Charlie's Gift

Mending The New

It was Monday and the two sisters were at one of the cafés at campus. They managed to meet up late that Monday evening when there wasn't many people there to get some privacy to talk. They chose a table that was alongside the orange painted wall at the corner upstairs the café.  

"It's the last week here at campus before closing for the holidays. Are you going to leave your Christmas gift behind here at campus," Eugenie decided to ask Charlie once they settled down into their sits. 

Charlie wasn't sure what Eugenie meant. Did she mean Tess the human? Did she mean to pack Tess up into her Mercedes and take him home with her? It's not like he doesn't have a family to go home for Christmas to. That wouldn't be right. He has to be with his family. Charlie decided to ask, "what are you talking about?" 

"Tess." 

"What about Tess?" 

"Isn't he your boyfriend now or something? Is he coming home?" 

Charlie didn't reply, she just sipped her latte instead and thought, "were is she getting these ideas form?"

So Eugenie continued, "you don't like my present I gave you? So you guys didn't hit it off?" 

"No...we hit it off," replied Charlie. "Wasn't your present for me the actual day of the activity and not Tess himself?" 

"No, actually, your present was two in one. It was both; a date with Tess and Tess himself." 

"So nothing went wrong," Charlie lied. "But Tess is not going home with me. His not even my boyfriend to go home with me and your not even suppose to bring your one-year boyfriend home with you to meet the parents." Then she said under her breath, "talk about obsessive girlfriends."

 

"So did you like your present or not," Eugenie asked impatiently tapping her brown manicured fingers on the black polished table top. 

"I like both of my presents." 

"OK, so you're not going to bring your gift home with you and I never see you with your gift but you claim you like your gift. So where did you leave your gift? Where is he now?"  

Charlie had no idea what to tell her sister. Eugenie was right. If she did like her gift she would always be around him but she wasn't. She laid her arm on top of the small square shaped tabletop. "Eugenie, have I ever been the one to hang around boys or even a boy?" 

"No. So you don't like your present. If your present is a boy and you don't like hanging out with a boy, even this one, then I'm screwed," Eugenie replied dramatically lifting up her hands. 

Charlie winced. She did not like to hear that she did not like hanging out with Tess, because she did. "No. I like hanging out with him. The problem is not that your gift is a boy, the problem is that your gift is dangerous. That's why I don't hang out with him. Charlie whispered, "his dangerous." She paused for a moment then continued, "He makes me feel like a dangerous woman when I'm alone with him." She took another sip of her latte but she couldn't believe she just said that out loud. 

"So you have a problem with my gift? Why didn't you tell me that before?" 

"Eugenie, don't you already know I don't socialize with boys? It's dangerous out there, they could break my heart. I didn't tell you because I thought you already knew that." 

Eugenie rolled her eyes. That's the must ridiculous thing she's ever heard anyone say before and it was coming from her own sister. She gave Charlie a disapproval look. "Charlie, how long are you going to hide yourself from guys? Did Tess do anything wrong that made you think his dangerous?"