'Yes, for a bit, after we'd had supper the first evening.'
'Would you mind telling me what it was that you talked about?'
'They had some questions about my outlook on life, my philosophy, if you will. I explained it to them, and gave them a few examples. A few other questions came up that I answered as best I could, making sure they understood that I was giving them my own opinion, and nothing more.'
'Well, whatever you talked to them about, or whatever you did, seems to have had a major impact on Robyn.'
'How so?'
'Since she got back from that little party, she's been like a different person – you may have noticed that she was a bit, ah, boisterous at times. But since she got back, she hasn't been quite as, uh, outgoing as she was. She's still quite active and all that; but her mother and I have both noticed that she's much more considerate of others. She also seems to have a kind of calmness about her that we haven't seen before -
I suppose you could call it a tranquility, or inner peace. It's quite a change, I can assure you.', he replied.
'You think it a change for the better, I take it?'
'Oh, yes!'
'Then, if I could ask what it was that prompted you to call me?'
'I only wanted to say that whatever you've done to bring such a change about in Robyn, I hope that you will continue doing it.'
I could barely suppress the urge to laugh, and simply said 'I would be happy to, if the opportunity presents itself.'
'I think it will', he told me. 'She has mentioned a couple of times that she found you quite pleasant, and wanted to visit you again, if you would permit it.'
'I found her to be quite delightful', I told him, without specifying the*way* that I found her delightful. 'Provided she called first to make sure I didn't have other plans, she would be welcome.'
He assured me that she would, and the conversation soon ended – leaving me sitting there with a Cheshire Cat grin on my face.
As Christmas approached, I had to give some serious thought to what to get Kelly and Jan. I also bought gifts for the rest of the party crew, as well – I figured they would be over shortly after Christmas, and that would give me the chance to give them their presents without drawing unwanted attention. For Sandra, I found a nice turquoise and silver bracelet that I knew she would like; Robyn would be getting a small emerald necklace that I knew would act as a wonderful counterpoint to her eyes. Candice's gift was a pair of platinum and opal earrings; Susan was to receive a gold mesh bracelet. I made sure to take Kelly with me as I bought them, to make sure I got something that all of them would like – and when she saw them, Jan agreed that they would be big hits.
Again with Kelly's help, and a promise of absolute secrecy, I got Jan some very nice silk lingerie and under things – and a small diamond charm for her bracelet that she could show Paul.
I did Kelly's shopping myself, with no help. I came up with a couple of things that I knew would thrill her.
I'd always politely turned down Paul's invitations to spend Christmas with him and the kids, so that they could have the day to themselves.
For a change, it worked in my favor, since it meant that I'd have Kelly to myself on Christmas.
Christmas Day, Kelly found herself waking up to the first of the gifts that I'd gotten her – she opened her eyes to find herself being stared at by a small, yellow, tiger-striped, blue-eyed, scrawny tabby kitten.
She'd mentioned a couple of times how she missed the family cat that her parents had, but had never said anything about getting one. But I still knew how much she missed it, and decided to get her one of her very own.
It took her a couple of seconds before it really sank in that she was looking at a kitten – but when it did, she made up for the delay.
Pulling it under her chin, she hugged it and started rubbing it's ears – the resulting purr could be heard across the room. I could see her start to cry, and had to point out to her that if she started crying, she was likely to upset the cat by getting it wet.
After a bit, she set it down, and launched herself into my arms, crying on my shoulder and hugging me ferociously as she thanked me.
When she'd finally calmed down, and dried her eyes, she picked it up again, and looked it over before asking me 'What do I name her?'
'Well, she's got that dark spot on her pink nose – how about Booger?', I offered, teasing.
Kelly got an indignant look, and said 'We are NOT naming this cat 'Booger'! How about 'Tiger', for the stripes?'
I just gave her the fisheye, and said 'Sure – nobody's ever done *that* before!'
She thought a moment, and offered 'Tigger?'
'To cute.'
'What, then?'
'Who says you have to name her now? Give her a little time, and
She thought that over, and finally agreed, before holding my hand as we went into the den, where we'd set up a small tree – more out of a desire not to have to clean up after a big tree, than anything else.
Kelly sat on the couch with the kitten, and I went into the kitchen to load a carafe with some coffee, and load a plate with some muffins. Back in the den, I saw that Kelly had gotten up, and was rummaging around the presents under the tree – with the kitten helping. She found a package that I'd wrapped for the cat: 'To: Spot' – she opened it, and found the collar and tags I'd gotten – the little fuzzball was ready to go, with all of her shots taken care of. Kelly hugged me, pulled out another package, and handed it to me. It was from her, and when I opened it, I found that she'd gotten me a nice Tag Huer watch, stainless steel, to replace the ratty old Casio I'd had for so long. I quickly got it adjusted, and put it on – that sucker was heavy, and felt good on my wrist. I kissed her, and pulled out a package for her.
She opened it to find the gold bracelet I'd bought – made of fairly thick links, it looked like a small chain around her wrist when she put it on. I could see from her face that she was delighted with it, and she quickly kissed me in thanks.
Next, it was the cat's turn again – one of those climbing poles, with platforms, for her to play on.
Kelly's next gift to me was an electronic organizer – something that I'd wanted, but simply hadn't gotten around to getting for myself. It was a top of the line model, and I couldn't help but play with it a few seconds – Kelly knew me, and waited patiently – before giving her a hug and kiss, and giving her my thanks.
The next package she opened held a dress – black, that flowed off one shoulder to a bodice that would make it painfully clear that she was female, before flowing down to accentuate her slender hips and fanning out into a skirt that would fall to her ankles. I'd meticulously snuck measurements of her over the past couple of months, and knew that it would fit her like a second skin – and that there wasn't a way in the world for her to wear either a bra or panties with it. Even before the alterations, it had cost me nearly a thousand dollars – and knowing how she would look in it, it was worth every penny to me. She stood up and held it against herself, before heading back into the bedroom where she could examine herself in a mirror. When she came back, it was without the dress, and she told me 'That is so beautiful – I think I can see what you think I would look like in it, and I LIKE it. But where am I going to wear something like that?'
I smiled, and said 'You're going to your Senior Prom, aren't you? At least, I hope you are – I've already made plans for us that night. You*do* want me to take you, right?'
She promptly teared up, and hugged me before digging out another package for the cat – several small toys for her to play with; Kelly opened one of them, and sure enough, the kitten went to town with it.
She hugged me again, and handed me what was her last gift to me – an album of photos she'd had taken at one of those glamour photo places. As I leafed through it – in absolute awe at how they'd been able to bring out the best of her – I found out that she'd apparently been to more than one place: toward the back the photos were of her in lingerie, and in a variety of come-hither poses. I looked up at her, and could see the concern on her face about what I might think about all of it. I looked at her, then at the photos, and back to her again, finally saying 'I've always known you were a beautiful person, inside and out. But these – these only prove it, beyond any question or doubt! Looking at some of these – not just the ones in the back, but in the front, too – it nearly takes
