Cecelia Ahern - The Gift & Thanks for the Memories

Even though he was alone in the office, Lou quickly looked around to make sure no one had heard.

‘Relax! I won’t tell anyone,’ Gabe called back to him in a voice that made Lou feel far from reassured. Lou watched as Gabe pressed the call button for the elevator and lingered by the doors, while the elevator began to rise from the ground floor.

The bathroom door opened and Alfred exited, rubbing at his nose and sniffing. ‘What’s all the shouting about? Hey, where did you get the coffee?’

‘Gabe,’ Lou replied, distracted.

‘Who? Oh, the homeless guy,’ Alfred said with disinterest. ‘Really, Lou, what the hell were you thinking, he could wipe you out.’

‘What do you mean, wipe me out?’

‘Come on, were you born yesterday? You’ve taken a man who has nothing and put him in a place where there is everything. Ever heard of a thing called temptation? Actually, forget I asked, it’s you I’m talking to,’ he winked. ‘You give in to that every time. Perhaps you and the homeless man aren’t so different,’ he added. ‘You look alike, that’s for sure. Maybe sing “Feed the Birds”, or something, and we’ll see,’ he laughed, his chest wheezing, the result of a forty-a-day habit.

‘Well, that says a lot about your upbringing, Alfred, that your only reference to a homeless person would be something from Mary Poppins ,’ Lou snapped.

Alfred’s wheezing broke out into a cough. ‘Sorry, pal. Did I hit a sore point?’

‘We’re nothing alike,’ Lou spat, looking back down at the elevators to Gabe.

But Gabe was gone. The elevator pinged and the doors opened, revealing nobody inside, and with nobody to step in. In the reflection in the mirror that lined the back wall of the elevator, Lou could see the confusion written all over his face.

11. The Juggler

At five p.m., at exactly the same time that Lou should have been leaving the building in order to get home for Lucy’s school play, he instead paced the floor of his office. From the door to the desk, from the desk to the door, and back again. Over and over again. The door was wide open, prepared for Lou’s eventual catapult launch down the corridor and into Mr Patterson’s office, where he would announce he was unable to meet Bruce Archer for coffee. Not unlike Mr Patterson, he too had family commitments. Tonight, Laurence, his daughter was going to be a leaf. For some reason it made him weaken at the knees. Each time he reached the doorway he stopped short, and instead he’d turn around and continue his pace around his desk.

Alison eyed him curiously from her desk, looking up from her typing each time he reached the doorway. Finally, the sounds of her acrylic nails against the keys stopped.

‘Lou, is there something I can do for you?’

He’d looked at her then, as though realising for the first time that he was in an office; that Alison had been there all along. He straightened himself up, fixed his tie, and cleared his throat.

‘Eh … no, thank you, Alison,’ he said, more formally than he’d meant, so intent on convincing her of his sanity that he came across as a drunken man trying to appear sober.

He began pacing towards his desk again but then stopped himself and poked his head outside the door. ‘Actually, Alison, this coffee meeting …’

‘With Bruce Archer, yes.’

‘It’s just coffee, isn’t it?’

‘So Mr Patterson said.’

‘And he knows that it’s me that’s going to meet him?’

‘Mr Patterson?’

‘No, Bruce Archer.’

‘Mr Patterson called him earlier to explain that he wouldn’t be able to make it but that a colleague of his would be more than happy to meet him instead.’

‘Right. So he might not be expecting me?’

‘Would you like me to confirm that for you? Again?’

‘Eh … no. I mean yes.’ He thought about that while Alison’s hand hovered over the receiver. ‘No,’ he said, then headed back into his office. Seconds later he poked his head out the door again. ‘Yes. Confirm.’ And then he quickly ducked inside again.

While he was pacing, he heard Alison call cheerily, ‘Hi Gabe.’

Lou froze, and then for reasons unknown found himself rushing to the door, where he stood with his back to the wall and listened to their conversation through the open door.

‘Hi Alison.’

‘You look smart today.’

‘Thanks. Mr Patterson has asked me to do a few jobs for him around here, so I thought it would be a good idea to look a bit more respectable.’

Lou peeked through the gap in the hinges of the door and spied Gabe, his new haircut combed neatly like Lou’s. A new dark suit, similar to one that Lou owned, was draped over his shoulder and covered in plastic.

‘Is the new suit for up here too?’ Alison asked.

‘Oh, this? This is just for me to have. You never know when a suit will come in handy,’ he gave what Lou considered a very curious answer. ‘Anyway, I’m here to give you these. I think they’re plans. I believe Lou wanted to see them.’

‘Where did you get these from?’

‘I collected them from the architect.’

‘But he was working from home today,’ Alison said, looking inside the manila envelope with confusion.

‘Yes, I collected them from his home.’

‘But Lou just asked Mr Patterson for these five minutes ago. How did you get them so quickly?’

‘Oh, I don’t know, I just, you know …’ Lou could see Gabe’s shoulders shrugging.

‘No, I don’t know,’ Alison laughed. ‘But I wish I did. Keep working like this and I wouldn’t be surprised if Mr Patterson gives you Lou’s job.’

They laughed and Lou bristled, making a note to make Alison’s life hell right after this conversation.

‘Is Lou in right now?’

‘Yes, he is. Why?’

‘Is he going to meet with Bruce Archer today?’

‘Yes. At least, I think so. Why?’

‘Oh, no reason. Just wondering. Is Alfred free this evening?’

‘Lou asked me the very same thing earlier, that’s funny. Yes, Alfred’s free, I checked with his secretary. That’s Louise, you’d like her.’ She giggled flirtatiously.

‘So let me get this straight. Lou knows that Alfred is available to meet with Bruce, if Lou decides to back out.’

‘Yes, I already told him. Why, what’s going on?’ She lowered her voice. ‘What’s the big deal about this evening? Lou’s been acting funny about it.’

‘He has? Hmm.’

That was it. Lou couldn’t take it any more. He closed his office door, no doubt startling them both. He sat down at his desk and picked up the phone.

‘Yes?’ Alison answered.

‘Get me Harry from the mailroom on the phone, and after that call Ronan Pearson and check with him if Gabe collected the plans from him personally. Do this without Gabe knowing.’

‘Yes, of course, just one moment please,’ she said professionally in her best telephone voice.

The phone rang and Lou adjusted his tie once again, cleared his throat and spun around in his oversized leather chair to face the window. The day was cold but crisp, there wasn’t a breeze as shoppers rushed to and fro worshipping the new religion this season, their arms laden down with bags amid flashing primary colours of the numerous neon signs.

‘Yello,’ Harry barked down the phone.

‘Harry, it’s Lou.’

‘What?’ Harry asked loudly, the sounds of machines and voices loud behind him, and Lou had no choice but to speak up. He looked behind him to make sure he had the all-clear before speaking. ‘It’s Lou, Harry.’

‘Lou who?’

‘Suffern.’

‘Oh, Lou, hi, how can I can help you? Your post end up on twelve again?’

‘No, no, I got it, thanks.’

‘Good. That new boy you sent my way is genius, isn’t he?’