27.

"What did you get him?"

"This stupid gadget thingy he hasn't stopped talking about for pretty much this whole year."

I say unconsciously rolling my eyes when I think about how he hasn't stopped mentioning the flying metal camera thing.

"What about you? What did you get him?"

I ask and she sighs before,

"I've been wanting to run this past you..." she says before pulling out a -

"Oh. Uhm." I feel my heart tighten just a bit.

"That's lovely." It really is, it's just that...

"Your mom's watch." She says taking the words out of my mouth.

She bought dad a watch, which is really nice. But dad has never in all the years I've been alive taken off the watch mom bought him years ago. Even more so after she died. I think it's his way of carrying a part of her with him. And she seems to know that because,

"Oh Alex, I should've come to you first. This is stupid, I obviously don't want to take the connection he has with your mom away. I don't ever want him to think that." She says sweetly and I give