3. Touched by an Angel
By Gavin Trevain

It is three in the morning when they arrive at her quarters in the guest wing.

"I am exhausted."

"Tired, but happy," he says, as he pulls the headband off his ears.

"I know what you mean," she says, discarding her toque and unzipping her
snow-covered jacket.  "The joy in all those faces, especially the children's,
was wonderful."

"I want to thank you for coming along," he voices, brushing the flakes from his
dark hair.

"I really enjoyed it," she expresses, moving into the living room.  "How long
have you been involved with the 'Angels of Christmas?'"

"They've been around a while," he says, heading for the fireplace.  "But this is
the third year I've been out."  They had started after supper on Christmas Eve,
helping to load the many city transit vehicles delivering donated food, clothing
and toys to needy families.

"Come over here," she orders.

As he complies, she wraps her arms around him tightly, for a long time,
snuggling to get some warmth from his body.

"I'm glad I came," she whispers.  "It was so special to volunteer for something
like this.  I feel I'm really in the spirit of the season."

"I'm glad, too," he articulates and kisses her like he means it.

"I need to warm up by the fire."

"Why don't you put on some music," he suggests, "while I make us some hot
chocolate?"

She wanders over to the CD's and begins searching through them, idly toying with
a checkered silk scarf draped around her neck.

K's last examination had been on the 21st and she had to scurry to wing her way
out late the next day, landing at Stapleton International in the early hours of
the 23rd.  J had met her at the airport and had taken her shopping that
afternoon.  That night they had a really romantic dinner, which lasted almost
three hours, at the Melting Pot in Littleton.  The cheese fondue, the main
course of meat and vegetables cooked in boiling oil right at their table, and
the dessert of chocolate fondue with sponge cake was delectable.

As she puts on Vanessa William's 'Star Bright' CD, she thinks about the dinner
again.  It had been nice to relax and spend time with J.  The view of the Rocky
Mountains had been breathtaking that night but she did feel a little tinge of
disappointment when she thought about not being with her parents.  They had been
a little concerned at first but, after some reassurances from her, were actually
quite understanding.  It was fortunate her classes were starting off a week
later than most other universities.  She would be flying home early on the 27th,
so she would still get to spend a lot of time with them.

K leans back in her chair and closes her eyes.  She starts to listen to 'Hark
the Herald Angels Sing' just as J comes in with the drinks.  They sit close
together and cuddle by the now chattering conflagration.

"This is nice," she bubbles, as she turns back to kiss him again.

"Alone at last!" J exhales.

"It has been a hectic few days but I really enjoyed meeting your parents."

"Don't speak too soon," he cautions, caressing her shoulder.  "You'll have to
spend a lot of time with them at dinner tonight."

"They're really great," she enthuses, "which might explain why you're not so bad
yourself."

J kisses her forehead this time.  "Thanks, I'll take that as a compliment."  He
adds, "Now that we're all alone whatever shall we do?"

"Just hold me."

He does for a long while.

K follows him into the kitchen later with her mug.  She pauses to look out the
picture window.  "Look, J, it's stopped snowing!"

He stands behind her and wraps his arms around her.

"This is so amazingly peaceful," she observes.  "It looks just like a postcard."

It does.  He looks at the scene and her reflection in the window.  "That's why I
like being home for Christmas."

"I wonder what it was like on that night almost 2000 years ago?" she muses.

"Likely it was more than two thousand years ago and likely it wasn't this
night."

"What do you mean?"

"No one really knows when Christ was born," he enunciates.  "And there are only
four brief references in the gospels, all in Matthew, I think.  No one is even
sure of the day."

"Then why do we celebrate it on the 25th?"

"The Romans celebrated the feast of Sol Invictus (for King Sol) on the winter
solstice.  Many major religions all have celebrations around this time of year."

"But isn't December 21st the shortest day of the year?"

"The solstice was on the 25th on the Roman calendar.  Dionysius Exiguus, the
monk who was messing about with this dilemma around 526 AD placed Christ's birth
at December 25 in the year 1 BC."

"What was wrong with that?"

"For starters, there was never a year zero.  In fact, in 526 AD, only
mathematicians in India were using the number zero.  Even Arab mathematicians
took about another 300 years to discover it through the Indians.  Western
civilization was even further behind.  Exiguus also missed counting four years
in the reign of Octavian."

"How did they decide on the year of birth?"

