Chapter 17 The True Gift
Chapter 17 The True Gift
I looked at the mountain of gifts on my side, most of them large toys that had piled up like that. But on my lap were five small gifts from my friends, which meant the most to me. Don't get me wrong, I was grateful for all the other gifts too.
I glanced at my five friends and smiled wholeheartedly. "I think these are the best gifts of all, and they're not even for me." They were eating together with their families, and it was a delight to see them experiencing the joy of family in this dream world. I had a tragic past like them, and I hoped this dream would last forever for all of us.
"..."
"Justin, why are you grinning?" an old woman's voice asked. It was youthful, too.
"Grandma!" I recognized her and she hugged me.
"I'm sorry for what I did earlier, keeping you waiting alone in my office," she said.
I shook my head and smiled. "No, thank you, grandma. I knew you did it to give yourself time to prepare this party. I was grateful and surprised. Thank you, granny."
My grandma was touched by my words and hugged me again. "We're sorry we didn't plan this. We only made last-minute preparations. If we had known, we could have done better. This party was unexpected. We're sorry if this is all we did for you."
"What do you mean, last minute and unexpected?" I asked, confused. "From the looks of it, I thought everything was well planned – the elegant decorations, the delicious feast, the gigantic cake, the guests. How did you pull this off in such a short time?"
Grandma chuckled. "Haha. Maybe it's the power of family."
"That's a cheesy thing to say, granny," I teased her, smiling.
"Hahaha. You're adorable," she replied, patting my head. "This is my gift for you." She handed me a long, thin box.
"Open it. I hope you'll use it," she said.
I opened the box and saw a thick, 4-inch long gold key with a crystal glass-like handle in the middle, outlined by diamonds. The upper part was round, and it had big teeth. It looked like a medieval key.
"You can use this key in our library here in your house," she said.
"Library? What library?" I was still confused. In the 20 years I had lived in this house, I hadn't seen a library room. Then I remembered a room I hadn't entered yet – not because I didn't want to, but because I couldn't.
"So it must be that room." I pondered.
"Actually I was supposed to give that key to your father."
"Huh? Then why did you give it to me instead of my dad?" I asked confused.
"It's just because your dad is a slacker! He dislikes doing anything like studying or doing some chores. He was just playing around. So what is the point of giving him a key for our old library? He will just think that the reason I gave him the key is to clean it up."
"You…kinda harsh to him granny."
"Am I? But I'm telling you, he used to be like that but now-" Grandma glanced at my busy dad that is serving food to our guest. "He's grown up."
"Then why did you give it to me instead of my dad?" I asked, still trying to understand the significance of the gift.
"That room, it's filled with old, dusty books and cobwebs. It's a simple room," she explained.
"But why give it to me instead of my dad? What makes it special for me?" I pressed, still trying to make sense of her decision.
She smiled, her eyes twinkling with a hint of mystery. "I don't know, it just felt right to give it to you. I believe that you will be the one to discover the true purpose of this key and the room it unlocks. So please, when you enter that room, take care of it with your hands, and treasure it."
The weight of the key in my hand felt heavy, but not just because of its physical presence. It was heavy with the weight of trust and responsibility that my grandmother had placed in me. I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the gesture, and how much she must trust me to give me something so precious. But as I looked at her, I realized that she was the true treasure in my life.
"Thank you, Grandma" She pulled me into her embrace.
"Once again, I wish you a happy birthday. I hope you grew up to be a good and smart boy. Don't forget to help others, just like your father did."
I nodded and grandma patted my head again. "Alright, I'm gonna go now. Enjoy your day!"
And my grandma goes back to her seat. Now my parents are the last ones who will give me their gifts.
They approached me holding their gifts. The eyes of all our guests were on us, and I couldn't help but notice how my parents had dressed for the occasion. My dad was sporting a black tuxedo that hugged his broad shoulders, and his dress shoes shone as if they had been polished to perfection. My mom, on the other hand, was dressed in a stunning red gown that flowed elegantly around her ankles.
"Mom…Dad." I said, breaking my admiration for their attire.
"Hey there, our cute little prince! Here's your gift from your beloved mom!" My mom handed me a small silver box. "Please open this, fufu."
I took the box from her and opened it, revealing an elegant silver crescent moon necklace nestled inside.
"This is amazing, Mom. Thank you!" I said, beaming with joy.
"Fufu~ I knew you'd like it, even though you're a boy. I'm glad you like the necklace," my mom said, still looking regal as ever.
"With a necklace like this, I'm sure everyone will appreciate it in the same way I do," I said, holding the necklace up for everyone to see.
"Aww~ You flatter me so much," my mom said, with a playful grin. "Do you want me to put it on for you?" she offered.
"Yes, please!" I said, handing her the necklace. She went behind me and gently placed the necklace around my neck, then locked it in place.
This necklace is a billion times better than the noose. "Thanks for this, Mom. I really like it a lot!"
She hugged me from behind and kissed me on cheeks. "Just like what I've said, everything for our little prince. All right it's your dad time to give you a gift. She looked at my dad with teasing looks "Fufu~ I told ya, Justin will like this necklace."
Dad replied with a genuine smile. "Good for you, both of us only want to make him happy." He then turned. "Hello there our little prince, this is my gift for you, I hope you can use this."
He handed me a medium size box covered with a gift wrapper. "Please open it. I hope you like it and use it to store happy memories of your life."
"Store happy memories? What could be this thing?"
I opened the camera box and inside of it was an expensive looking digital professional camera. "Woah this is expensive!"
Dad scratched the back of his neck and laughed. "Is that so? Hahaha" Mom looked at him a little angry. "I already told you that Justin is only 7 years old, how could he use that expensive thing"
"But I think it's better if he had experience using a camera at a young age" My dad convinced my mom more. "Even if you like photography, it doesn't mean Justin will also like it." Mom protested.
It seems like dad and mom had a little fun fighting, while they were doing it, I pulled the digital camera and powered it up. I don't have much experience on using this but I think I can use this just fine. "So, this is the shutter button, alright I think it's good to go."
They're teasing argument is still going so I pulled them together and I'm going for a groupfie. "Mom, Dad, look!" I pressed the shutter button
"Chick"
"Wait, how did you know to use that?" my father asked. Shit I got over excited. Then I replied "ah ha ha ha ha. I just… pressed a button?"
Then my father laughs. "Hahaha, I told you dear! He doesn't even read the manual but he made it work. He naturally became a photographer and he got it from me!" He mocks my mom with wide eyes opened to me and she seems amazed.
"You did the right thing by buying this camera, dear" My mom said to my dad with a very bright smile.
This is the first time I saw them being this wholesome. I checked the photos in camera and we looked terrible with both of them not being prepared. It's a little blurred and unfocused photo but It made my heart warm.
First happy memory of my life. This is the true gift.
CHAPTER 17 -END-
To Be Continued.