Steamer Trunk Adventures 2

 
 

“This thing’s got to be filled with bricks!” Finn insisted as he helped Blaine haul a large, heavy trunk out of Blaine’s car and into the house. Blaine just gave him an apologetic look and kept moving.
 
It was tricky getting it through the front door, and there was a near miss when turning into the living room, but finally it was settled on the floor. Blaine collapsed onto the sofa with a grateful sigh while Finn stretched out full length on the carpet and gasped.
 
“It looks like you both could use a drink.” Carole carried a tray with cans of sodas and a plate of cookies into the room and set it down on the coffee table. Between it, the trunk, and Finn, there wasn’t a lot of room to walk, so she took the nearest chair. “So is this the big surprise?” she leaned forward and ran her hand along the edge of the trunk. It was dark brown and had an assortment of colorful stamps from various ports around the world. “Kurt’s going to love this.”
 
“I hope so,” Blaine replied, eyes bright and his cheeks still flushed with exertion. He looked down at the large trunk, trying to see it through Kurt’s eyes. Blaine had a fondness for certain old-fashioned things, including steamer trunks, but Kurt loved them, and the romantic images they evoked. He and Blaine had spent more than one afternoon spinning fanciful tales of two young men traveling the globe in a time before airplanes and computers.
 
“So what’s in this thing?” Finn poked at the trunk without bothering to get up.
 
“I don’t know,” Blaine confessed, looking a little embarrassed. “The woman I bought it from didn’t have a key. She said she had found it in the attic when she was cleaning out her great-aunt’s house.” He leaned forward and rested his hand on top of the trunk. “I thought Kurt might want to be the one to open it.”
 
Carole drank her soda slowly, watching Blaine as he traced the edges of one of the stamps. He was smiling to himself and seemed far away. She turned her attention to the trunk itself. It was in good condition over all, considering its obvious age, but there were dull spots and some dust along the edges of the metal fittings
 
“Finn,” Carole tapped her son’s arm with her foot. “Help me move the coffee table into the corner so there will be room to open the trunk.”
 
Finn hauled himself up with an exaggerated groan, earning a mock punch from his mom. Blaine hopped up and insisted on taking Carole’s place so she went off to get some dust rags. Later, she’d help Kurt with the heavy cleaning once he’d researched the proper cleaning products to use.
 
She was on her way back to the living room with the rags when she had a flash of inspiration. She took a quick diversion to the basement and emerged triumphant with a shiny gold gift bow.
 
“The finishing touch,” she said as she presented the bow to Blaine. He thanked her gratefully while Finn laughed. They each took a rag and started dusting.
 
“Too bad you didn’t get flowers, too,” Finn said as he stood back and studied the trunk, now with the gold bow on top. “You’d be covered for months.” He sounded almost envious and Blaine and Carole laughed; Finn’s last attempt to buy a gift for Rachel had been a disaster.
 
“I sort of blew the budget on the trunk,” Blaine admitted as he traced an idle pattern along the edge of the trunk with the dust rag.
 
“Well I don’t have any flowers to contribute,” Carole said, “but I do have some special occasion stemware. You can have your diet coke in that tonight at dinner.”
 
“Thanks, Carole,” Blaine moved to give her a hug, but froze when he heard the distinctive sound of Kurt’s car pulling into the garage.
 
“You’re welcome, sweetie,” Carole said as she quickly gathered up the dust rags and herded Finn out of the room. They retreated to the kitchen, leaving Blaine in the living room, anxiously waiting for Kurt.
 
The trunk was a pretty nice gift, if you liked that kind of thing, Finn decided as he foraged for snacks. He was reaching for some leftover pizza when Kurt squealed so loudly that Finn almost fell into the fridge.
 
::end::

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