— homesick —
November 24th, 2017
GISELLE WAS VERY good at ignoring things. Had always been good at it. She supposed it began sometime around seventh grade when her best friend made the cheer team and she didn't.
She was overcome with jealousy, and hated the feeling. So she ignored it, bottling it up and shoving it out of sight. Only then was she able to look at her friend in her cute cheerleading uniform and not feel envy.
The act of ignoring had also become useful when thinking about the tree and what it had taken from her. But no matter how talented you can become at ignoring your problems, they never just disappear. You'll have to face them at some point.
Giselle was beginning to face that reality shortly after she got off the phone with her mother, who had told her all about that year's annual Thanksgiving feast she had gone to.
The feast was always hosted at Giselle's grandmother's house, and her mother's entire side of the family showed up. It was usually a chore for Giselle to attend, as she had always seen the family a week prior at her grandmother's birthday and would see them again for Christmas a month later.
But this year, she yearned more than anything to go see them. To go home. To sleep in her own bed.
Her mother had sent a care package to Giselle to ease some of the homesickness two months ago when she got back from 1937, having packed a few of her knickknacks and blankets and old stuffed animals from home.
That only made her miss everything more, especially with Christmas steadily approaching.
It was her favorite holiday, and she was a stickler each year when it came to family Christmas traditions.
Exchange homemade cookies with the Kincaids next door for their Italian Christmas cookies, open one present each on Christmas Eve, make a gingerbread house to bring to Grandma's on Christmas Day—she couldn't do any of her traditions this year, and there was no ignoring that.
A knock at the door pulled Giselle away from her troubling thoughts.
"Who is it?" she called out.
"It's Ajay. Are you decent?"
Giselle smiled, getting up and opening the door. "Yes, I'm decent," she said.
Ajay smiled back. "Good," he moved past her to enter the room. "The Gaggle of Grannies are downstairs. Nana made me come, obviously," he told her, plopping down on her bed and snatching up the remote to her television. "What do you want to watch?"
"Actually, I kind of want to go somewhere," Giselle said. "I think I need to get out of this house."
Ajay perked up. "That works out. I know just what we can do."
• — • — •
For once, Giselle frowned as she stared at the wreaths and garlands and baubles decorating the shopping center Ajay had taken her to.
All the Christmas cheer and decorations served as a constant reminder that she wouldn't be spending her favorite holiday where she wanted to be.
"Which one smells more grandmotherly?" Ajay asked, holding up two different bottles of perfume. "Nana's favorite scent is grandma."
Giselle leaned in to sniff both scents before pointing to the one in his right hand. "That one, for sure."
He nodded, setting the bottles down and picking up the correct perfume package from the counter. "Brilliant. Now, off to the bag section for my mother. Are you sure you don't want to get anything for anyone? It's best to get presents early. It's always a nightmare coming in here in December."
Giselle shrugged. "I'll wait, I guess. I'm just not in the mood to shop."
Ajay's shoulders slumped. "You should have told me. We could've gone and done something else."
"It's not a big deal, I don't mind being here."
"Giselle, what's the matter? You seem off today."
Giselle dropped her eyes to the perfume counter, absentminded twisting the cap of a perfume bottle around with her thumb and index finger. "I'm just a little homesick. Especially with Christmas approaching."
Ajay leaned against the counter in front of her, eyes trained on her. "Are you not going home for Christmas?"
"Um . . . it's kind of up in the air right now, but it looks like I'll have to stay here for Christmas. My parents will come here, of course, and that's great and all, but I just want to be home home. My childhood bedroom, my hometown—you know."
He nodded. "I understand." He reached out, taking her hand away from the perfume bottle to hold in his. "I wish I could help you."
"You are," she told him. "You help to take my mind off of everything."
He smiled softly. "I'm glad." He traced an invisible design on the back of her hand. "Try to be positive about this. You love Christmas, right?" She nodded. "Alright, then get into the Christmas spirit. Decorate. Make hot chocolate and cookies and whatever else—just try to be happy and look on the bright side of life."
Giselle looked up at him, an appreciative smile on her lips. His words helped some. Maybe she should start diving into Christmas like she normally would instead of trying to avoid it at all costs.
"Yeah," she ended up saying. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to try." Her eyes drifted off to the makeup display along the back wall. "Come on, let's go shop for presents."
They went all over the store getting presents, Giselle racking up an expensive haul. She could admit that she had gone a bit overboard, especially when she got to the toy section and couldn't help but buy the Dare children almost everything she saw that wouldn't raise too many eyebrows in the 1930s, but she didn't care. She was having fun and enjoying herself, and that was all that mattered.
She also purchased 'futuristic' makeup she knew Marguerite would lose her mind over that would definitely come with a strict warning not to show anyone, and a few items she knew Selene would be happy to have—a bunch of Snickers bars, a magazine to see how the world had changed since she had been gone, and a few gadgets that would be handy in the kitchen.
