THE GIFT

by

Copagirl

THE STORY

THE CHAPTERS

INTRO

THE STORY

Thirteen-year-old Joe Hardy stepped off the school bus and trudged the last two blocks home. Ten more days – just ten more days till Christmas and he still didn’t know how he was going to get Iola’s gift. He wanted to give her something to show her that he liked her – liked her A LOT!

Joe adjusted his book bag on his shoulder and then stuffed his hands in his jacket pockets. He thought about Iola Morton. They had known each other since they were five-year-olds. At the time, Joe didn’t care for girls very much; he thought they were too….girly! But Iola proved to be the exception. She didn’t mind getting dirty or climbing trees – splashing in the mud and playing baseball. Although she wore her hair in pigtails and sometimes wore a dress – Iola was every bit like a boy!

As he got older, something changed his perception of girls, and Iola Morton in particular. For one thing they smelled a lot better than most of his guy friends. They dressed prettier too. Ever since Iola stopped wearing her hair in pigtails, Joe noticed how pretty she was. Her raven-dark hair fell in waves down to her shoulders. Her round, violet-colored eyes seemed to sparkle whenever she smiled. And her smile – it lit up her face, making Joe think she was the most beautiful person in the world.

Joe could feel his cheeks burning and wondered if it was from the cold or from his thoughts about Iola. He saw his house a few feet away and ran the rest of the way. The house felt nice and warm when he went inside.

“Mom, Aunt Gertrude – I’m home!”

“In the kitchen, Joe.” Laura Hardy replied.

Shrugging off his jacket and hanging it up, Joe dropped his book bag as he headed towards the kitchen. He found his mother and aunt sitting and drinking tea. There was a small dining table in the kitchen; the family ate most of their meals there. There was a large dining room with a larger table but that room was mostly used during the holidays for dinners and parties.

“Where’s your brother?” asked Laura.

“Oh, he and Phil went over to the main library. They have a big science project and the school library didn’t have the book they wanted. Frank said that he’d get a ride home with Mr. Cohen.”

Joe sat down at the table and took a couple of cookies that were on the table.

“I don’t know why Frank and Phil are getting the information now! I mean, Christmas vacation is coming up! It’s not like they have to get it done now!”

“Well, you know your brother – he doesn’t wait till the last minute.” Laura tried not to laugh when she saw Joe grimace at the remark.

“I don’t always wait till the last minute...sometimes I wait a day or two!”

Joe ducked when his aunt attempted to swat him, then became quiet.  He chewed slowly as he tried to get the nerve to ask his mother a question.

“Mom – can I ask you something?”

“Sure, sweetie – what did you want to know?”

“Um – well…what kind of gift would you give a girl my age?”

Laura and Aunt Gertrude glanced at each other. Both women knew that Iola Morton had a serious crush on Joe. Laura suspected that Joe was realizing that he liked the young girl also.

“Well, that depends – what does she like? You know, favorite music – movie – hobby?”

Joe fell silent as he thought about what his mother had said. “I’ll have to think about that, I guess. Thanks, Mom!”

Joe finished the cookie he was eating and got up to go to his room. He needed to think about the things that Iola liked and check to see how much money he had to spend.

*****

Iola Morton lay on her bed; she stared up at the ceiling, nibbling on her fingernail. She had almost twenty dollars left to use for Joe’s Christmas present. She could get him a really nice shirt with that amount of money but that’s not want she wanted to give him! Iola wanted to give Joe something to show how much she really cared for him!

Rolling onto her stomach, Iola reached over to her nightstand and opened the drawer. She took out a small picture - Joe’s school picture. One hand holding the picture, the other playing with the silver chain around her neck. She let out a small sigh – he was sooo dreamy, with his blonde hair that tended to curl at the ends – his strong jaw line – his vivid blue eyes that always reminded Iola of a crystal-blue clear lake.

Hearing someone walking down the hallway, Iola quickly put the picture back in the drawer and slammed it shut. She grabbed one of her school books and sat up in bed. A short knock sounded and then the door opened.  Iola’s older brother Chet stood in the doorway. Iola scowled at him.

“How many times do I have to tell you – don’t come in until I tell you to?”

“At least I knocked!” Chet protested.

“Yeah and then you just walked in! What if I was changing my clothes?”

“Eww – I just got a visual! Way gross!”

Iola let out an exasperated sigh. “What do you want, Chet?”

Fourteen-year-old Chet Morton didn’t know if he wanted to hug his sister or throttle her. For some reason she was always so moody. This was when Chet wished he had a little brother like his best friend Frank! Thinking of Frank caused Chet to smile – he knew that Iola had a crush on Frank’s younger brother, Joe. He had accidently heard Iola speaking with her best friend, Callie Shaw about the younger Hardy. With a Cheshire-like grin Chet slowly backed out of the room.

“If you’re done mooning over Joe’s picture – Mom wants your help in the kitchen!”

