The Best Gift

Sass ran back and forth to take care of her cookies. She had usurped almost the whole counter. When Imani came home, she saw the number of treats Sass had made and went to introduce herself to Noor.

When Del saw her fiancée, she said to Noor. "Ms. Noor, this is my soon-to-be wife, Imani Okafor. Imani, may I introduce Ms. Noor De Witt?" Noor gave Imani a solid hug and a kiss on the cheek, which Imani returned.

"Imani, what area of Nigeria did you come from?" Noor inquired.

"Bomo. Have you been to Nigeria?"

"Yes. When I was young, my father was the ambassador. I loved the people and the culture. Are you OK with pork?"

"Oh, yes. My family are Christian so there is no problem." Del gave her girl the half of the fritter she had saved. "These are so good! What do you call them?"

Noor looked up to see what it was she had to identify. "Those are appelbeignets, young lady." The conversation centered around food and celebration. Noor said she made the apple dessert just to tide everyone over the smells of the other things. The two Dutch bakers worked preparing things for the holiday. Noor took time to make a light supper for everyone. When Sol and Sass went to bed that night, they held off sex and spent hours in a passionate make-out session.

When Sol came out dressed for work, she kindly excepted a cup of coffee and a fresh baked pastry. She headed out and went to the bank. Her mea culpa had been well received by her coworkers and superiors. She was back to all-star status. At lunch she went shopping for Noor now that she knew something about her. Rollie came and found her just as she was about to go look for him. He was supposed to have a very special gift. When he gave her the box, she asked him if he had seen the contents. He said no. Sol opened the box, displaying an orange sapphire engagement ring with diamonds as accents.

"That is, I take it, for Sass. It is so pretty, Sol! I never knew you were so romantic."

"I thought the ring should reflect her heritage, Rollie. It really is pretty!" When Sol got home that afternoon, the house was full of the bouquet of baked goods. Her mouth watered. She could not wait for the dinner. She helped with what she could, and again they had a light meal and enjoyed another intense session of kissing. Sol awoke alone the next morning. She heard quiet noises from the kitchen. She slipped on a dressing gown and joined the mom and child.

"Look at all this! I'd love to help but I have no knowledge of what you are doing."

Noor looked up at her. "Do you know how to peel and devein shrimp? Save the shells and heads so we can make broth, please." She grabbed the bag of shellfish and got to work. Shells and heads went into a bowl and the prepped shrimp into ice water. To keep them fresh she put the shrimp back into the fridge. When she had finished, Noor told her what to add to the detritus to boil it down for stock. The odor was pervasive, so Sol opened the door to air the apartment. This brought over a curious Del and Imani. Every one exchanged 'Happy Christmas' greetings. Noor offered mulled wine to the guests, happy to have a more Dutch-like holiday. After Sol was finished making her stock, she strained out the solids, putting them into tripled plastic bags. She excused herself to take them to the dumpster. When she got back, the house was aired enough, so she shut the door.

Sol was instructed to keep the stock at a slow simmer and add water when needed. Otherwise she stayed out of the way and watched wide-eyed along with Del and Imani. The Dutch cooks were like well-trained dancers, never getting in each other's way. Noor or Sass often handed the other a needed thing before it was asked for. They had done this before.

When Rollie and Jess arrived, Noor stopped what she was doing to hug and welcome them. Everyone else said their holiday greetings. Jess commented on the smell of roast pork. "I thought Christmas pork was German."

Noor stopped what she was doing. "I was born and raised in Dortmund. I moved to Holland when I went to university."

"I see. Well, the pork smells wonderful in any case." Sass took a bow as this was her dish.

