The ringtone on my cell phone chimed.

It was a message from Paul, my new boyfriend.  It was strange calling him a boyfriend.  I’ve known him for some two years as simply a ‘friend.’  Actually, it has only been a few weeks since that first kiss on the frozen shore of Royal Lake and the beginning of this budding relationship.  It was going to take a little bit longer to get used to referring to him as ‘boyfriend.’

My mind briefly wandered.  ‘You haven’t even told your parents yet of your new beau.’  That had always been hard for me.  None of my boyfriends ever met with their approval.  Doubt Paul would either.

Opening his message, I read ‘Happy Birthday, sweetheart.  Enjoy your special day. I have a special surprise for you when you get home tonight.’

I wondered ‘How did he know it was my birthday?’  He knew I was 28 but I couldn’t remember ever talking about my birthday with him.  I didn’t know his.

‘How did you know it was my birth honey?’ I replied.

‘Promise you won’t be mad?’

‘Why would I be made?’

‘Because I took advantage of the opportunity when you left your driver’s license on your hallway table?’

‘Ah, spying on me are you?’ I wrote teasingly as I giggled.

‘No, nothing like that.  I told him I wanted to learn more about the woman named Meagan.  I think birthdays are part of knowing each other, don’t you think?  Besides, everyone has one and most people I know like to celebrate them somehow.’

‘I’ll forgive you, Paul.  I promise.’

‘Thanks, I’ve got a special gift planned for you when you get home.’

‘When you get home.’ I reread.  One of the pitfalls of being a junior associate attorney is long hours.  It will be 10 o’clock before I finally get home tonight.

The rest of the day, I struggled to keep my mind on my work.  I kept thinking about his last message, ‘I’ve got a special gift planned for you when you get home.’  What could it possibly be?

As usual, I got home late.  After feeding Vallon, I called Paul.

“I just got home, Paul.  What’s this special gift you mentioned?”

“On my way, be there is less than five.”

Now I was intrigued.  What could it possibly be?

=====

A few minutes late, he knocked.

“It’s me, Paul.”

“Come on in, the door’s open.”

Entering, Vallon impulsively jumped up on him, licking his face vigorously and wagging his tail madly.  I noticed he was empty-handed.

“You looked surprised.”

“Well, honestly, I’ve been thinking all day long about this ‘special gift’ you mentioned.  Guess I’m used to the kind of gifts that come in wrapped boxes or something.”

“Actually, the gift wouldn’t fit in a box.”

“Huh?  What can be so big that it wouldn’t fit in a box?”  Of course, I knew there were gifts that wouldn’t fit in a box, like a new car, but I knew that wasn’t it.

“Well, you know how you’ve talked about liking experiences more than things.  Well, I listened and I’ve arranged an experience for you I’m certain you’ve never had.”

“What might that be?”

“A sleigh ride.”

“A what?”

“A sleigh ride.  A horse-drawn sleigh ride.  This weekend, near Tazewell.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Nope.  An honest-to-goodness two-hour horse-drawn sleigh ride on some the scenic byways of Tazewell County.”

I looked at him, stunned and at a loss for words.  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

“Well, what do think Meagan?  I’ve already made the reservations for the ride and a motel in Tazewell.  I’d hate to be alone this weekend.”

“Motel?”

“Yeah.  Tazewell is about 300 miles and five hours driving time away.  I planned on leaving early Saturday morning, getting to Tazewell say around eleven and check-in at the motel.  I got one room with two beds for us.  The ride begins starts at 2 PM and ends at 4 PM.  There’s a mom-and-pop diner that serves good, home-cooked food we can eat at.  My plan is to leave early Sunday morning and be back around noon.  So, what do you think?”

“One room?”

“One room with two beds.  I know we don’t know each other that way yet, but I figure we’re both adults.  I promise I won’t peek if you don’t.”  A little giggle escaped his lips with that last sentence.

“Well, sure, I guess.  Sounds exciting.  Besides, never been on a sleigh ride and it will certainly be a new experience for me.”

“Can I share something with you?”

“Sure.  What?”

“My first time on a sleigh ride as well.  It will be a shared experience for both of us.”

I smiled before pulling him to me, hugging him tightly, and kissing him deeply.

“Thank you, Paul.  It’s one of the most thoughtful gifts I’ve ever received.”

“You’re welcome.  I really should go though.  Both of us have to get up early for work tomorrow so let me say good night.”

We hugged and kissed again.

The rest of the week dragged on but, finally, as the saying goes, ‘Thank Goodness It’s Friday.’  No phrase was ever more felicitous.

The anticipation made it hard for me to sleep.  Not only because of the sleigh ride itself but also because this was the first weekend Paul and I had spent together.  ‘First times’ are always fraught with nervousness and expectations that are often unrealistic.

At 5 AM, Paul called.

“Paul, it's 5 AM.  You said early, not 5 AM.”

“Thought we’d head out and stop at the Bob Evans on Route 50 in Centreville for breakfast.”

“Sure, give me a half hour to shower and dressed.”

“Be sure to dress warmly but in layers.”

“I will.”

I went downstairs and unlocked the door for Paul and texted him to let himself in.  I then fed Vallon before heading back upstairs.

I was still blow-drying my hair when I heard Paul arrive.

“Down in a few minutes.”

“What about Vallon?”

“Parents are coming over to take him for the weekend.”

“I got a friend taking Chase.  I’ll put your luggage in the truck.”

A few minutes later, I stumbled, sleepy-eyed, down the stairs.

