teaching old dogs new tricks

BC does not have the best gift giving track record.  In fact I might dare to label his holiday awareness as seriously impaired. I try not to take it personally. This year he had so much going on I was sort of hoping my birthday would slip completely pass him so we could both avoid the uncomfortable moment when he tries to explain why he couldn't pull anything together which usually makes it worse.  If it was as simple as 'I love you happy birthday didn't get you a gift', that I could handle.  Somehow BC has a way of making it more like 'I totally forgot you existed as a human being and now I am mad at you for it'. The man who once took a piece of cake away from a female friend in a restaurant at a table full of people watching saying to her, "You've had enough." He can take awkward to horrific in about 30 seconds flat. 

Unfortunately there was no way around him finding out. And the other people in my life spoiled me rotten all day long. Despite being sick I had a fantastic day. A hundred birthday wishes, enough bake goods to start a bakery, & a rolling pin which was a very well thought out gift- see for all the pizzas I make from scratch I don't actually have (until now!) a real rolling pin. 

Over the course of the day BC had left to run 'errands' three times. Each time a tiny part of my heart hoped he was getting me a gift. I can admit, specifically I wanted a big bowl of hot and sour soup- that would have been the best birthday gift ever! BUT from BC anything saying 'I took the time to think of you and I am glad you were born' would have been the best gift ever.  Each time he came back empty handed I was feeling a little less sure that I was as happy about my day as I thought I was. 
  

My last hold out for hope was dinner, surely he was doing something for dinner if not for my birthday at least for how sick I was.  But when he called upstairs asking if I wanted him to start something I thought well that was the last chance of a birthday surprise from BC.

So I made pizza with my new rolling pin and served it with yummy cake.


Then I announced the day of birthday fun was over. I was heading to bask in a hot shower before going to bed. I had little to no voice, my head hurt, my back hurt, my elbow hurt, my hair hurt....and I was a tiny bit sad.  

BC followed me into the bedroom holding a shoe box.  You can't go to bed without opening your gift and he handed me the box.  It was awfully light. And when I opened it, it was awfully empty looking.  
He laughed, "I got you an empty box."  
Let me stop the story right there.  That was a very dangerous thing for BC to have done.  We are both lucky I didn't burst out crying or punch him in the nose. I was so unsure of what was happening I just stood there holding the box. "What is this?" I asked him, probably not very nicely either because that was the moment I was convinced he was making fun of me or at the very least trying to make a not so cute joke about him not getting me a gift. Seeing that I wasn't going to figure it out on my own he pointed out the little white envelope among the tissue paper I had missed.  He explained. "It is gift card to the running company so you can go and fitted for any pair of running shoes you want."

I think new running shoes will go very nicely with all that cake! 

Running shoes = I took the time to think of you, I am happy you were born, and I hope you live to run a very long time.