Going Away

It was a lot of work, and on at least two occasions Aiden sat in the tiny men’s restroom, fighting back tears as his confidence failed him, but Derrick was as good as his word. When Friday, Derrick's last day, came, Aiden felt he had a grasp on his core duties. A shaky grasp, perhaps, but he knew he could get it done. Even the more unusual tasks, such as covering for the clerks in the back room (those rarely seen older guys who filed and collated and tried to avoid the reception desk at all costs), had detailed instructions prepared by Derrick to help Aiden stumble through.

He messed up a report for Kathleen, which made him almost faint in panic, but the distracted senior partner had just handed it back to him and explained in more detail what she was looking for. Then a client named Jane Smith presented herself to the front desk, smiling and all but licking her lips at the new receptionist, and Aiden almost mixed her up with another client with the same name. That would have been embarrassing, as they had different accountants, but he realized his mistake before calling up.

Every day was filled with nervousness and errors, but through it all Aiden felt himself grow just a little more confident. Just a little more comfortable in his tiny apartment and his intimidating job. Still, he felt a fresh surge of anxiety rise in him in the afternoon as he ran copies for a yearly report. With Derrick such a dependable, quick and patient presence the job never felt totally overwhelming, even if the older man was in the back room to let Aiden work the reception desk alone. But Monday, it would just be Aiden.

“Penny for your thoughts!” A cheery voice roused him from his Zen-like focus on the mindless task of collating copies. Perhaps the best evidence that Aiden was becoming more comfortable at the office was the fact he didn’t yelp or jump in alarm at the sound of someone else entering the copy room behind him. The fact the voice belonged to Gillian Chan certainly helped, the woman was the most genuinely nice to him of all the accountants, although Aiden would hasten to say that none of the staff were mean to him at all. Just occasionally... scary, that’s all.

“Hi Gill,” he smiled, still a little shy about using the nickname she insisted on. “Oh! I found that City Girlz video you talked about online! It was so awesome, I had heard of them naturally, but I never really listened to them before!”

The woman groaned theatrically, “You young people today, no respect for the girl bands of my generation! There’s a reason most of the Thai pop acts of the last 20 years owe a huge debt to CGZ! They damn near created the genre! In their prime, they had to be escorted by a phalanx of police cars to go anywhere, thousands of screaming boys would pack the area if they were doing a TV show or concert. Well, screaming boys and a few of us screaming girls at least! Heck watching their music videos, where they dress up like super attractive young men, and dance like boys and barely wear makeup and cut their hair short… yeah that’s how I figured out I was a lesbian anyway!”

Aiden blushed, thrilled at the woman’s stories but still taken slightly back by her open homosexuality. There were lesbians in his hometown, and even a few gay men, but they lived quiet lives and would never chat about themselves at work like this. It was a heady rush for the young man, to experience, second hand, that kind of freedom.

“So, last day for Derrick! I’m going to miss that sweetheart, no doubt about it,” Gillian said, “but you’re fitting in great and you have better taste in music, so we’ll be fine. Oh, you’re coming to the pub with us after work, right? To say bye to Derrick?”

The young man, never good at hiding his feelings, gave a slight frown of unease. “Uh, I’m not sure? I mean, I’m old enough to, but I’ve never been to a pub. Or bar, or club or anything else. There was only one bar where I grew up and boys my age would never go there!”

“Well, it would be nice if you came out to say bye to Derrick, but it’s up to you. This isn’t a scary place full of dangerous women, it’s a nice pub we all go to now and then to have a drink after work. But it’s up to you.”

Aiden fidgeted slightly; his expression conflicted. “Uh, Gill… how much does it cost?” The young man blushed and let his head fall, covering his eyes with his shaggy bangs. “Like, do you have to pay to get in?”

Nodding slowly, Gillian replied, “Ahh. You moved here on your own, and you just started in a new city. Well, there is no cover charge, and most drinks are $7 or so, depending on what you like. There is no harm in telling the waiter you’re not sure what you’d like to drink, so they can make suggestions.” Quickly taking out her wallet, Gillian glanced over her shoulder to ensure they were alone and counted out a few bills while Aiden stared, confused.

“Aiden, here is… $30. No no no! Don’t say anything, just take it! Please, as an old lady who never gets to talk about pop music at work, I want you to have it. Now, when you’re there you can offer to buy Derrick a drink as a thank you for what he’s done. And have a drink yourself without worrying. I insist.”

He didn’t reach for the money, embarrassed that the woman had instantly realized one of his major problems. He did have some money but had to make the small amount last for at least two more weeks and he already wasn’t sure if he’d be able to. When he started shaking his head Gillian chuckled and simply put the folded bills into the pocket of his plain grey shirt and stepped back.

“I really shouldn’t,” he said, pulling the bills out.

“Then pay me back next payday, if you insist,” Gillian smiled and stepped back again, “but use it tonight and don’t worry.” Finally, he bit his lip and nodded, gratitude at her kindness making his eyes water. “There there Aiden, don’t let the ladies see you crying like this, you’re too adorable already, you’ll be a danger to everyone if you get cuter somehow!”

Letting out a surprised, choked, laugh, Aiden blushed again at her silliness and nodded. “Ok Gill. Thank you. And I’ll offer to buy Derrick a drink, I hadn’t thought of that, but he’s been so amazing to me. I know everyone signed that card, but I should have gotten him a gift too.”

“It’s enough to come tell Derrick thank you and goodbye. Well, I’ll see you at the Queen’s Head in a few hours then,” she said cheerily as she left him to finish his copying.