Gifts Fifth Ave

It had struck twelve.  The longest time of the day.  It almost took a whole minute for the chimes to ring throughout the house from the tower clock in the dining room.

But, her favorite was the tower clock her grandfather had given her years ago.  It was her favorite possession.

He had called her into the den where he almost always was.  He had just put out his cigar.  She could tell by the smoke thinning in the air.

He sat down in his big leather chair and told her to jump on his lap.  She gave him a hug and he hugged her back.

"You know you’re my favorite granddaughter, right?"

She laughed, "Granddad, I’m your only granddaughter."

"Oh, that’s right!  Are you sure?"

"I’m positive!"

"Oh, ok.  Well then, I have to give you this."  And he pulled out the tower clock.

Her eyes grew wide.  She had seen it before and she loved it.  But now, he was giving it to her.  She gave him a big hug and thanked him profusely.  She missed him.  She missed him so much.

Every time she visited her grandma and heard that tower clock in the dining room, it reminded her of the greatest grandfather she ever knew.

It was the first time they had company over to their new home. They had kept everything they had in their old home. But, they bought a few gifts for themselves.

The plasma screen in the bedroom was a step up from the black and white television they had in their apartment two residences ago. The new recliner in the living room was a far cry from the torn favorite they threw away in their last place.

But, she was genuinely surprised when her friend came out of the bathroom, "Oh, that’s nice."

She knew she was talking about something new. But, what could it be?

"What’s that hon?"

"That’s a nice set you have in your bathroom. I just love it, especially your lotion bottle.  I hope you don’t mind, I used a little."

"No not at all!"

Of all the things she could have been given compliments on, she was complimented on her Crystal Bed and Bath Lotion Bottle .  She knew she had taste.  But, that was confirmation.  It always feels good to get compliments about your sense of style.

What could she get him? They had been married for five years and together for eight. She had got him gifts for Birthdays, Anniversaries, Christmas. She was running out of ideas.

She got him clothes and accessories. She got him skis, baseball gloves, boxing gloves, fishing poles, rifles, knives and tackle boxes. She bought him concert tickets, trips, movies and sporting events. Seriously, she was tapped.

What could she get him for his birthday that she had never gotten him before?

Perfume for men .  Isn’t that just another way of saying cologne?

"Well yes," said her friend who had just introduced her to this novel idea, "But, it’s a little different.  See, men’s cologne is like putting dirt on a guy and masking it with his own sweat.  Perfume for men actually can be appreciated.  Give it a smell."

One squirt and she could see what her friend meant.  It is pleasant and yet, it’s still rugged enough to stand up to his desire to go four-wheeling.  It will work.  Bulgari BLV for Men would definitely work.

That’s what they used to say.  "Don’t sign a thing, unless you have your Rotring."

Well, it was an important deal.  He was meeting with a potential future partner that could change his life forever.  So, he made sure to take his Rotring Initial Black Ballpoint Pen .

He was a little overwhelmed when they sat down to the table.  The potential future partner had a lawyer and an advisor.  Plus, he looked like a million bucks.

This man was ready to do battle and it dwarfed him a little.  Shaking, he opened his briefcase and took out the documents he had worked on for weeks.  He even went over them the night before with a fine toothed comb.

He felt prepared.  But, he would soon find out whether he was or not.

He slid the documents over to the power team sitting in front of him.  They had copies made by a secretary and then an assistant walked into the meeting room to ask if anyone wanted anything.  There were so many people on the man’s side it was unbelievable.

The whispering was unnerving.  The glances and the secrets they passed back and forth.  Then, the notes they scribbled down.  The laughter and everything they did in their quiet pow wow on the other side of the table was a little too much for him to take.

But then, the monotony was broken.  The man stood up and looked at his future partner, "It looks like we have a deal.  I’ll have these guys finish up the details while we’re at lunch.  How does that sound?"

He knew his voice squeaked as he forced out a "Sounds great!" from his moisture deprived mouth.

"Great!  Nice pen by the way!  Is that a Rotring?"

"Actually it is."

"You know what they say, don’t sign a thing without your Rotring."

He knew that too?

The work had been entirely overwhelming. I mean, who in the world puts the air conditioning unit above the lighting fixture in the foyer and then has no plan for what to do with the drainage?

Well, the damage that was caused almost burned the house down. Water and electric just doesn’t mix. So, she was happy that hadn’t happened. But, the rest of the damage was just cruel and unusual punishment.

There was two feet of mildew damaged insulation to remove. The ceiling had weakened and begun to fall to the floor, piece by piece. And fungus had begun to grow on the rafters. Insurance would cover it, yeah. But, what a way to learn about the flaws in your home!

That’s when she decided to reward herself with the most beautiful light fixture she could find.  In fact, it wasn’t going to be any normal light fixture.  The Murano Venetian All-Crystal Chandelier was what it was going to take to put a smile on her face.

She asked questions.  She asked a good bit of questions.  "Is the air conditioning unit safe now?"

"Yes ma’am.  In fact, we’ve moved it to the center of your attic space."

"Will it leak anymore?"

"Uh no ma’am.  We’ve provided an outlet for condensation.  The water drains through a tube and into your water spouts on the outside of your home."

"Has all the mildew and moisture been taken care of."

