Backed Redux - Chapter 32

“I have an early Christmas present for you, doll.” Seth said when I got home from work. He was beaming. But although it was early December, I’d barely thought about Christmas, let alone gifts.

“What’s that?” I asked as I took off my coat.

 “Paul Reid will not be bothering anyone for a very long time,” he said.

How do you know that?” I asked. I wanted to be happy, but I couldn’t help being a little suspicious as well.

He waved his phone at me. “I have people, remember? Nat called earlier and said Paul had been picked up on several counts of money laundering, theft, and fraud in Florida. Plus, he had outstanding warrants in several other states which officially makes this a federal case.”

The ensuing emotions were complicated. I was happy he’d been arrested but sorry he’d caused so much trouble in the meantime. I went with the easy response first. “I love that you know girl hackers, by the way. That is so cool!” I said.

“That’s all you heard from all that?” he asked, incredulous.

“Of course not,” I said as I slumped onto the arm of a chair. “I just – well, I thought you were kidding about him bilking old people out of their money.”

“I was vaguely hoping I was,” he said. “But I also know him well enough to know that was probably his motivation for being in Florida in the first place.”

“Any chance they can connect him and Christine?” I asked. “And then use her to find us?” I knew it was farfetched, but it was the only downside I could find in the whole thing.

“This has nothing to do with us or Christine,” he said. “There’s no reason for you to worry anymore.”

I grinned. “I’ll never stop worrying about everything. But this definitely takes one load off.”

“You know, one of these days I’m going to add the rule ‘worry less’ to the contract,” he said. “Nothing more specific than that. Just ‘worry less.’ It would be good for you.”

I shook my head and wandered off to make dinner. 

Until that night, I hadn’t realized what a cloud Paul still was over us. I had grown so accustomed to the tension, that voice in the back of my head that said he was going to find us eventually, that I didn’t even notice it anymore. Seth found me a few minutes later hunched over the sink with my head down.

He stood next to me, back to the sink and crossed his arms. “Or do I need to make it a rule now?” he asked.

I stood up straight and met his eyes. “I’m fine – it’s all fine,” I said. “I just needed to take a second and realize that. You know, let it sink in.”

He kissed me on the forehead in what was quickly becoming a signature move for him. “Did you have something special planned for dinner or should we go out and celebrate?” he asked.

I opted to celebrate.
…
Normally, I enjoyed the atmosphere and busy-ness around stores and on the streets this time of year, but I hadn’t been able to get into it until Seth got his call. Now it was time to start shopping in earnest – but I was wholly unprepared for the insanity that is New York during the holidays. I could barely move most of the time, and consumer bondage was not my idea of a good time. I had all the grace and agility of Myrna Loy entering the first Thin Man movie. All I needed was the dog.

I decided on a few homemade gifts instead and, in what little free time I had, started making jewelry again. It was one of those hobbies that had long ago gone by the wayside due to my finances. Now, I had a renewed interest and was pursuing it enthusiastically. Chloe and some other friends in the kink community were going to get homemade pieces, as would Alex and Claire. My boss got a simple pair of earrings and a store-bought snowglobe with a poinsettia in it because it was her favorite flower, and her birthday fell around the holidays. I even shopped for Christine in the hopes that I would see her sometime near the holiday. Seth had agreed it was safe to invite her up, but we hadn’t been able to work out the timing yet.

I had ideas for everyone but Seth. He was impossible. He could afford whatever he wanted and rarely seemed to want much. New BDSM toys seemed … cliché. He didn’t enjoy sports, and I didn’t feel like I knew enough about computers to get him any accessories. He was no help either – vague as always. I joked about giving him the “gift of submission.” He said, “What would I do with another one? Chain her in the closet as a spare?”

Later that week, it hit me. All this time he’d been using the dining room table as a work area, and we had eaten either in the living room in front of the television, or standing in the kitchen. He seemed content enough with the arrangement, but he deserved better.

I found a computer desk that would fit in a corner of our living room. It included several shelves on each side for papers and accessories, the back was a magnetic board, and it even had room for a printer. Alex went with me to pick it up and agreed to hide it at their place until Christmas Eve. My plan was to put it together after he went to bed that night.

Two days before Christmas, Christine called with a possible timeframe for coming up. “It’s not my fault, sis” she said. “You know how disorganized your mother is.”  Christine’s mother always became my mother when there was any hint of frustration or tension. Usually she was joking.

We proceeded to make arrangements for her to visit around the New Year. She worked in administration at a university and despite her wealth of vacation time, it was always difficult for her to use any of it while classes were in session. I was extremely excited at the thought of seeing her so soon.

The following evening, I tried to gently encourage Seth to go to bed early. He looked at me strangely and eventually conceded though he was obviously suspicious. I waited until I was sure he was asleep, then snuck out and knocked on Alex and Claire’s door. Alex helped me carry the large box into our apartment.  By myself, I only could have dragged it and I didn’t want to risk making that much noise.

“Doesn’t this usually involve parents and a bike?” Alex whispered once we had the box inside.

“Do you think I should have gotten him a bike?” I asked. I was completely serious. A desk suddenly seemed like an odd gift, and I was insecure about my choice.

“No,” Alex said. She drew out a pocket knife and silently started cutting through the tape that sealed the box.

“Maybe next year,” I said as I searched for directions and started pulling out long pieces of plywood that I hoped would eventually resemble something functional. Alex looked at me like I was crazy and started reading the directions. “I hope you don’t need a hammer for this,” she said.

Oh hell. I hadn’t thought of that. “I hope so too,” I answered. Alex wordlessly handed me the booklet. On the front page were pictures showing what tools were needed, including a hammer. “It was a nice thought, right?” I asked.

“Let’s see how much we can get done without it,” she said with a shrug. “I’m sure he’ll appreciate the effort.”

That was when I noticed Seth emerge from his room. “You need quieter elves, doll,” he said.

“Merry Christmas!” I said enthusiastically. I threw up my arms like a gymnast who had just stuck the most perfect landing ever. Alex shook her head and excused herself. Seth went back to his room and came out with an envelope.

“We might as well do this now,” he said smiling.

“God I’m sorry – this is not what I had in mind,” I answered. “I didn’t expect putting it together would be so involved.”

“Worry less – I’m not kidding,” he said and cocked his head so he could see the picture of the finished product on the box. “I think it’s great. Perfect too because I’ve been meaning to look for something better than the dining room table.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. “This feels more like tradition anyway,” I said. “Growing up, we always opened one present on Christmas Eve.” 

Seth kissed me on the forehead then handed me the envelope. “I know it’s not the diamond the ladies at work were hoping for, but I hope you like it.”

The envelope revealed season tickets to the New York Mets. I’d whined a bit about needing a new home team, but hadn’t realized Seth had listened. “I know you hate the Yankees,” he said. “I hope this is a sufficient alternative.”

He was right. They would never replace my beloved Indians. Despite their roster no longer including the beautiful Mike Piazza, they were definitely more interesting to me than the Evil Empire. “Check the schedule,” Seth said, as I continued going through the contents of the envelope.

​ “The actual tickets will come later but there is something called ‘interleague play’ and the Indians will be in town for that before too long.”

I shrieked like a little girl. This was definitely a successful first Christmas together.