"They had to gauge it at the time of Herod's death and some major celestial
happening.  Two major planetary alignments occurred around that time, one in 7
BC and one in 6 BC.  Kepler theorized it was 7 BC because the celestial
alignment that year mirrored what he saw in the early 1600's.  As a result, most
theologians and historians place Christ's birth between 12 BC and 2 BC, with 5
BC to 4 BC being more highly favored."

"So we might already be in the third millenium of the Christian calendar?"

"Your logic is correct.  But if we measure time from 1 AD as the first year, and
because of the no zero year problem that even Kepler missed, then the new
millenium begins on January 1, 2001, not January 1, 2000 as most people believe.
Read the New York Times on January 2, 2001 and I'll bet you they will be one of
the few that will get it right."

"So all those people paying exorbitant sums to fly on the Concorde on December
31, 1999 are wasting their money?"

"Exactly.  Plus they might crash and burn because there are still 1.2 billion
lines of code to correct to fix the Y2K problem."

"Don't start on that," she pleads.

"I'm sorry," he concedes.  "I do tend to ramble and I don't want to put you to
sleep."

"Yes, you do go on sometimes.  But you're never dull."

"Well punch me if I do.  You know what?  Since it has stopped snowing why don't
we go for a walk?"

"At this hour?"

"Why not?  It's really peaceful.  Since I don't have to deliver those toys to
the needy kids till later this morning, I'll just spend some more time with my
favorite girl.  I can always grab some shuteye later."

"But I want to give you your gifts now."

"Ah!  There's more than one.  Does that mean that J has been a good boy?"

"It might be a lump of coal for all you know."

"As long as it's from the heart, that all that counts," he says.  "I have some
gifts for you, too, but we can do that after our walk."

They bundle up and are almost a block away when J suddenly gets an idea.  " Come
with me," he states, as he drags her back to where his vehicle is parked.

J opens up the back of the Windstar and pulls out a bright blue toboggan.  It is
obviously used as the cord at the front is slightly frayed but it is in
excellent shape, as it seems to be made of indestructible plastic.  He couldn't
help but notice it earlier among the pile of unwrapped new and used toys and,
being a romantic soul, had wondered what stories it could tell if it could talk.

K looks at him in wonder.  "What's this for?"

J doesn't answer but grabs her with his free hand and starts running across the
street.  Just across the street is a school with a large playground.  K notices
that it is an ordinary playground except for one thing.  What is slightly
unusual is that the baseball field is recessed as it is surrounded on three
sides by gentle slopes.  The side that is not extends further into a soccer
field.

"We're going tobogganing!" he bursts out.

"I've never done this before," she objects.

"Really?" J exclaims.  "Well, you're going to enjoy this!"

As they get to the crest of one of the small hills, J surveys the terrain and
makes sure that there are no trees or other obstructions in their path.  He
lines up the toboggan and gets K to sit down on it with her feet facing forward.
Handing her the rope he sits down behind her.  "Are we ready for the maiden
voyage of the 'Terrific Titanic Toboggan?'"

"As ready as I'll ever be," K utters, impressed with his spurt of
capriciousness.

She screeches as they dash downward and eventually slow to a stop.  Her reaction
is the same as every other child in the universe.  "That was fun.  Let's do it
again."

J grabs her hand and they race to the second incline and do it over.

After the second ride K grabs his hand and they race to the third hill.  It is
another glorious excursion.  As they are slowing down J grabs her by the
shoulders and pulls her off the sled.

The move takes K completely by surprise.  She finds herself rolling and ends up
covered in snow lying on top of the jester.  Before she can even think about
protesting she is silenced with a kiss.  They hug each other and trudge slowly
up the hill.

"I noticed you had a silk scarf around your neck earlier," J states when they
get to the top.  "Would you mind handing it to me, and your toque, as well?"

"You're not thinking what I think you're thinking?" K shudders, secretly hoping
he is, as she unzips her jacket slightly to unfurl the scarf.

He does not answer her. She watches J start to fold the green and red checkered
scarf into a band.  A tingle runs through her spine as she anticipates what is
about to happen.  Although they had talked about it, J had only blindfolded her
on that one occasion, and she wasn't sure when he was going to do it again.

