The Bow

Matt looked at the contents in the pink box curiously. He scrutinized it thoroughly, pacing around the box as if to see how it looked from each angle. From his stare, he might as well be studying a particularly interesting specimen from the biology lab; like Mrs. Kamiya's special chocolate-coated spaghetti.

"Well?" I asked impatiently, crossing my arms. I peered at the box. There was nothing particularly unusual that I could see.

"What is that?" Matt asked, scandalized. His voice reminded me of the time I watched a random episode of a soap opera mom was watching. It held the same tone a man had used on a gangster who had kidnapped his daughter, raped her, dunked her into an aquarium filled with sharks and mailed her remains to her family through an envelope. (And not necessary in that order.)

"It's a bow!" I replied, frustrated at my brother's rather acute sense of observance. "What else could it be?"

Matt raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know," he said calmly. “If I did, I wouldn’t have asked you.”

“I see your incredible logic, oh mighty brother mine,” I said sarcastically. “Maybe I should just buy you an extensive picture dictionary for Christmas and highlight and underline the word ‘bow’ repeatedly.”

“You don’t have to, TK. You would probably highlight the wrong word.”

I was getting more irritated with each passing second.

“Fine,” I finally said. It took me massive amounts of self-control not to snap back at him. “Do you think that I should give this to a girl?”

“You mean Kari?” he asked with a slight smirk on his face.

I did the most predictable thing I could do – I blushed.

“Who said it was for Kari?” I retorted hastily – perhaps even too quickly. “It could be for Yolei or for that cute new girl in my class.”

“It could be,” Matt said, with a knowing grin. “But it isn’t, is it? Besides, her birthday is coming up. In fact, if I wasn’t mistaken… it’s tomorrow.”

I shook my head, trying to get rid of the telltale red that loomed on my cheeks. I really hate it when I get this way. I would blush, get flustered and sometimes even stammer.

“Anyway, if you value your life and sanity – don’t give this to Kari.”

“What?” I asked, shocked. “Why not? Okay, say I’m giving this to Kari. I’m not admitting to anything! It’s pink and white – her favourite colours, and it’s pretty; in a weird, mutated sort of way – so it's unique. Girls love unique stuff, I should know; Yolei goes on and on about that weird-looking necklace from the mall like there's no tomorrow about how it was 'one-of-a-kind' in a pointless attempt to make Ken buy it for her... Then why can’t I give it to her?”

Matt rolled his eyes and gave me the long-suffering look older siblings always give us poor, pitiful, sadly mistreated, younger ones.

“Have you ever – in your entire life of fifteen years; ever seen Kari Kamiya wear a bow?” He asked, rolling his eyes. “Well, even if she did; that ‘bow’ is hideous and deserves to be incinerated.”

“I’ve never said it was for Kari,” I said, frustrated. (Still blushing slightly) “Besides, this bow is perfectly fine.”

Matt eyed the bow in distaste before raising an eyebrow at me.

I grabbed the box, tied it with the pink ribbon that had earlier been a beautiful decoration (but now a pathetic excuse of a knot) and marched out of the apartment. After all, I didn’t really need his advice anyway. It wasn’t as if he was an expert on girls - even if they were somehow strangely crazy about him. As I slammed the door, I saw Matt snickering to himself. Seriously, that person is mentally addled.

I walked to the playground, thinking about the gift that I had bought. It was rather expensive (and exquisitely beautiful – according to the sales girl, although she giggled for the entire duration I had agreed to buy it) for such a small accessory like that. I honestly can’t imagine how Yamato manages to buy so many gifts for Sora with the skimpy allowance I know dad gives. Mom, however, is slightly more understanding and gives me some extra money for snacks whenever I feel peckish. Slightly.

There on one of the swings was Yolei, reading a strange looking book that seemed to be just a few pages wrapped together with cello tape.

"Hey, Teek."

I flinched. Yolei was in the phase of calling people degrading nicknames for no reason other than for the sake her own amusement. Teek was mine, Mattee was Matt's, Dais'ke was Daisuke's while the most ridiculous of all; Kenny-boy belonged to Ken. I really pity the poor guy. However, offering my deepest sympathies would barely help Ken bear his undignified and rather disgraceful nickname. I was fortunate that Yolei didn't decide to call me TKay-ee-boy or something equally stupid. Teek was painful enough. Kari managed to escape without any tarnish on her name. Lucky girl.

"Hi."

"What's up?" Came the normal greeting that we exchanged for no other reason than to keep a perfectly pointless conversation going.

“Nothing really much,” I shrugged. I wasn’t going to talk about The Bow yet. I changed the subject to save myself some embarrassment. “What are you reading?”

“It’s the ‘Phantom of the Opera’, a western play,” Yolei said, gesturing at the poor excuse of a book she was holding. “I photocopied Satsuki’s copy… Actually, she helped me photocopy her copy,” she said in defense, noticing my look at the object she was holding.