Her shopping spree faltered when she arrived at the men's section with the intent to buy something for Will, except, she wasn't sure what to get him.
It was as if she knew a lot about him, but yet nothing at all. She loitered about, picking up a few items she thought would be useful to him. It was nothing of value, nothing heartfelt and thoughtful, and that bothered her, more than she had expected it would. So, she kept looking.
"Are you shopping for your dad?" Ajay asked, finally meeting up with her from his excursion to the linens section to get new sheets for his mother.
"Uh, no," Giselle said, setting down the tie she had been looking at. Not thoughtful enough.
"Oh, whom then?"
Giselle hesitated. "Oh, um, a childhood friend of mine. Back in America."
Ajay nodded. "You seem like you don't know what to get him," he pointed out.
"It's because I don't." She sighed, turning to face Ajay. "I can get him something later. You want to grab something to eat?"
"Sure, but only if it's something sugary." He took some of the shopping bags weighing down her arms, easing her load. "Come on, there's a stand that sells hot chocolate not far from here."
Giselle followed him out of the store and through the building to the hot chocolate stand. She found them a bench tucked away behind a fountain and sat and waited for him.
"Well this is a cozy little spot," Ajay mused as he approached the bench, two cups of hot chocolate in hand. "Here you go," he said, handing off one of the drinks to Giselle.
Giselle took it gratefully, letting the cup warm her hands. Ajay sat down next to her, his thigh touching hers as he slung his arm around the back of the bench, resting against her shoulders.
He did that often, always trying to find some way to touch her. Giselle didn't mind it. In fact, she actually loved it.
Which was a problem.
That sobering thought urged Giselle to scoot over, adding some room between them.
If Ajay noticed, he didn't point that out, instead pointed at a cologne advertisement banner strung up overhead were a buff lumberjack with an axe resting over his shoulder stared at them with a smirk on his face, a blue bottle of cologne in his hand.
"You could get your friend some cologne," he said before grimacing. "Or not. Maybe he'll think that you think that he smells bad."
Giselle didn't laugh under her breath like she normally would. Instead, she continued staring at the lumberjack, caught up in a memory.
Will most certainly does not smell bad, she thought, remembering the way they had danced together two months ago, their closeness, the brandy on his breath and the cedar-scented aftershave that followed Will around the room.
She briefly wished she could go back to that moment, wanting to savor it better, but then quickly shut the thought down when she remembered the way Will had all but fled the room after they had danced, wanting to get away from her as quickly as possible.
The tree called her back shortly after that, completely ruining her night further.
"We should leave soon," Ajay announced, pulling Giselle's attention back to him. He held up his phone, showing the time. "I'd say within the next twenty minutes."
Giselle nodded, bringing her cup up to her lips to take a sip. She quickly regretted the discussion when the scalding hot liquid greeted her tongue, causing her to gasp and suck in air to cool off her mouth, hot chocolate dribbling down her chin and staining her white blouse.
"Bit hot, isn't it?" Ajay joked, handing her a napkin.
Giselle playfully scowled at him, taking the napkin from his hands to dab at her chin. "Oh, shut up." She began wiping at her chin and blouse, but gave up when she realized it was a lost cause.
"You still have some on your face," Ajay told her. "Here," he picked up a clean napkin and placed a finger under her chin, guiding her to face him as he began wiping at a spot on her chin.
The action was intimate and achingly affectionate, causing the breath to still in Giselle's lungs.
She watched as Ajay's eyes slipped from her chin, to her lips, and then up to her eyes before heading back down to her lips. Giselle knew right then that he wanted to kiss her, and probably would if they weren't in public.
She pulled back from his touch, throwing on an uncomfortable smile. "Did you get it?" she asked, acting completely oblivious to what could have transpired. What he wanted to transpire. What she wanted as well.
"Uh, yeah," Ajay said. He cleared his throat and looked away, trying to match her smile, but it slowly melted from his face as he looked off at a storefront, his eyebrows drawn together as if he were thinking about something.
"Hey, I think I know what to get my friend," she said before he could think too hard.
Ajay perked up. "Oh yeah, what is it?"
Giselle glanced back to the lumberjack. "Is there a hardware store nearby?"
• • • • • • • • • • •
Word count: 1,918 words.
Question: What is the strangest compliment or insult you have ever received?
I was once told by an orthodontist that I had "excellent salivary glands." Apparently my mouth produces a lot of saliva and that's a good thing because it helps to cut down on cavities or something.
Idk I think a simple "you have nice hair" would've sufficed, but thanks Dr. Foster.
Honestly, ever since he told me that I keep waiting for my dentist or someone to comment on it again. Like I'll get done at a check-up and kind of look at my dentist like "What? Are you not going to compliment my excellent salivary glands?"
PLEASE VOTE AND COMMENT TO MAKE ME SMILE!!!