“I just can’t believe it,” the younger sister repeated.
“Believe it. Our baby brother is a thief and a liar and I’ll be damned if he’s going to get away with it.”
By the end of the day all the locks had been changed and the news broken to the rest of the family. Ronnie shut down every construction project until further notice and announced that Frank’s brother John would run the Real Estate Division until a suitable replacement could be found. As an added precaution, she called the bank and reported Tommy’s corporate credit card stolen only to find out that large cash advances had been taken on the card during the last two weeks and it had reached its limit. Yet another piece of information to add to Ronnie’s already pounding headache of problems.
“What about a nice scarf?”
“She’ll hate it.”
“Hmm…what about a bottle of her favorite perfume?”
“Ugh, I hate her perfume.”
“Well, what does she like?” Rose flipped through the glossy pages of the Macy’s catalog.
“They’ve got some pretty jewelry in here.” They had spent the last two hours flipping through the various catalogs and flyers, to no avail. Everything suggested was dismissed just as quickly and Rose was running out of ideas to help her friend.
“No. Mother’s got more jewelry than she knows what to do with.” Ronnie tossed the Bloomingdale’s catalog on the desk, picked up another, and sighed. “I hate Christmas.”
“Oh, don’t be a grump now, I promise to help you find something for her.” Rose gave her friend a smile. “It can’t be that hard to find a present for your mother.”
“Beatrice Phoebe Cartwright is without a doubt the hardest woman to buy a present for.” Ronnie took a sip of wine and placed the long stemmed glass on the desk. “Maybe I should just send her on a cruise.” Blue eyes twinkled with mischievous thought. “Maybe a nice, long cruise.”
“Would she like that?”
“I would,” the executive replied with a devilish grin. “Maybe one of those around-the-world tours. You know, maybe six, eight…months.”
“Oh, you. Stop,” Rose playfully chastised, reaching out to lightly swat Ronnie’s forearm. “Your mother is not that bad, she’s just a little…a little….” She put her finger to her lips, trying to figure out one or two words that could accurately describe her friend’s mother. “Stuffy.”
“My mother is a snob, Hon.” Ronnie said as she took another sip of the rose wine. “She doesn’t take no for an answer, she expects perfection all the time, and worries more about the family image than how we feel.” Another sip, “Maybe I should just get her a gift certificate and let her pick out what she wants.”
“Are you sure?” Rose flipped a page in the catalog and held it out for the older woman to see.
“Here. There’s a toll free number you can call to order one, if that’s what you really want to do,” she said, her tone making it clear that she did not believe that to be the case. Despite having only known her for three weeks, Rose was beginning to understand some of the little facial expressions and mannerisms that betrayed Ronnie’s true feelings. Pencil gnawing meant frustration, fingernail tapping equated to boredom, and the firm yet gentle embrace that held her each night spoke of something neither of them would dare put words to.
Blue eyes looked up from the liquid for a moment, then back down again. “No,” Ronnie grudgingly admitted. “I just hate feeling so much pressure. I feel like I have to get the perfect gift.”
She opened her mouth to protest, then closed it, realizing that in her friend’s family, it was not far from being the truth. The Christmas party proved that. Not only was the entire thing thrust upon Ronnie’s shoulders, there had been no sense of appreciation from Susan and Beatrice for all the effort. Rose decided perhaps a different tactic was called for. “Okay then, what is the perfect gift?”
Ronnie’s eyebrows lifted, not expecting this reaction from the fair-haired woman. “Um…I don’t know, something…something….” She motioned with her hands, causing the wine to slosh about inside the glass. “I guess I never really thought about it.”
“Well then, let’s think about it. Come over here.” Rose raised the head level of the bed until she was almost in a sitting position and patted the space next to her, booting Tabitha off in the process. “Come on, if the only thing you can get her is a perfect gift than let’s find one.” She turned the pages. “Maybe the trick is to get the perfect gifts, you know, a collection of things that she likes instead of one big gift. Bring a pen, I’ll mark anything we find.”
Ronnie reached for something to write with, but all her pencils were gnawed and there wasn’t a pen in sight. She lifted a small pile of papers on her cluttered desk but no pen appeared. Opening the drawer showed paper clips, spare staples, even a pile of Post-It notes, but nothing to write with. “President of a multi-million dollar corporation and I can’t find a pen when I need it.” She continued her search unaware of the page Rose was looking at.
Rose thought excitedly. There before her eyes were pen and pencil sets in a multitude of price ranges and designs. The Mont Blanc sets were exquisite but completely beyond her meager spending level. She turned the page and saw it. There in the center of the page was a nice set, a marble design in a shade of blue that reminded Rose of the brilliance of her best friend’s eyes. Hesitantly she focused on the price written in smaller print below and gulped. It would take most of her remaining funds. She looked up to see Ronnie hunting for the still elusive pen, then back down at the catalog. The problem of finding a present for Beatrice had not been solved but another problem had. Rose discreetly bent the bottom corner of the page, then flipped back to the jewelry just as Ronnie found the missing pen and came over to the bed. Rose took the offered ball point and moved the catalog so the older woman could see. “Now, let’s figure this thing out. What’s your mother’s favorite place to visit?”
“Europe. She’s taken two of those country by country tours and raved about both of them.” Ronnie smiled and, the tension and worry of the last few days drained away from her face.
“That’s it! She’d love it. A tour of Europe. I can’t believe I didn’t think of it before.” She took the catalog from Rose and began flipping through the pages.
“Wow…that…that’s a wonderful gift.” She tried hard not to seem too awestruck but it showed in her expression nonetheless.
“You think that’s enough?” Ronnie asked as she looked at the glossy pictures, unaware that Rose, used to thinking in terms of pennies, was now trying to fathom the thousands of dollars a trip like that would cost. “I was thinking maybe a new wardrobe or…” She looked up and was struck by the beauty that gazed back at her. They studied each other for several seconds before Rose gave a shy smile and looked away.
“So um…” She picked at a non-existent piece of lint on the blanket as a slow flush crept up her cheeks. “You said something about clothes?”
“Um…yeah, clothes.” Ronnie closed the catalog, no longer having any interest in picking out presents. What she wanted to do was shut off the lights and curl up against the younger woman.