Gift
With sunlight peeking through the window blinds, Vivi groggily woke up, groaning to herself as she glanced at the clock that displayed 12:31 PM. She didn’t mean to sleep in so late, but her long night of translating a manuscript from English to Korean proved to have taken a toll on her. Wrapping the blankets around her for some much needed warmth, Vivi sighed, wondering when Zen would come home from rehearsal.
Then, almost as if by magic, she heard the front door click and the bright voice of her beloved. “Babe, I’m home early! You awake?”
“In bed” Vivi mumbled, knowing Zen would still be able to hear inside their humble apartment.
Zen walked over to the bedroom and gently sat upon the bed. “Long night?” Vivi only grumbled incoherently. Zen let out a faint chuckle then softly placed his hand upon her shoulders. “But my sleeping beauty has to awaken, for her noble knight has a surprise!”
Vivi opened her eyes and gazed upon the man, whose looks still amazed her despite the fact she saw him every day. “Surprise?” She said, her voice quiet.
He smiled and caressed her cheek. “Yes jagiya. I know you’ve been feeling a bit lonely these past few days while I’ve been at work late. So I’ve waited for this day to show you something I think you’ll enjoy. Please get dressed? It’s a beautiful day.” The woman groaned but moved out of bed to placate her lover. Despite the lonely ache inside from Zen’s absence, she knew it was better to appreciate the fact that he was here right now, rather than dwell on nagging thoughts. She slipped on her favorite outfit; a lilac blouse and a long ivory skirt and knee length boots.
“I’m not in the mood to interact with other people though” she warned.
Zen simply smirked and said, “No need to worry about that” with a wink that Vivi swore always made her heart skip a beat.
Zen made her promise to keep her eyes shut, which proved to be difficult because she just wanted to look at him, but also to appease her growing curiosity at where they could be headed. The car ride wasn’t too long and after she felt the engine turn off, moments later Zen opened her side of the car door. After Vivi stepped out, she felt Zen’s hands over her eyes, obscuring her vision but also offering guidance. She felt the earth dip beneath her feet occasionally, with Zen careful to make sure she was always balanced.
Suddenly, the terrain transformed from earthen ground to smooth wood, to be what she presumed as a bridge. Eventually, she felt the terrain turn to lush grass that began ascending modestly uphill. Finally, Zen removed his hands and instructed Vivi to open her eyes. They had arrived at the top, with a view overlooking the city. After being in awe of the cityscape, Vivi was drawn to a towering oak tree with a simple swing attached to one of its thick branches. Zen walked over and grasped her hand, lowering his head so it laid upon her shoulder.
“This is.. my special place., but I wanted to share it with you. Hopefully, this too can be your place, somewhere you can relax and get away, whenever you need. There’s this amazing view, and also I installed this swing so you can have a place to sit, daydream… do you like it?” He asked almost sheepishly.
Vivi struggled to keep from tearing up, and in an attempt to lighten the mood she teased, “Are you sure it’s safe?“
Knowing full well Zen would never have constructed something that could possibly be a danger to her. A hearty laugh erupted from the man and he exclaimed, "Care to go for a test ride?"
As his hands grabbed onto the corded rope. the corner of Vivi’s mouth upturned, then she widened her eyes when she looked upon the design that etched onto the wooden board seat. Written with what seemed to be a burner "V + Z” and a simple pinwheel design encased in a heart. She admired at how clean the lines were and how long he must’ve spent sanding the edges of the wood so it would be comfortable to sit on.
“It’s beautiful” she whispered, clearly touched by the amount of thought out into this gift.
“Hey today’s supposed to be your happy day. Cmon take a swing!” Zen said, one eyebrow raised.
She let out a laugh at his pun and obliged, sitting on the seat and holding onto the rope. With a light push, she could feel Zen’s hands upon her back, ushering momentum. Though she desperately wanted to be facing him, she had to admire the view. Save for a few clouds, the sky was a bright azure, with rays of filtering through the oak leaves leaving dappled golden glows upon her form. The only noise was the rustling of the grass and trees, the rope ushering small creaks from the branch, the occasional bird chirping… as she swung, the cool breeze whooshing around, she pondered. the city was actually quite close but this spot still felt secluded. A island of peace in a sea of chaos. Not trapped, but rather… a moment of stability. Not only the place, but Zen himself. He would always be there for her.
Zen began pushing a bit harder, and Vivi felt her stomach flip at the higher changes of altitude.
Vivi laughed, cheeks flushed. “This is perfect! Beautiful!” Despite being a writer, at this moment she was barely able to string words together coherently because of how happy she felt.
“Only the best for a perfect and beautiful lady” Zen replied. She could clearly imagine the wink he must’ve given. Normally she would’ve scoffed or roll her eyes at his unabashed romantic outbursts, but she could only appreciate his utmost sincerity and relish in the fact that she was the luckiest person alive.
“I love you” she said, unable to keep from grinning.
“I love you too.” Zen immediately replied. “So… you really like it?”
“There’s just one thing missing” Vivi said, as she got off the swing and turned around to hug Zen. “How will you swing? I don’t want to be alone."
Zen pulled her in closer, "Guess I’ll have to add that to my list of projects.”