K feels J's arms turning her to face down the hill.  He does not ask her to
close her eyes this time.  She looks at the vast field of white dotted with the
occasional evergreen as she sees the scarf approach her eyes.  She senses the
silky softness on her forehead and nose and a single knot being tied loosely
behind her head.  She feels his fingers pulling the silk so that it seems to be
covering her entire forehead and then the touch of his fingers lightly brushing
the sides of her nose.  She feels the knot being tightened and then the second
one, too.  It takes her a while to realize that he is now tucking in the ends of
the scarf.

J had originally considered what he called the classic reverse overlap tie, with
a single knot in the back and front, which would have been the ideal way to
blindfold her for this occasion.  Since this scarf was not large enough, he had
opted instead for what he called the one-and-a-half reverse tuck.  The band was
broad enough to entirely cover her forehead, while the doubled portion covered
her eyes.

K thinks he has finished blindfolding her until she feels something behind her
head.  It is not until she feels the thicker fabric being drawn over her eyes
that she realizes he is also blindfolding her with her toque.

J admires his handiwork and considers folding the bottom of the toque over.
This would have worked had it been a rounder, stretchier toque.  As it is a more
tightly fitting squarer toque, a toque that is distinctly feminine, he decides
to leave it that way.

K reckons he is done until she feels what seems to be something stretchy being
pulled over the toque, and then fingers adjusting it into place.  As she settles
into the darkness, she feels a tinge of vulnerability.  She is tempted to ask if
she is finished.

She doesn't get the chance as she feels his lips and arms and capitulates to a
long, deep kiss that nearly takes her breath away.

"I'm terrified, J," she utters, as he helps her onto the sled and gets on behind
her.

"Here we go!" he shouts, as he pushes off.

The scream escapes involuntarily from her lips and doesn't end until they skid
to a smooth standstill.

As soon as K catches her breath she reaches back and pummels him with her fists.
"That was way too scary!"

"You enjoyed it," he remarks.  "Wasn't that fun?"

Hand in hand they trek up the gradient.  "Amelia, I think you're ready for your
first solo flight."

She looks right at him even though she cannot see him.  "You've got to be
kidding!  Besides, Amelia Earhart never made it back from one of her flights."

"Look," he says, "I know you trust me, and if I thought this was going to be
really dangerous I wouldn't ask you to do it."

"That's easy for you to say," she complains.  "You're not the one who's
blindfolded.  The last ride was terrifying enough but at least I knew you were
right behind me to protect me in case we were going to run into a tree or
something."

"From where I'm going to launch you there are no trees you're going to run into.
Because of the snowfall, this ridge isn't as icy and the sled won't go as fast."

"You mean you're not going to wait for me at the bottom?"

"It's safer that I launch you," he assures her.  "If you try to get going
yourself you might slide backwards and end up in the chain link fence behind
us."

"Great!" she mocks.  "Thanks for reminding me."

"I'll point you really straight.  If there's any danger of you hitting anything,
I'll yell to jump left or right and you can just let go of the rope and jump and
roll."

"That's really encouraging but my parents are expecting me back in one piece."

Finally she sits on the sled and holds onto the rope for dear life.  Her heart
is thumping so loudly it feels like it is going to fly out of her chest.
Nonetheless, K is tremendously thrilled thinking about this toboggan trip.  She
hears J's signal as he propels the sled.  Her shrill shriek slices through the
silent night.

J races down the hill and helps her up.  As he kisses her he can feel her heart
still pounding.  "Ready for another go?" he asks amicably.

"I consider myself fortunate to have survived that experience," she enunciates.
"I'm not sure we should tempt fate."

"You have conquered one hill and that entitles you to one gift," he explains.
"As I recall there are two more hills left to earn your full quota."  He kisses
her again.

K succumbs after the third kiss and is led to the next crest.  She is still
terrified but thinks it really isn't as bad as a roller coaster ride.  Although
she knows in her mind that it is not dangerous, her blindfold prevents her from
believing she has any control over the ride.

After J lines her up again he whispers, "Try not waking the neighbors this
time."

K still screams but only on takeoff.  She feels a real rush at accomplishing
this feat.  She hears J's footfalls and hugs him as he helps her to stand.

"Only one more to go," J declares, "and you will become a full fledged member of
the Blindfold Blizzard Bunnies."  He doesn't understand why K laughs as hard as
she does.

K is really loosening up now and starting to enjoy herself.  She pictures
herself in her quaint blindfold but doesn't feel helpless.  The last two rides
have given her a real boost of confidence and she is relishing J taking care of
her.

