My family is in a festive mood. Most of us are inwardly celebrating Tae today. But, outwardly, we’re about to shower one of our favorite people with his favorite foods. And we all know how much Lyric loves food. Tonight is sure to be fun.
Janna has decided to have a game night instead of showing a movie. Kookie helped his sister find several games that might interest the medium-sized crowd who will be arriving in just a few minutes. As Kookie is setting out the stack of UNO cards and arguing with Janna over whether or not we should all play Taboo – I definitely vote yes – there’s a sudden knock on the front door.
I furrow my brow as I glance at the clock. It’s five twenty. No one is supposed to be arriving until five thirty. Lyric isn’t coming over until six o’clock. We wanted to give everyone ample time to show up before the birthday boy gets here.
But as I open the front door, I discover that we are the ones surprised. Lyric gives me a gigantic grin. “Hi, Mrs. Franklin.”
“Lyric!” I exclaim a little louder than necessary. “What are you doing here?”
A puzzled look crowns his face in unease. “Uh, Nana invited me over tonight for dinner.”
“Oh! Yes, I know that. But I thought we weren’t expecting you until six.”
“Oh. Well, I finished helping my dad at work, so I thought I’d come early. Is that a problem?”
He’s trying to peer around my shoulder. So I take a step towards him. “Actually, it’s wonderful that you’re early! I need something from the store. Would you mind driving me?” I move even closer to him.
“You want me to drive you to the store?” he asks, dumbfounded.
“Yes. Do you mind?” I glance up into his face and wonder if I can make a fifteen-minute trip to the store last for forty minutes.
“Uh, no. Can I say hi to Nana first?”
“Hi, Lyric,” she purrs from behind me. I sigh with relief and step out of their way.
“Hello,” he grins. “Do you want to come to the store with us?”
“I can’t. I’m in the middle of making dinner. But I’m glad you’re going to the store. I need a few more items. If I text you, can you pick them up for me?”
Smart Nana. A quick thinker like her mother.
“Uh, sure.”
“Send me your list, Nana. Lyric’s going to drive. I’ll combine your list with mine.”
“Okay.” She sends me a sunny smile before turning it on him.
He’s so dazed by it that he flashes his boxy grin at her before I hurry him out the door. I climb into his car and grapple for words to divert his suspicion from the activities occurring inside my house right now.
“Lyric, I need to go to Sam’s.” This is the best way I can think of to waste half an hour.
“Okay.”
“Thanks for driving me. I’m feeling a little tired,” which is true, “and wasn’t sure if I should drive right now.” That’s stretching it a bit.
“Oh. Well, then, I’m glad I arrived early,” he comments sweetly.
Now I feel bad for manufacturing an excuse to keep him out of my house. Just then, my phone vibrates. I glance down at Janna’s text message.
“I forgot to get drinks, Mom. For real. The boys want Mountain Dew and root beer. Ask Lyric what he wants too. Also, we need a box of microwave popcorn.”
I smile as I read her list. At least, I don’t have to lie about Janna’s list. I don’t want to lie to Lyric, so I’m racking my brain trying to figure out something that I actually need from Sam’s.
Croissants is the only thing I can come up with. Everyone in my house loves croissants. They’re a staple during certain seasons of our lives. They pair brilliantly with chicken salad. Or sliced sharp cheddar cheese. Or are wonderful to enjoy simply by themselves. Sam’s is also the only place I’ll buy them. No one else’s croissants compare to theirs. They are, quite simply, mouth-watering. And made with real butter. Which is the only way to go.
Why am I now dreaming of pain au chocolat? In case you’re unfamiliar with this French term, it’s basically a fancy way of saying a croissant filled with melted chocolate.
I know. It sounds completely weird, right? That was my first thought during French class my freshman year in college when my teacher explained what pain au chocolat is. I thought they didn’t sound very tasty.
