The Favour Chapter 3

Daniel has a serious discussion about Adam with his boss, Richard

 Chapter 3

The Favour 

That evening, Daniel was still dressed in his office attire but with his coat hanging neatly on the back of his chair. He was sitting at the far corner of the Starbucks outlet at Queen Street half a block away from Blakeley’s. It was 6.20pm and the heat of the summer’s day was lower.

 The interior was dimly lit with down-lights and pendant lamps. There were about 20 or so other people chit-chatting or reading newspapers in the outlet. There were a few people staring at the screens of their laptops. He sipped his ice coffee mocha with cream through a broad straw, savouring every bit of it. Just then, Richard, his boss, came in and got himself a drink at the counter. Next he went straight to where Daniel sat. Richard took off his grey coat and sank his lanky body into the brown sofa chair opposite Daniel.

“Hi, sorry to keep you waiting mate, but I had to make some last minute arrangements for tomorrow’s board meeting.” said Richard in his strong Australian accent.

“It’s okay Richard, I’ve been enjoying my mocha.” replied Daniel quite nonchalantly.

“So what’s this about Adam?” asked Richard, who seemed to be cooling down in the air conditioned coffee house.

“You don’t know what I mean?” replied Daniel in a somewhat surprised voice.

“No, I don’t.”

“Oh yes, you do! He’s weird and he makes everyone uneasy or turned off in the office. You want me to add anything else!”

Richard was tongue tied for a moment, then.....

“Okay, okay I know what you mean. Please bear with him,” pleaded Richard, who was in his late forties, his hair already white and thinning at the top.

“Bear with him!?” answered Daniel dramatically. ”He'll probably bring the house down first. In fact he made a mess with our net working system today.”

“What did he do?”

“I don't know but the system was hanging for more than an hour.”

“He really needs a lot of motivation and someone to understand him,” added Richard.

“Understand him!?”

“Uh, yes.” answered Richard meekly.

“How do you understand a person from another planet?!” exclaimed Daniel.

“Now Daniel, let's get things in perspective,” asserted Richard..

“Why did you hire him? He can’t even handle himself. How do you expect him to handle this job?” Daniel fired away.

“I have a reason.”

“What is it?”

“I’m doing someone a favour,” answered the craggy face editor slowly.

“Who’s this someone?” asked Daniel, interrogatively.

Richard breathed out as he began to explain.

“Adam is the nephew of someone on the board,” answered Richard slowly. “I won’t say who. But that someone says that Adam needs help……..A lot of help. Adam was a brilliant student in his younger days……..scholarship holder and all the other things that goes with it. Something happened, he changed and now he is the way he is.”

“So why give him a job that’s highly pressured that he is going to lose anyway? That won’t do him any good,” questioned Daniel again.

“It’s just not about helping him out with a career, it’s also about you helping him, Daniel,” answered Richard.

“What?!” exclaimed Daniel again.

“Yes.”

“What am I supposed to do?” demanded Daniel.

“Your reputation for social work has preceded you. You have helped a lot of young people since you joined your church’s youth ministry. I know I don’t believe in Jesus Christ and all that mumbo jumbo but this person on the board does. You would be doing me a favour.”

“Besides Adam has a talent for writing business and financial articles. Don’t ask me how he does it, but he does.” continued Richard.

“Come on, who's this person on the board?” demanded Daniel again.

“Sorry, I'm not at liberty to tell you.”

“Is it old man Rawlings?” asked Daniel.

Richard shook his head.

“I don’t see how we can help him, Richard,” Daniel stated as a matter of a fact.

But Richard pleaded again, “Please Daniel, Adam needs our help. At the moment Blakeley’s is his only chance for a future.”

“Adam needs someone like you, someone with patience and ……..”

“And a real boy scout attitude.” Daniel continued.

“Not in so many words.”

“Why do I always end up with the difficult ones?”

“Don’t you know?” Richard answered earnestly with a question and continued. “That’s your gift.”

“Do I really have to do this?” It was Daniel's turn to plead.

“No, but you know it's the Christian thing to do.”

“There you go, using my Christian conscience against myself”, quipped Daniel.

“It's not that. It's just that you have a heart for people, especially young people.”

“You really want me to look out for Adam.” Daniel was relenting.

“Please.” Richard pleaded one more time.

Daniel was silent while rubbing his chin with his hand. He often did that when he was contemplating something seriously. The time ticked away. Richard didn't realize it himself but he had started to say a prayer to God.

Then Daniel took a deep long breath and released it, “Okay Richard I'll do it but I’m doing it for Christ, not for you, not for Adam or that someone on the board. Just for Christ. I hope I don’t live to regret it.

“Thanks mate, I really do appreciate it”, Richard said with a sigh of relief. He was really happy. He took a seep from his large espresso. “Yugh, taste like sandpaper, nothing like a pint of Lager”.

Daniel finished the last of his mocha, his straw making noises at the bottom of his plastic cup.

“I will help straighten Adam out and at the same time keep his job,” said Daniel, he paused for a moment and then muttered under his breath.

”I must be a fool for Christ.”

Author's Note

Critiques are welcome

Reviews

[TKBickel]

I tripped on the conversation once at;

“Oh yes, you do! He’s weird and he makes everyone uneasy or turned off in the office. You want me to add anything else!”
Richard was tongue tied for a moment, then.....

“Okay, okay I know what you mean. Please bear with him,” pleaded Richard, who was in his late forties, his hair already white and thinning at the top.

I find it easier to follow with ‘Richard was tongue tied for a moment, then…’ moved to the beginning of the next paragraph.

I loved the straw thing. Only a confident man would drink mocha with a straw.

[Jordan's Back]

Another interesting Chapter

[Coyote Poetry]

Very good conversation in this story. I like the questions and the good answers. I like the situation and the good characters in the chapter. A nice pace and storyline. A excellent chapter.
Coyote

[EMF]

Don't worry about typo's, grammar or anything else at the minute. You have a cracking novel here that goes on a pace. Every chapter builds towards a conclusion(?) we many think we know. Stunning work.

[Unam]

Great writing and you have a finely developed style. The flow is very smooth and the character interaction is astounding. I believe alana did pick out all of the mistakes i could notice. Nice job!

[PrincessZeldaWannabe]

Good chapter about the two meeting and explains a little about Adam. I have some ideas about what happens that leads to the first chapter, but I can be wrong. Keep it up!

[Alana McGuire]

Just then Richard his boss came in and got himself a drink at the counter. --Should be Just then, Richard, his boss, came in and got himself a drink at the counter.

“Hi, sorry to keep you waiting mate, but I had to make some last minute arrangements for tomorrow’s board meeting,” said Richard in his strong Australian accent. --I think I might have told you this in the last review, but I'm not sure. Hahah but instead of ending the sentence insode of the quotations with a comma, end it with a period. You may not be done with the sentence, but you're done with the person speaking so it needs a period. And you were write to leave said uncapitalized, even though there should be a period.

You have helped a lot young people since you joined your church’s youth ministry. --I think you just forgot to put "of" after lot.

“Besides Adam has a talent for writing business and financial articles. Don’t ask me how he does it. But he does,” continued Richard. --Should be "Besides, Adam has a talent for writing business and financial articles. Don't ask me how he does it, but he does." continued Richard.

interrogatively is a fun word. I like it. :)

I really like the book a lot so far. I'm really anxious to see where it goes. :)