Member-only story
The Gifts
It was in the winter when I started receiving things.
The first object- a small envelope with a sampling of herbal teas with a typed note reading “enjoy”.
I assumed it was a marketing thing.
A month later, a hamper was on my doorstep, out of the wind and rain.
Those little peanut brittle balls I like, some lavender room spray, and a bottle of organic wine.
My friends and family refused to admit their hand in it.
Three months passed and I heard my doorbell chime. I signed for a package, inside it, a necklace and a day dress.
Then came the flowers.
Those flowers (chrysanthemums), I was allergic to so I put them in the rubbish outside.
A week later, another typed note “I hope you didn’t break my heart…”
Summer came, without a trace of another gift.
Stepping out of the shower and wiping off the steamed mirror- I saw it then.
The dress- hanging on the hook of my bathroom door. “I only sent things in the post as a courtesy, I’m always here”.
I packed a suitcase and left that night. Staying with my parents at first, I now live alone.
Every winter I receive a package that reads “Happy Anniversary”
