The Boy, The Christmas Present (and the ungreatful Girl who received it)

(Note: Once again, I changed the names of those involved)

The year was 1992. The place was Thorpe, in Surrey England and I was 15 years old. It was the last day of school before the Christmas holiday and I was anxious. The word around school was that Jon The Canadian was looking to give me a present and I was looking to hide. Sweet, handsome, shy Jon. He's good looks and quiet demeanor intimated the heck out of me as a young girl. He was desperate to attempt to win my heart though.

All throughout the day my girlfriends kept looking for me saying "Jon's looking for you. He has something for you." Then his friends started coming up to me. "He's looking for you, Colleen." They said. "Yeah, uh huh, I know." Was all I could awkwardly muster.

I didn't see him all day but sunk onto the school bus anyway. We were just about to take off when a blond head popped into the school bus and climbed the stairs. The next thing I knew the tall, shy Canadian was smiling and making his way to the back of the bus where I was sitting with butterflies in my stomach.

"Hello Colleen, Merry Christmas." He said in his smooth, deep voice and held out his big hand. In it was a tiny box wrapped in Christmas paper. I sat there in my seat and looked up at him. All the children on the bus were watching us. I took the present from his hand. "Thanks Jon. Merry Christmas to you too." I said and smiled weakly up at him. "Okay, well, I'll see ya." He said cheerily. And turned around and walked off the bus. I sat there with the little wrapped box in my hand. I didn't want to open it. Next thing I knew there was a tap at the window. It was Jon and he was smiling. Then like something out of an old Molly Ringwald movie, he blew on the window. It created a fog and he wrote backwards so I could read it properly "Call me" with his finger. "Okay?" I could hear him say. All I could do was nod. Then he walked off.

Just then our mean bus driver who we mockingly named "Skippy" shouted in his thick Scottish brogue. "Siiiii dooowwwn! We're leeeavin'!" The bus lurched and off we went.
I was sitting there with the little box in my hand and his very good friend who road the bus with me. "Well open it!" Greg said. All the girls were watching me. They thought I was so cool that an upperclassmen gave me Freshman, a Christmas present.

Nothing like this had ever happened to me in my life. No guy had ever paid attention to me until now, not like this. Maybe it was because I was insecure about my looks. Maybe it was because I was immature and inexperienced. I don't really know. But as much as I enjoyed being liked, I was not emotionally ready for dating just yet.

So with trembling hands, I unwrapped the present. It was a cut glass box that you could see through, and in it was a dainty pair of gold looking flower earrings. They were very pretty, and I was speechless.

That night, I kept thinking about the fact that he wanted me to call him. But I didn't know what to say. So I didn't. I felt bad about that. It was never like me to agree to something and not follow through, but I just couldn't.

I can't remember if I ever thanked him. All I know is that those dainty earring sat in my jewelry box. And every once in awhile I would take them out and look at them and then secretly tuck them back away. They were probably the most thoughtful Christmas present I received that year and I never let him know it.

Now I am a grown-up but somewhere in the attic of my parents house, in an old white leather jewelry box there lies a pair of dainty flower earrings, that have still yet to be worn, but are to precious to throw away.