The Gift
An ordinary
Work day
Coworkers hunched
In cubicles
Or in open areas
Suddenly, a voice
Someone is here to see you
Looking up
I saw an elderly gentleman
With a brightly colored package in his hand
Who simply said,
Hello, I hope I’m not intruding
It was someone I almost didn’t recognize
Uncle Bernard
Someone I hadn’t seen in years
Always happy go lucky
But years and a divorce
Took their toll on him.
Small talk and then we stopped
By a window
Neither of us spoke
As we looked down
On the City
A maze of streets
Sharp edges and corners
Tall buildings
Wide buildings
Pointy topped roofs
Spirals
Slants
Spread out in all directions
Fast moving cars
So nearlike
That if we dared
We could reach out and stop
Them
From cutting and darting
Their way through
The stone forest
That stretched end to end
In a city built on solid rock.
The scene
Made him somber
The city doesn’t give
Many second chances
He said
I nodded
He then said
I have cancer
I can’t fight it anymore
The shock
Of what he said
Hit hard
Touching my arm
He said
Don’t worry
I can’t wait for it to end
No more pain. No more doctors.
When it was time to leave
We walked in silence
The chrome elevator doors
Opening silently
Entering
He turned
And waved a gentle
Goodbye
The doors closing quietly
And effortlessly.
I glanced at the card
Neatly stapled to the package
It said Congratulations and all the best
Uncle Bernie
A gift
From an uncle
To a nephew he never met
My son
Four months old
Healthy
Full of life and laughter
Adored by his parents
Holding the package tightly in my hand
I left the empty hallway.
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