J must sense this because he asks her to pull the toboggan along to the next
hill without holding onto his hand.  "I'll walk a few steps in front of you and
you just follow the sound of my voice."

K finds it a little strange at first but it is not too daunting since she can
hear him close by.

When J sees she is approaching the incline he warns her.  But walking uphill
unassisted while blindfolded and pulling her sled behind her proves too
challenging even for the game girl.  She loses her balance on her second step
and falls backward on her rear end.

The only thing that hurts is her pride.  "Now see what you've done," she moans.
"You've given me wet butt."

He playfully pats her posterior.  "That is definitely a damp derriere!" he
determines, as he swiftly steps sideways to flee the flailing fist.

He grabs her in a bear hug to limit any possible damage and kisses her again.
"I'll help you up the rest of the way."

"I'm glad one of us is enjoying himself," she taunts.

"Oh! Like you're not?"

She smiles sanguinely.  "Actually, I am."

As she blasts off for the last time K finds she is more aware of the wind
against her face, the smoothness of the ride and the swish of the sled.

J races down and hugs her again.  "Congratulations, Blindfold Blizzard Bunny!"
he exclaims.  "You've passed with flying colors."

As she feels his lips on hers again, she asks, "Does the bunny now get to dry
her tail?"

"The night is young and so are you," he says.  "There's no rush to get to your
hutch."

"I'll stay as long as you don't turn into Randy Rabbit."

"I'm afraid it's too late for that now," he voices, as he smooches her again.

It is not a tremendously cold night and K is much more relaxed.  The cool air
and the exciting event have acted as a tonic to invigorate her spirits.

"I think it's time for sightless snowball soccer," J announces, having just
conceived a new game.  He leads her to the near goalposts and lets her feel each
end.  He walks her to the middle of the goal, tells her she is in the center and
walks her fifteen paces away in they direction from which they just came.
Together they kneel down and start making snowballs.  After they have made a
pile of fifteen snowballs he explains that he will stand somewhere between the
posts and say, 'Go', upon which she is to hurl the snowball in an attempt to get
it between the posts.  He will not attempt to stop any of her dozen shots and
she will get a kiss for each goal plus a bonus of five kisses if she hits him.

"Once you start shooting, I won't tell you where your shots are landing," he
explains further.  It will be up to you to use your own judgement or the sound
clue.  But I'll let you have three practice shots and tell you your results."

This sounds like an interesting game and K is eager to give it a try.  Her first
practice shot swerves far right.  The second succeeds, though it is barely
within the goalpost.  Her third shot tails left as J moves closer to that
goalpost.  "I think I'm ready to start the game but wait till I'm ready to shoot
before you speak," she requests.

K's intention from the outset is to nail J.  As she takes each shot she notices
his voice is coming from different directions.  She tries to aim at the sound of
his voice but isn't sure if he is moving as soon as he speaks.  She listens
carefully to see if she can detect the sound of his feet.  She tries a few
variations, first aiming to the right of his voice and then to the left.
Finally she hears his voice.

"You have only one shot left," he advises.

K deliberately makes a production of searching for the last snowball with her
right hand.  Her left hand is otherwise occupying itself.  She swings the last
snowball and knows she has failed to hit J.

"So how did I do?" she inquires, as she hears his approaching footsteps.

"I'd rather show you," he remarks, as his hands encircle her body.  "Pucker up!"

He kisses her three times and stops.  Before he can break the embrace he feels
the stinging cold on the back of his neck.  J jumps at the abrupt attack and
hears the giggles of a gleeful girl.

He hugs her after he recovers and rewards her mischief with his mouth.  "Numb
neck has a deciding dare for damp derriere."

"What would that be my impulsive ignoramus?" K inquires, quite enjoying the
moment and being swept away by his spontaneity.

"I imagine you've tried something like a trust walk before," he conjectures.
"What I'd like you to try now is, for want of a better term, a freedom walk."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm going to place you in the center of these near goalposts and face you
forward.  I would like you to walk without touching me until you go through the
far goalposts."

"You can't be serious," K entreats.  "No one can walk in a straight line while
blindfolded, especially for that distance."

"I'm aware of that," he affirms.  "But not only are you going to walk blindfold
through the far goalposts, you are going to turn around and walk back through
these, without ever touching me."

"How can that possibly work?" K questions, sounding perplexed.

