The Celebration

The Celebration
(Word Count= 2,178)

         “OK, I have to remember everything that I need to get for the party. Gotta get a card. One of those funny ones will do. It’s not every day someone turns fifty-five. Gotta pick up the cake. Gotta drop by Wal-Mart and pick up some party favors. I can do that when I get the card.”

         Dan ran through the list of things that had to be accomplished today. He had waited until the last moment. He mused that was not unusual recently, since Linda was gone. His days were always busy, and he really did not have time for a party. However, at the last moment he decided that it would not be right to ignore a fifty-fifth birthday. Linda so loved parties, especially surprise parties.

         “Hi, Dan. Have you got a moment?”

         The voice with the question jarred him back to the present. It took him a second to gather his thoughts and remember where he was.

         “Sure, Phil. Have a seat. My mind was just wandering for the moment. What have you got on your mind?” Dan turned his attention to the young man entering his office. He had an open door policy. Anyone could drop in on the boss. It sometimes made it difficult completing assignments, but it seemed to help keep the office running smoothly.

         “I’ve got a problem with the Allison project. Seems as if I’m spending a lot of time working on items that are outside the scope of work. For example, the other day…..”

         “I’ve got to do something special for the meal. I really don’t have time to fix anything myself. I guess it will be alright to pick up pizza. Pizza and birthday cake, sounds disgusting. I guess it’ll have to do. Besides, Linda always said that it’s the thought that counts.”

         “…and that’s the only way that I see that we can get back on budget.” Phil paused to get Dan’s response. “Well, what do you think?”

         There was a moment of silence, of which the clamor brought Dan’s attention back. “Phil, I have confidence in your abilities. I will support you in what ever course you see appropriate. Keep me posted.”

         A faint smile registered on Phil’s face. “Thanks, Dan. I thought that was the proper thing to do. I guess I just needed your assurance. Thanks for listening.”

         Phil finished his conversation with the boss with a little small talk and then exited the office to return to his project. Dan glanced at his watch, “It’s ten thirty—an hour and a half before lunch. I’m really not getting anything done here this morning. Might as well leave a little early and see if I can get a gift.”

         Dan punched the intercom button on his phone. “Cindy, do I have any appointments for this morning?”

         “No, Sir,” came the response from the speaker. “The only appointment was with Lyle Smith for 3:00 this afternoon. His office called and said he would have to postpone until tomorrow.”

         “Great, I can blow off the entire day if I wish.”

         “Cindy, I need to run some errands now. I’m going to take off for lunch. If anything critical comes up you can reach me on my cell phone. I will be back sometime after lunch.”

         “Yes Sir.” Cindy responded. “Do you want me to forward your calls to your cell phone?”

         “No, just take messages. I’ll get back to them later. If it is really important you call me, yourself.”

         “Yes Sir.”

         With a free day before him, Dan shuffled the papers that lay unattended on his desk into a file folder and placed it on the corner of the desk. He made a mental note of which corner he had placed it. He secured his cell phone on his belt and walked from his office, smiling at Cindy as he passed her desk. A few heads looked up to make note of the boss leaving the office. Production would sag for a few hours in his absence.

         “I need to get a special gift; Linda loves surprises.” Dan mulled over the endless possibilities as he negotiated traffic. “I have no idea what to get. But I think it ought to be expensive.”

         Dan pulled into the shopping mall. With its myriad stores he felt his chance of finding the right thing would be pretty good. It had been a long time since he just walked from store to store looking for a gift. This might be even be enjoyable.

         He gazed through the list of stores on the directory that also told him where he was. His eye stopped on Carrigans Jewelry. It was located at the far end of the west wing of the mall.

         “Good, I can stop by a dozen stores on my way, if I want.”

         Dan headed off down the wide corridor. He noticed that the shoppers were few in number. He met a couple in sweatpants walking briskly past him. It was apparent that many of the stores were just opening their doors for business. He passed “Williams Books”. He loved to browse through book stores. However, he didn’t feel that a book was a proper gift, so he did not stop. However, “Gallagher’s Gifts”, next door, seemed to be promising.

         Dan walked into “Gallagher’s Gifts”. He noticed that, with the exception of the attendant, he had the store to himself. The attendant, an attractive lady in her forties, smiled at Dan but left him alone to shop. Dan walked around the store. There were a number of items that caught his interest—a leather bound journal with silver pens, a crystal do-dad that did not seem to have a purpose but was somehow interesting, silver picture frames, and an assortment of other quality gifts. None of them demanded further attention.

         “Do you see anything that you like?” the attractive attendant asked, still smiling.

         “Yes, I see a lot that I like. But I don’t see that special gift that I’m looking for.”

         “Could I help you narrow your search? Perhaps I can give you some suggestions? I’m sure that there is something here that she would just love.” Dan smiled at her guess that he was shopping for his wife. She must encounter wandering husbands on a regular basis. After considering taking her up on her offer, he decided against it.

         “No thank you. It’s one of those things that I will know when I see it. But, thank you just the same.” They exchanged smiles and Dan slowly made his way to the entrance and left the store.

