On the fifth day...

Better late than never, right? Enjoy!

On the fifth day of Christmas, Abby woke up in a fit of excitement expecting to find another Christmas card. Alas turning her room practically upside-down yielded nothing, and Abby eventually headed off to work disappointed.

          But her disappointment only lasted so long when she walked into the office to find a card on her desk penned with now-familiar handwriting. It had Frosty the Snowman on it, happily decked out with top-hat, carrot nose and pipe. She had gotten so used to thinking of Frosty as a partridge now it was kind of a welcome change to see him as a Snowman again.

          On the fifth day of Christmas, your true love gives to thee: five golden trinkets, GTA on PS4, three French pens, two turtle gloves and a partridge named Frosty – If I give them to you all at once, then you’ll start to get bored of me. Expect the first trinket when the bell tolls ten. – X

          Abby’s head immediately swivelled in the direction of her little purple clock perched on the bookcase in her office. It was only 9.08 in the morning, and whilst the little homage to Dickens had her chuffed, it was going to be a really long 52 minutes until the clock chimed 10.

          But at this stage, what else was new? This secret admirer was sure turning her into an impatient woman when she used to be so good at letting it happen on its own terms. Dammit.

          And thus ensued the longest Friday in her entire life.

          At ten a knock on the door sounded and a delivery man popped his head in. He brought with him a bouquet of assorted yellow flowers wrapped in golden tissue paper and complete with a glittery vase. It was probably safe to assume that that had been the first of the five trinkets she was set to expect.

          The yellow flowers were so bright and vibrant that they all but banished the winter chill and gloom that loomed outside her office window. The collection included big yellow sunflowers that came from heck knew where, and it was effectively a large dollop of sunshine to the otherwise uneventful Friday.

          She didn’t know when to expect the next trinkets, and chastised herself internally a little for being so expectant, but she grew impatient once more. Clearly, she wasn’t good at this.

          But X, it turned out, had rigged up his Friday kind of like clockwork; at twelve another delivery man turned up with lunch from a top patisserie and offered her crisp, golden croissants with ham and cheese. They’d been accompanied by delightfully kitsch golden knife and fork. Enjoy – X had been stamped in golden letters on the card.

          At two o’clock a golden-furred teddy bear with a Santa hat and scarf turned up.

          At four a box of gold-wrapped Godiva chocolates found their way to her desk.

          By five when it was time to head home for the weekend, Abby’s Friday had pretty much gotten better and better. She’d gotten some stuff, sort of a compensation for the Valentine’s day she’d never had, and she was feeling more special than ever before. Probably more spoilt than ever before too and she did consider once or twice the possibility that she could never repay this man for his doting on her.

          She saw Damien when she left the office around five and after having spent such a good night with him the evening before she was almost nervous to speak to him. But his warm smile, appreciative wink at her new teddy and the way he nicked one of the chocolates right out of the box as she held it immediately put her at ease.

          “I see your secret admirer has been showering you in gifts today – you must be feeling pretty chuffed, Bee.” He nodded at the flowers. “He must have known how much you like sunflowers.”

          Damien knew that?

          She blushed. “Yeah, I guess it must be no secret, huh?”

          Damien leant in, really close – her heart started to jump around almost painfully in her chest – to breathe in the scent of the flowers she held. “They truly smell like sunshine,” he murmured.

          Abby struggled to breathe. She wasn’t good at this and quite frankly Damien’s close proximity was doing a number on her. Had she imbibed any liquid courage recently, she’d have been hard pressed to remember they were in the middle of their workplace and would have been all too tempted to throw herself at him. Not like she hadn’t fantasised about it plenty of times before.

          “Hey, I had fun last night, Bee.”

          “Me too.” In, out. Oxygen required for brain activity.

          “We should do it again – unfortunately not tonight, I’ve got some plans already and I’m sure you’re looking forward to getting home to drop off your day’s haul.” Then he really knocked her socks off; he leant back in and kissed her on the cheek before pivoting on his heel and disappearing into the elevator.

          When her breath returned, maybe about a full minute or so later, Abby glanced down at the teddy and felt guilty.

          “I’m going to have to grow out of this, Teddy,” she told it sternly. “It’s no use lusting after and coveting that man when the man who gave you to me is such a sweetheart to me.” Sigh. “Well, I guess its home time.”

