A Story Of A Mother And Son

The reunion between my son and myself had just taken place and my thoughts are centred on Tims approaching birthday. This will my first opportunity to give my son a gift, this gift has to be special, it has to represent everything my son means to me.

 

My thoughts are consumed, shall I buy him a watch, a ring, or perhaps a piece of jewellery. I ask Des and he says that to buy him something he has to wear is just too personal just yet. I agree with him in a way, but still feel that I have to give him something that he can treasure, look at, and keep for the rest of his life.

 

Clothes are out of the question and something for the house is not a thought. I must always keep in mind that his adoptive family will be curious as to what the woman who gave birth to him, and who searched high and low for him, gives him for his first birthday present.

 

So the search starts for the elusive ‘holy grail’. From May until the first of September my feet must take me into every possible place where something that expresses my connection to my child is hiding and waiting to be discovered.

 

Gift shops, jewellery shops, markets, department stores and any likely place that holds the promise of something unique, and interesting, are searched and discounted.

 

Where to go next is the question, the local area and surrounds are exhausted. Never mind, says Des we'll find something, but time is marching on, and the holiday to Queensland is getting closer.

 

Is the price of something important when it has to say so much? In this case, yes. I cannot give him a king's ransom or he will think that I am trying to buy his affection. I cannot give a gift that looks cheap and nasty, my love for him, like the gift, must stand the test of time.

We decided to go to Parramatta to get some office supplies and to get the latest journals bound to give to Tim and Mandy.

 

"Let's go to Westfields", I ask Des while we are waiting for the journals, Des is his usual obliging self, and I half hope that this short expedition will reveal the treasured gift.

 

Wandering and browsing, into Grace Brothers looking at Toby Jugs, Beer Steins, decorative plates, silver mugs, ornaments and anything that looked like a possibility. Yet nothing seemed to say, "here I am".

We strolled into David Jones, I suppose we looked like a couple of down and outers, each time we picked up something to look at, the staff asked us, "are you being served". "Just looking", we replied.

 

"There's some nice Waterford Crystal on the stand over there", a shop assistant pointed out to us, probably thinking, "They won't buy anything anyway".

 

We wandered through the crystal glasses, vases and bowls and came to a stand that had all sorts of bits and pieces.

 

We stood there looking at a three inch piece of heavy lead crystal in the shape of the number one. Des and I stared at it, we looked at each other and both said, "number one, number one son".

We knew as soon as we saw it, this was the perfect gift for Tim, the search was over.

 

The staff was abuzz, the word had gotten round that some one had bought the "number one". "This is a beautiful piece", said the girl who was lovingly polishing it with soft cloth and eucalyptus oil.

 

 Her eyes lit up when I told her why we had chosen that special piece, the other women in the section came over and said, "we were wondering who was going to buy that piece". It was as though something special was finally going to find a loving owner.

 

The present was wrapped and we made our way back to the car, overjoyed, we felt like a couple of conquerors who had won the war of trying to find the impossible.

 

Next thing was to write a special card for Tim explaining the significance of our special find. The verse I wrote went like this.

 

To My Son
With Love

Happy Birthday

When you look at this, your first gift.
I hope that it reminds you of your place in my life.

You were Conceived with my first Love.
Who was born on the first day of Summer.
You were my First Child.
Who was Born on the First day of Spring.

You were the first Grandchild.
The beginning of a new Generation.
You, and your place is, and always has been.
Number One.

 

We were now ready to go off to Queensland and present you with your first gift, I had slight feelings of apprehension, what if you thought the gift was trivial or silly, I had to reassure myself that the gift would be received in the spirit that it had been given, with love.

 

Tim came along to my mothers place with his family and the children the day after we arrived, that was a lovely surprise. My mother finally had the chance to see her grand-daughter in-law and her great grand-children for the first time, although they did not know of our significance to them.

 

I casually passed the gift over to Tim, trying not to bring too much attention to it in front of his children, he opened the card and read it and then opened the present and showed it to his wife.

 

Quietly he put the present back into it's box. After the general din died down he came into the kitchen and hugged me and thanked me for the gift, I couldn't say much the gift did it for me. All I could do was hold his hand tightly to let him know I would always be there for him.

 

 My love clear and bright, like the enduring crystal
that came from the land of our ancestors.