Her boss

38

Emilie died yesterday.

No, she died a year ago.

Gabriel shook his head, dizzy from the lack of sleep and hurting from the overwhelm of thoughts.

"What time is it?" He asked, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Around lunch time." Nooroo answered with a crack in his voice.

He had been looking at his owner and seeing what horrors the man felt and what hallucinations he saw.

The little butterfly got increasingly anxious.

"Master, maybe getting something to eat isn't a bad idea considering you haven't eaten today."

"I don't plan to." The grey haired man's voice was low and quiet. "I'd rather starve than keep alive what monster I am."

"Master!" The kwami sighed, floating closer to his owner, but being cautious enough to keep some distance. "You aren't a monster."

"What am I then?" His head shot up from the previous position of staring at the miserable ground. "What am I?!" He repeated, louder. "Am I a father? Am I a husband? Am I anything good?"

"Well Master..."

"Don't try to flatter me Nooroo! I'm just about the same of worth as a broken bucket. Maybe a used toothbrush if I'm being generous."

The small kwami tried his best to remain serious and not laugh or question his Master's sanity; because he knew that the answer to the last one was something nonexistent.

"It depends who used the toothbrush!" The butterfly tried to sound enthusiastic, but all he got in return was a nasty look.

"What?"

"Well, if someone famous did, then it would be worth a lot!" Nooroo forced a smile onto his small face.

Gabriel just sighed; "I'm not trying to figure out a marketing technique for a used toothbrush. I'm comparing myself to nothing!" The designer's voice became harsh and loud by the end of his statement. Leaving the room to tremble a little.

"Nothing is very important though!" His friend tried again.

"Nooroo please." The tall man didn't want to hear another word.

Nothing seemed to fix what issues he had, instead everything amplified the solutions he lacked.

"It is master! Believe me! If there was no nothing, what would there be?"

"I don't know."

"Exactly!" Nooroo tried his best to be engaging. "So, nothing is needed. Plus, when surrounded by nothing, one's best ideas come out!"

"You're suggesting that right now I'm about to think of something groundbreaking?" Gabriel scoffed.

"Well, not necessarily. I'm just saying that nothing might make you realize some things. Comparing yourself to nothing may show you your worth; because imagine if you weren't here; if you were nothing, what would the world be deprived of?"

The tall man thought for a moment.

He couldn't name many things he had done recently, but some achievements of the past sure popped up in his mind.

All while this, his floating friend was patiently waiting for an answer, smiling in the direction of his owner because at last the depressed expression of the designer shifted into a curious one.

"I suppose Paris would be deprived of some terrorization." Gabriel chuckled to himself. "But it would also be deprived of some dresses, a few good looks I've shown. Audrey would be deprived of someone to scream at...as long as André or that skinny butler guy aren't around."