Like Father Like Daughter

Chapter 10

"What is this?" Chris asked Alek as he looked through the papers that Alek had placed before him

"It's the junk you asked for." Alek answered leaning on the desk uninterested

Alek looked strange in his attire. Chris couldn't remember the last time he'd seen Alek in a suit and tie. Still, Alek's attitude toward his office activities were revealed in his self presentation.

His tie was lazily done so around his neck and the first button on his collar was undone. His pants sagged slightly without a belt and his shoes were not properly polished. Alek's hair was styled messily and his face was bored and unapproachable.

"The report of last weeks proposal is not garbage," Chris argued "and this isn't even it!" He shoved the papers back to Alek who nearly dropped them as he took them back "They should be in my mail box like I requested, if it's not there then you have to ask Lisa for one."

"Whose Lisa?" Alek asked

"Her desk is downstairs."

Alek threw his head back and groaned loudly. A couple people in the office looked toward them and Chris tired not to appear embarrassed.

"Just hurry up," Chris ordered

"Alright, alright," Alek backed away snickering "Need me to pick up your panties from the dry cleaners too?"

Chris flinched and he could hear distant muffled snickers. Alek put the papers in his mouth and exited the office with his hands in his pockets. He managed to give a boyish smirk and a muffled "Ladies..." to a couple a women passing by who giggled in response.

Chris sighed and tried to calm his nerves. His father had made a big announcement to the office staff about Alek's employment that morning. Everyone seemed either pleased or unaffected by the announcement. Alek was assisting all the high appointed staff-that included Chris- so that he could learn the important business arenas.

Alek was friendly enough to make a few good acquaintances, like Michael Yang but he failed to actually show any professionalism. Chris knew this was a disaster from the start.

Monday past with promise of more nerving events of tomorrow, and then the week followed in it's sequential way. Alek started to become the "class clown" of the company. People wanted to flock to him after work or during lunch. Chris started to become especially ticked when his friend Michael Yang became attracted to Alek's pull of people. Even Dolly seemed pretty fond of him.

Chris got a call later in the week from his mother asking him if he wanted to come to the synagogue and bring Giselle along with him so he can be introduced. Chris almost screamed his answer.

"I can't," he gritted his teeth knowing what her next words would be

"What do you have that's more important that God and fellowshipping? Come on! I want to introduce everyone my new baby!"

Chris literally bit his tongue and could taste his blood as he said "It's work, ma."

"Alright, then let me pick her up!" His mother compromised

"I'd have to ask her ma," Chris sucked the inside of his cheek cringing in pain

Alek came over and leaned on Chris's desk practically touching foreheads with his brother.

"Whose that?" He asked smiling "That ma?"

Chris tried to shoo him away with his hands but failed to hear what his mother said in the other line.

"Say that again?" He asked

Alek took the phone from Chris's hand.

"Hey! Stop-"

"Hey ma!" Alek said into the phone leaning away from Chris "No, no he's busy."

Alek started to walk away while talking on the phone. "Yeah, no. I'm not busy..."

Thursday night and Chris had finished some work in his personal office at home. He walked out of his office and heard a weeping sound.

For a moment he thought it might have been the T.V. but, the house was cloaked in darkness. No light leaked onto the stairs from the living room T.V. And the halls were vacant. He followed the sound and stopped in front of Giselle's room.

The door was closed but the bottom crack from the door revealed that the lights were off. He pressed his ear to the door thinking it might have been a mistake but then he could hear all the more better. Giselle was crying.

She gasped for air in-between cries and she sniffled loudly. It was a genuine, painful cry. Chris bit the inside of his cheek and hovered in front of the door. He wanted to just go in and just confront the issue at hand but his own insecurities toward Giselle locked him in his place with a steal grip. No matter how much he wanted to, he couldn't find it in himself to open the door.

He got as close as raising his hand but after another minute of listening to Giselle's crying from the other side made his shake. He sighed and gingerly place his hand on the door. He found himself kneeling to the floor and sitting next to the door breathless.

His eyes adjusted the the blackness that he sat in and listening to his daughter silently. He was a coward. He couldn't do anything right. This was his fault. If only he knew what to do. Or maybe just the strength to do it.

He leaned his head back and rested his elbows on his knees. He sat there for hours. Giselle had stopped crying after a while and Chris's eyes became very droopy. Finally once he was certain she was asleep he opened her door.

Giselle slept under the covers as Chris put his face close to hers to check her breathing. There wasn't anything unusual about it so Chris backed away and went to leave her room but hesitated in front of the door.

He looked back at her, just to be sure, then turned away and closed the door behind him.

Since then he found himself checking on her in the middle of the night. And he slept less.