Author: Christine Byrne
Category: Adventure
Go to read content：https://onlinereadfreenovel.com/christine-byrne/page,7,17025-noels-gift.html
Chapter 4.
Noel gently tapped on Chris’s office door with no response, so he wrapped a little harder,
“Chef? Please Chef, can I come in?”
“What the hell do you want?” Chris shouted from his seated position.
Noel slowly opened the door and entered the room that was devoid of any evidence of Christmas. He needed a good excuse for the interruption, but he knew what to say
“Chef, I know I am only an agency worker, but I just wanted to make a suggestion.”
Chris glared at him coldly, annoyed at the invasion of his solitary office,
“Mulled wine”
“What?”
“Mulled wine” Noel repeated, “As the customers come through the door, offer them mulled wine. It is a traditional Christmas drink, and I suspect it will put the customers in a generous mood.”
Chris thought for a while, he liked this idea.
“OK, tell Daisy to get it sorted out, and tell her to add $2 to every bill to pay for it.”
Noel moved towards Chris hoping to affect his mood, hoping he could affect the stone in his chest that was his heart. Noel looked over to the corner of the office, and noticed the wooden marionette slumped in the corner.
“Why are you still here?” Chris enquired, annoyed that this young man had overstayed his welcome,
“I was just admiring the marionette in the corner Chef. If I am not mistaken, it is an original Czech made article.”
Chris was taken aback with his comments, and gave no response. He sat behind his desk dumbstruck and confused as to why this man was still in his presence and why he was talking about the puppet.
“May I?” Noel asked, as he walked towards the object, slumped unceremoniously in the corner. He picked it up with great care, knowing it’s meaning to Chris,
“Ah, yes.” He nodded as he gently looked at the work of art, “Prague I am guessing.”
“Yeah that’s right” Chris said quietly.
“You can tell by the style of the painting: see” he took the doll closer to Chris, handling it with great care, making sure none of the strings entangled together. He put it on his desk and pointed at the painting on the face of the doll.
“She is probably a princess doll, you can see by the jewel on her head. Prague is known for this type of work. I’m guessing it is about fifteen years old?”
“Eighteen” Chris corrected, as he looked down at the doll. The gift for Charlie that Christmas all those years ago.
He remembered her face when she saw it; she had loved it completely. He was convinced she would hate it, that he should have bought her something cool; but no, she had absolutely adored her gift. Chris smiled unconsciously at the memory of his little sister.
“How do you know so much about a stupid doll? How old are you? About eighteen? Chris spat at Noel, pushing thoughts of his sister out of his head.
“Yes Chef, eighteen.” He replied, knowing he had managed to afford a memory of love. “I know about these particular type of dolls because my father was in Prague in 1993, and we have several examples of this craftsmanship in our home”
Noel was amazed at how he was given the words needed to add authenticity to his response.
“1993?” Chris was now genuinely shocked, he hated the memory of 1993, when he lost his Annika, “I was in Prague at that time, that was the year I bought that stupid doll.”
“Why did you buy it?” Noel asked gently “You don’t look like a doll type of person Chef, if you don’t mind me saying!”
Chris picked up the wooden puppet and looked at it with melancholy. He had kept it as a promise to Charlie before she died. She had loved the stupid thing and asked if he would take care of her princess after she had gone. A tear rose up in his eyes as he swallowed hard to suppress the emotions the doll had unlocked.
“It wasn’t mine. It was my sisters.” He whispered, annoyed that he was conversing with this strange boy; for reasons beyond his comprehension he could not stop.
“Was?” Noel prompted quietly,
“She died a year later. Cancer” Chris said quietly, talking about the loss of his beloved Charlie for the first time in years. “She died on Christmas day in 1994.”
Noel sensed a breakthrough and did not want to push any further for fear of pushing this new found buried emotion back down into the depths of his hardened heart. He gently picked up the wooden princess and carefully placed it back on her resting place.
“I am sorry Chef” Noel said quietly, “I didn’t mean to cause you any sadness. To lose a sister is truly awful, to lose one so young is extra painful.”
Chris swiftly wiped away any evidence of tears welling up in his eyes, and stood up from behind his desk. He didn’t feel angry with the boy in his office, and he did not know why he didn’t feel angry, this type of interaction would usually result in a burst of rage. No he did not feel anger, he felt empty.
“I’ll get back to the kitchen Chef” Noel said with a smile on his face, deliberately ignoring Chris’s first expression of emotion. He knew how hollow he felt, but with the help of the season of good will, he was sure this empty black abyss that was his soul would soon be singing with joy and good cheer.
Chris nodded back at Noel, feeling a strange bond with the boy.
“You do that.” He said without reprimand “and get on to that mulled wine idea”
“Yes Chef!” Noel barked back in a bellowing melodic voice.
****
“To be sure Dan” Mary’s Irish tones rang out as he put the $500 on the kitchen table “this is a miracle!”
“Y’ know Ma, I believe it is!” Dan agreed staring down at his Christmas win “We can have the best Christmas ever!”
Paddy, Dan’s father slapped Dan confidently on the right shoulder
“That we will son, that we will!” he agreed happily “and you will get another job in the New Year, I know it!”
“But I don’t want any job Da!” Dan shook his head, “I want to work at Pykes. Christopher Pyke is the most amazing Chef I have ever seen and I know I can be that good one day!”
“Well” Mary interjected as she blessed herself with the sign of the cross “You may get your job back yet Dan. Christmas is a time for miracles, and as you know the biggest Christmas miracle of all was you my love!”
Dan smiled lovingly at his mother, she was a simple lady, full of love and compassion for all she met. He knew the story of his adoption and how he was legally their son on Christmas day in 1994. The story was told every Christmas day around the dinner table.
“Well Ma, I am not going to question the magic of Christmas that’s for sure. I am just going to have to hold onto my faith knowing that everything happens for a reason.”
Paddy ruffled his sons long way sandy coloured hair, “That’s the spirit son!”
“Come on” Dan said putting his coat back on “let’s go into the city and buy everything we need for a fabulous Christmas dinner.”
Mary clapped her hands with joy “Oh yes that sounds wonderful! We can buy the kiddies some special little gifts too!”
Dan laughed at his mother, she always saw the bright side of life,
“We can Ma, but remember what you always taught us? Christmas is about family and friends, the presents are secondary and merely an act of love, not an act of necessity!”
Paddy laughed and slapped his son again on the shoulder.
“We have taught you well Danny boy!”
Coats and hats on, the three of them left the house full of love, joy and expectation.