text: It all started with a smile... A beautiful, warm, and welcoming smile from a pretty stranger on the streets of Manhattan. If you know Manhattan, you know how rare it is to meet a kind face here. Let alone to see that same kind face more than once. The third time I saw her, I had to speak to her. I approached her nervously, and she again smiled warmly which made me feel more confident. Approaching women is scary because you never know the vibes... Is it giving bestie vibes or is it going to be more? This time though, I knew. She spoke to me before I even mustered up the courage. “Hi there, beautiful stranger.” She said cheekily. I just laughed nervously and asked her where she was headed. Turned out we worked in the same building, simply different floors. So, from that day forward we walked to work together every day and eventually even woke up in the same bed most mornings. Christmas was approaching fast as ever. My girlfriend, my beautiful girlfriend whose name is Kaleesi, loves Christmas. It is not exactly my niche but for her, I will put on the act of the century. We bonded so quickly that we decided to spend our holidays together and not leave town for family. It was an easy decision for me since I do not even like my family much. Kaleesi has been ranting and raving about how much I am going to love my gift and how perfect it is for me which has been making me panic a little. I have no idea what kind of gift to get the woman I love for the holiday I barely acknowledge... “Haven, don’t overthink it! I will love any gift you give me just like I love you.” She reassured me over and over. But it just makes me think of how much she deserves the perfect gift because she is utterly amazing. We have been dating all of 5 months and I am entangled in her beautiful little web, more than I could have ever imagined. I could write you a five-page essay about it. But what I cannot decide for the life of me is what to get such a perfect person as a gift. I relentlessly searched the streets of Manhattan for the “edgy” stores I thought I would find the perfect gift inside of. I even took a bus to this store whose catchline was, “Beautiful gifts for beautiful people,” but it was very anticlimactic honestly. One day I spent my entire lunch break searching for unique stores to try next instead of eating, like a sane person would. Kaleesi started to notice I was stressing and would bring food to my floor and force me to eat before she left. Her acts of kindness just made me even more frantic to find the perfect gift for her as soon as possible. Christmas was merely nine days away; shit was getting real. On December Twentieth, we were walking to work hand in hand when we walked past this tiny, black owned shop that I had never seen before. I saw Kaleesi glance at it excitedly, but she did not say anything. It looked to be full of ancestral jewelry, paintings, oils, and things of that nature. I made a mental note and smiled to myself because I just had a feeling this was my sign that the weeks of searching were about to end. I rushed through my work that day, happy as ever to be focused on my work and not stressing about searching for the perfect gift. Kaleesi’s parents were from east Africa, they migrated to the U.S shortly before she was born and they did not hang on to a lot of their culture the longer they were here. Kaleesi often tells me how she wants to know more about her culture and how she loves admiring the beautiful jewelry. Before I spotted this store, I had not found any real African shops with authentic jewelry but this one gave me hope. After work I sprint down the stairs and head towards the little shop. I shot Kaleesi a quick, “see you at home, baby.” text and made sure to avoid her seeing where I was headed. It was a quick, brisk walk and once I stepped into the store I was welcomed with the refreshing scent of, Uusi. Took me right back to the smells of my childhood days spent at my own east African grandmother’s home. At that moment I knew this was the place I would find what I was looking for. The owner of the shop warmly welcomed me like we were family and showed me around the store instead of just asking me what I was looking for. I wanted to buy the entire store, honestly. So many beautiful, cultural pieces to absorb I could not get my mind set on one thing. Until I saw it. A beautiful, bright, Maasai necklace. It immediately called out to me. I got the warmest feeling just looking at it, just like when I look into Kaleesi’s eyes. I picked it up and told the shop owner proudly... “This is it!” She smiled like she was just as excited as me. I also picked up a book explaining the significance of the oils and jewelry I purchased so that she could learn more about the culture in general. This day I was filled with as much happiness as I was the first day I got to go out with Kaleesi and experience her true warmth. Finally, I found the perfect gift for the perfect girl. The last week until Christmas seemed to drag by. All the time I was searching flew by but now that I was ready to present her with my perfect gift, time slowed. But I decided not to be impatient and to just enjoy the week we had planned. I also picked up a bunch of other little gifts during my search for the perfect one. I got us matching hats and gloves because it is cold as HELL in New York. I got us some matching sneakers too, I know I am corny and that is okay! Other than that, I got a bunch of her favorite lotions, makeup, and self-care items because I knew she would appreciate it. Our little tree was filled with gifts, evenly split between the two of us. We agreed that the biggest gift we would exchange last and so we had our own secret hiding places. Christmas morning arrives, I jump out of bed before Kaleesi wakes up and I cook her a bangin’ breakfast. She comes downstairs sneakily and smirks at me because normally, she is the early bird. I silently serve her and sit across the table with my plate. She looks just as giddy as I am and scarfs her food down quickly before asking... “Can we open some presents now baby?.” I laugh at her and just nod, heading over to the tree. We sort out each other's gifts and decide to take turns opening them. First, she opens the matching sneakers and nearly cries just from that. I open a box with 2 coats, one my favorite color and the other is hers. “We are so damn corny!” I giggle. She agrees happily. We finish opening all our gifts which already had us filled with joy. We both silently head off to our hiding spots and come back with our boxes with the “perfect” gifts we picked for one another. We decide to open them at the same time on the count of three... I rip mine open, gasp loudly, and my eyes meet hers. She looks equally as shocked as me and we both burst into tears. She holds the Maasai necklace up to her chest and just bawls, thanking me repeatedly. “This is so beautiful, Haven.” She says happily. I just stare at my gift still in shock with tears falling down my face. My gift is a beautiful, gold bracelet with a key charm as well as a few other ones meaningful to us both. She comes up to me and gently says... “Take off the key and read it.” I do just that and burst into tears again... “You are holding the key to my heart, and to OUR place.” I am speechless and we just cry into each other's arms. Later that day she takes me to look at our beautiful condominium which has already been furnished immaculately. Did I forget to mention, Kaleesi is my boss? Oops.