"I'll make it really easy for you on your first trip.  Once I position you I
will walk ahead of you about ten paces and then say, 'Go', upon which you will
start walking.  Every so often I will say, 'Here,' and you will just follow the
sound of my voice."

"I'm not sure I can do this," she remarks earnestly.

"I'm positive you can," J asserts.  "You never know what you can do unless you
try."

Finally K gives in after another kiss.  After J positions her and she hears his
voice, K proceeds prudently with her arms outstretched in front of her,
anxiously waiting for the next sound clue.

J watches her outstretched arms but says nothing.  He sees her occasionally
stepping in his footprints and sometimes veering slightly off course, but
notices she is able to correct well.  As she gets further in her sightless
stroll he notices she is not straying too far from his fresh footprints.  He
provides her verbal cues less often.

For K the journey takes what seems like an eternity with every uncertain step.
At some point she realizes that in the stillness of the night she can hear her
own footsteps and J's quite clearly.  After what seems like ages she hears J
speak.

"You're very close.  I'm standing in the goalposts.  Just follow the sound of my
voice to reach me."  He grabs her as she walks into his arms.

"I did it!" K exclaims.  She feels J guiding her to feel the ends of each of the
goalposts.

"Was that a little frightening for you?" he inquires.

"More than a little," she replies.

"Why were your arms in front of you all the way?"

K seems puzzled by the question.  Before she can answer she hears his voice.

"Think about this a moment.  You're in a wide-open field.  Above you is sky.
Below your feet there is a carpet of snow.  All around you there is only air.
You are totally free.  The worst thing that could happen is that you slip on a
patch of ice and fall on your butt.  Besides, I'm not going to allow you to
stray enough to walk into the fence."

Suddenly this made sense to K.  "I never thought about it that way."

After J situates her for the return trip he says, "Feel the freedom and the
wind.  Breathe the air and bathe in it.  This time you will walk in front and
I'll follow ten paces behind.  If you go off course, I will tell you to go
either left or right.  When you are close to the far goalposts I will tell you.
Only at that time will you put your hands in front of you.  To start off with
imagine you are an airplane and extend your hands out to your sides."

K sets off on the command.  Although still securely blindfolded, she finds that
the return trip is much less terrifying with her change in perspective.

"Now hold your hands above your head like you've scored a touchdown," he says,
after about ten paces.

Another ten paces.  "Left a little.  Now walk normally."

Another twenty paces.  "Right a little.  Now march like a soldier."

Another ten paces.  "Right a little more.  Now clasp your hands behind your
back."

This is much more difficult for K.  Then he lets her walk normally the rest of
the way.  K finds her self-confidence growing with every stride.  Finally he
yells that she is close.  Following a few more explicit instructions she hears
him ask her to stop.  She feels his hands once again guide hers to feel the
goalposts.  Then she feels the warmth of his clinch and the softness of his
lips.

"I'm so proud of you, K!" he vociferates joyously.

"That was really mind-blowing!" she accedes.

"Isn't it amazing what you can do if you believe in yourself?" J asks
rhetorically.  "And I believe in you."  This time she reaches to find his face
and lips.

He doesn't bother to remove her blindfold.  J just attaches both her hands to
his left arm and starts walking.  He doesn't speak until he gets to the
toboggan.  "Get on," J instructs.

K, still quite amazed by this impromptu adventure, hangs on while he pulls the
sled some distance.  After a while he helps her up and they walk the rest of the
way to his vehicle.  She waits while he returns the sled and allows herself to
be guided until they enter her door.  She feels his lips on hers before her
blindfold is finally removed.

"Brrr!" K says.  "I've got to get out of these clothes right away."

"Need any help?" he offers.

"I think I can manage by myself," she smiles slyly.

"While you're doing that I'll get us something warm to drink," he volunteers,
heading to toss another log in the fireplace.

K goes into her bedroom and is glad to get out of her wet jeans.  Rather than
change into fresh clothes, she lets her hair down and puts on something casual
that she can go straight to bed in.  Having worn her bra all day she decides she
can do without it.  Besides, she thinks he isn't going to notice.  Sweet K,
innocent K, silly K.

The second thought that enters J's head as she walks down the stairs has to do
with why a woman always look so incredibly sexy in a baseball shirt.  His third
thought is that a Rockies shirt isn't particularly Christmasy.  He does not know
that K is wearing dry comfortable white cotton briefs adorned in red and green.

