Small fingers ran over the fancy paper and red bow. “It’s almost too pretty to open.”


“It’s just wrapping paper. Open it,” she urged.A smile akin to a child’s grew on Ronnie’s face.


Rose looked around. “There’s no place to throw the paper away.”


“Toss it on the floor. I’ll pick it up later. Open it!” Ronnie scooted over until she was on the cushion next to the younger woman.


“I can’t toss it on the floor.” Her fingertip traced the bold writing on the gift tag.


“But…” Ronnie looked around, frowning when she did not find anything suitable in sight. “I’ll be right back.” She hopped off the couch and went into the kitchen. Rose listened to the sound of cupboards opening and shutting, followed by drawers. There was a muttered curse followed by

“There it is.” A few seconds later Ronnie returned, shaking the garbage bag open. She handed it to Rose and returned to the adjoining cushion, tucking her bare feet up underneath her thighs.

“Okay. Now open it.”


The young woman looked from the present to Ronnie. “Thank you.”


“You don’t even know what it is yet.”Rose slipped her fingernail under the tag and carefully separated it from the package, setting it on the side table. Another pass and one corner flap opened. “Just tear it,” Ronnie growled playfully. “Or we’ll be here until next Christmas.”


Rose looked at the beautiful package, her friend’s overly excited face, then at the present again. Small fingers curled beneath the open flap and with a quick tug tore a large strip of paper away. A few more rips and the box was opened to reveal a rust colored shirt. She picked it up by the shoulders and held it out to look at it. “Oh! That’s very nice.”


“Do you like it?”


“Oh yes, absolutely.” Rose looked at the length of the sleeves, noting they were a perfect match to her shorter arms. “I won’t have to fold over the cuffs.”


“Of course not. I made sure to get the right size.” Ronnie smiled proudly. “Do you like the color?”


“Very much.”


“It matches your eyebrows. I bet you’ll look great in it.”


Rose turned the shirt this way and that, nodding with agreement. It was, quite simply, terrific and she couldn’t wait to wear it. She folded it up and handed it to Ronnie, who set it on the empty cushion at the end of the couch. The trash was moved out of the way and another present retrieved from under the tree…



* * *

Rose forced the last piece of wrapping paper into the already overstuffed trash bag and wiped another happy tear from her cheek. “You really are amazing, you know that?”


“I’m glad you think so,” Ronnie responded with a warm smile. It had been a day full of tears and smiles from Rose and the executive could not have been happier. “Those are the only things I wasn’t sure about.” She gestured with her hand at the pair of blue and white sneakers on Rose’s lap. “I can take them back if they’re too big.”


“No, they’re perfect.”


“Great.” Ronnie reached over and picked them up, then looked around for an empty place to put them. The cushion was piled high with clothes and the coffee table was littered with software programs and various other items. She went to set them on the carpet but Tabitha came running over. “Oh no you don’t.” In the end the sneakers were placed on top of the pile of sweaters.


Rose gave a short sniff and blinked several times before moving her hand beneath the afghan. “I guess it’s time for your gift now. I’m sor…”


“No, wait.” Ronnie jumped off the couch. “There’s one more. Don’t go away, I’ll be right back.”


Fingering the thin bow on the gift in her lap, Rose let her gaze settle on the pile of clothes. A fresh tear rolled down her face, causing a frown to cross the blue-eyed woman’s face upon her return. “You know, it wasn’t my intention to make you cry.” She resumed her position on the couch only inches away from Rose.


That earned a chuckle. “I’m just a bit overwhelmed, I guess,” Rose replied, haphazardly wiping the salty drops off her cheeks. “I’ve never gotten so many things at Christmas ever.” She looked around, still amazed at the multitude of presents piled about. “I just can’t…” Rose looked down at her lap and shook her head. “Listen to me, I make it sound like my life was straight out of Oliver Twist.” She took the offered linen handkerchief.


“Of course you don’t,” Ronnie said softly. “Come on, let me give you your last present and then you can give me mine.” She set the jewelry box in Rose’s hands.


“Oh…oh my.” The young woman’s hand began shaking only to be steadied by a much larger one wrapping around hers.


“Open it,” came the whisper near her ear. “It’s okay, it won’t bite.” After a few seconds, long fingers pried the box open to reveal its contents.


Rose stared in amazement at the pendant attached to a thin rope chain. Only an inch and a half long, the white gold had been carefully molded into an exquisite representation of a rose. Tiny emerald and ruby chips made up the petals and leaves while a diamond solitaire rested at the base of the stem. Her lower lip quivered as she touched the pendant reverently with one fingertip.

“Oh Ronnie…it’s beautiful,” she whispered.


“A rose for a rose,” Ronnie said, repeating the slogan that had drawn her to the jewelry in the first place. She took the necklace out of the box and opened the catch. Rose stayed very still as the cool metal touched her skin and Ronnie fastened the chain. “Looks perfect on you.”


“It-it’s too much, Ronnie. I can’t…” She was stopped by a pair of fingers pressing against her lips.


“Rose…” She wiped another tear with her thumb. “I guess Santa should have brought you some handkerchiefs too, hmm?” She dabbed another tear away from Rose’s face. “Listen to me. I wanted you to have this.”


“But…” Rose looked around. “All these clothes, the programs, the shoes and sneakers and…” Ronnie’s fingers silenced her again.


