Gene receives an unexpected gift.

A Gift and a Wish

By Jamie Lou

Author’s Note:
Obviously, this is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to real persons (or webmistresses) is purely coincidental.

Gene was always depressed at Christmas. He’d hoped for a more festive holiday this year but it hadn’t happened. His parents had gone out of state to see his grandmother and he had no siblings; he was alone.

Christmas morning he sat, elbows on the table and coffee mug cupped in both hands. Next to him, a balsam bough he’d found on the street was stuck in a vase to stand in for a tree, a couple bits of tinsel scrounged from the office, it’s only decoration. Nearby were two presents.

At the office “Holiday” party, they had passed out gift cards to the downtown shopping district. The company just had its best year ever and this was the bonus they gave to workers who’d contributed so much to that success. His was $50 and he had used it to buy one of the presents under his “tree”.

The wrapped box contained a silk camisole and tap-pants ensemble — very soft and pretty; much nicer than any of his other feminine apparel. He wanted to rip it open and try them on but satisfied himself remembering the experience of shopping for them.

The sales woman at Mayfield’s - her name was Mandy - saw through him immediately when he stammered out what he was looking for.

“They’re for you, aren’t they?” she had asked quietly.

He turned red and started to deny it but she just touched his arm gently and said, “I thought so. It’s okay. I have lots of men come in shopping for themselves. Come over here, I think I have just what you are looking for.”

And she did. And now the box was waiting for him to open. But he wanted the anticipation to last longer so he just thought about it.

The other present was the size of a cup cake and wrapped simply in tin-foil that was closed by a red ribbon tied around the top. Erin had given it to him.

Erin was a new temporary accountant at work, brought in to help with all the end-of-year tasks. She was tiny, barely 4’- 8” tall and slim. He thought she was anorexic at first but realized she didn’t have that gaunt, starving look about her. She seemed a pixie or an elf (or maybe half-elf).

Gene had helped her settle into her cube, got her on the network and email systems and turned on her phone extension. He spent a day acquainting her with the office systems, network drives and the company’s financial apps and reporting — all the little things new employees need to know to even get started doing their job. At one point she had placed her hand over his and he stood, almost paralyzed, as he felt something — energy, electricity — tingling at her touch. When she pulled her hand away she gave him a piercing, surprised look.

After that, she always had a smile for him and his mood lightened whenever they met but they’d not had much interaction since that first day.

So he was quite surprised on Friday when she came to his cube and presented him with her gift.

“It’s a fruit cake,” she informed him.

“Um… Thanks,” he replied, puzzled.

“But you can only eat it on Christmas Day,” she implored.

“Um… Okay.”

“And you have to make a wish before you eat it,” Erin added. “That’s essential. And it must be the most important thing you could wish for or it won’t come true. Okay?”

Gene just stared at her.

“Okay?” she repeated.

“Yeah. Okay,” he managed to get out.

“Good! Well, Merry Christmas. And don’t forget to make a wish!” At that she was gone.

While he sat sipping his coffee looking at the fruit cake, Gene still had no clue why Erin have given him a present — even if it was just fruitcake.

“What the hell,” he thought and reached for it.

As he unwrapped it he remembered that Erin said to make a wish.

“I wish I were rich,” he said offhandedly and opened his mouth to take a bite. Then he stopped, or something stopped him - he wasn’t sure which. In his head he heard Erin’s voice again, “…the most important thing you could wish for…,” and that he had wanted since he was a kid, longed for since he understood he was born in the wrong body.

He looked at the cake in his hand, took a breath and whispered, “I wish I were female.”

Gene finished the small fruitcake in several bites, each with a sip of coffee. Typical of fruitcake, it was very dense although the flavor was unlike others he had eaten — there was some spice he could not quite place. But other than the feeling that he had a large weight in his stomach, Gene did not notice anything different.

“Merry Christmas,” he thought cynically as he closed his eyes and slumped in his chair. “Oh well…”

Then his eyes flew open and he sat up straight as he felt a very odd, tingling sensation in his crotch…

Copyright 2007 JLW