Marco leaned back on his reclining, leather chair and exhaled. It had been an action-packed summer for the Law Offices of Peterson & Peterson. From real estate disputes to personal injury claims to intellectual property theft, the firm had landed a flurry of lawsuits. Being a high-performing associate, Marco got a thick slice of the action.
He looked down at his desk. A sea of papers and files submerged every square inch of the wooden surface. Nights and weekends had been consumed to flesh out every detail of every case that came to him. When the annual bonus was handed out, he got his payoff. Fair reward for countless hours of effort.
Marco spent his entire bonus on his daughter’s birthday gift. A eleven carat diamond necklace. The platinum chain was slimmer than a needle. The pendant was a butterfly, both its wings sparkling with stunning brightness. Delicate. Feminine. Graceful. The perfect gift. Julia was worth every penny. Marco could picture her leap into the air with delight when she laid her eyes on that beauty. All those long hours at the office seemed worth it.
He picked up his new purchase and grinned the rest of his way home. He took up position behind the couch, a few feet from the front door. His left hand slid behind his back, and clasped the blue case enclosing the necklace. He waited.
Half an hour passed, still no sign of Julia. Marco paced up and down. He checked his watch. 6:30 pm. He considered calling her, but decided against it.
Fifteen minutes later, the door bell rang.
Marco skipped ahead and had the door open in a flash. Julia wore a plain yellow top and faded blue jeans. As usual, she had no makeup. But her eyes had a twinkle. A spark that Marco hadn’t got tired of seeing for twenty five years since his daughter was born.
“Hi dad.” She said, and brushed past him.
“Hi.” Marco turned to see her rushing towards her room. “Wait a minute…I have something for you.”
Julia paused, “What’s up?” Her cell phone beeped and she turned her attention towards it.
“Come here a minute.” Marco said.
“Ha?” Julia didn’t look up from her phone. Her fingers deftly pushed some keys.
“I know your birthday is few days away.” Marco said. “But I couldn’t contain myself. I got your gift early.”
Julia glanced up. “That’s nice.” Her phone beeped again. “I have to leave in a hurry.”
“Put that phone away, and take a look at this.” Marco said. “Are you ready?”
“Uh-huh.” Julia mumbled.
Marco brought his hand in front of him. At a deliberate pace, he undid the latch and opened the case, inch-by-inch.
“Here it is.” He revealed the necklace. The wings of the butterfly pendant shone under his eyes. “Happy twenty-fifth birthday.”
Julia studied the necklace. “Nice, nice. This is cool.”
Marco watched his daughter closely. She eyed the necklace for a moment longer. Then, her cell phone rang. She answered it instantly. “Yeah sure, I’ll be there in five minutes.”
She looked at her father. “Thanks, dad. I got to head out now.”
Marco’s eyes lowered. His face fell. “Wait, don’t you want to try it on…”
The front door swung shut. She was gone. Marco shook his head. He slid the necklace back in the case and snapped the lid shut. An ache grew at the pit of his stomach.
“She doesn’t even care.” He whispered to himself.
*******
Joey drained the last sip from his coffee-stained mug. It was his fourth cup for the night. A beep sounded from the digital clock on his desk. 2:00 am. The file lying under his eyes rose eight inches tall, and ended higher than his coffee mug. Carrying it home from office had been more strenuous than doing biceps at the gym. He had read every page. Twice.
After analyzing all the necessary information, he had prepared his report. A concise ten page summary of everything that his boss needed to know about the case. The life of a paralegal was laborious. But Joey was good at his job. He would wager every cent in his savings account that no useful detail had escaped him.
He read his own report again. It was in simple language, with short sentences that got right to the point. Just the way the boss liked it. His boss was a smarty pants associate, who was on the fast track to becoming a partner in the firm. It was Joey’s job to ensure the boss had access to all the information when he needed it. And Joey knew his boss would be pleased with his research. The report was indexed. The key points were highlighted. A bulleted summary was provided at the end for quick reference.
Satisfied that there were no errors, Joey turned off the lights. He slipped into bed with the hint of a smile on the corner of his lips. He could already hear the words of praise from his boss.
The next morning, Joey strode into the Law Offices of Peterson & Peterson at precisely 8:00 am. His navy blue shirt had been thoroughly ironed. He held his report in his right hand. He sat in his cubicle and waited.
Joey checked his watch for the second time in two minutes. 8:15 am. It was unlike his boss to be late. Joey hovered in the corridor.
At 8:30 am, Marco finally bustled into the office.
Joey sprung forward, clutching his report. “Hey Marco.”
Marco turned and offered a barely perceptible nod. He continued walking.
“I did the research on the Johnson vs Green case. Here is my report.” Joey extended the report towards his boss. Marco took it and nodded. Without a word, he entered his private cabin.
Joey swallowed. “I think you’ll find all the relevant details in there…”
The door to Marco’s office swung shut. Joey stared at it. He clenched his fist.
