Early in December CK told me that I was not going to be getting much in the way of an anniversary gift or Christmas gift this year and that I’d have to wait for it till my 39th birthday because something big was coming down the pike. Evidently, from what she said then there were delivery issues, building issues and the like that made it impossible for me to have whatever it was until then.
Immediately I thought she’d gone to ABS or Alienware to get me a new gaming PC. That can take a while to build if parts are on back order and if it’s a custom rig. Or maybe it was a remote control helicopter. I knew they sold them out of the shop, but if you wanted something custom made and with a custom paint job on it it could take a while. I really have know idea how long it would take, but that’s the thought that occurred to me and I stuck with it. On the other hand, Matt and I had been talking a lot about getting motorcycles so maybe she was creating a clever ruse to cover up the fact that she’d gotten me some gently used 250cc dirt bike. Ahhh what could it be?
Now for my side of things, on our anniversary I blew her mind with a new engagement ring and wedding band and new ring for myself. I picked them up that day, put my ring on and met her after work at a restaurant near Nimbus. We ordered a bottle of wine and some appetizers and started to celebrate. She gave me her gifts – a lovely bunch of small items each with a great sentiment attached to it. They were all really great, but my favorite was this little mechanical Superman Christmas Tree ornament. You pull a lever and Clark Kent goes into a phone booth and Supes comes flying out of it on the other side. I’m her hero. I’m her Superman. How much better can you get than that? I mean really?
After she finished with her gifts, I looked kind of ashamed and told her that I didn’t have her gift here. This was meant to be guy code that I’d forgotten to get something. CK, bless her heart took it right in stride and barely blinked. I’d been avoiding using my left hand at until this point and was keeping it under the table or behind a menu. So now that the trap was set I take my left hand out from under the table and just start using it in plain site.
She doesn’t notice after a minute. She’s not looking at my hands. She’s looking at me.
I rub my face with my left hand.
Being the human crow that she is and lover of all things bright and shiny she notices the ring. Plus until that point, I, like her, had not been wearing one for years.
“Nice ring!’ she said. “Did you just get it?”
“Yeah. I thought it was about time. Do you like it?”
“It’s great. Really nice”
“Yeah.”
And I stop the conversation there for a few uncomfortable seconds and take a few bites of a very tasty meatball. The table is completely set, so to speak. She thinks that (possibly) I did not get her anything AND knows that I got something for myself, something very special and significant. This on one hand pleases her, but still — these things are usually exchanged.
I prattle on for a bit about something and then bring the focus back to my new ring. I ask her if she likes it again. She says she does. I say something about how great it is. I stop and and act like I’ve just realized something. I ask her if she thinks it’s unfair that I got a ring for me but not for her. She’s not upset at all and says no. I tell her that I do think it’s unfair and that I need to even things up a bit. So I take out the engagement ring and ask her to marry me (again). She freaks. Big emotions. Tears of joy. She says yes. I say “Well, we’re already married though, so you ought to wear this too.” and give her the matching wedding band. She’s pleased as punch.
Best Anniversary Ever.
Fast forward to a few days before my birthday last week. She’s starting to cave under the pressure of keeping my gift a secret. She’s also a bit freaked out because of the money she spent on it. She had no idea that I was going to drop all the coin for the rings and I had no idea that she was going to go for the Big Gift as well. She tells me I can sell whatever it is on eBay or Craigs List if I thought it was too much but Matt would be so disappointed.
Bingo, I knew what it was. It was an ATV. We were supposed to go riding that weekend.
I check the bank account and see a check written to Matt. I then know it’s the Yamaha Warrior 350 with the extended base because there is no way in hell Matt would let me own / ride a his other 700cc ATV. What a cool gift! And what a great opportunity to screw with Matt.
During a moment alone together on Friday night I ask him in my most serious tone if he’s in financial trouble. He looks non plussed and says no. I leave it at that. Thing is, I know he’s dying on the inside because he knows I know something and suspect him of being a deadbeat. I later find out that’s exactly the case because CK tells me he went to her and told her that he was freaked out and feeling about as awkward as he ever has.
The next morning he’s pulled up in front of the hotel room with his hot ass Yamaha Racing ATV of Doom in his truck and what I know is MY ATV now in a small trailer. I smile at him and in my best Stewie Griffen voice say “So you got my money?” and give him a big ass shit eating grin.
“No, but I’ve got your birthday present over there, you fucker.”
Ah the joys of manly communication. The happiness of getting something you desire but would not ever buy for yourself for various reasons. [Ren Voice] “Joy!”
So we went riding that day. It wasn’t too much different than usual except for the special feeling that I knew this was now mine and if I dumped it over a cliff it would mean more than saying “Sorry.”
Here’s a picture from the 21 something mile trip we took around the Shasta Dam area. It’s the views like this that make me love being in Cali. More shots have been uploaded to Flickr (see sidebar). I wish the shots were better but I was still learning the finer points of using my new digital camera (thanks Aunt Cool!).