         Clothes stores, video games, and maternity-wear did not interest him. He passed by the remaining establishments on the corridor until he arrived at “Carrigan’s Jewelry.” The carpet on the floor was thick and plush. The glass counters displayed gold, silver, jewels, including the diamonds mounted in rings, bracelets, necklaces, and earrings.

         “This is more like it,” he thought to himself. “There will be something here. I’ve just got to figure out which one it will be.”

         Dan walked back and forth looking intently through the glass counter. “Can I help you, Sir?” A well dressed man in coat and tie asked.

         “Not yet. Let me look just a moment. I’m sure that you will be needed in a moment.” Dan smiled at the man, who nodded and stepped back to permit Dan to continue his obvious search.

         Dan smiled to himself when he saw it. “There, that’s what I want.”

         His search stopped with the watches. How better to celebrate the arrival of a milestone birthday than by purchasing a watch? If time was going to march on; it should be well documented by a fine watch. The “Rolex” name stamped discreetly on the face promised that it would be expensive enough to satisfy his desire to spend ‘big-bucks’ on the gift.

         “I would like to look at this watch.” Dan spoke to the attendant and pointed through the glass.

         “Yes, Sir.” The attendant moved to the counter. Dan imagined he could hear a silent shout of joy when it registered on the attendant that he was pointing to the Rolex.

         “Marvelous choice, Sir.” The attendant spoke reverently as he handed the watch to Dan.

         “This a quality timepiece. It will hold its value through the years. It is as much an investment as it is a timepiece,” the attendant confirmed.

         Dan thought to himself, “Timepiece? I didn’t want a timepiece. It’s just a very expensive watch. But, it will do. Yes, it will do fine.”

         Dan felt the weight of the gold band in his hand. It was thin, streamlined, and looked as expensive as it really was. Linda would be pleased with this watch. His smile promised a significant commission to the attendant. Not wishing to push, the attendant stood silently by as Dan made his decision.

         “How much is this watch?” Dan asked.

         “That timepiece is valued at $12,600.” The salesman held his breath as he quoted the figure.

         “Can you gift wrap it?”

         “Absolutely—I mean yes, Sir. That will be no problem at all,” the attendant continued.

         “And how do you wish to make payment, Sir?”

         “Will you accept my check?” Dan asked.

         “Yes, Sir. It must be on a local bank and we will need identification.”

         “Of course,” Dan responded as he drew his checkbook and driver’s license from his inside lapel pocket.

         He wrote the check and watched the attendant disappear into the back of the store, out of sight. The attendant mentioned something about getting the gift wrapped, but Dan knew that they were also dialing the number of the bank to insure that sufficient funds were present to cover the check. There would be.

         The attendant emerged from the back area with the gift in one hand and the warranty and registration papers on the timepiece in the other. Dan took the paperwork and his gift and left the store. It was 1:00 PM and he was starved. He entered the food court of the mall and purchased a hamburger and a soft drink. He sat his five dollar lunch and the $12,600 gift on the plastic table and ate his lunch off of the paper plate.

         “Geez, this hamburger is good. It’s been forever since I’ve had one. However, nobody can make a hamburger like Linda can. I still need to get the birthday card and pick up the cake. I can have the pizza delivered. That won’t use up the rest of the afternoon, so I guess I’ll have to kill a little time.”

         At five o’clock that afternoon Dan pulled into his driveway and turned off his car. Struggling with the birthday cake, a sack of party favors, the birthday card and his expensive gift, he negotiated his way to the front door where, demonstrating considerable skill, he managed to hold everything while unlocking the door. He checked his watch.

         “So far so good--I have just enough time to call the pizza order in and shower and get dressed for the party. I so want it to be a good party.”

         “Brrrinnng,” the phone rang.

         “Hello,” Dan caught the phone before it rang a second time.

         “Hi, Lauren. No, I’m fine. How are you darling’?”

         “Well, there will be pizza and party favors and a special surprise.”

         “Yes darling’ I wish you could be here too.”

         “Yes, I’m sure I’ll be alright.”

         “I love you too.”

         “Well, you’re my favorite daughter, so I guess we are even.”

         “Yes, see ya’ soon. Good-bye.”

         Dan hung up the phone, recalling a memory of his daughter when she was just a little girl. She was grown up now. He smiled at the thought of her calling him every day now. She was so close to her mother. Her death two months ago was a grievous loss to Lauren. The memory of his wife tore at his heart. His life was not the same now. Dan shoved the memory in to the recesses of his mind and hurried to the master bath. He had just enough time to shower and dress before the festivities began. The pizza was due right at six o’clock.

         After he showered and dressed for the party, Dan busied himself preparing the room. The table was set for eight. Or at least there was a paper plate, a party hat, and noise-maker at each place. The door-bell rang.

         “Six-fifteen, it’s about time.”

         Dan opened the door to the pizza delivery man. He paid for two large pizzas and sent the man on his way with a generous tip. He placed the two boxes on the table and positioned the wrapped gift on the table. Only then did he sit down at the head of the table. He smiled at the empty places.

         Dan lifted his glass and said, “Happy fifty-fifth birthday Dan.”

         He drank the glass dry and picked up his new Rolex and removed the wrapper. Linda would have bought if for him had she the opportunity.