"Merry Christmas, K!" he says, as he hugs her and offers her a drink.

"The same to you, J!" she replies.

They put on some more music and get comfortable on the floor in front of the
fireplace.  "I can't wait very much longer to exchange gifts," K insists,
stretching and yawning.

J retreats to the foyer and withdraws a single neatly wrapped package from the
bag he was carrying earlier and places it under the small Christmas tree.

"I thought you said I earned three gifts," she says, sounding disappointed.

"You certainly did but what's in this package is something that relates to how I
will present your gifts to you."

"So where are my gifts?"

"In the spirit of 'Ladies first' I'd like you to give me my gifts first," J
says.

K picks up the largest of the three packages and hands it to him.  "Merry
Christmas, J!"

J thanks her and unwraps it to reveal a handsomely bound book.  "My favorite
poet!" he asserts, as he kisses her.  "Thank you for such a wonderful gift."

As K hands him the larger of the two remaining packages, he unwraps it to reveal
a dark green box and smiles.  "How could you possibly know Polo is my cologne?"
he asks in amazement, as he presses close to her.

K smiles softly not telling him how many samplers she sniffed before she secured
success.  "And I have one more for you," she remarks, handing him the last gift.

J undoes it slowly to find a simple but elegant square gold key chain.  "It's
splendid."

"Read it," she commands.

The inscription reads, 'The joy's in the ride.'  J is very moved and pauses a
moment before speaking.  "I cannot tell you what an incredibly thoughtful gift
this is.  The fact that you remembered me telling you that 'Dark Horse' by
Amanda Marshall was one of my all-time favorite songs is amazing enough in
itself.  But remembering the inscription on the locket from the song really
blows me away."

"I just figured it said something about your philosophy of life."

J holds her in a fond embrace for a very long time before speaking.  "Thank you
so much, K.  I will always treasure this moment."

K positively glows with a satisfaction that only comes from giving.  "Is it my
turn, now?"

"You bet!" he agrees.  "Open this first.  Merry Christmas, K!"

She eagerly tears the paper off the box.  Inside she finds two luxurious satin
sleepmasks and a beautiful white silk scarf.  "These are wonderful," she
expresses, thinking that she would enjoy wearing one of those sleepmasks on the
flight home.  "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he responds.  "But in order to receive your gifts, you will
have to wear the contents of the package."

K feels the shiver of electricity arching through her spine as she realizes what
he has in mind.  "Do you want me to put them on?" she whispers, trembling.

"Allow me the pleasure," he insists.  J picks up the green sleepmask and slowly
pulls it over her eyes.  He takes his time adjusting the length of the straps
for a snug fit and then removes it.  Deliberately he follows the same procedure
with the red sleepmask and removes it as well.

"Close your eyes and keep them closed until I finish blindfolding you," he
directs, as he places the outside of the green mask on the inside of the red.
Kneeling by her side he pulls the pair of sleepmasks over her head and down to
her neck, drawing her long hair through the straps.  J moves the pair of masks
over her eyes ensuring that the top straps go above her ears and the bottom
straps go below.  He straightens the masks and presses down on either side of
her nose to ensure a snug fit.  Finally he folds the scarf diagonally and then
in half.  J folds the half into three to form what he calls the classic envelope
fold.  He places the center of the scarf over her eyes, knots it once loosely
behind her head, smoothes the band in front so that it is symmetrical, and
tightens the first knot before applying a second knot to prevent slippage.

K keeps her eyes closed through this slow, sensual blindfolding, enjoying the
softness of the satin and the snug fit when the scarf is tied.  She feels a
feather-soft kiss on her lips before she hears his voice.

"Tell me if you can see or if your blindfold is too tight."

"It's perfect, J," she intones.  "I can see absolutely no light."

He takes a moment to behold the blindfold belle.  After he kisses her he
comments, "You look perfect, too."

K hears his footsteps moving away from her and then returning.  She hears the
sound of something being placed on the floor near her.  She feels her head being
tilted back with him behind her and receives her first upside-down kiss, the
only kiss that allows two people to simultaneously savor each other's lower lip.
Then she senses he is seating himself on the floor behind her.  She feels his
hands on her waist pulling her backward until her back is resting against his
chest, his legs lying outside hers.

"Before I present your gifts, I need to prepare your hands to receive them," he
whispers.