“He doesn’t give a shit.” Joey muttered.
*******
Alex brought out a clean cloth and wiped the golden surface of his saxophone till it was spotless. The instrument had cost him close to three thousand dollars. For a struggling musician with no steady source of income, that was a fortune.
He inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. He would need his lungs to last all day. He had rehearsed day after day, night after night. Every tune in his planned routine had been perfected. He was ready.
The summer fair was a popular annual event in the city. There was art, sculpture, stand-up comedy, food, and god knows what else. For the first time, Alex had the chance to perform at the fair. He set his heart to entertain the public.
At 9:00 am, he began playing. He hit the right notes from the outset. He had a spot on the footpath somewhere between the food stalls and sculpture displays. On his table, he had placed a bunch of his CDs, hoping that music lovers would listen to him and make an impulse buy.
Few people began to stroll around the fair. Some went to the food stalls, some went to check out the art. Alex didn’t have much of an audience, but he played with gusto.
By lunch time, the place was teeming with people. The food stalls had long lines. People thronged to buy trinkets and pottery and other stuff. A few had even acquired a painting or two. But hardly any one stopped to listen to the melodious sounds emanating from Alex’s saxophone.
Nevertheless, Alex played on. He poured his energy into his favorite Beethoven composition. With missing a single beat, he hit the crescendo of the piece. He exhaled and looked up. No one was listening. He saw people haggling for prices or chewing on hot dogs. He couldn’t believe it. Surely, someone there could appreciate a Beethoven piece.
Two men stopped next to his table. Hanging from their shoulders were leather brief-cases with a small plack stitched on them that read ‘Law Offices of Peterson & Peterson’. Alex felt a glimmer of hope that they had heard him play and wanted CDs. He moved towards them.
“See you at the office, Joey.” One man said, and walked away. The man he called Joey wore a navy blue shirt that didn’t have any creases. He chewed a piece of gum.
“Hello sir,” Alex smiled. “These CDs are for only 3 bucks each. Would you like to…”
Joey raised a hand and shook his head. He walked a couple of paces ahead. He paused, turned his head and spat out his gum on the concrete, right next to where Alex had left his saxophone. Then he marched off on his way.
Alex gazed after him. His mouth hung open. His cheeks turned red.
“Nobody fuckin’ cares.” He said aloud.
*******
Julia took a taste of the pasta sauce. It was tangy, without being spicy. It was not too thick and not too watery. Just the way her boyfriend liked it. She mixed in the penne pasta and turned her attention to the stir-fried vegetables. She checked the clock. 9:00 pm. The feast would be ready in time.
She had to change two trains to reach her boyfriend’s place, on the other side of town. The side of town looked down upon by upper-middle class people, such as big shot lawyers like her father.
But Julia loved that quaint little apartment that Alex rented. Even though, the whole apartment was no larger than her bedroom back home. Even though, the apartment had dusty floors, patchy paint on the walls and not enough ventilation.
She loved it because of all the time she had spent there with Alex. Poor fellow struggled to make his rent. But, she saw the creativity in him. He composed songs that were delightful in their honesty. Alex was so simple at heart. Not like those nose-in-the-air, ass-licking associates at the Law Offices of Peterson and Peterson, who worked with her father.
Today was a big day for Alex since he was performing at the fair. Julia wanted to surprise him with a scrumptious meal when he reached home. She had a set of keys to his apartment and had been in there for over two hours, cooking.
Julia had put the lessons she learned during cooking classes to good use. The pasta sauce was made from fresh tomatoes and hand-picked spices. She placed it at the centre of the table. Next to it was the stir-fry in a crystal bowl. On the side was a newly acquired bottle of red wine. In the fridge, the desert lay waiting. Lemon custard and a freshly baked chocolate cake that she had labored all day over. In fact, she had the spent most of last week, planning every last detail of this meal.
She put out two sets of plates, napkins, knives and spoons. She stood back and admired her handiwork. She could foresee the look of excitement on Alex’s face when he walked in and took a look at the dinner. She smiled.
Half an hour later, Alex hadn’t returned. Julia re-heated the food. She walked back and forth.
At 10:30 pm Alex, staggered into the apartment. Julia rushed towards him. “Hi baby. What took you so long? How was the fair?”
Alex blinked. “Umm...it was okay.”
“I made you dinner.” She smiled. “Come, let’s eat.” She took his hand.
But Alex wriggled free. “I’m not so hungry.”
A distinct smell originated from him. Julia knew that smell. “Have you been drinking?”
“Umm…no.” Alex kicked off his shoes. “Maybe, just a little.” He stumbled towards his room.
“Don’t you want to eat…” Julia began.
There was no response. She went to his room and found her musician boyfriend, slumped on the floor, sound asleep and starting to snore.
She put her hands on her hips. A scowl covered her face.
“He doesn’t care.” She let out a shriek.
*******