"I wish we had your wood oven, Jess. That is tradition back home. Plus, my mother would have loved to do her baking in it." Noor nodded her assent. Lunch was a feast unlike any the non-Dutch had ever had. The desserts were spectacular. After the cleanup, Sol and Sass went to gather the gifts they had under the tree and give them out to the recipients. Sol gave Del and Imani a day at the spa, and Sass gave them sexy nightwear. Jess and Rollie were given a wine-of-the-month and cheese-of-the-month gift. Noor was hard to buy for. Sass had bought her a cord of wood for her oven and fireplace. It would be delivered and stacked before she got home. Sol had decided to go with American presents that she hoped would be welcome. She had bought Pendleton wool. She gave Noor a spider rock blanket shawl, two plaid tunics, and a classic shirt. Noor was effusive in her thanks. The gifts were useful but feminine. She was so happy with her new daughter.

While the hugging was happening, Sass knelt behind Sol and nodded to her mother. Noor turned Sol to see what was happening. Sol let out a groan, and her face went pale. "Isolde Marie O'Neil Delany, will you consent to be my wife?"

"Give me a minute to think, Sass, please." Sol said, not trying to be cruel, but she had a ready made answer. The ring was spectacular. She was stunned. Sass stood up, a little hurt. Then she saw Sol kneel before her.

"Saskia Isabell De Witt, I will marry you if you will marry me." She slid the custom-made ring on Sass's finger. Sol stood to kiss Sass. It was a deep, loving, sharing of the future.

Noor picked up her daughter's hand to look at the ring. It was beautiful! A large orange stone with a halo of diamonds. The two compared rings. Both were special in their own way. Sass spoke first. "My mom has friends in the Amsterdam diamond exchange, so I had her pick this up. The stones are all colorless and clear. They are set in white gold."

"My ring came courtesy of Jessup. His mother is Jewish and her brother works in the New York diamond district. The center stone is an orange sapphire. It is surrounded by baguette-cut diamonds and is set in platinum. I wanted to celebrate your heritage, Sass." They exchanged boxes and paperwork that described the rings in detail. Del was squealing in excitement. The whole thing was so romantic.

Noor was in a playful mood. "I'm a little confused, girls. I listened the last two nights and you two did not have sex. How do expect your marriage to last?"

Sass and Sol were both red-faced. Sol answered. "Noor we didn't want to offend you. I know you're fine with us being together, but we didn't intend to rub it in your face."

"Ladies, ladies, how foolish! Sass, I thought you knew how wild I was when I was young. I've been with many women, when I was in school up until I met your father. In fact, he and I used to have three ways with Eva Van Beek. She's Julia's mom, the girl you played with as a child. Truth be told, she and I still make love often. I don't want to be with men anymore. Too much drama at my age is not a good thing." The room was totally silent, with six sets of wide eyes on the older woman. "Sol, I know you told me that your mother has rejected you but, as a proud mother myself, I want to talk to her. Do you have a phone number I can call her at?" Sol nodded and got up to fetch her address book, which she gave to Noor, pointing to the entry. Noor entered all the information, including the names.

"May I use your bedroom? I don't want to disturb all of you." Sass got up and showed her Mother to the bed chamber, closing the door after she entered.

Sass turned to speak to the others. "My mom always tries to fix everything. She has all her life. I had no idea she was so sexually explorative." The six friends talked about the wonders of the season, while Sol kept looking at her ring. It had been so long since she had received a gift so meaningful. She went and sat on Sass's lap and kissed her with all of herself.

Noor reappeared, shaking her head. "How can a religion of love be so full of hate? Sol, your mother said she was relieved you had found happiness, but she still does not wish to speak to you. She then told me off, saying I was unfit to be a mother. I did not respond with how I felt. Sol, I will always be happy to be a substitute, if you like. Feel free to email, call, or write me anytime. Even older girls sometimes need to talk to their mother, I think."

That night, as Noor lay down to sleep, she heard the unmistakable sounds of women pleasing each other. She, not being dead, joined in by stroking herself. The girls were celebrating their betrothal. Noor thought of her own happiness at the fact that her daughter had moved on to a loving relationship.