Football singularity

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[Rex Residence – Living Room | Date: 25/12/2019 | Time: 11:46]

Wrapping paper flew like confetti, discarded bows tumbled onto Persian rugs, and the living room echoed with laughter, gasps, and the occasional bark of Zeus, who wrestled with a large Charizard chew toy. Ben and Lisa Rex sat back on the long velvet couch, sipping coffee as they happily watched their kids open up the present they had painstakingly picked out.

Over the years, the presents had gotten more expensive, but they had made a rule that they would only give their kids one big present each year. That only happened when they had been good all year and had made them proud in either school or career, in Rakim's case.

Emma had just unwrapped the final box from her pile, a pair of limited-edition Jimmy Choo heels with a small handwritten note from her grandmother tucked neatly inside the tissue paper. She let out a soft "aww" before leaning back with a blissful sigh against the armrest of the loveseat, her lap already buried under silk, leather, and designer tissue wrap.

"Okay," she said, stretching like a cat. "I officially don't need to go shopping for the next five years."

"You said that last year," Ben quipped without looking up from his coffee.

"And I meant it… at the time," Emma replied with mock indignation, twirling the gold iPhone 11 Pro Max in her hand. "Well, sometimes you need a specific look for an occasion like this." She held up a rectangular-shaped box that contained 10 white tickets with gold ornately designed vines going around it, and a golden Mustang mid-gallop charging towards her. Aurora Vineyards was written in bold letters above in cursive writing.

"How did you even think about getting me a trip to Australia and at a vineyard, no less?" She asked her brother, who was just about to open the last of his presents, a small 5-centimetre square-shaped box.

"Oh, I figured after suffering the weather in England, you could use a sunny destination, plus just staying at a hotel seemed boring. If you go during harvest season, they let you make your own wine for a fee of course, but you get to keep the batch for the future, not that I support drinking, mind you," Rakim Cooley responded as he went back to trying to decipher how to open the gift that had been welded shut with Sellotape.

"Not supporting drinking while sending your sister to a vineyard sounds like textbook hypocrisy," Emma teased, with a smile as she prompted her dad to open the present she had prepared for him.

Rakim finally managed to free the small box from the wrapping paper, revealing a black leather box. Without further ado, he opened the lid, revealing a black car key resting calmly on a purple cushion. Slightly surprised, Rakim looked up from the box, then at his parents, "You got me another Car?" He asked, not quite understanding why they had so soon gotten me a new car.

"Well, it..." Ben started trying to explain but was quickly interrupted by Rakim's excited shout. "Shit it's a Lamborghini!" he exclaimed in fright and excitement after spotting the golden bull, directly throwing the box with the key in the air and sending it flying.

The key box spun through the air like a slow-motion movie prop before bouncing harmlessly on the thick carpet in an anticlimactic fashion. Zeus even looked up, ears perked, as if waiting for someone to yell "Fetch!"

Ben chuckled, shaking his head. "Nice to know all my effort was appreciated."

"Ahem, thanks, but what kind is it?" Rakim sheepishly replied as he walked over to pick up the key now with much more care.

Ben rubbed the back of his neck, a proud smirk tugging at his lips. "It's the Sián FKP 37. Silver. One of only sixty-three made the first hybrid Lamborghini, featuring a V12 engine..."

Looking at his father's excited face as he listed off the different features of the car left Rakim perplexed. "Since you obviously like it, why did you give it to me, especially since it was just released in September?"

"Ahem, I'm not allowed to keep it," Ben replied with a sulking expression as he sent a hurt glance at his wife, who continued to ignore him.

"Hmph, what does a grown man need with a boy's toy? Don't tell me you want to go out and pick up some hussies?" Lisa retorted from the side, placing the VIP tickets to see Moulin Rouge on Broadway that her kids had gotten her. Rakim and Emma had pooled together to get those tickets and book a week-long spa centre stay for 2 in Costa Rica in the hot spring region for her.

Ben looked over at Rakim, lifting his mug in mock toast. "Enjoy it while you can. It was either you or the garage, plus I got it as a gift from a business partner, so it's not really a loss for me." The mention of a business partner caused Lisa's glare to intensify, prompting Rakim to connect the dots of why his mother really didn't want her husband driving the car.

"Ahem, thanks, guys, I'll take good care of it," Rakim quickly said as he set it aside with the VIP tickets to the Finsbury concert his sister had gotten him. "Looks like I really need to get a house now,"

"Or you can get into college like me and get one for free. Seriously, don't you think that a 7-bedroom villa in the middle of Cambridge is a bit excessive?" Emma commented from the side as she looked at the deed encased in a leather case.

"It's just a detached house, plus it was your great-grandpa Oliver's old house, we just paid half its value, so we wouldn't feel bad," Lisa commented from the side with a light frown. "Apparently, my mother came for a visit at your student accommodation and was horrified at the scene. She nagged me for weeks, saying that her granddaughter is living with heathens and whatnot."

"Now you can just live there with your friends, you just have to pay for utilities, so it's not entirely a gift. We figured this would give you a chance at being a bit more independent, it's your house, so don't let it turn into an animal barn." Ben commented from his seat, a bright smile on his face at his daughter's perplexed face.

The gift process continued in full swing with each family member resenting the presents they had gotten for the other. Other than the car, Rakim had gotten console games for both the PlayStation and Xbox, snatching a copy of Marvel's Spider-Man: Game of the Year Edition, 2K20 on PS4 and FIFA 20 and Forza Horizon on his Xbox X and a Midnight Green iPhone 11 Pro Max. He had also received an allowance to use some of his savings to either purchase or rent a house and of course, the Ultimate VIP Tickets to the Finsbury concert, where his favourite rappers would be headlining.

Emma, other than receiving the house from her parents and great-grandparents, received her trip to Australia, a gold iPhone 11 Pro Max and an assortment of clothes, bags, and shoes from different brands, amounting to a sizeable sum. For Lisa, it was the presents that her husband had gotten her that drew everyone's attention. He had gotten her a rose gold Cartier Watch and necklace, but it was the horse stable in Ocala that threw everyone off guard.

"You enjoyed our stay at Tom's ranch in Montana, so I figured it would be convenient to get a place close by," He reasons upon receiving questioning glances from his kids and wife.

"Dad, you know you can just rent a single stable instead of buying the whole thing," Rakim commented from the side as he stood up to pat his father's shoulder, seriously questioning his worldview.

"Don't you think I know that? I promised to make her happy at our wedding, and since I have the means, I can't do half-measures." He retorted with a smug smile, "You're still a brat and wouldn't understand how a real man treats their wife."

Before Rakim could retort, he watched as his mother sent a quick peck on his father's cheek, prompting a wide smile to appear on the latter's face. "Ahem, anyway, Dad, great minds think alike, so Emma and I got you this," Rakim said as he proceeded to toss a silver Rolls-Royce key to his father.

Ben barely caught the key in time, blinking at the logo engraved on the fob before looking up at his son and daughter. "You got me a Rolls?"

Emma folded her arms smugly. "Not just any Rolls. It's practically the Batmobile, with its bulletproof tinted windows, armour plating, its black on black-on-black colour paint, and a twin-turbocharged V12 engine modified for performance."

Ben's eyes widened slightly, then narrowed in disbelief. "You two got me a rolling fortress?"

"Well, we grew up with you sometimes acting like a human crash test dummy," Rakim retorted with a smile, "Plus it's safer than what mum got you, can't believe they will let you drive a Red Bull in Spielberg no less,"

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To be Continued...