Page 2 of The Gift Rarely Given

I grab my phone to text my best friend, Hailey.

Me: 12 minutes

Hailey: That’s a record. Did he smell?

Me: No, he asked me if I worked with children who were going to die either way then why bother.

Hailey: Not the dying children.

Me: FML, I’m so over this. I’d rather end my days alone than go on another painful date like that again.

I put my phone in my small snowflake-shaped purse and speed walk to my car, hoping to get out of there as soon as possible. It was a long day and, although Mr. Waffletwat said it so harshly, I do work with children who might not be here next year. Working in the hospice wing of Wolfgang Children’s Hospital is not for the weak, but none of the children are, so I won’t be either. If they can go through days and days of heartache and difficult surgeries with a smile, I can be there to hold their hand and give them strength. No matter how hard it is. I sure as hell won’t let that stupid ass talk about them like they’re not real humans who were dealt the absolute worst hand.

The air is cool this Friday evening and although I want to run for the hills, I walk toward the marina and find a bench right by the sidewalk. At least I can watch the sun setting without thinking about another failed date. You will die alone, Olivia. I won’t be here forever. You need a partner. I hear my mom’s voice in my head loud and clear. I may want a partner to share my life with but not at the cost of losing myself and my values in the process. I’m so tired. Tired of listening to my mom bitch about me not finding a partner. Tired of going on fruitless dates and tired of dealing with self-absorbed men. I tilt my head back and close my eyes, letting the breeze kiss my cheeks and hearing the roar of the waves as they take away all the memories from today.

2

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GIRL IN AN ELF COSTUME

PROVENZA, KAROL G

Alex

Who goesto a tourist town the week before Christmas? Me, I guess. Why? Well because my friends are trying to get me to enjoy life again. Their words, not mine.

I drive around the narrow Centre Street full of cars parked on each side, watching people walking in and out of stores and crossing without a care in the world. Fuck. I hate Christmas. I hate the chaos, the lines, the overspending, and how commercial it all is. I hate that it is not even a season anymore, it’s just Christmas and Santa, and elves and presents. It’s not about family and time spent with others; it’s about how much you can get or what others get that you didn’t. Jealousy and frenzy surround everything—it’s constant from Halloween until after Valentine’s Day.

When I was a kid, this time of year was about magic and family time. It was about baking cookies, drinking hot cocoa or cider, and singing songs. It wasn’t this craze ofhow much money we can spend to say sorry to our kids for missing out. Or to show them love via toys. Or even worse, to gift them all the things that we never could have when we were kids. I’m sure parents mean well, but really, shit’s gotta stop. I even feel bad saying anything to anyone because I’m not a dad myself so I really shouldn’t talk, but damn it. I’m tired of it.

I see a parking spot open on the far-end corner and hit my blinker, signaling I’m going in. As soon as I try to turn, this little blue Mazda2 zooms through like a bullet and parks. I hit the horn, and the driver just sticks their hand out and flips me off. I wait to see who had the fucking nuts to do something like that. I drive an Escalade and that little Mazda2 looks like a matchbox compared to my SUV.

The door opens and I’m expecting a raging dude, but instead I get the most beautiful girl I have ever seen—in an elf costume. She’s as short as her car, with curves that seem to go for miles. Her dress fits every inch of her. Her beautiful chestnut hair falls over her shoulders. She’s shouting at me but I’m too dumbfounded by how stunning she is to even acknowledge anything. I hear a horn behind me, waking me up from my stupor and before I know it, she has stomped away. She’s walking fast down the sidewalk, disappearing into the sea of people holding bags of presents.

I continue to search for a parking spot, still thinking about the brief moment I saw her. I can’t shake the feeling that I’m… smitten. What’s wrong with me? Playing in the NFL for years, it wasn’t unusual for me to be around pretty women. It was actually the opposite. I often had pretty women on my lap or in my bed. But there’s something about this girl that shook me to my core. Maybe it was her pretty eyes or the sass she gave me over the parking spot she stole.

I drive around in the sea of vehicles, honking their horns in this chaotic maze where nobody has patience anymore. Everyone’s restless, and with each corner I turn, hoping I’ll find a spot seems unreal.

I’m about to call it quits and head back to the house when I see someone pulling out of their spot. I wait patiently as they leave, and then park my SUV. Stepping out, I head to The Salty Gator where I’m supposed to meet my friends.

Entering, I immediately notice how much cheerfulness is in the air. If outside was madness, this is sanity. Families share time and space. There’s a group of friends laughing, music playing in the background, and a football game is on the TV. And at the back corner table is the cute little elf from earlier, sitting across from a man who looks like his idea of fun is getting drunk on champagne at events where everyone pretends to like each other but nobody truly does. He is also dressed like an elf, but where it suits her, he seems out of place.

“Alex!” I hear someone shout and I scan the dark-lit restaurant to find my friends Jake, Nick, Bobby, and Mason sitting at a high-top table facing the TV and the elf’s table. I let the hostess know my friends are already there and walk toward the back until I reach their table.

“What’s up, man!” Jake greets me, lifting his beer and pointing my way.

“Same shit, different smell,” I reply, patting Nick on the back and nodding at the rest of the guys. We all played football in high school together, and somehow we’re all back in Baker Oaks. Some by choice, some by life. Jake had an injury in high school that killed his career, so he never made it to college or pro ball. Nick played in college for a couple years, but he stopped whenhis girl Natalie got pregnant with their daughter and he needed to work when he wasn’t in school. They’re still together and have one of the healthiest relationships I’ve seen. They’re a breath of fresh air. Bobby, Mason, and I played our whole college career but I was the only one drafted.

Football was my heart and soul until two years ago when a bad hit broke my femur. A couple surgeries later, I was on the mend before an infection took over, benching me for longer than anticipated. After that, there was no going back. I have full mobility but not enough strength to go back and play. So, in the end, we’re all just a bunch of ex-athletes with new lives ahead of us. At least they do; I’m still trying to figure out what the hell to do with mine.

I take a seat on the stool, my eyes straying to the pretty brunette in the corner. If she’s on a date with him, it must be new because I can tell she’s uncomfortable. Her shoulders are tense and her hands are closed fists at her sides. He looks at her when he talks but I can’t tell how she’s reacting since her back is to me.

“How was everyone’s day?” I ask, trying to snap out of it by asking trivial questions. Before anyone responds, we hear a loud scraping noise; when we turn to look, we see the girl standing up, almost shouting at this guy. If I was closer, I could probably hear what she’s saying but I can soon deduce that she’s pissed and the conversation is over. She grabs a snowflake with a strap—a purse maybe?—and marches out of the restaurant.

I turn back to the table and find the guys preoccupied with the TV, not as interested in the disaster date unfolding near us.. They make a few comments but I can’t hear anything. All I can think about is figuring out who this girl is and what happened back there. I close my eyes and squeezethem tight before shaking it off and falling into conversation with my friends.

“Areyou going to the market tomorrow?” Nick asks as we stand on the corner of Center and First, waiting for the train to pass so we can cross to the parking lot.

“Christmas Market in Baker sounds like all my nightmares coming true, so that’s a hard pass for me, dog.”

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