Boy, was I wrong! I decided to try one several years later when I visited a little bakery in Maui. What met my tastebuds was an explosion of salty, flaky, buttery croissant and rich semisweet chocolate. Folks, it doesn’t get much better than this! Now I’m wondering if Sam’s will have any pain au chocolat. Sometimes, they do. But I’ve never tried theirs. However, tonight that might have to change.
“Mrs. Franklin, what is it that you need from Sam’s?” Lyric asks me after I’ve been quiet for several moments.
“Pain au chocolat.” The words simply fall out of my mouth. I didn’t intend to say them. Yet they escaped anyway.
He wrinkles his adorable brow. “What is pain au chocolat?”
“Croissants filled with melted chocolate.”
“They make such a thing?” he asks in awe as his eyebrows dance among his midnight bangs.
“Indeed, they do.”
“Are they good?”
“No, they’re wonderful,” I reply with a grin.
“Can I try one?”
“Absolutely. You are, after all, my chauffeur tonight. If we can find some, we’ll split one on the way home. I don’t want to ruin my appetite. Nana’s been cooking for half the afternoon.”
Lyric sighs. “I know. I think she wants to spoil me for my birthday. I told her it’s not a big deal and that she didn’t need to go all out, but I don’t think she listened to me.”
I bite back a knowing smile. “Lyric, you know how important you are to her, right?”
His eyes slide my way momentarily.
“You are aware that you are her one and only boyfriend, aren’t you?”
“Well, I hope so. I don’t really want her dating anyone else.”
I snicker. “No, I mean, you’re her first boyfriend. Nana has never even been on a date with anyone else.”
Now his eyes grow wide. “She hasn’t?”
I shake my head. “She really likes you. She just wants to make you happy.”
“But Nana always makes me happy. She doesn’t have to do anything special.”
Aww. My heart is melting again. But a puddle is much harder to clean up off the floor of a car.
“Sorry, but that’s not the way she’s wired. She gets that from me. When we love somebody, we have to bless them. Overwhelmingly. Extravagantly. A small gesture is not enough for us. You have to feel completely swept away by love, or we haven’t done our job properly.”
He’s trying to keep his focus on the road, but every so often, his eyes slide my way. “I see. I guess I understand that. That’s how I felt when I decided to write her a song for Christmas. I didn’t want to get her just any old present. It had to be something truly special.”
A smile tugs the corners of my lips upward. “Yes, that’s it exactly! And Nana feels the same way about your birthday. That’s why she wanted to make you dinner.”
“So, what’s for dinner?”
“You don’t know?”
He shakes his head. “Nope.”
“Well, then, I am not about to ruin the surprise.” My lips quirk as I acknowledge the double meaning. “You’ll just have to come back to my house with me to find out what’s she’s up to.”
His lips twist upwards in a reluctant grin. “Okay.”
“Oh! She also wanted me to ask you what you’d like to drink.”
“That’s easy. Coke. I really like cherry Coke, but it’s hard to find.”
I frown. “I don’t think they sell cherry Coke at Sam’s. But they have it at Wal-Mart. On the way home, we’ll swing into Wal-Mart and get some.” A huge grin lights up my face.
Excellent! He’s helping me to extend the lifespan of this little errand. Buying enough time to truly surprise him as originally planned.
“Oh, no, Mrs. Franklin. It’s okay. Coke is fine. We don’t have to make a special trip.”
“Oh, yes, we do.” We most certainly do. The longer this trip takes, the better. “It’s very important to Nana that you get your favorites tonight. And it’s no big deal to stop one more time. We’ve got plenty of time. Dinner won’t be ready until six.”
“Oh. Okay.”
I ask him about his day at work, and we chat about nothing too important while we shop. We find everything on Nana’s list and mine. Even pain au chocolat. As promised, Lyric and I split one on the drive to Wal-Mart.
“Oh, wow. This may be my new favorite food,” Lyric sighs with delight as he eats his half of the chocolate croissant in three bites. He glances at the box. “Can I have another?”
“Will you still have room for dinner?” I ask, but I already know the answer. This boy is a bottomless pit.
