Tina has made her way over to the box and is carefully removing a few of the ornaments …one at a time to inspect them more closely before replacing each in it’s new home. She looks over at Angie and states that the box is beautiful and she is so grateful to her for thinking of such a wonderful surprise.

Angie smiles at her Mom and walks over to her as she continues to view the contents. Carefully Tina removes a few more, looks then over then returns them to their new home.

It is now nearing dinner time so I make the suggestion of going to get some food, while Tina and Angie bring in the tree from the patio where it has been sitting since yesterday when Tina brought it home. They will get it situated, and pull out the other decorations from the storage room. They readily agree and I set off on my quest.

I make a quick phone call as I am walking out to my car to our favorite Thai restaurant and place my order. It will be ready in forty five minutes….just enough time to make one quick stop.

Pulling into the parking lot I glance at my watch. Good it should still be open. I walk through the door of the little shop and up to the counter. The owner Mary is with another customer but waves at me and states she won’t be long. I’m a regular in here. Whenever I need to find something special she always seems to have just what I need. I had been in here about a week ago and saw this crystal ornament. It was in the shape of a snowflake and was simple stunning. I thought it would make a wonderful addition to our tree and I have been kicking myself all week in the hope that it is still here. It was hand made and one of a kind.

Making my way over to the display case I had found it in, my heart stopped when I saw that it was gone. Damn it…….why didn’t I just purchase it when I first saw it? Mary has finished with the other customer and has made her way over to where I am standing.

“Hello Bette. What a nice surprise to see you tonight.”

“Hi Mary, it’s good to see you too.”
She must notice the disappointment on my face as she asks if she can help me find something. I look over at her, the sadness written all over my face. “I was hoping you could, but it would appear that I am too late.”

“The snowflake.” She simply states.

“Yes,” is the simple reply. It’s all I can come up with.

I look back at her, but she is walking away from me. Walking behind the counter she takes her keys, reaches down and unlocks a drawer. When she turns back to me she asks “perhaps it looked like this?”

In her hand she holds the ornament.

I can barely contain my excitement as I quickly walk in her direction. She meets me at the counter and hands me the precious ornament.

“When I saw the way you looked at this piece the last time you were in here I had a feeling you would be back for it, so I took it out of the display case and locked it away.”

“Oh Mary, I can’t thank you enough. I have been kicking myself all week for not having purchased it. I was afraid it had been sold when I didn’t see it in the display case.”

“Well it would have been. There were a couple of other people who had seen it when it first arrived, and had asked if I still had it. I simply responded that it had been sold.”

“But how did you know I would be back for it?”

Mary smiled at me and replied “The look in your eyes. I’ve known you for a long time Bette, and I know that look. I knew you would be back.”

She offers to wrap the precious piece for me, and after thanking her one last time for saving the piece for me, I bid her a good evening and make my way to the restaurant to pick up our order.