A Gift for Santa Bob

"Did I hear you humming? What tune was it?"

"You'll think I'm crazy."

"No," she laughed.

"I...I'll tell you in a minute. First, I have another gift for you." He handed her a small, rectangular box perfectly wrapped in Valentine-themed paper and adorned with a red bow.

Her dimples appeared and a cute smile spread across her face. "Bob! You didn't have to do this."

"Please, open it."

She blushed a bit as she carefully opened the wrapping to reveal a jewelry box. She opened the lid with a gasp. A necklace with a silver heart pendant captured the ambient light, and the twinkle reflected in her eyes. "Oh, Bob. It's beautiful." She gingerly held it in her hands and turned it over. Noticing the inscription, she read it out loud. "What does it say? 'My heart is yours.' Oh, my."

"I know we've only known each other for about six weeks, but I knew even before our first kiss that I was falling for you. Debbie, I love you."

A huge smile lit up her face. "It's 'bout time you fessed up! I started falling for you the moment you opened the door to our welcoming committee." Again, their lips and tongues met, but it seemed even more intense now that the depth of the emotions in their hearts was openly shared.

Several minutes of "making out" passed before they decided to leave for the party. Neither would have cared if they just collapsed on the couch and kissed away the evening like two love-starved teenagers.

They walked hand-in-hand a few minutes when Debbie pulled him to a stop. "Wait! You never told me what song you were humming, and why?"

"It was 'Jingle Bells,' and because it calms my nerves. I was scared I'd tell you I loved you and thought you might just tell me I was nuts."

"Well, you are an amazing man in so many ways, but you need to work on reading women."

*****

Ten Months Later

Bob loved the Tampa area. He settled in and made some great friends and was thrilled that he was able to be the Santa in the local mall. But the best part of his new home was the lovely lady that had become a close companion for the past eleven months. Debbie Shaw was a real gem, and Bob was in love for the second time in his life.

Bob finished his shift at the mall and was on his way to Debbie's home for a late dinner. They were well past the point of knocking on each other's doors, so Bob walked in.

"Honey, I'm here!"

Deb ran into his arms and greeted him with a toe-curling kiss. "I hope you're hungry."

"After that kiss, I'm only hungry for you, love."

"Oooo, save that thought for later. For now, take a seat and I'll serve up dinner. I made your favorite—Steak Diane."

They sat together, gave thanks, and began enjoying the feast Debbie had prepared. She noticed Bob seemed a bit quiet except for the quiet humming of "Jingle Bells." She wondered, a little hopefully, why he was nervous tonight.

"Sweetie, are you okay? You're quieter than usual."

"Well, to be honest, I'm a little nervous. I have a story to tell you about a major milestone in my life."

"Don't be afraid. You can tell or ask me anything."

Bob cleared his throat, and between bites, began telling her of the day exactly one year earlier when he made his final round of Santa visits in his hometown. He told her about the charity drive, the tremendous response by the community, and their outpouring of love for him.

"They sound like amazing people. It must have been hard to leave."

"It was, but I knew it was time. Besides, if I hadn't left I wouldn't have met you, and I wouldn't have had the treasure of these months together."

"You are so sweet. But why did you tell me this?"

"I'm not finished. Let's go sit on the couch, and I'll finish my story."

The two sat, kissed for a few moments, and snuggled.

"You see, one of the last visits was to the Hughes home. The wife, Bambi, was home alone."

"Uh oh. Is this a 'frisky mailman' story?"

He chuckled a little. "Not exactly, but let me finish. So many of the folks gave me wonderful, memorable gifts I'll treasure, but Bambi unknowingly gave me the greatest gift."

Debbie looked at him with an eyebrow raised. "What do you mean by 'unknowingly?' How could that be?"

He sat back and gazed towards the heavens with a broad smile. "Well, she greeted me in nothing but a robe and made it clear that she was my gift. She wanted to... uh... have sex with me."

Debbie playfully smacked his shoulder and tried to look disapproving through her smile. "You didn't!"

His full belly-laugh was worthy of a Santa. "No, no! Don't hurt me."

She kissed his lips and then his shoulder pretending to heal nonexistent pain. "So, what happened?"

"As I told you, until you and I became intimate I hadn't been with anyone other than my wife. For me, sex without true love is unacceptable."

"Okay. So what did you do?"

"She dropped her robe and I saw only the second naked woman in my life. She was stunningly beautiful and it obviously affected me. I told her I didn't think her husband would approve, and she said he told her to do it. It was his idea. I'd heard of such people that share partners but never thought I'd witness it."

"Oh, my. That's rather kinky."

"Obviously I refused and told her I couldn't. She, of course, saw the bulge in my 'Santa' trousers and tried to disagree. But I told her that I didn't view sex the same way, and could only be intimate with a woman I loved and who loved me. I'll never forget what she said next. 'Santa Bob, I think you're cute and would really like to have sex with you even if my husband didn't tell me to.' That shocked me, frankly."

"You are cute... and quite sexy."

Bob blushed and snickered. "I'm glad you think so. Anyway, I gathered her robe from the floor and helped her put it on. She pouted, and told me her husband would be disappointed if she didn't do what he told her to do."

"So, you didn't even touch her?"

"No, I wasn't gonna go there. But then the strangest, and sadly funniest thing happened. You can probably tell that Bambi was not very bright. I think her bra size and IQ battled for the highest number."

Debbie laughed and smacked his arm again. "Bob, don't be cruel."

"I'm sorry, but it's the truth. Anyway, I turned to leave and she screamed for me to wait. I turned back and she handed me a five-dollar bill and kissed my cheek."

"What?"

"That was my reaction. I told her it wasn't necessary, and that her kind offer of affection was enough. Then she said that was what her husband told her to give me. I started to put the whole thing together, and I had to ask her a question to see if I was correct."

"You said people were giving hundreds and thousands of dollars for the orphanage. Now, only five dollars?"

"That's part of what raised my suspicions. I asked her to tell me exactly what her husband said when she asked what they should do for me. She smiled, and with the innocence and intellect of a five-year-old, she repeated his words exactly. 'Screw him, give him five bucks.'"

The two of them rocked back in their chairs and roared with laughter. Debbie finally regained enough composure to speak. "Oh, the poor dear. You weren't kidding about her IQ, were you?"

"No. I feel bad, but she really didn't have much going on upstairs, I did change one word, by the way. You know I don't use the 'F' word, but she did."

After a few moments as the laughter subsided, Debbie sighed and scrunched her nose. "You said this was a milestone for you. How so?"

"Up to that point, my wife's death defined how I would live. I assumed intimacy and love were all in the past. Seeing a beautiful woman more than willing to... well, you know... awakened that desire in me. I wanted a partner in life again. I wanted and needed intimacy. I realized just how lonely I was. So, you see, that's what prepared me to meet you and ask you this question. Debbie, will you marry me?"

She flung herself into his arms and answered with kisses while saying yes between each one. He reached in his Santa pouch that was next to him. "Santa Bob has a gift for you." He opened the box to reveal the most wonderful engagement ring she had ever seen.

Her eyes twinkled and he saw the smile that told him that teasing was in the air. "Aren't you gonna get down on one knee?"

"I have it on good authority that it's binding without going to a knee. Plus, I don't want to spend the next hour trying to stand."

"It's beautiful, Bob. You've awakened me in so many ways, too." The silly smile returned. "How many kids should we have?"

He chuckled and kissed her. "How about if we adopt?"

"Adopt?"

"Sure. I've always wanted a puppy."

She smiled and met him forehead to forehead—nose to nose. "I'll talk to Santa about it."