Keith’s birthday is in the middle of December. We always spent sometime together around it. Year before last, he hadn’t mentioned coming up here, best I can remember I did hint at it, but he never responded or acknowledged that I’d even said anything. A couple days before his birthday, he messaged me and said he’s driving up (from Florida ) to ATL and could he stop by my office. He’d be here in an hour. Surprised, shocked, confused, nervous, anxious, all the things.
He shows up with a Christmas present. Now keep in mind, in 6 years (at that point) he had never bought me a Christmas present before. It was a Christmas ornament painted with scenes from Pensacola. The lighthouse, the beach, the Blue Angels, the “Beach Ball” sign monument thing. He bought it because he said he thought that I may like it because of the lighthouse. Anytime he was traveling, if he sent me pictures and there was a lighthouse in the picture, I would ask about it. I was just trying to make conversation more than anything.
So, fast forward to the present day. I’ll spare you all the ugly details, BUT I finally see him for who he is. All the (bad) things anyone tried to tell me about him, were all true. And I see it now. The last two months have been some of the hardest I’ve ever been through. It was just one devasting thing after another that I kept finding out or that he was telling me. So instead of telling me everything all at one time it was like having my whole world yanked out from under me over and over again. My nervous system was completely shot to the point that for weeks I couldn’t stop shaking. I’ve never had anything emotionally destroy me like this.
Anyway, so back to the ornament, I understood his “reason” for picking it specifically, but at the same time, it wasn’t meant to be a Christmas gift, it was meant to be a “consolation” prize for not spending his birthday with me. I honestly wasn’t expecting to see him because he hadn’t mentioned it. But he knew what I was thinking so he thought showing up with a “gift” would make it all better. Seeing it, getting it as a gift from him though, was like having my nose rubbed in something I had done wrong, by the person who convinced me that it was okay to do it. I mean all the images on it are of things that he shared with his wife in P’cola. Why the hell he thought I’d “love” a reminder of his life with her to hang on my Christmas tree was beyond me. So, from the very beginning, I hated what it reminded me of. I mean, it was beautiful, but I hated it.
So, after the last and final blow a week or so ago, I took the ornament, put all the tags and things back in the original box it came in, packaged it up very securely and sent it back to the store that he purchased it from with the following handwritten on my stationary enclosed in the box:
“Dear Pensacola Hardware,
I received this beautiful ornament in December of 2023 as a consolation prize, disguised as a Christmas gift, from a man named Keith Ormsby formally of Gulf Breeze currently Greensboro, GA. I was in a relationship with Keith at the time. I believe it was purchased from your store. He purchased it thinking I would enjoy it because of the lighthouse on it. But all I see is his life in Pensacola & Gulf Breeze that he shared with his wife. Because of my utter disgust and contempt for this man, I will never be able to enjoy it. It is such a beautiful piece of artwork that I hate for it not to be enjoyed by someone. As someone who enjoys creating things for other people, I can’t just destroy it. I would love to send it back to him in shattered pieces…exactly like he has done to me. But instead, I’m sending it back to you. Hopefully you can find someone else who can enjoy it. If you would like to refund his money, I’m sure with a quick Google search you’ll be able to find his contact information. And please by all means, let him know that it was returned.
Sincerely,
(and I actually signed my real name right here)
I felt really good writing it out and packaging it up. Didn’t even really feel bad dropping it off at the UPS store. But then about 15 minutes later I felt like shit.
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