hostess to hear, “Thank you for bringing me here for my birthday. You must have made reservations ages ago!”
“Happy Birthday,” I tell her, kissing her cheek, then pivoting her, my arm sliding around her waist, as we are led to our table, a small, private alcove that I actually made reservations for months ago. When she sits, she sees the small, gift-wrapped box sitting beside her plate.
“Oh! Garrett! You shouldn’t have,” she exclaims, sitting down and immediately tearing at the brightly colored wrapping paper. She finds an inlaid and carved wooden jewelry box. Carefully removing the lid, she reveals the present inside, an intricate gold necklace, bracelet and earring set from Vietnam, the delicate gold links the shape of miniature willow leaves. She gasps, lifting the necklace to look at it more closely. “Oh, oh! Was it too terribly expensive? Help me put it on!”
I walk around behind her chair to secure the necklace that sits just above her collar bones, the gold glowing against her dark skin. Sitting back down, I tell her that it looks just as beautiful as I knew it would. She slides the two matching bracelets onto her right wrist before taking out the earrings she wore and replacing them with the dangling gold leaves. “I feel like a princess!”
“Wonderful, then my task is complete! We can skip dinner,” I tease.
“Not on your life, Garrett Lawrence.” She smiles broadly, knowing that I am a cur.
“You will order me a House Aperitif and, if you are sweet, I will let you order me a second.”
“You want me to get you drunk for your birthday?”
“On two drinks? Lord, I know you must be thinking about some other woman. Not to say that I’m not a dainty little thing, but I can hold my own.”
I laugh with her. We have been friends for thirty-two years, since third grade. We’d met when I became his knight in shining armor, some bigger kids beating the crap out of her, and I couldn’t let that happen. As the new kid in town, I might not have immediately chosen Jackie for my best friend, but that day, holding her while she cried after I’d run the bullies off, I’d known she was different, because although he was a little boy then …
he could have just as easily been a girl. It took a decade for him to figure that out himself and he has been she ever since.
When the drinks arrive, a combination of vodka and fruit juices, she takes a sip and sighs. “Oh this is heaven on Earth.” She lifts her glass toward me. “A toast to another three decades of friendship?”
“I can agree to that.” I clink her glass with mine. “But shouldn’t I be the one making toasts in your honor? I mean, it isn’t every day a girl turns…”
“Don’t you even whisper the words, you naughty man!” she interrupts. “A woman’s age is sacred!”
“I was only going to say another year lovelier! I would never say out loud that you were forty!”
She slaps her hand over my mouth. “Oh! You cad!”
“We already established that fact.”
We are just finishing our final course, blue prawns for her and duck for me, when her cell phone rings.
“I am so sorry!” she says, digging it out of her purse. “I’ll just turn off the ringer.”
But then, seeing who it is, she tells me, “It’s Kitten.”
I’m certain I look perplexed. “She’s supposed to be working late tonight.”
“Does she know you are here with me?”
“Are you kidding? She would have wanted to come and tonight was for me and you.”
“Mmm, I love being the secret woman.” Jackie smiles, answering the phone, and within a few minutes is frowning gravely.
“What is it?” I’m immediately worried and pull my cell phone from my slacks pocket to see if I have a missed message, finding that I don’t. Jackie silences me by lifting her perfectly manicured finger to her highly glossed lips before pressing speaker phone. Kitten’s plea immediately becomes audible, “Please! Take me to the airport.”
I am immediately
“Happy Birthday,” I tell her, kissing her cheek, then pivoting her, my arm sliding around her waist, as we are led to our table, a small, private alcove that I actually made reservations for months ago. When she sits, she sees the small, gift-wrapped box sitting beside her plate.
“Oh! Garrett! You shouldn’t have,” she exclaims, sitting down and immediately tearing at the brightly colored wrapping paper. She finds an inlaid and carved wooden jewelry box. Carefully removing the lid, she reveals the present inside, an intricate gold necklace, bracelet and earring set from Vietnam, the delicate gold links the shape of miniature willow leaves. She gasps, lifting the necklace to look at it more closely. “Oh, oh! Was it too terribly expensive? Help me put it on!”
I walk around behind her chair to secure the necklace that sits just above her collar bones, the gold glowing against her dark skin. Sitting back down, I tell her that it looks just as beautiful as I knew it would. She slides the two matching bracelets onto her right wrist before taking out the earrings she wore and replacing them with the dangling gold leaves. “I feel like a princess!”
“Wonderful, then my task is complete! We can skip dinner,” I tease.
“Not on your life, Garrett Lawrence.” She smiles broadly, knowing that I am a cur.
“You will order me a House Aperitif and, if you are sweet, I will let you order me a second.”
“You want me to get you drunk for your birthday?”
“On two drinks? Lord, I know you must be thinking about some other woman. Not to say that I’m not a dainty little thing, but I can hold my own.”
I laugh with her. We have been friends for thirty-two years, since third grade. We’d met when I became his knight in shining armor, some bigger kids beating the crap out of her, and I couldn’t let that happen. As the new kid in town, I might not have immediately chosen Jackie for my best friend, but that day, holding her while she cried after I’d run the bullies off, I’d known she was different, because although he was a little boy then …
he could have just as easily been a girl. It took a decade for him to figure that out himself and he has been she ever since.
When the drinks arrive, a combination of vodka and fruit juices, she takes a sip and sighs. “Oh this is heaven on Earth.” She lifts her glass toward me. “A toast to another three decades of friendship?”
“I can agree to that.” I clink her glass with mine. “But shouldn’t I be the one making toasts in your honor? I mean, it isn’t every day a girl turns…”
“Don’t you even whisper the words, you naughty man!” she interrupts. “A woman’s age is sacred!”
“I was only going to say another year lovelier! I would never say out loud that you were forty!”
She slaps her hand over my mouth. “Oh! You cad!”
“We already established that fact.”
We are just finishing our final course, blue prawns for her and duck for me, when her cell phone rings.
“I am so sorry!” she says, digging it out of her purse. “I’ll just turn off the ringer.”
But then, seeing who it is, she tells me, “It’s Kitten.”
I’m certain I look perplexed. “She’s supposed to be working late tonight.”
“Does she know you are here with me?”
“Are you kidding? She would have wanted to come and tonight was for me and you.”
“Mmm, I love being the secret woman.” Jackie smiles, answering the phone, and within a few minutes is frowning gravely.
“What is it?” I’m immediately worried and pull my cell phone from my slacks pocket to see if I have a missed message, finding that I don’t. Jackie silences me by lifting her perfectly manicured finger to her highly glossed lips before pressing speaker phone. Kitten’s plea immediately becomes audible, “Please! Take me to the airport.”
I am immediately
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