“You deserve nice clothes. You deserve things that fit and look good on you.” She took the young woman’s chin in her hand and forced her to meet her gaze. “And you deserve to wear something pretty. Now…give me a hug, tell me how much you like it, and give me my present.” She said the last part with a playful smile, forcing Rose to smile along with her.


“It’s more than pretty, it’s wonderful. I love it.” The young woman wrapped her arms around Ronnie’s neck and pulled her in for a hug. “It’s so beautiful,” she whispered. “I love it so much, thank you.”


“I’m glad.”


“You really are my guardian angel, aren’t you?” Rose pulled back and looked at her friend, green eyes sparkling with moisture. “You’re the best friend anyone could ever have.” She reached under the afghan and pulled out the present. “I just wish I had something more to show you just how much you mean to me. Merry Christmas, Ronnie.” She nervously handed over the present, a million thoughts flying through her mind. Her anxiety grew as Ronnie slowly removed the gift tag and slipped it in her pocket. “Well, open it.”


The older woman laughed at Rose’s impatience and tugged on the thin red ribbon. “You’re as bad as I am…oh.” She opened the long velvet box. “Rose, they’re beautiful.”


“Do you like them?”


“Yes, very much.” Ronnie pulled the pen out and held it up to the light, the smile never leaving her face. “That’s a very pretty design. All those blues and greens swirling around. I like that gold band there too.”


“You really like it? You’re not just saying that to make me feel good, are you?”


“No Hon, I’m not just saying that. I really do like it.” She leaned over and gave Rose a hug. “It really is a thoughtful gift,” she said, leaning back.


“You said you could never find a pen around here.”


“I never can,” Ronnie agreed. “I guarantee I won’t lose this one.”


“I didn’t know if you liked mechanical pencils. Probably not since you can’t bite them, huh?”


“Rose, mechanical pencils are fine. Really, they are. I only use the wooden ones because that’s what we have in the supply office at work. I never had any reason to buy a pencil like this.” She turned the metal at the tip, watching the lead grow from the end. “I’ll promise you this, I won’t chew the end of this one.”


“You’d better not,” Rose playfully teased, her fears eased by the smile on Ronnie’s face. Her tone grew serious. “I’m really happy you like it. I’ve never bought anyone something like that before.”


“You know I would have been happy no matter what you got, even if it was just a card.” She looked down at the set and smiled. “These really are beautiful.” She reached over for another hug, much to Rose’s joy.


“This is the best Christmas I’ve ever had,” she whispered into Ronnie’s ear. “Thank you so much.”


The dark-haired woman smiled and hugged even harder. “You’re welcome. Thank you for making my Christmas so special.” She reluctantly ended the embrace, her hand still gripping the pen case.


She looked over at the clock. “Wow, I didn’t realize it was so late. It took that long just to open presents?”


“There were a lot of presents to open,” Rose replied with a smile. “I have no idea what to do with all those computer programs.” She gestured at the pile on the table.

“You’re going to learn from them.” Ronnie set the pen case down and picked up one of the software boxes. “This one teaches you how to type. It’s self-paced and shows you how to format business letters and memos.” She set the box on Rose’s lap and picked up another one. “This teaches the fundamentals of bookkeeping and accounting. There are programs to do all the actual calculations but if you’re going to be in the business world you really should know the basics.” She put the programs back on the table. “I’ll install them for you tomorrow and show you how to bring them up so you can work on them. Once you’re comfortable, I’ll show you how to log into the corporate network and you can go onto the Internet.”


“That sounds like fun. I’ve been on the Internet before. They had it at the library. I found a great site once that had all sorts of information about how to take care of cats.”


“Anything you’re interested in is out there on the Internet. When I first got used to being on a computer, I spent hours surfing the Net looking at different things. My bookmark file must have been a mile long.”


“Bookmark file?” Rose shook her head. “I don’t know if I can get all this computer stuff.”


Ronnie laughed. “Oh, Rose. Trust me. A few weeks and you and the computer will be best friends. I’ll have to drag you away from it.”


“I don’t know about that.”


“I do. It’s very addictive.”


“Ronnie? I understand how the typing and the other programs are supposed to help me, but what is the Rescuer of the Maiden supposed to teach me?” She pointed at the brightly colored box with knights battling on the cover.


“Uh…well…” The executive’s face colored slightly and she gave a sheepish smile. “That one teaches you how to be the great knight who rescues the fair maiden from the evil king’s dungeon. I thought you might like a game to relax and take a break with.”


“A knight rescuing a maiden, hmm?” Rose glanced at the cover again, noting that the maiden was fair-haired, like she was. She looked over at her own personal knight in shining armor. “I’m sure I’ll enjoy it.” Ronnie smiled back and stood up.


“Right now I think we had better hit the kitchen and get dinner started or we’re not going to be eating until late tonight.” Rose watched as the wheelchair was brought over.


“Oh, okay.” She allowed herself to be lifted into the chair but before Ronnie could pull back she wrapped her arms around the executive’s neck and squeezed, burying her face into the dark tresses. “Thank you. You’re the best friend I’ve ever had and today is one of the happiest days I’ve ever known.”


Ronnie returned the embrace, smiling into the golden hair. “You’re welcome. And thank you for making it so special for me.”