I zip him back up and say, “Then I’m glad you didn’t.”
We spend New Year’s Eve quietly at home, catching up on what went on in Charleston after he left. And of course, we do other things, too. New Year’s Day is celebrated by eating the traditional southern meal of ham and collards, and I make homemade macaroni and cheese. We eat way too much and fall asleep on the couch, watching football. It’s Drew’s choice, but I don’t mind.
Mid-week, we’re off to Chicago to the Blackhawks game. Drew is so excited I have to drive. All the way there, he spouts off Blackhawk stats and who the greatest players are. I’m sure I’ll never remember any of this.
He has his GPS set and I’m glad for it because I’ve never driven in Chicago before. The traffic isn’t too bad, as far as big cities go. It may be because we left at noon to check into the hotel early and spend a little time in the city. In any case, Drew doesn’t pay a whole lot of attention, because his focus is all on hockey now.
When I pull up to the hotel, he’s surprised that we’ve stopped. “We’re here,” I announce. The expression on his face is so comical, I immediately start laughing. “What were you expecting? Mars?”
“No, but it went by so fast.”
He looks like such a little boy; I ruffle his hair and shake my head. “Let’s go check in, hockey boy.”
He wears a goofy grin and I smile. His eyes are bright with excitement and he looks like he wants to leap ahead of me. “Go on and run ahead if you want.”
“I can’t help it.”
“Hey, this is your day, your gift. Go for it.” And I’m more than pleased to see how much fun he’s having.
Suddenly he stops and turns, pulls me in his arms and says, “Have I told you how much I love you today?”
“I believe so.”
“Well, I’m telling you again.” Then he plants a kiss on my lips. And my excited Drew is back again.
We get to the front desk and he bounces on his toes as he waits for the room key. As soon as we stash our bags, we’re off. It’s a blustery day with the wind coming off the lake, but we’re prepared with coats, hats, and gloves as we walk to all the cool places to see in the little bit of time we have. Drew drags me down Michigan Avenue to all the shops and tries to buy me things, which I won’t let him. Then we stop in for a mocha at a coffee shop. Soon it’s time to grab dinner. We eat at one of Chicago’s famous steak houses, Gene and Georgetti’s. He gets the bone-in rib eye and I get the filet mignon. The food is beyond delicious. He, of course, orders the wine, which is some sort of cabernet sauvignon, and it’s so yummy, I want to lick the bottle. But the place is pricey. Really pricey and I can’t keep thinking about it.
“Cate, I can afford this. You don’t have to worry about it.”
I lean into him and whisper, “It’s so high. I never thought.”
He takes my hands in his and squeezes them. “It’s fine. Cost is not a problem here. Can I share something that may make you feel a little better?”
“Okay.”
“I have a trust fund. My mom is … well, her family is wealthy. Money isn’t a problem for me. I don’t want you to worry away the enjoyment of this meal. Okay?”
“But the whole point of this is it’s my gift to you.”
“Babe, the thought means more than anything and those tickets, and the fact that you arranged for me to have the time off, well that’s better than anything. The cost of this is nothing compared to that. Please get this off your mind. I want this to be fun for you.”
“Okay. But I want you to know that just because you have some trust fund doesn’t mean I don’t pull my weight.”
“Deal. Now drink up. We’re here to celebrate.”
And the rest of the meal is much better now that I don’t have to worry about paying for it with my tuition money.
When we leave there, we head straight to United Center. I almost have to restrain Drew. He’s been here before, but it’s like a shrine for him. When he walks in, he does a three-sixty to have a look. Then, when we get to our seats, he about freaks.
“Seriously? How did you know to get these seats? Most first-time buyers would go for low and center.”
“Yeah, I checked with Sam and Caroline on that. I wanted to make sure.”
“I knew my girlfriend was smart.”
“Not me, Sam. He told me corner seats because if I got center ones, they’d obscure the corners of the ice on the side we’d be sitting on. It’s what Caroline and I complain about all the time. So now I know.”
They really are awesome seats. They’re lower level, but high enough to give us a great view and the greatest thing of all is they’re right on the curve of the rink.