“Absolutely.” He reaches into the box and pulls out a whole croissant this time. Then he takes a big bite. “I’m starving,” he murmurs around his mouthful. “I missed lunch. Dad’s shop was really busy today.”
“Oh, Lyric! Why didn’t you say something? I would have given you a whole one to start with. You must be famished! Is that why you showed up early? You were hoping dinner was ready?”
He glances sheepishly at me before shoving a third of the croissant into his mouth and biting off the end of it. He nods his head before returning his attention to the road.
“Well, we’ll be home soon. Dinner is almost ready. And I’m sure it will be worth the wait. You can have a double portion. Nana is sure to feed you as much as you want.” I grin at him as I chomp on my own pain au chocolat.
We just have one more stop to make. I glance at the clock. It’s already five fifty. There’s no way we’ll beat any of Lyric’s friends back to my house. His surprise has been saved.
––
We arrive home at five minutes past six. Ever the gentleman, Lyric insists on carrying the cases of Mountain Dew and root beer into the house for me. I encourage him to walk ahead of me. I know he’s planning to open the door for me, so I waste a little time getting out of the car. And gathering my boxes of croissants.
I watch as Lyric sets the pop down outside the front door and returns to the car to grab the twelve-pack of cherry Coke. I let him precede me to the house once more. This time he has a free hand, so he opens the front door.
A cheerful chorus of “Happy Birthday!” greets him. He freezes in the doorway. I move to the side to see the stunned expression on his handsome face.
Suddenly, he glances my way. “You didn’t really need to go to the store, did you?”
“Sorry, Lyric. I didn’t mean to lie to you. I just didn’t want to see your surprise ruined. Nana worked really hard on it.”
He gives me his boxy grin. “You guys are the best,” he whispers affectionately before waving me into the house.
He’s just arrived at his own surprise party, yet he’s still playing the gentleman, allowing me to enter a roomful of his friends ahead of him. I carry the croissants to the kitchen and stop to lift the lid and sample the japchae. Janna has outdone herself. Lyric is going to be over the moon.
A few moments later, they enter the kitchen together. Lyric is smiling at her with such delight shining from his eyes that I would be jealous if I were treated less kindly by my husband.
“Nana, you planned this whole surprise for me?”
She nods. But then she glances at him skeptically. “Did we really surprise you?”
He bobs his head up and down. “Yeah.”
“Really? I was worried when you showed up earlier. I was afraid that you saw something that gave it away.”
“Nope. I was clueless until I opened the door and you all shouted at me.”
She chuckles. “Good. Mom saved the day with her quick thinking.”
“You utilized some quick thinking of your own,” I congratulate her.
“Yeah, you two had me going. I really thought you needed some stuff from the store. You were so natural. You’d both make brilliant actresses.”
Janna beams under the light of his compliment. “Perhaps I’ll prove it and try out for the spring play.”
Lyric’s face instantly begins to shine. “Do you mean it?”
“I do. But are you really going to audition too? You don’t want to play baseball instead?”
He shakes his head. “Nah. Basketball is enough. I’d rather be in a play with you. Do you know which one we’d be performing?”
“Beauty and the Beast.”
“What?” Lyric looks disturbed. “You mean, if I get the lead, they’re going to turn me into a lion?”
“A lion?” I ask. “Is that what kind of a beast he’s turned into?”
“I don’t think so,” Janna murmurs. She’s gazing up at Lyric thoughtfully. “He’s usually played by a blond, but I think it’s time for a dark-haired beast, don’t you, Mom?”
“Hmm. Perhaps. You want to be Belle then?”
She nods.
“She’s usually dark-haired. Maybe it’s time she was played by a…”
But before I can finish my sentence, Janna interrupts me. “Hey, my hair is getting dark.”
“Darker. But you’re still a far cry from a brunette. You were quite blond as a tiny child. Your hair is a dark honey now.”
“It’s beautiful,” Lyric murmurs.
I glance at him. Is it just my imagination, or is Lyric itching to reach out a hand and slide his fingers down her long locks?
Her hair is nearly three feet long now. “Too bad they’re not performing Tangled instead. You two would be perfect for those roles.”
