The Gift: a Novel by Mohsin Hassan

Author:Mohsin Hassan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: BookBaby
Published: 2019-08-20T17:51:59+00:00

Chapter Nineteen

I should have known it wouldn’t take long for Rudy to find a way to get back at me.

It’s my fault. I left myself wide open to a sucker punch. I had become too complacent, too sure of myself. I thought I had him on the defensive. The fact that the Founders and Paul and Dana were all dazzled and going gaga over me, and that I had them singing my praises didn’t mean I had become invincible.

I should’ve tried to get inside his head before coming into the meeting with the Founders. I should have been more alert for signs of an imminent ambush. But I showed up at this meeting all wide-eyed innocence and bushy-tailed enthusiasm, and remained in that smug, heedless state of mind until the tables were turned on me.

All I can say in my defense is that I’ve not been at the top of my game today. Even my presentation, though solid, was nowhere near as superlative and transcendent as I would’ve liked it to be.

Of course, I have a genuine excuse for being in a state of disarray. Seeing your wife in another man’s arms, kissing him like she’s never kissed you for years, albeit vicariously, through the eyes of your child - a calamity in its own right - would do that to you.

I’ve been operating on autopilot, drifting through things this morning without really being present. It’s as if I’m no longer hinged to my body, as if I’m floating in the air, watching me saying and doing things I have no control over. It gives you a singular perspective, this sensation of being separate from yourself. You observe all the strange ticks and quakes in your mannerisms, the way your voice drones and trails, as if it’s coming from somewhere far away, a pale echo of your own thoughts.

It was hard to get my brain to tether itself back to my body and go through the presentation when the meeting time arrived. But somehow, I did. I grabbed my flash drive, my note pad and pen and headed over to the Executive Suite. I had to. There was no way around it. I couldn’t call Rudy and say: “Look, man, I just found out my wife is having an affair. Can we re-schedule the meeting with the Founders so I can get my ass back in gear?”

In the event, I’ve already made a mental note to never, ever, go into another meeting with Rudy before getting a read on him beforehand. Whether I’m feeling together or not.

I met the Founders along with Paul and Rudy in the Board Room at 11 AM. My presentation started at 11:05. And everything went swimmingly. For the first half an hour, that is.

The Founders nodded along with my commentary as I paraded them through my Powerpoint - a display of affirmation which I had no problem lapping up greedily like a thirsty dog even in my rattled state. (Paul had a look on his

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.