CHAPTER FIVE: The Dinner

The Saturday after my last meeting with House, I was in my bedroom putting on my coat and tie. Molly and Nicolaas Anderson recently found out they were going to have their second baby, and I was going to dinner with them and some friends to celebrate.

Nicolaas had been my friend since high school, when we were both on the football team, in the Academic Bowl, and just about every other thing together. We had a lot in common, but there were always two major differences.

Number one: Nicolaas was happier than a puppy with a new chew toy. And number two: Nicolaas got everything he ever dreamed of. He had a job as a film director, a beautiful, loving wife, a darling little girl, and now a second baby! And what did I have? Nothing. Everyone in my family was dead except my sister, who I hadn't seen since our huge brawl when Dad died. I had no wife, just a divorcee who couldn't stand the sight of me. No children…I think that's the part that tore at my heart the most. I had always wanted children.

Although I felt seeping jealously for my friend, I dressed nicely and rode to Antonio's for dinner. As I saw the familiar faces of my friends, I felt a little more at ease. 'Just be pleasant, Robert, this is Nicolaas's day. You haven't the right to ruin it with your jealously,' I kept telling myself, but that thought was always followed by, 'Nicolaas's day…more like one of his many days.'

I sat down next to Nicolaas and Gareth, another buddy from high school. I knew most of the people sitting at our table, but there were a few new faces. I introduced myself to the people I didn't know.

One middle-aged woman with a chubby, rosy face started the small talk. "So, Molly, have you thought of any names yet!"

Molly, still looking slender as always, chuckled. "No, not yet, Marie. We don't even know if it'll be a boy or girl!"

Another woman asked, "Which are you hoping for?"
Nicolaas answered, "A boy! I mean…we don't care as long as it's healthy." Everyone laughed.

"So how does Alexa feel about it?" I asked. Alexa was their 4-year-old girl.

"Alexa is excited! Actually, she's the one that's been thinking up names!" Molly exclaimed.

"Really? Like what?" Marie asked curiously.

"Well, she's really just getting them from her favorite shows. She wants us to name the baby Elmo or Arthur," Molly said with a laugh.

I smiled and said, "Arthur's not so bad!"
"The show or the name, Robby?" Nicolaas joked.

We all shared a chuckle, and the night grew on in joyous company. I was extremely thankful I came, a night with my friends was just what the doctor ordered. By 8:00 after we had all eaten the main course, we were sitting by waiting for dessert, and of course, talking. Nicolaas was talking about his upcoming movie and about his literary agent.

He said, "Gabriella's some agent, I tell you. I wrote four features that every agency turned down, but then she saw something in them. And look where I am now."

Gareth was getting interested. "So does she only do movies? Or what?"
"She accepts movies, TV series, novels…just about any kind of writing."
Gareth nodded as he thought. "I've been looking for an agent for my novel for about year…"

I interrupted, "You wrote a novel, Gar?"
"Yeah, I did, and this agent sounds like something else!" Gareth said excitedly.

Nicolaas said, "I'd be more than happy to give you her number."
"Great, I've got a paper right here."

Molly asked, "Can't this wait till after dessert?"
Nicolaas replied, "It'll only take a sec, Molly. Okay, Gareth, you ready?"

Gareth reached into his coat and pulled out a half sheet of yellow paper. It already had writing on it, so he turned it over and wrote down the number as Nicolaas said it. I looked at the paper curiously.

"Hey, Gareth, what's on the back of the paper?" I questioned.

Gareth turned it over. "It says, 'Accept the past as past, the present as present, and the future as something you'll never attain, so you might as well give up right now.' Heh-heh."

"Sounds a little cynical for something you'd say, Gareth," I commented.

"I didn't write it. This old man was just handing them out on the street," he responded.

I took the paper and looked at the handwriting. It resembled House's. "Hey, did the guy look like this?" I asked as I took out a picture of House from my wallet.

"Yeah! That's him! Why do you have his picture?" Gareth asked.

Before I could reply, Molly looked and said, "Is that your father? Wow, you look just like him, Robert. You have his eyes."
I didn't know what to say. I stuttered, "Uh…uh…no, it's not my father." It pained me to say it. "It's my old boss. My father died twenty years ago."

The room fell silent. I wished I could climb in bed and never wake up. I put the picture away, just as the desserts came.