I understood at once. Satsuki, known for her untidiness, seemed to have a strange, permanent resolve to complete everything as quickly as she could in anyway possible.

“So you’re going to join the play?” I asked teasingly. I knew Yolei would never join a school activity like that. She had often said that school dramas were conspired by the school boards to watch students embarrass themselves on stage as a form of entertainment. In fact, she had once gone so far to print flyers about this particular subject causing her a temporary suspension. (She soon wriggled out of it for some reason I was not able to find out)

This was why I lapsed into temporary catatonia when she said, “Yes."

"Well," she reasoned, waving her 'book' in front of me, "I needed to find more material, in other words; proof, to go against the production of plays and stuff... And I thought; what better way than to join the drama myself? So far I already have a few; traumas caused by fear of memory loss, fear of embarrassment on stage, stage fright, fear of stage fright, peer pressure and excessive stress."

I could only blink. One could never guess where Yolei got her ideas but could only cross their fingers and hope they were not involved – which was exactly what I did.

“Anyway,” I managed to say, “Can you take a look at a gift I bought for-“

“Kari?” she interrupted rather rudely, pushing her spectacles up the bridge of her nose. “What did you get her?”

“I never said I was getting anything for Kari!” I retorted - whoa, déjà vu. Seriously, it was getting annoying. It wasn’t as if they were wrong, it was just that it seemed as if I was completely predictable. Which I’m not. At least I hope I’m not.

“It’s her birthday tomorrow after a - Let me see that,” Yolei said, finally spying the pink box I put behind my back. (Pink boxes after all, should never be seen with men, especially pink boxes like these.) I handed it to her dutifully. “And if you didn’t buy her a gift - or forgot, you’d be a rather lousy best friend. Besides, you would never buy gifts for any girl except Kari. You’re too stingy with your money.”

“Am not,” I said automatically, childishly.

“Whatever,” she replied, rolling her eyes. She winced at the hasty knot I tied around the box and opened it carefully. She blinked at it, as if expecting it to blink back. “It isn’t half-bad, I guess - though the colour is a little off, the design a little complicated; the material a little… squishy?”

“Why didn’t you just outright say it was horrible?” I asked, squinting at the bow, trying to determine how the design looked complicated.

“Because it isn’t… exactly hideous.” Yolei said holding the box at arms length for a few moments before tying the ribbon around it into an elegant little knot. “Now, if you wanted something more tasteful, you should have bought that bead necklace I was telling Ken abou-“

“No.”

And that was that, so far Matt and Yolei both said it was repulsive. Yolei was about to open her mouth to retort when Ken’s sudden arrival startled her.

“Hey, Kenny-boy.”

I could almost hear the wince that formed on Ken’s face. Before they could exchange any kind of physical greeting or the usual, “What’s up?” I quickly excused myself, leaving Ken to try to explain to Yolei why he shouldn’t buy the necklace she was so obsessed about that did not include the sentence: “That bloody thing is ridiculous.”

I headed to the Takenouchi flower shop next, hoping that Sora would give me a proper opinion of my present to Kari. I could have just given it to Kari and spared myself the fuss of being insulted by both relatives and friends but I really wanted Kari to like what I would give her – which was why I needed to see Sora and hope she would think that it wasn’t completely hideous. I just couldn’t bear it if Kari had to pretend to like my gift.

Just before I entered, I saw Sora locking up the shop.

“Hey, Sora.” I greeted. “What’s with the locks?”

“I’m going out soon and mother is busy so we decided to temporarily close the shop.” She said pleasantly, as she always did.

“Er.. Okay...” I said, uneasily. “Hold on, before you go; can you give me your thoughts on something I bought for a girl?”

“Kari?” she asked. I didn’t even have the willpower to deny everything anymore and nodded. “Sure.”

Sora grimaced when she saw the butchered ribbon and untied it gently, opened the box and stared at the bow. She blinked once. Then twice.

“TK… I don’t know how to put this,” she began. “But it isn’t really something you should give Kari. That’s just my point of view, of course. If you really want to, go ahead.”

“Oh,” I said, disappointed. “Er, okay. Thanks. See you around.”

“Wait a moment...” She suddenly said. Retrieving the box from me, she took the ribbon and tied it elegantly, slowly enough that I could copy her if I had to. “There, all done. Doesn’t it look so much better than strangling the material? Well, I got to go. See you.”

I walked from the Takenouchi flower shop, with a sigh. It seemed that the gift I bought wasn’t exactly as good as I thought it was. I felt like I needed to head home and get a nice, long nap before I actually thought of what to do next. I would have bought her something else but my funds were completely exhausted. (The bow wasn’t cheap!) I was so absorbed in my thoughts that I bumped into a brown-haired person with spiked hair and Tai’s goggles™.

Motomiya Davis.

And he didn’t look particularly happy.