Kookie enters the kitchen just then. “What’s taking so long? We’re all starving.”
“Kookie!” I admonish him gently.
“What?” Just then, he notices the boxes I’ve set on the island. “Are those chocolate croissants?” he asks as his eyes light up.
I nod.
“YES!” He opens the box and grabs one before cramming it into his mouth.
“Kookie! We’re about to eat,” Janna rebukes him.
“Correction. You’re about to eat. I am eating. This is so good.” He speaks the words around a massive mouthful of buttery croissant.
I grin as I study his mouth. There’s a smear of dark chocolate next to the freckle under his bottom lip.
He continues speaking, “By the way, the spring play is going to be Tangled. The director changed her mind when she found out you two are trying out.”
“What?” Janna and Lyric respond in unison.
“How did she find out that we’re going to audition?” Janna asks suspiciously.
“I told her,” Kookie is still chewing on his luscious bread.
“What? Why?”
“Because the musical was exhausting, and I want a break. Don’t get me wrong. It was fun to do it with Emmie, but I just want to be lazy in the spring. I told Mrs. Walker that I’m not going to try out. She was disappointed, so I told her not to worry. That Lyric is planning to audition. And so are you. She was so ecstatic. She still remembers your performance in sixth grade.” He smirks at his sister.
“Sixth grade! How on earth does she know about that?”
“Apparently, she was there. Her daughter was in the play too.”
Janna groans. “Will I ever live that year down?”
“Honey, what are you talking about?” I respond compassionately. “You were a brilliant Florence Nightingale. Everyone wanted to be your patient!”
“Mahmm. That was the stupidest play. It was written by one of the students.”
“Still. You acted your part brilliantly. Apparently, even Mrs. Walker thought so. She remembers you from five years ago. That’s remarkable!”
“I just want to crawl under a rock right now.”
“No,” Lyric laughs. “This is perfect. Now we have to try out. Rapunzel and Flynn Rider! Can you imagine two parts that were better written for us?”
She studies his face closely. “You’re going to make a gorgeous Eugene. But you’re going to have to grow a mullet.”
“Anything. Just promise me that you’ll audition with me.” He’s giving her that boxy grin again. How on earth is she supposed to resist that?
“Do we really need to audition? I mean, if she changed the play for us?” Janna stares up at him quizzically.
He just gives her a blank look.
“Oh, all right! I’ll audition with you.”
“Yay! I’ll consider that my early birthday present.”
She tilts her head to the side as she eyes him. “So, you don’t want the gift I bought you?”
Startled, he replies, “No, no, I never said that. Bring on said gift!”
I was in awe when Janna told me what she wanted to buy Lyric for his birthday. She spent all the Christmas money that her grandparents sent her on him. Plus, she had to use up a lot of her savings. But she worked several babysitting jobs over the summer, and her money is her own to do with as she pleases, so I didn’t stop her.
“I’ll give it to you later. After everyone else leaves,” she mutters quietly.
I can tell that she’s a bit embarrassed by her own extravagance. She doesn’t want to reveal her heart to all his friends. And this gift definitely reveals her heart. Talk about sacrificial love.
––
Everyone enjoys themselves at Lyric’s party. I decide that Janna is every bit as talented at planning parties as her hardworking mother. Her japchae tastes positively amazing. I think Lyric ate not one, not two, but three servings of it. And she was right. He liked both renditions of strawberry cake. The artificially flavored one and the vanilla cake with sliced strawberries and real whipped cream. He ate everything she prepared. Lyric was, in fact, so hungry that I’m questioning whether he also ate the plate.
Janna is true to her word and waits until everyone else leaves before giving him his present. Of course, I’m still lurking in the living room when he opens the huge box. I watch in delight as his eyes nearly bug out of his head. He sits simply staring at it for several silent moments.
Finally, his eyes lift to find her own. “Nana.” He swallows. “How much money did you spend on this?”
Her face falls. “You don’t like it?”
