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“Yep. You look super cute in Callie’s golf hat.”
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CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
“Done!” Cassie sat back and admired her handiwork. School was out for Christmas break and Cassie had finally completed her shopping before the weekend rush. Not only had she gotten all her presents bought, but she had also bought all the wrapping paper, ribbons and bows for all the gifts. She had just put the final touches on the last present that needed to be wrapped.
Cassie loved Christmas. Well, she loved Christmasnow.As a child, Christmas consisted of Cassie and her mom avoiding her dad after he drank way too much. But now she adored the holiday. She loved buying presents for the people she loved most. She loved wrapping all the gifts. She loved putting up the tree and hanging lights, even though she could only really put lights in the windows of their apartment.
Before Callie married Kyle, Cassie had gone to Max’s house with Callie and celebrated there. But this year, Callie, Kyle and Max were going to North Carolina to spend Christmas with Kyle’s family. Aria was spending Christmas with her dad in Vale and Cassie was going to Jamal’s. She had already given Aria her present, a cashmere sweater and box of Charms suckers, with the strict instructions to open it on Christmas day.
Callie was coming over in a few minutes to get the presents Cassie had bought for Callie, Kyle and Max. She had gotten Max a new tackle box, complete with a bunch of new fishing gear that the guy at Bass Pro Shops had promised her Max would love. She had gotten Kyle a box of Titleist Pro-V One golf balls that the Academy Sports salesman had assured her were top notch in the golfing world. Callie had gotten a bottle of her favorite perfume, Juicy Couture Le Fleur.
Those were the easiest ones to get. The tricky ones to buy were for Jamal, JJ, Melvin and Irma. She finally decided on a hundred dollar gift certificate to Ted’s Café Escondido for Irma and Melvin, knowing it was their favorite place to eat. She had gotten JJ a shirt that said “You’re killing me, Smalls!” on the front, complete with a picture of Ham from The Sandlot as well as season tickets to the OU softball games. She knew everyone would love all their presents. It was Jamal’s she was nervous about.
Cassie had gotten him two things. The first was practical and one she wasn’t worried about him liking at all. Ever since she had known him, he constantly complained about having a hard time shaving in his shower because the mirror he had would always fog up. Cassie was on Amazon one day, browsing for Christmas gifts, when she came across a fog-free shower mirror. That one was easy.
The second one was what had her wondering. When Cassie had asked Irma if she had any ideas what to get Jamal, Irma had grinned and waved Cassie to her bedroom at the back of Jamal’s house. Irma had gone into her closet and came out toting a huge box.
“What in the world is in there, Irma?” Cassie had asked her.
Irma grinned like the cat that ate the canary. “This box, my dear,” Irma replied, opening the lid, “Holds every practice jersey, playing jersey, and first edition t-shirts from Jamal’s entire basketball career. He would always throw them out, so I’d go behind him and sneak them out of the trash. I figured you, being all creative as a teacher and all, would have a good idea what to do with them.”
Irma held up a small, tattered gold and green jersey with a faded eleven on the back. “This was his very first jersey from his very first high school game,” she said.
“But how did you get that? You didn’t even know him then,” Cassie said.
“I found it in the bottom of his suitcase when I was moving him into my house. Asked him what it was. He just shrugged his shoulders and tried to grab it out of my hand so he could throw it in the trash. ‘It’s nothing,’ he told me. But me, I knew it was something. So I held on to it and it sorta became my thing. Collecting his jerseys.”
Cassie smiled and patted Irma on the back. “I think I know exactly what to do with them, Irma.”
The old lady patted her on the arm. “I knew you would, child.”
Cassie had loaded up the oversized box in her car, took it to Natasha’s mom, Sandra, and asked her to make a quilt out of all the shirts and jerseys. The finished product was amazing. Cassie loved it but was worried about what Jamal would think. Would he think it was super cheesy? Pretend to like it?
It didn’t really matter now though, because he and JJ were coming over in, Cassie looked at her watch, two hours to pick her up. Cassie, Jamal and JJ were celebrating a couple of days early since Jamal had a game on Christmas Day.
A knock sounded on the door. “Coming!” Cassie said, pulling herself off her perch on the floor and walking toward the front door.
“Hell-OOOO!Merry Christmas, ya filthy animal!” Cassie laughed at the famous phrase from their favorite Christmas movie and flung the door open to greet her best friend.
Callie came through the door and wrapped her up in a snow jacket laden hug. The meteorologists were definitely right when they said Oklahoma would be getting a white Christmas. It had started snowing big, fat flakes earlier in the day and didn’t look like it was going to stop anytime soon. The streets were already almost coated completely with a thin layer of snow.
“Callie! You’re smothering me in the puffiness of your jacket!” Cassie screeched.
Callie pulled back and looked Cassie in the eye. “I can’t believe this is going to be the first Christmas apart since I’ve known you,” her friend said, puffing her lip out in a perfect pout. “Are yousureyou don’t want to come with us?”
“And who would spend time with JJ while her dad is playing on Christmas, hmmmm?”
Callie pulled her in for another hug. “I know, I know. I’m just gonna miss you, is all.”
Cassie hugged her friend back. “I’ll miss you, too. But you know you’ll have a great time with the K-clan.”
Callie nodded her agreement. “I know I will. It just won’t be the same, is all.”
“Then let’s make a plan now. Weallget together next year. You, me, Aria, Kyle, Jamal, JJ, Irma, my dadandthe K-clan. Sound good?”
Callie grinned. “Sounds good. If not a tad bit chaotic.”