Before K can ask what he means, she feels her left hand being taken in his and
the pressure of his thumbs and fingers exploring the entire surface of the front
and back of her hand.  This goes on for a long time until she surrenders her
right hand for the same treatment.  As she feels the strength, warmth and
gentleness of his hands on hers, the relaxing feeling in her palms seems to
spread to other parts of her body.  The sensation is so good it is almost
disappointing when he eventually stops.

"Since I don't want to put you to sleep, I'll explain this little game," he
says.  "You cannot see the three unwrapped gifts I have here for you.  Your task
is to try and identify what they are.  But I am going to make it more
challenging for you."

"How do plan to do that?" she asks.  "I'm already blindfolded."

"Yes, not only will you do this without your sense of sight, but your sense of
touch will also be dulled," he explains.

K suddenly feels the fingers of her hands being inserted into a pair of gloves.
She figures they are woolen and unconsciously rubs one hand against her neck.
The gloves seem large but the touch on her neck tells her that the fingers of
the glove seem to be lined with a rougher material.  "You're trying to make this
impossible for me," she entreats.

"This will be the highest degree of difficulty," J declares.  "After you feel
all three gifts, I will put a lighter pair of gloves on your hands.  If you
still can't identify a gift you can try again with your bare hands."  He hands
her the largest gift.

"Ooh!  It's heavy," she remarks, as she runs her gloved hands over the perimeter
and then the surface of the object.  "It seems to be flat and smooth like a box
of some sort.  I wonder if it's a board game of some kind.  No, wait a minute,
it opens!  It's a book of some sort - like a coffee table book."

"Well, there's no fooling you," J concedes.  "You have correctly identified the
gift but would you like to guess what it might be?"

"Would it have anything to do with show business?"

"Yes."

"More specifically, films?"

"Correct!"

"A specific aspect of film-making, say, directing?"

"Right again."

"This wouldn't happen to be a book on my favorite director, would it?"

"You're absolutely amazing," he extols, embracing her warmly and kissing her on
the neck.  He hands her the larger of the two remaining gifts.

"I can hardly feel anything," she observes.  "It's very light but I can't tell
whether it's smooth or rough.  It doesn't seem to be too big.  I can press it so
it must be soft.  If I have to guess it would be something you use to exercise
your hands, or some sort of purse or something like that.  Am I right?"

"No," he replies.  "Let us try the last one."  He hands her the smallest gift.

"O.K., put it in my hands," she says.

"It was in your hands," he says, removing the object and the woolen gloves.  J
then places a pair of dishwashing gloves on her hand.  "Now feel the second gift
again."

Although the gloves seem large, K finds they do not dull her hands as much as
the previous pair.  Running her hands all over the article she discovers it to
be small enough to fit in her hand and guesses the exterior is smooth.  When she
presses down she finds the object to be bumpy.  "The only guess I have is that
it is a make-up case with something in it," she says finally.

"No," he says.  "Now try the third one."

Again K can barely discern the item in her hand.  Using the fingers of one hand
she discovers the object seems to be long and narrow but there is something
larger and not as smooth that seems to be attached to it.  "I think it could be
something like a key chain you might wear like a bracelet."

"Not quite," offers J, as he removes her gloves.

Feeling the second object again she cries, "Oh!  Is this a stuffed animal of
some sort?"

"You're very close."

K feels some fur-like substance on the object, almost like the feel of a rug but
she has difficulty discerning where the head is.  "I'm not sure what kind of
animal it is.  A bear?  A seal?  A parrot?"

"I'll give you one more guess."

"A dog?"

"Lucky guess," he chides.  "Any idea what kind of pooch?"

"No clue."

"If I said university and I said mascot, what would you say?"

"A terrier!"

"Right!" he agrees.  "Now here's the last one."

"It's very smooth and narrow.  It almost feels warm.  It appears to be a chain
of some sort that has oval or circular shapes in it.  Wait a second.
Something's attached.  It feels smooth but it seems to have a rough edge and a
prickly point.  The chain seems to be quite long so I'm guessing it's not a
bracelet.  Would I be correct in saying it's some kind of chain necklace with a
charm attached?"

"You are good!"

"May I see it please?" she begs.

"In a minute," he replies, as he helps her to a standing position and walks her
a few steps so K, still blindfolded, is facing a large wall mirror.

K sighs as she feels something light and warm being placed on her neck.  She
feels his hands drawing hers behind her neck to touch the necklace.