A few minutes later, we headed out on the Fairfax County Parkway.

30 minutes later we were at Bob Evans.  After quick breakfasts for both of us, we headed west.

=====

The ride began on Interstates 66, 81, and 77.  I drifted off to sleep on 66 but woke up as he stopped for gas near Wytheville before starting out on Interstate 77.  I was fascinated by little mountain towns with names like Hicksville, Bland, and Rocky Gap we passed through before turning on

 I had never been to Tazewell.  It certainly wasn’t like where we lived, built-up, urbanized.  I learned that the city of Tazewell had just over 4,000 population and all of Tazewell County little over 39,000.

“You’re kidding, right?”

“Nope.”

“Fairfax County has 1.1 million.”

“I know, but is rural America, Appalachia.  You can see why the people and attitudes of rural America are so much different from those of urban America where we live.  But you can’t deny, the scenery here is much better and spectacular!”

“You’re right, of course.  I knew that.  Just kind of different for me.  Even rural Alabama isn’t like this.”

You certainly weren’t going to get lost in Tazewell.  We easily found the motel, ‘The Traveler on Main,’ and settled in for a brief respite from the truck ride.

Paul called the farm which provided the horses and carriage.  It was some 15 minutes away, just beyond the ‘city limits’ of Tazewell.

=====

Everything was ready for us and we quickly settled in the carriage, wrapping ourselves beneath the heavy woolen blankets that kept us warm despite the bitter temperatures down in the teens.  Two thermos full of hot chocolate also helped keep us warm.

As the horses started pulling, I moved closer to Paul.

His hand slipped into mine, our fingers intertwined.

I turned to him, smiled, and moments later we kissed for just a few seconds.

“I thought it was cold back home.  This is freezing.”

“Well, Meg, we’re higher in elevation here, around 2,500 feet.  Foothills of the Appalachians.  They routinely get snow in the winter.  We don’t.”

It was the snow that gave the rolling farmlands their natural beauty.  For two hours, our eyes feasted as we rode the sleigh on pristine, unplowed paths through snow-covered fields and woods with trees festered with snow-laden limbs sagging from the weight and pines adorned with pine cones tinted in white.

“Absolutely gorgeous, Paul.”

“Yes, beautiful.  Do you like your birthday present?”

“Are you kidding?  The best gift I’ve ever received.”

I kissed him again, more deeply, more aggressively.  Slipping my tongue into his mouth.

He responded and soon our tongues were swirling, intertwining.

We didn’t realize it, but for the last 45 minutes of the ride, we barely noticed the scenery that passed us by as we were too busy kissing.  ‘Necking’ as they used to call it.

Like all things, the ride – and the kissing – ended all too soon.

=====

Back in our room, we both showered again.

Being layered up in the frigid temperatures, we had sweated.

With warm water cascading down my body, I closed my eyes and relived the majesty we had just experienced.

I sighed.

Afterwards, we collapsed on our beds and caught a few hours of welcome sleep.  It had been a long day for both of us.

=====

As we drove to the restaurant for dinner, I began thinking.

‘I wonder what he expects of me tonight.  I mean this has been certainly romantic and when a guy does something like this for a girl, he usually wants something from her in return.  Quid pro quo.’

My thoughts were broken by Paul’s voice.

“We’re here, Meg.  Country Store and Grill.”

I smiled.  The restaurant was shaped like an old barn.  Perhaps it was a barn that had been repurposed.

As we were seated, we ordered two beers and then the food.

As we waited, I decided to ‘break the ice’ as they say.

“Paul, can I ask you something that has been on my mind since you told me about my birthday present.”

“Sure anything, what’s bothering you?  I thought you liked the present.”

“I do, but this has to be expensive.”

“Expense is relative.  I can afford it don’t worry about it.  You’re worth it to me.”

“I know but you really didn’t have to.”

“Meg, I wanted to give you something you would appreciate.  Not just a gift just to give you something and ease my conscience.”

“Well, it is my conscience that I want to talk to you about.”

“Go ahead.”

“Paul, do you want me to sleep with you tonight?”

Paul was stunned, looking at me in disbelief.  Like a deer in the headlights.  Still.

“What brought that on?”

“Well, you know, when a guy spends a lot of money on a girl, he usually expects something from the girl in return.  Is that what you want?  Do you want me to sleep with you for this?”

“Meg, is that what YOU want?  Do YOU really want to have sex with me tonight?”

“Honestly, I had never thought of it before you told me about this gift.  I when we were riding together earlier; well I just thought…”

Paul cut me off and reached out took my hands in this and held them tightly.

After taking a deep breath to gather his nerves, he continued.

“Meg, I’m not going to lie.  You’re attractive, gorgeous.  But, I don’t want you giving your body to me like this.  I don’t want just sex, Meg.  It wouldn’t be fair to you and it wouldn’t be satisfying for me.”

He continued after a brief pause.

“Sex without a deep emotional connection is just a fleeting physical feeling soon forgotten or worse, routinely expected.  Sex is something one person does to another.  I don’t want sex.  Making love isn’t something you DO to someone.  It is something you DO with someone.  Something do you together, not two individuals.”

I listened attentively.  It was a lot to pack in.  At the same time, it was a weight taken off my shoulders.

I stood up and reached across the table and kissed him again

“Thank you,” I said as I squeezed his hands with mine.

“Meg, we’ll know when it is the right time, trust me.  And, you’re worth waiting for that right time.”

It was at that moment, I realized, I might just have found ‘the one.’  Selfless, considerate, thoughtful and much, much, more.