          The fifth golden trinket came in the form of a bottle of sparkling wine complete with a golden bow. Abby didn’t know much about wine but X sure did know Abby and had picked a bottle of what was definitely going to be a pleasure to drink later. Sparkling wines were nothing if not her preferred drink of choice.

          It was the perfect way to top off the day she’d had and she had no trouble pouring herself and Jess a glass before tucking in to the healthy salad dinner the latter had prepared for them.

          She sipped the bubbly, golden liquid languidly and silently thanked her secret admirer wherever he may have been.

          Abby was the loveliest woman in the world this Christmas, and her deepest wish hadn’t even come true.  

          Abby was spending a portion of her Friday night camped out on the sofa and playing GTA. Jess had informed her about an hour ago that they’d be heading out soon for dinner and drinks, but she figured that until then she had plenty of time to get a little auto theft in beforehand.

          Well, that was until the phone rang and a very stroppy Mrs Leightley was on the other end of the line.

          It wasn’t a weekend in December without a phone call from her mother it was starting to seem.

          The thing about Mrs Leightley wasn’t that she was necessarily strict, or that she was untrusting or even that she didn’t think her only daughter could do anything right. Mrs Leightley was just very controlling when it came to Christmas. Kind of like how the Nazi party was controlling of Germany during the 1930’s.

          “Abigail, why didn’t you ring? Do you know what we’re in for this month?”

          “A very Gestapo Christmas?”

          “That’s not funny, Abigail!” Her mother huffed down the line; this was an old joke that her dad and her had made many Christmases before. Her mother had never seemed o get it. “Mrs Thompson is coming round with her son, Mickey – you remember Mickey from school?”

          Abby groaned under her breath. Did she ever – he was pretty much the equivalent of Mickey Rourke’s character in Nine and a Half Weeks. Yeah, those rumours spread like wildfire at her highschool. Whilst Abby had definitely enjoyed the naughtier parts of Fifty Shades of Grey, she wasn’t that kinky when it came to the bedroom. Mickey Thompson was not her type, but she was so not going to explain to her mother exactly why that was.

Whilst her mother being a member of the Nazi Christmas party was an old joke, her attempts to pair off her daughter was no laughing matter. Abby was getting to an age when going home for Christmas wasn’t particularly that much fun anymore. Not even the jug of very spiked egg nog consumed between her father and herself was enough to fend off the not-so secret intentions of her mother when it came to her quest for grandchildren. It was a headache and a half.

          So she did what any single young woman would do to get their mother off the path of matchmaking: she deflected.

          “Mum – I do remember Mickey, but I hope you’re not intending to set us up. I’ve actually already got myself a boyfriend.”

          There was silence down the line for a second while her mother digested that new piece of information. Abby almost feared that the older woman was going to call her bluff and scold her like she was still a child.

          Instead it actually worked. Almost too well.

          “Oh darling that’s wonderful! What’s his name? When do your father and I get to meet him?”

          Don’t say Damien, don’t say Damien... “Ugh, Damien?” Dammit!

          And as her mother excitedly chattered away about her daughter’s new hope, when before she’d feared Abby was going to become a spinster, Abby felt guilt slide down her spine again. She needed to stop always thinking about Damien in lieu of finding out the identity of her admirer; it was becoming kind of sick, really.

          Pleased now, Mrs Leightley soon went on to inform her daughter about the peculiars about the upcoming Christmas dinner they’d be having, warning her again not to forget the bread rolls. Honestly, you forget a couple of things one time and they never let you forget it...

          “And Abigail – your father and I would be terribly honoured if you’re new boyfriend would join us for Christmas dinner. Tell him he’s more than welcome!”

          Again, that guilt lapped at her insides.

          “Um, it’s all pretty new for us, Mum – I’ll ask him but it’s a bit soon for joint Christmases for the two of us.”

          Abby was iffy but her mother seemed to buy it but she felt no relief when they eventually rang off.

          GTA was abandoned as Abby frowned at the teddy bear sitting beside her on the sofa, it’s golden fur a reminder of the predicament she’d gotten herself into.

          Maybe it would be worthwhile that she avoid Damien for the weekend.

          Jess padded into the room big-haired and bright-eyed. “You better start getting ready to go soon, we’re meeting everyone at nine. Damien is joining us.”

          Dammit. 

Merry Christmas

Sam xox