"Now touch the necklace and move your hands to the front and see if you can
guess what the charm is."

Again K fingers the oval or circular shapes of the chain and then the charm that
now doesn't feel as flat.  "I'm guessing because it is a little rough on one
side and seems to have a prickly point that it's a flower of some sort, possibly
a rose."

Deciding he has kept her in suspense long enough, J unties the scarf and removes
it.  Slowly he raises the pair of sleepmasks on to her forehead and notices her
eyes are still closed.  "You may open your eyes."

K opens her eyes to see what is an elegant 14k gold necklace on a 16-inch chain.
The charm is an angel holding a harp.  "It's exquisite, J!" she effervesces, as
she looks at the angel in the mirror.

J looks at the angel in the mirror.

K turns around to hug him.  "Thank you so much," she says, kissing him warmly.
"This is the most wonderful gift I've ever received."

J unfolds the scarf back into a triangle and says, "While we're standing here,
why not try this on as a head scarf?"  K does, likes the look, and takes it off.
As she turns to face him, J pulls down the pair of masks to her neck and
slightly to one side so that the angel is visible before kissing her again.

K races to look at her other two gifts.  "Oh!  It's a Beanie Baby Terrier," she
trumpets.  "That is so sweet.  How did you know I collect Beanie Babies?"

"You've mentioned it once or twice."

"And this book is just what I wanted.  I was thinking about getting it for
myself."

"I'm glad you like your gifts."

She looks deep into his eyes for a long time before speaking.  "I can't believe
how thoughtful you are.  I can't thank you enough for the gifts, J.  I also
enjoyed the very special way you gave them to me."

"I want to thank you for the most wonderful gift I received this Christmas."

K looks at him quizzically.

He looks deep into her big brown eyes before he asseverates, "The gift of your
presence."

K returns his stare as the statement slowly soaks into her sentience and
submerses her soul.  Her eyes glisten as she holds him in a bear hug.  J cannot
see the tears streaming down her cheeks until he feels the shoulder of his shirt
being saturated.

After a while they look out the kitchen window together and notice that it is
snowing lightly again.  They get some refreshments and return to the living
room.

J puts on Celine Dion's latest CD: 'These are Special Times.'  They listen in
silence to the first track that J decides is the definitive version of 'O Holy
Night.'  They sit on the couch a long time cuddling and holding each other,
neither saying much.  Eventually, J carries the empty mugs into the kitchen.

He returns to find K has dozed off.  He is tempted to carry her to bed but
decides against it.  He goes upstairs and returns with a couple of pillows and a
blanket.  He hears a familiar song playing.  J realizes that although it was on
another album that time, it is the same duet of 'I'm Your Angel' that was
playing on the third dance of their third date.

Tenderly, he gathers the masks from around her neck and slowly pulls them up to
cover her eyes.  He lays her head back gently on the pillows and swaddles her in
the blanket.  As if to complete a picture he takes the scarf, still folded in a
triangle, and places it on the blanket, planting the softest of kisses on her
lips.  He checks to make sure the fire is out but decides to leave the lights on
the tree on.  As the song ends he turns off the stereo and the rest of the
lights.  He picks up his gifts as he makes his way to the foyer.  As he puts on
his coat he takes his keys and places them on the new key ring.  He looks at her
sleeping peacefully and mouths three words silently before heading out the door.

As J locks the door, he sees that morning has broken.  He stretches his arms out
to his sides and notices that the snow is starting to taper off.  He treads
through the virgin snow towards his van and hears a sound behind him.  He turns
around to see three children from the house next door running through his
footprints and heading for the playground.  As he reaches the driver's door, he
brushes the snowflakes off his head.

As J turns the key in the ignition he perceives three things.  He waits a brief
while in wonder before looking back at her window and saying the words out loud
this time.

The radio is playing 'Angel' by Sarah McLachlan from the 'City of Angels'
soundtrack.

The sun has burst through the clouds in a brilliant, blazing beam.

Sol is shining on a small child, perhaps a child of six, a child supine in the
snow flapping its arms and legs sideways.

"Merry Christmas, Angel!"

**************

Author's Note:

Readers of this story may make a copy for their personal use.  The author's
permission is required for any other use or dissemination of this story in any
form, any such use acknowledging me as the author of the work.  Author's E-mail
address: trevain@home.com
************************************************************************
A Tale of Three Cities    Trevain  (1999-02-20)