“What-did-you-get-Kari-for-her-birthday-I-completely-forgot-and-didn’t-get-her-anything!” I could practically see the words tumbling out from his mouth in his haze of panic.

It was then when I got an idea.

“What about this?” I asked, producing the pink box behind my back.

“A box?” he asked me skeptically. Well, nobody ever said Davis was the brightest of the lot…

“Of course not,” I said, slightly annoyed. “I meant this.” I unveiled the contents of the box, watching Davis’ expression carefully for any signs of disgust. He held the box carefully, stared at the bow and made his decision.

“Okay, I guess chicks dig this kind of stuff…” He said uncertainly. “Can I pay you for it later? I don’t really have much cash on me now.” He emptied his pockets, as if it proved his point. (Where I discovered a ball of lint, a few assorted pieces of chewing gum wrappers and other unidentified junk)

My eyes watered slightly. It was the most positive comment (though it wasn’t exactly one) that I had received all day for the present that I bought for Kari. I nodded, re-tied the knot exactly as Sora showed me and handed it to Davis. We shook hands. (It was, after all; a business arrangement)

It was when I finally collapsed on the couch at home when I remembered that I did not have anything to give Kari and had no cash whatsoever.

Sighing, I picked up the phone, deciding to make the choice that would cost me financially for the next month or so. Talk about selling my soul.

“Matt, I need a loan.”

---

So with the painfully obtained money, I chose to buy chocolates. It is a well-known fact that all women love chocolate. Even lactose-intolerant females adore them. It wasn’t exactly an original present but at the very least, it was something I was sure she would like. She would probably hate Davis’ gift, my initial present - as many of the other Digidestinied did. Another pro to my growing list.

I pressed the doorbell to her home, and proceeded to wait impatiently as someone opened the door. I was soon greeted by Kari in a ‘dress’. A ‘dress’ covered in lace, ribbons and every other thing feminine in the world. It stung my eyes. Nevertheless, I managed to note that Kari still looked very pretty in that dress-of-horror.

“Hey, Happy-Early-Birthday!” I said, with all the enthusiasm I could muster.

“Thank you!” she said, sincerely. Another trait I liked about her, always genuine. She accepted the gift with a wide smile.

“Er… Do you think you can open it now?” I asked nervously, referring to the wrapping paper clad present she held. “I just want to see whether you like it. It’s not a strange request is it?”

“Of course not. Davis and a few others already asked me to open theirs,” she said, with a reassuring smile. “Besides, I’ll like it no matter what you bought me, be it a chicken suit.”

“Unfortunately, it’s not a chicken suit.”

“Darn, I wanted to get one for years,” she replied, laughing.

As she opened the wrapping paper carefully, so as not to tear it, I studied her expression cautiously. I knew she couldn’t hide anything from me. She was that bad a liar.

“Chocolates!” she exclaimed. “I haven’t eaten a good box in ages! I love it.”

“Great,” I said I relief. “What else did you already get for your birthday?”

“Well, this…”

Kari twirled in front of me, giving me a full view of her ‘dress’.

“So what do you think of the dress my mother bought for me?” she asked earnestly, with a smile.

I scrambled for an answer. Honestly, I think girls ask this question mainly to torture guys. It’s completely and utterly unfair. After all, you don’t see guys posing in front of mirrors to ask their friends/ girlfriends whether ‘this particular pair of pants’ make their butts look fat or their hips bigger than they usually are.

I had three options:

Option (a): It looks great! You look completely gorgeous in it – the only thing that you would look better in is your birthday suit.

Option (b): It looks fantastic on you! The colour completely matches your complextio- No! Wait! I’m a guy!

Option (c): I don’t know! God, please ask someone else!

Since I didn’t want to give the wrong impression or embarrass myself, I went with option (d), talk before you think; you make fewer mistakes that way. It is, after all one of the oldest advice known possible to man. Or was it to think before you talk...?

“Erm… Well... It looks very girly,” I stumbled. Seeing a slight frown on her face, I realized that I had said the wrong thing. “Very feminine,” Frown still there… I panicked, finally adding; “Not that it’s a bad thing! It’s great for a girl to look feminine.” Worse. I was in deep shit. “I mean, you look very pretty and feminine! Yes, that’s it! Pretty and feminine.” The frown finally disappeared in the place of a broad smile.

“I thought so too,” replied Kari. “Don’t you think that my mother had the greatest sense of fashion? It’s so different from her cooking.”

“Yeah… Er, very unique.”

“Exactly.”

“Erm.. Yeah.” I stammered, not being able to find anything to say without insulting her or her mother in result being kicked out of her apartment followed by days of wallowing in self-pity.

“Anyway, there was this fantastic coincidence today!” she said excitedly. “I saw this great accessory in the shopping mall nearby but I couldn’t afford it. Don’t you think I’m lucky to get it as a birthday present?”

She turned around, gesturing at her recently obtained gift. It was only then when I noticed the pink and white object nestled in her hair.

The bow.

:End: