Cecelia Ahern - The Gift

“Isn’t that wonderful?” Mr. Patterson asked, trying to break the tension.

“Yes, it is, but, Gabe, you already familiarized yourself with my office yesterday,” Lou said tightly. “So I’m asking again, what are you doing here?”

“Now, now, Lou, I fear I must jump in here,” Mr. Patterson said awkwardly. “I met young Gabe in the hallway and we got talking. As a favor for me, I’d asked him to take some files to your office. He was delivering them to your desk when I realized I’d left one in my briefcase. But when I turned around to tell him, he was already gone. Poof! Just like that!” Mr. Patterson chuckled.

“Poof!” Gabe grinned at Lou. “That’s me, all right.”

“I like fast workers, but I must say I prefer fast and efficient, and my goodness you certainly are that.”

Gabe jumped in before Lou could say anything.

“Thank you, Mr, Patterson, and if there’s anything else you’d like me to do for you, please let me know. I finish my shift at lunchtime and would be only too happy to help out for the rest of the afternoon. I’m keen to work.”

Lou’s stomach tightened.

“That’s wonderful, Gabe, thank you, I’ll keep that in mind. So, Lou,” Mr. Patterson turned to face him, and Lou waited for Gabe, no longer a part of this conversation, to leave. But he didn’t. “I wonder if you’d be able to meet with Bruce Archer this evening. You remember him.”

Lou nodded, his heart lifting as though he was a schoolboy again, wanting to please the teacher.

“I was supposed to meet with him, but I was reminded this morning of something else I have to attend.”

“This evening?” Lou asked, happily kissing good-bye Lucy’s play and dinner with his family. He’d been saved. “That’s no problem. It would be a pleasure.”

He felt Gabe’s eyes sear into him.

In his mind, Lucy, dizzy from her twirling for him, dropped to the ground, and Ruth opened her eyes and pulled away from their morning kiss, his promise of less than an hour ago having already been broken. He felt a split second of guilt, which at least told him he was human, making him feel that he might actually be a good family man. Some of his colleagues felt no guilt at all.

“Great. Great. Well, Melissa can fill you in on the details. I have a big night tonight.” Mr. Patterson winked at Gabe. “It’s my little one’s Christmas play. I’d forgotten all about it until he came running in this morning dressed as a star. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful,” Gabe said, his face lighting up. “He’d probably never forgive you if you weren’t there. It’s such an important night for him. You’re a good father to go, as busy as you are.”

Lou glared at Gabe.

“Well, thank you, Gabe,” Mr. Patterson beamed, happy with the praise. “Right so, enjoy tonight, Lou, and well done for finding this lad.” Mr. Patterson patted Gabe on the back.

“Morning, Laurence,” Lou heard the familiar cheery call behind him and turned around to see Alfred join them in his office. “Is this a secret little meeting I didn’t know about?” Alfred smiled, looking from Lou to Mr. Patterson.

Alfred was a tall man, six feet, with white-blond hair, kind of like an oversized Milky Bar kid who had melted and been molded back together by the hands of a child. He always spoke with a smirk on his face and in the kind of accent that came from being privately schooled in England. His nose was disjointed from his rugby days, and he swanned around the office, as Gabe had observed the previous day, kicking up the tassels of his loafers with the air of a naughty schoolboy who was up to tricks.

Alfred’s eyes fell upon Gabe, then quite obviously looked him up and down in silence and waited to be introduced. Gabe imitated him, confidently giving Alfred the once-over right back.

“Nice shoes,” Gabe finally said, and Lou looked down at the brown loafers Gabe had described yesterday.

“Thank you.” Alfred looked a little put out.

“I also like your shoes, Mr. Patterson,” Gabe commented, looking over at them.

In a slightly awkward moment, all eyes looked down at the men’s feet. Lou’s heart started pumping at a ridiculous rate at the sight of the black slip-ons and the brown loafers, the exact shoes Gabe had described the previous morning. So Alfred was meeting with Mr. Patterson. Lou looked from Alfred to Mr. Patterson, feeling a sense of betrayal. It wasn’t official that Cliff’s job was up for grabs, but if it was, Lou was hell-bent on making sure it would be his, not Alfred’s. It now looked like he had a fight on his hands.

“Who are you?” Alfred finally asked Gabe after Mr. Patterson had bid them farewell.

“I’m Gabriel.” Gabe held out his hand. “Friends call me Gabe, but you can call me Gabriel.” He smiled.

“Charming. Alfred.” Alfred reached out his hand.

Their shake was cold and limp, and their hands fell quickly by their sides.

“Do I know you?” Alfred narrowed his eyes.

“No, we’ve never actually met, but you may recognize me.”

“Why’s that, were you in a reality show or something?” Alfred studied him again, with a less confident smirk.

“You used to pass by me every day, just outside this building.”

Alfred looked back at Lou with a slightly nervous smile. “Help me out here, pal.”

“I used to sit at the doorway next door,” Gabe continued. “Lou gave me a job.”

Alfred’s face eventually broke into a smile, the relief more than obvious on his arrogant face. His demeanor shifted and he became the big man on campus again, knowing that his position wasn’t being threatened by a homeless man.

He laughed as he turned to Lou, making a face and using a tone that he didn’t even attempt to disguise in Gabe’s company. “You gave him a job, Lou?” he said. “Well, isn’t it the season to be jolly, indeed. What the hell is going on with you?”

“Alfred, just leave it,” Lou replied, embarrassed.

“Okay.” Alfred held his hands up and chuckled to himself. “You thought Patterson would like that one, didn’t you? Clever thinking, Lou. You’re really reaching high up into your sleeve for Cliff’s job, aren’t you?”

“I thought Cliff’s job was still Cliff’s?” Gabe said.

Alfred looked at him dismissively. “Only if he gets better.”

“And Cliff isn’t going to get better,” Lou added, before he and Alfred both laughed, Lou looking slightly guilty for doing so, Alfred unashamedly throwing his head back and guffawing.

Gabe looked from one to the other, bemused.

“Hey, can I use your bathroom?” Alfred suddenly stopped laughing.

“What? No, not here, Alfred, just use the restrooms.”

“Come on, don’t be a jerk.” His tongue sounded too big for his mouth as it rolled around his words. “I’ll just be a second. See you around, Gabe; I’ll try to aim my coins at your cart when you pass by,” Alfred joked, giving Gabe the once-over again. He smirked and winked at Lou before making his way to Lou’s private bathroom.

From the office, Lou and Gabe could hear loud sniffing behind the bathroom door.

“There seems to be a nasty cold going around this district,” Gabe said.

Lou turned to him. “Look, I’m sorry, Gabe — he’s, you know, don’t take him seriously.”

“Oh, nobody should ever take anybody seriously really; you can’t control anything but what’s inside this circle.” Gabe’s arms made a movement around his body. “Until we all do that, nobody can be taken seriously. Here, I got you this.” He leaned down to the bottom tray of his cart and lifted up a Styrofoam cup of coffee. “I owe you from yesterday. It’s a latte; the machine was back working again.”