My first gift story for Liz Fichera's Blog Hop

We met in New York  and had only been dating for about three months. And then the bomb dropped. "I'm moving back to Florida."

Nice guy that I am, I had offered to fly down and help unpack all the boxes and set the furniture after the movers arrived. I had such mixed feelings. A fantastic new relationship and the anger of having my potential soul mate leave me and move 1500 miles away.

We got even closer the week I had stayed. Such a romantic setting. Moonlight, swaying palm trees, the ocean gently kissing the white sandy shores. How could you not fall in love? Well it happened to both of us, but my career centered around the glitz and glamor of the NY's fashion scene. I traveled a lot between Europe and NYC. I couldn't leave. Miami's fashion scene made some noise, but not enough for me to move to Florida.

After a choked up goodbye, I found a slip of paper in my pocket as I emptied my wallet, etc. for security.

You'll be traveling with a companion. Don't forget to take it out of your suitcase the minute you get home.

"Don't tell me there's something alive in my luggage," I mumbled to myself.

For two of the longest hours I was on pins and needles, wondering what could possibly be wrapped between my shirts and pants.

We landed and I rushed to baggage claim. It took me every ounce of strength I could muster not to rip my bag open the moment I rescued it from the carousel.

I hopped in a cab. Twenty minutes later I arrived at my apartment. I flung the suitcase on the bed and opened it.

I let out a howl of laughter. Sitting on top of my stack of t-shirts, a kelly green stuffed alligator smiled up at me. Between the white jagged teeth, a bright red forked tongue hung out of the side of its mouth.

I picked up the phone immediately.

This alligator is still one of my favorite gifts in a long line of other wonderful gifts ... but this one was the first.