his fatherly duty and helped his son out, but why was he drawing such a blank finding Sam a Christmas present this year? This couldn't be the year he ruined his streak of perfect gifts…
I'm not gonna give up, Freddie told himself. I'll keep looking until the mall closes if I have to. I guess I should find another store, though. Sam's perfect gift is out there somewhere, but there's no way it's gonna be in a book-
Freddie suddenly let out a soft gasp as his eyes fell on the shelf across from him.
No way…Freddie thought. I found it. I found Sam's gift!
…
"Alright, the ham is nearly done, the potatoes are perfect, the stuffing is amazing…I did real good, didn't I?" Sam grinned as her and Carly set the table Christmas afternoon.
"Yeah, it smells great, Sam," Carly nodded. "I'm surprised Freddie's mom isn't here yet, though, criticizing the sodium levels. She usually gets here two hours before your meals just for that."
"I was smart this year," Sam beamed. "I told her dinner started at seven, not five. Which means she'll be getting here to do her food inspection just as everyone's sitting down at the table and she'll have no time to open her mouth. It's a real Christmas miracle."
"Nice," Carly said approvingly as the back door opened and Freddie walked in carrying a small remote control.
"Wow, something smells good," Freddie said, dusting a few snowflakes off of his shoulder.
"Having fun playing with your new remote control Proton Cruiser?" Sam asked. "With real Proton Cruiser noises and flashing lights. You know it can go up to a hundred feet in the air?"
"Baby, it's incredible," Freddie said, leaning down to give his wife a kiss. "Thank you so much for it."
"Alright, I'm going to Eileen's," Jason said, coming into the kitchen carrying a bag. He cringed at the sight of his parents kissing. "Really? On Christmas? Can I not walk into a room and find my parents being all gross?"
"Welcome to my life," Carly said, rolling her eyes.
"You'll be back for dinner, right?" Sam asked as her and Freddie pulled apart.
"Yeah, I'm not gonna be there too long," Jason nodded. "Eileen's going over to her grandparents for her Christmas dinner soon. I just want to drop off her present. I can't wait to see the look on her face when she sees it."
"I'm sure she'll love it," Freddie smiled.
"What'd you get her?" Sam asked.
Jason reached into the bag and pulled out a large stuffed frog. "Pretty neat, huh?"
Carly and Sam exchanged confused looks.
"Well, I'm out of here," Jason said. "Be back in a few!"
"Um, is he really giving his girlfriend a stuffed frog for Christmas?" Carly frowned.
"God...poor Eileen," Sam said, shaking her head. "What's this kid doing to me? I'm never gonna get unlimited pie from her parent's pie shop if he screws this up so soon!"
"Don't worry," Freddie chuckled. "He knows what he's doing."
"Hope so," Carly said. "Well, I'm gonna go and check on the kids. Gibby's with them playing some new game and I should make sure nobody's crying…mainly Gibby."
Freddie waited until Carly left the kitchen. "So," he said. "Aren't you curious about what I got you for Christmas this year?"
Sam gave him a strange look. "But I already unwrapped your present this morning," she said. "You got me those new gloves."
"Gloves? Pfft," Freddie scoffed. "You think that's all I've got?"
Sam laughed. "What? Is there more?"
"Of course there's more!" Freddie said. He bent down and opened one of the kitchen cupboards, pulling out a small package and handed it to his wife. "Here's your real present. Marry Christmas, Sam."
Sam quickly unwrapped the gift, carelessly tossing the wrapping paper aside. When she revealed her gift, her mouth fell open.
"Oh my God," she whispered, examining the book in her hand. "It's-It's The Penny Catcher. And-And it's sighed by the author! But this book is like, over twenty years old. Do they still even sell copies?"
"In that antique bookstore at the mall," Freddie said. "I saw it and it made me think of one of the bets we made when we were kids."
"I remember," Sam laughed. "You bet me I couldn't read this book in a week. And the loser had to do 'the usu'. Man…you looked like such a dork with that nozzle down your pants!"
"And thanks to those pictures you took, that memory will live on forever," Freddie said, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, I don't know if you ever knew this, but that bet was the five hundredth bet we made."
"Whoa…seriously?" Sam said. "You mean you kept track?"
"Yeah," Freddie shrugged. "I dunno why…thought it might come in useful some day. Anyway, since stupid bets were, er, are, sort of our thing, I felt 500 was a really significant one."
"Wow," Sam said softly, staring down at the book. "Freddie…this-this is incredible. I-I love it. It's perfect."
"Glad you like it," Freddie said. "I just want you to-"
"I can't believe you, you jerk!" Sam snapped, hitting him in the shoulder.
"Ow!' Freddie exclaimed indignantly. "What was that for? You just said you loved it!"
"I do!" Sam yelled. "And you beat my present to you! I thought I finally had you done with that Proton Cruiser this year, but nooo, you had to go and be all romantic and sentimental!"
"Sam, it's not a competition," Freddie laughed. He put his arms around her and kissed her deeply. "Listen. Every morning I wake up laying next to you…you give me the best present I could ever hope to get. Nothing in the world could ever come close to what you give me by just being you."
"Aw, you-you really mean that?" Sam asked, her face crimson.
"Absolutely," Freddie nodded, kissing her again.
"You're really something," Sam said, shaking her head. "You know that? Hey, I'm gonna go put this book upstairs. Watch the food for me for a second?"
"Sure," Freddie replied.
Sam ran out of the kitchen and Freddie began stirring the potatoes.
"And the streak continues," Freddie mumbled under his breath.
