Home Sweet Home

So Ninja and I are officially moved into our new apartment, with Architect in the second bedroom and buzzing about what he wants to make. Things have been hectic but pleasant; we have no furniture and Ninja has his boxes and clothes strewn about, but our office is fabulous and the bedroom is lovely. We didn't have internet for a few days, and I've been busy with unpacking and cleaning up after these damn boys.

I finally gave Ninja his Christmas present. Oh dear, 9 months late! No, it's actually from the Christmas befor - our first Christmas. When I had come back from college (this was while he was still in the Midwest where we met, before he moved here to New England) for Christmas, we'd actually broken up for a few days. I was hesitant to gift it to him after we got back together, and anyway I only was there for a short while. I didn't want to jinx things.

By the next Christmas, last Christmas, he was here in New England with me, but I had left the gift in the Midwest and my mother wouldn't mail it to me, and I didn't want to risk taking it on the plane while I was there visiting for the holidays.

But when my father drove out with all my things to help us move in, I made sure to request that he bring it.

Ninja isn't much of a person for gifts so he didn't mind the lateness; in fact, I could guess that he thought it would be a lame present. But no, part of the reason I was so hesitant to give it ws because I was proud of it. It was thoughtful, it was meaningful, it meant a lot to me and was perfect.

So I sat him down on the bed and handed him the big square that it was, still wrapped in the purple wrapping paper. He tore open a corner, and saw part of it. It was a drawing, a framed high-quality print. "[Artist's Name]?!" he exclaimed!

Oh yes. I grinned and he tore the rest off. It was a drawing of Venus, one of her forms, from his most favourite artist. He looked up at me and I saw genuine appreciation. I patted myself on my back.