Two years had been and gone since Victor and Anita had become partners at UZZ and signs showed just how well they worked together and how strong the bond between them was. Victor liked to compliment Anita's prowess by telling her, "You. You are good!" This was bound to make the now eighteen-year-old beam with pride. Anita would show her appreciation for Victor's efforts either by clapping her hands together and exclaiming, "Well done, Victor!" or by patting him on the shoulder.
Of course, there were times when the stresses of their job would get to them. Most of the time it was due to Victor putting himself in a rather precarious situation which was thankfully rectified by Anita's quick thinking and calm rationale. Anita cared for her best friend (Victor would refer to her as "his best buddy") but the lack of maturity he had at times would grate on her nerves. "Oh, Victor!" she would say rather exasperatingly to which he would reply with a pout on his features, "Oh, come on, Anita!" before trying to explain himself rather unsuccessfully at times.
Being mid-December Victor and Anita were each thinking about Christmas shopping. Victor and Mildred really enjoyed having mother and son bonding time by going to the smaller department stores and buying gifts for his co-workers/friends and their relatives. This was especially so since Victor had just moved into his very own place early October of this year, a couple of days after turning twenty.
The previous two Christmases, Victor had given Anita gifts that reflected her fondness for martial arts and keeping fit. This year, Victor decided on buying Anita a much more personal and meaningful gift, but he was having trouble deciding on what exactly was the ideal gift. Victor wanted to show Anita how much he valued her, but he did not want to disclose just EXACTLY how he felt for fear that she would feel uncomfortable in any way.
After what seemed like an eternity, Victor spotted an amethyst pendant attached to a white gold chain in the display cabinet of a semi-prestigious jewellery store. The stone was the same colour as Anita's eyes and instantly the young man knew that this was the perfect gift for the woman that he felt a close bond for. The woman at the store gently placed the necklace in a small dark purple box adorned with a lilac ribbon which was tied in a neat little bow and placed the item in a small gift bag before handing the item to Victor who departed the store rather quickly. His nerves had taken over. What if Anita hated the gift? Would it be too "girly" for her? Such questions were starting to form in his mind.
Meanwhile, Anita had gone Christmas shopping by herself as her parents were away visiting her aunts. Gifts for her relatives and her co-workers had been sorted out a week prior. All except Victor's gift. During the past two Christmases, he had received from her an assortment of comic books featuring his favourite characters and a new gaming platform with the latest video games. However, Anita wanted to show her appreciation for her best friend and comic books and video games just were not going to cut it in her mind.
Anita was getting rather frustrated at not being able to find a suitable gift for Victor when suddenly, she spotted a men's watch in the shop window of a lesser-known jewellery store. The watch was white gold with a blue opal face. This felt like the perfect gift as the blue reflected the colour of Victor's UZZ uniform and the opal was the traditional birthstone for October. As she waited for the kindly shop assistant to gift wrap the watch, Anita wondered how Victor would react to the gift. She had never bought something of this nature before and she had to admit that she was beginning to get rather nervous. The soft voice of the male shop assistant snapped Anita out of her train of thought as he handed her the small gift bag. Bidding the man farewell, Anita departed the store and made her way back home.