Revelation

Chapter 19

"All right," Harry mumbles, scanning the organized gift list I had written down earlier. "Should I get my dad the same thing that you're getting yours?"

"No." I snatch the list out of his hands. "Don't steal any of my ideas. They all have some sentimental value to them. You need to dig deep and be creative. Now that you and Des are getting closer again, you need to show him that he means a lot to you."

"That sounds like a lot of work," he sighs and rubs his face as if he is already exhausted even though we only walked into the mall less than five minutes ago.

"You know I will help you." I nudge his arm with my elbow. "But you need to find something to get him that has meaning. You know, don't just get him a golf club or some socks because you're too lazy to put in some emotion or effort."

"You know what I think would help me with that?" He asks as we thoughtlessly wander into one of the newer shops in the mall.

"What?"

"If you told me some of the stories behind your gifts since they all have meaning," he says softly, trying to seem inconspicuous about how much he wants his gift for his father to be perfect.

"Well, I am getting my father a copy of Dreamcatcher and a copy of The Stand by Stephen King. They are a couple of his favorite novels. When I was younger, he would read me passages out of Dreamcatcher and tuck me in before my mother would come in and turn out the lights. Then my genius of a father lost his only copies, and he always complains how he never has time to find those novels in good condition. I just think it is because he doesn't quite know how to use the internet. That, or he is simply too lazy to go to a bookstore."

"Your dad is probably one of my favorite people ever." Harry's dimples carve into his cheeks. "Your mum on the other hand..."

"Don't I know it."

"What are you getting her?"

"She was the most difficult to think of for a meaningful gift," I groan. "See, I wanted to get her something sentimentally valuable, but as you already know, she is not the most sentimental person nor is she the most vulnerable. She loves red wine a lot, and I had my first glass of it with her on our porch while we listened to Love Me Tender by Elvis like every other night with the exception of the wine. From that experience, I thought of two gifts to get her for Christmas. I bought her a personalized, crystal wine glass with her name on it, and last but not least, I found an old picture of us from my childhood, and you can see just how much love there is between us in the picture. So I took the picture and put it in an uptown frame with the lyrics, 'Love me tender, love me sweet, never let me go. You have made my life complete, and I love you so,' engraved on it. It is from the song, Love Me Tender. I thought it was pretty cute," I smile.

"What a visionary." He puts his arm around my shoulders as we look through CDs. "I wish I could be as inventive and original as you."

"You are inventive and original. You're just not trying hard enough. Let's think. What are some of your best or most memorable moments with your father? Dig deep."

I look up, and Harry's eyes are closed. His lips are pressed together in a thin line and curved downward in a slight frown. I watch as his eyebrows furrow in thought. He is thinking hard and probably trying to refrain from reminiscing about memories that included Anne. I kiss his shoulder gently.

"This one time when I was like thirteen," he rasps and opens his eyes, "I was having a really bad day. My dog, Gulliver, had ran away, and I was so distraught. To make the day better, my dad took me to that record shop a few blocks away from the neighborhood. We were there for hours, and I ended up spending all my allowance money on this awesome Rolling Stones record. It was my first record. We listened to it nonstop. I don't know... It just brings back happy feelings."