I can hear a cold wind blowing through her voice. Her heart has just sunk beneath the ice of her fear that she’s failed to delight her boyfriend. After spending a small fortune on him.
“Nana.” His eyes are riveted to her face.
Finally, she meets his gaze again.
“Of course, I love it! But you spent way too much on me.” His eyes return to his gift. He is still staring in awe at it.
She found a KitchenAid stand mixer for two hundred seventy-five dollars on a post-Christmas markdown sale when we ran to the mall yesterday. It was an amazing deal, but it was still a lot of money for her to spend on a boy whom she’s been dating exclusively for only about a month.
His eyes travel back to her face. She looks crestfallen still. He watches her for a few seconds and suddenly whispers softly, “Thank you, Nana. It’s an extremely thoughtful gift. I really do love it. I’m just shocked that you spent so much on me. It’s a truly extravagant gift.”
I can tell it’s boggling his mind. That a girl he just began to pursue a couple of months ago would spend the majority of her savings on him. He really doesn’t know what to say. Although, he thanked her very prettily.
She finally meets his eyes again. But she’s not smiling. I watch as her brow wrinkles. “Why wouldn’t I want to spend so much on you? I found something I knew you would love. And I had the money to buy it. You said you wanted a mixer like my mom’s. So when I saw it, I knew it was yours.”
I glance back at his face and am shocked to surprise tears flooding his eyes. He’s trying valiantly to hold them back. I hear him sniff. Then he closes his eyes and covers them with his hand. He’s trying to hide those tears. His fingers pick them off his face, and he wipes them on his pants. But not before I can see how much she’s moved his heart.
“Lyric, you gave me a priceless gift for Christmas. I couldn’t give you anything that valuable, but I could buy you this mixer. To encourage your love of cooking.”
He simply stares at her. She just called his song precious. “That song didn’t cost me anything,” he whispers.
“That’s not true, Lyric. It cost you a lot. You took a big risk when you sang it to me. Do you think I don’t know that? That I don’t appreciate that you put your heart on the line for me?”
Their eyes remain locked for several beats of my heart. Much is passing between them, but their voices stay silent.
“I think you must appreciate it very much to spend so much on me. Nana, you don’t even have a job. How did you afford this?”
“I babysat a lot over the summer. I saved some money.” She shrugs.
But she’s making too little of her sacrifice. She spent on this extravagant gift for him almost every penny she managed to save. She did save a lot over the summer, but she spent quite a bit of it earlier in the semester on some new clothes and on her car insurance since she’s driving now. But I suspect the bulk of it went to BTS merch. Her bank account is currently weeping.
Looking doubtful, Lyric murmurs, “So, you’ve still got quite a bit saved up?”
She breaks eye contact with him again. “Um…no, not really. But that was my choice. I spent some money a couple months back.”
“Are you telling me you actually did spend all your savings on me?” he asks incredulously.
“And what if I did?” she instantly responds defensively. “It’s my money. If I decide to spend it all on you, that’s my business.”
His expression melts. “Nana,” he whispers gruffly.
I can tell that if I weren’t in the room, he would kiss her right now. Good thing I’m here.
Her eyes slide slowly up his face. “Yes?”
“Thank you,” he responds simply. Humbly.
He is obviously humbled by her extravagant gesture. As well he should be.
Suddenly, his boxy grin appears. “Just think of all the goodies I can make you now!”
A wide smile stretches across her face. “You’re going to cook for me?”
“Absolutely! How could I not?”
He leans forward and falls to his knees in front of her. She’s still kneeling on the ground on the other side of his mixer. Caught in the position she found herself in when she bent to set his gift down on the ground in front of him. He reaches out and picks it up. He deposits it on the coffee table to his right before scooting closer to Janna. He bends towards her and slides his arms around her, drawing her up against him in a mammoth hug.
“Thanks for everything, Nana. Dinner. Japchae. Two cakes! The party. The mixer. You made my birthday special.” He hugs her tight.
I see her smile reappear.
“You’re welcome, Lyric. Happy Birthday!”