"Yes ma’am.  You won’t have to worry about any further damage."

"Ok…ok.  Go ahead and put in my chandalier."

"Thank you ma’am!"

She ran into the store in such a hurry. She only had so much time and she had to find the right the gift for her sister-in-law’s birthday party. She cared. It just didn’t seem like it. She had been so busy lately that it totally slipped her mind.

She ran mindlessly through the store, noticing everything and not approving of anything. That was until she ran across the perfect dress. She knew her sister-in-law’s size. They shared each other’s clothes all the time. So, she knew the dress would be just right.

She grabbed it and ran to the register. The clerk rang it up and then looked back at our in-a-hurry customer who had a frightened look on her face.

"What’s wrong?"

"I can’t find my billfold. Wait here for a second."

"Sure. I’ll hold this for you then until you come back."

She ran out to the front door and that’s when she saw it. A lady was holding her Coach Soho Signature Slim Envelope while three others stood around admiring it.

"Oh, thanks for finding it!" she said as she grabbed for her billfold.

But, it was sort of like a tug-of-war match.  The lady just didn’t want to let go.

He had never thought about it much. "I mean, a watch is a watch right?"

There are different features and different styles that fit different people. But, that’s as far as it went. A watch was for telling time, not making a statement.

That’s what he thought until he saw a selection of watches that changed his mind about watches all together. There was unique design to the Croton watch selection in front of him. He had never noticed that before.

The Lady Circuit Breaker, The Time Chain, The Chronomaster, The Gladiator just to name a few. They all have personality.  They all make a statement.  You’re not just looking at a gold or silver watch.  You’re not just looking at a sports watch or a formal watch.

There is a sense of purpose and coherence to each watch.  The Zebra even had stripes in the wristband.  But, it wasn’t your obvious black and white stripes.  It was an elegant light gold, dark gold stripe that struck right through the face of the watch and gave the watch its own unique stamp.

The Gladiator had a warrioristic design.  The Time Chain looked like the time pieces of old that hung from a man’s belt.  The Lady Circuit Breaker, a electrifying style.  But, it was the Chronomaster he chose.  Why?  Have a look for yourself.

She walked in the party like she was walking onto a yacht. Ah, a little Carly Simon reference never hurt anyone. Anyway, she strutted through the doors and turned a lot of heads.

Of course, she was the most stunning looking lady in the room. She wore the finest dress and she had jewelry that had to be on lease like the powerful and the wealthy do all the time. When she walked by, her smell was like a breath of fresh air.

She looked straight at me for a second and I felt my knees wobble a little. Then, she was introduced to someone and our moment was gone. In the blink of an eye, I wasn’t even a memory anymore.

I could hear an interesting conversation going on behind me and then, there was even a punchline.

"Who is she?"

"You know who she is."

"Yeah, but where did she come from and who is she for real?"

I could hear a few whispers and then a surprised, "Oh!" came out of the one with all the questions. Then…

"But, who is that on her arm?"

"Oh, that’s Sac Coussin .  It is an eye grabbing handbag isn’t it?"

I turned around to see his reaction.  There wasn’t one.  He just nodded his head as if he expected that answer.

When I turned back around, she was standing in front of me.  "Hi, who are you?" she asked.

I think my first response was incoherent.  But, I finally got to talking.  She was every bit of class everyone at the party had said about her.  And it was a sheer honor that she had chosen me to have a conversation with her out on the terrace with a few glasses of champagne.

The guy she had entered the room with was doing his own share of mingling.  So, she seemed very content to spend time with me.  I guess it’s the age old adage where affluence runs off with the peasantry.

It burned in her mind. She couldn’t let it go. It was a sight she had never seen before and she knew what she had to do.

She had gone camping with her friends. But, normally they went to campgrounds. This time they went off on an adventure.

The hike up the side of the mountain was one heck of an exercise. There were so many sights to see going up to the spot. Animals in the distance. Sun shining through the trees. Colors that were all in array and yet they went together beautifully. Isn’t that one of the mysteries of nature? It’s so perfect in its imperfection.

Then, in the clearing she beheld a phenomenal sight. The top of the mountain shot through the trees. A river coursed down through the center of the scene.

She studied the shot for several minutes.  She stayed there staring until the rest finally talked her into continuing with the hike.

Over the course of the weekend, she keep coming back to that spot and staring in awe.  She made several trips and she noted every detail.

When she got home, she pulled out the canvas and the paints.  Putting together this beautiful creation on screen was a masterpiece she needed to try.  And she did.  She made her masterpiece…North View of the Mountains .

It was their anniversary. It was a special anniversary. He knew that. He just didn’t know what to get her.

He had done flowers. He had done so many flowers, they were getting old. Getting flowers is great and all. But, you can’t do flowers over and over every time. It loses its meaning.

Cards were meant to be added to something else. But if he could get something that said what he meant to say, then why would he need a card to say it again? Of course he was a simple man. But, at least he put this much thought into it.

That’s when he discovered…

"It Had to Be You! "

Simple like a card. Not a flower. It said what he wanted it to say and it was elegant. It was stylish in its elegance. That’s exactly what he wanted this year.

The look on her face said it all. He had thought of her. He had remembered. And he had got her something with a special meaning. He would definitely get rewarded this year!