Chet closed the door in time to hear a thud as the book Iola held hit its mark. Jumping off the bed, she could hear her brother’s laughter as it receded down the hall. It was times like these that Iola wished she had an older sister instead!

*****

Two more days to go and Christmas Day would be here, and Joe still didn’t have nearly enough money to get the gift he wanted for Iola. Sitting on his bed, he stared at his most prized possession. Coming to a decision, Joe moved quickly before he changed his mind. He placed the item back in its box and hurried out of the house.

Iola had also come to a decision; she closed the small box and went downstairs in search of her father. She hoped that he would be able to take her to the mall.

    *****

It was Christmas Eve and the Hardys were having their annual Christmas celebration. All of their friends and family were in attendance. Aunt Gertrude and Laura had outdone themselves with the food, which was being served buffet style. It had snowed earlier in the day – Frank, Joe and their friends built a snowman and then a snowball fight ensued.  Aunt Gertrude had the young teens come back inside to warm up.

Iola was upset with her brother; because of Chet’s constant teasing she felt that Joe was avoiding her. He’d barely said two words to her all evening!

Callie had tried to cheer her up, but she was distracted by Frank’s presence. Although she thought Joe was cute, Callie thought that Frank was handsome! Plus, she thought the younger Hardy was too bratty for her taste!

Joe couldn’t keep his eyes off Iola. She looked sooo pretty today! The light purple sweater she wore seemed to make her eyes shine brighter. The dark skirt fell mid-thigh, showing off her coltish legs. Joe found himself tongue-tied whenever he was near her. He had managed to mumble a hello when the Mortons had arrived. Of course Chet’s teasing hadn’t helped either.

It was almost midnight and soon everyone would be leaving. Joe knew that now was the time to give Iola her gift. He just needed to get her alone! Checking to see that Chet wasn’t anywhere nearby, Joe spied his friend back at the buffet table. He then saw Iola standing off to one side, near the doorway leading to the family room. Taking a deep breath, Joe walked over to her.

“Hi Iola – are you having a good time?”

“Yes,” she answered breathlessly. “I’m having a great time!”

Joe looked down at the floor as he shuffled his feet. “That’s – that’s good. I’m – I’m glad.”

“I – I have something for you.”

Joe looked and for the first time noticed that Iola was holding a small wrapped gift in her hands. He reached into his pants pocket and took out a small box.

“I have something for you too.”

Iola smiled shyly as she exchanged gifts with Joe. With shaking fingers she unwrapped the paper. Slowly opening the small box, Iola let out a small gasp when she saw the small opal inside.

“That’s for your chain – I always thought you should have something pretty to hang on it.”

With tear-filled eyes, Iola gazed up at Joe. How could she tell him that she had sold the chain to purchase his gift?!

“It’s beautiful – thank you.”

Joe smiled as he tore open his gift. His mouth dropped open in surprise when he saw the baseball card – it was his favorite NY Mets player, Carlos Beltran. And it was signed!

“I know you have a baseball that he signed and I thought you should have his card to go with it!”

Joe opened his mouth then snapped it shut. He gulped a few times trying to find his voice. How could he tell Iola that he had sold his baseball so that he could buy her the opal?!

“Th-thank you!” Joe softly said instead. He smiled shyly and turned to leave only to find Chet blocking his way.

“You can’t go yet! You have to kiss my sister first!” Chet smirked as he pointed up to show the two young teens the mistletoe that was hanging above.

Chet didn’t think that Joe would do anything – he just wanted to tease Iola some more. He could see that she was blushing already.

“Chet, leave them alone.” Frank had seen the stout boy walk over and had also noticed the mistletoe.

“Its okay, Frank – Chet is right. I can’t leave just yet.”

Iola’s eyes went wide as she looked at Joe. She could feel her heart pounding when he smiled. Joe leaned close and gave her a peck on the cheek. He was starting to pull away…he gazed into Iola’s eyes…before Joe knew it he felt her lips on his. He sighed when he felt Iola respond to his kiss.

Chet stood with his mouth wide open in shock! Joe Hardy was kissing his baby sister and she was returning the kiss!! He glanced over at Frank.

“Aren’t you going to stop him?!”

“You started it!” Frank laughed.

Feeling sorry for his friend, Frank tapped Joe on the shoulder and gently pulled him away.

“That’s enough Casanova! Let the girl breathe!”

Chet put his hands on Iola’s shoulders and pulled her away. “Come on, Mom and Dad are ready to leave.”

Frank put his arm around Joe’s shoulders, giving him a small hug.

“I guess you got your Christmas wish!”

Joe just grinned. He noticed Callie staring at Frank – he knew they were still standing under the mistletoe. Joe moved casually away from Frank and gave Callie a silent signal to come over.

When Callie saw what Joe did a huge grin crossed her face. As she walked over to Frank she thought that maybe Joe wasn’t so bad after all!

The End

Merry Christmas!

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