Vanessa could hardly recall a time when the holidays seemed so hopeful. In order to do

something really unique for her fiancé, Brandon, she had meticulously budgeted every

tip and salary while working additional hours at the salon for the better part of a year.

Although their financial situation wasn’t the best—Brandon, a prosperous doctor with

a busy practice, earned far more than she did—she felt that love shouldn’t be measured

in monetary terms. particularly around holiday, which she always saw as a time for warmth and giving.

She eventually saved up enough money after working long hours and many hard days to

get Brandon the PS5, which she knew he had been wanting for a long time.

She remembered that he had made casual remarks about how playing video games

allowed him to “switch his brain off” after a long day at the clinic.

Perhaps because of scheduling constraints or because the console constantly sold out,

he had never managed to get one for himself, even with his comparatively high salary.

Due of the limited supply, Vanessa had to rely on her cousin, who was able to get one from a reseller.

Naturally, there was a markup for that; her cousin made sure to remind her of how fortunate she was to get one at all.

Vanessa convinced herself that it was worth it to see Brandon’s unadulterated joy,

so she spent the majority of her holiday money to make it happen.

As holiday drew near, she could not control her enthusiasm.

She pictured Brandon’s expression every time she passed the closet where

she had concealed the PS5: the broad grin, the “I can’t believe you bought

me this!kind of happiness, and the appreciation that would gleam in his eyes.

She thought it was the ideal approach to let him know that she appreciated his

efforts and understood how many hours he spent taking care of children.