The Ghost Gifter: Curating Her Perfect Holiday

My name is Ben, and I am the man who makes her feel loved by someone who doesn't care.

Sarah has been dating Jason for three years. Jason is a "minimalist," which is just a fancy word for a man who never buys her a birthday card. Every Christmas, Sarah would cry because Jason forgot to get her anything. I couldn't stand her tears. So, for the last two years, I’ve bought the gifts. I buy the jewelry she’s hinted at, I wrap it in paper I know she likes, and I leave it on Jason’s porch with a note: "Don't forget to give this to her."

She thinks Jason has finally changed. She shows me the necklace I spent my rent money on and says, "See, Ben? He really does listen." I have to nod and smile while she praises a man for a gesture he didn't even have to pay for. I am funding her happiness with a liar because the truth would hurt her more than the debt hurts me.