The Unexpected Gift

The twenty-fourth chapter of the "She Died With Two Subscribers" series

Surprise is a boomerang that can decapitate even reasonably cautious men.

Will Northcutt had done something exceedingly rare in response to the recent, sordid event that had blindsided him and turned his life upside down. In fact, it was unprecedented for him: He’d bought a gift for a woman.

Even when he was married, he’d never bought a single gift for his ex. When she periodically raised the issue in a huff of anger, he’d say that it was nothing personal but that he just didn’t believe in gifts. It shouldn’t have shocked her because he’d never bought her one during their years of dating and engagement.

He’d been very consistent in not giving them. In his view, gifts shifted the balance of power and expectations. It was impossible for the donee to equalize the value that the gift represented when reciprocating. This invariably created tension between donor and donee. Or at least that is the theory he’d subscribed to through adulthood.

His parents had laid the foundation of this practice by setting an example during his childhood. There were no birthday gifts or Christmas gifts. His parents said to him and his sister that the greatest gift was belonging to a family, having a roof over their heads, and food in their stomachs. He marveled at the tales of his best friend who woke up every Christmas morning and raced downstairs in their pajamas to find a raft of gifts that had washed ashore under the green plastic tree that his beneficent parents had placed in their living room.

As he entered into relationships, he came to see that the Northcutt aversion to gift-giving was unpopular with his girlfriends. It reinforced their consensus that he lacked warmth and social grace.

Over the course of decades, some people refuse to change, no matter the outcome of their proclivities. Will was one of those people up until the moment a week ago when he went onto eBay and bought a vintage brass theodolite by Kueffer & Esser Company of New York for what amounted to several months of his savings.

What had changed? Will recognized that his lack of gift-giving had ultimately come back to bite him, time and time again. Without fail, there had been a point in all of his dozen or so relationships when his romantic partner had judged his failure to give them a single gift as a symbol of his broader inability to give of himself.

Other than his marriage, the demise of which deeply bothered him, he could live with the fact that his other relationships didn’t make it. He felt that most romances fizzled and that was all part of the weeding process on the path to finding if there was someone special to spend his life with.

Will had come to the realization that Nadine Nadeau was different from his ex-wife and his other past romantic partners. She seemed to understand him, and was exceedingly patient in dealing with his emotional limitations. True, she had shown herself to be possessive and jealous like when she gave him a hard time for being proactively honest about Dane Eastergaard’s advances when she pinned him to the ground at her grandmother’s house upon their initial meeting. But that just showed Will that Nadine was passionate about him. And, of course, she was beautiful. He loved that radiant smile of hers.

He felt that he could be himself when he was with her. In the months since they’d started dating, life had become more enjoyable by a good measure. He still treasured his private space alone in his cabin, but he enjoyed being alone more than he liked being lonely. Moreover, being with her was exciting.

But it was all now a mess. Will could be mad that Nadine had incorrectly interpreted finding him stark naked and dripping wet in his bedroom with his voluptuous down-the-road neighbor as meaning that he’d just had sex with Dane Eastergaard. But how could he blame her? What woman wouldn’t have reached the same conclusion after entering his home unexpectedly and finding the two of them looking at each other without a stitch of clothing on? And what type of fool leaves his cabin fully unlocked at all times?

This horror show which he’d instigated as a result of his carelessness was completely his fault. And these desperate times called for a sea change in his behavior, most notably his receptivity to the concept of giving a gift. Nadine hadn’t returned his many attempts to reach her via text, e-mail, phone or the Substack chat feature, and he was devoid of other ideas. So in his abundant free time outside of work hours, he’d maniacally fixated on a search for the perfect offer of peace.

Will figured that Nadine couldn’t fail but appreciate the thought that went into the gift and, given how clever she was, that the surveying scope was a metaphor for mapping a new, shared positive path for their relationship.

As Will approached the metal staircase leading up to Nadine’s front door with his crudely wrapped gift tucked under his right arm, he heard a deep voice of unknown origin.

“Hello young man! Where do you think you are going?”

Will turned in the direction of the Grizzly Mountain Life Insurance Company where the voice appeared to emanate from.

A tall, broad-shouldered man with a thick head of wavy, gray hair stood at the door of the company.

“Hi,” said Will.

The man looked at the gift in Will’s custody. The wrapping was a bit of left-over scarlet Christmas paper he’d found in his trunk.

“Do you have something for Nadine?” he asked.

How the heck does he know that? Will thought. And why is that any of his business?

“How do you know?”

The man stepped forward and offered his hand. “I’m Nate Nadeau,” he smiled.

Will shifted the gift box to his left hand and shook Nate Nadeau’s hand, wondering whether Nadine’s father, like her, had stalking tendencies.

“I’m Will Northcutt.”

“I know.”

Will was mystified. How did Nadine’s father recognize him, and know that he’d be here?

“I guess I’m at a loss, sir.” Will admitted.

“You were dating my daughter.”

Will noticed the past tense.

“Yes, I am glad to meet you. Did Nadine mention me to you?”

“No, she didn’t.”

“Then how’d you know about us?”

Nate Nadeau laughed. “You’re not from here, are you?”

“Well, not really. I moved here about a half year ago.”

Nate Nadeau had blue eyes like his daughter. He put his right hand on his hip like a gunslinger. “Son, around here, there’s many more animals than people. So the people that are around, they talk about the few others that live here. Little escapes notice, and word gets around.”

“That’s a bit scary,” said Will.

“Maybe, but it’s the way it’s always been. So when you took Nadine to dinner at A Taste of Home, it took less than a day for that development to reach me, since I know the owners. And so did your other outings with her.”

“Your daughter is a wonderful person.”

“I know that,” said Nate Nadeau. “And you’re a part-time roofer.”

Will knew a putdown when he heard one. He had several choices. He could say nothing, but he was concerned that Nate Nadeau might view that as an acquiescence to the implication that he was lesser than Nadine. Or he could directly address the comment, which might pose a challenge in that it was easy to sound defensive or confrontational.

“Yes, that’s correct.” Will put his right hand on his hip as well. The two men faced each other in a similar stance, other than Will’s gift kept his left arm occupied. Otherwise, they might look like a movie still of Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef in The Good, The Bad and the Ugly.

Had Nadine’s father come all the way out here to tell Will that he knew his occupation, as a way of having him disappear from his daughter’s life? That seemed very elitist and unkind, but this sort of standoff has been known to sometimes occur between fathers and their daughters’ romantic partners.

“This is my company here,” said Nate Nadeau sticking out his chest.

“Excuse me?” Will said, trying to understand what Mr. Nadeau meant.

Nate Nadeau turned and slowly pointed to the door of the storefront behind him with his trigger finger. “I own Grizzly Mountain Life Insurance Company.”

“That’s great,” said Will with a smile. He didn’t know what else to say.

“And this entire building as well,” added Nadine’s father, nodding his head as in agreement with himself. “Including Nadine’s apartment that you’re headed to. I was just finishing work for the day when I heard you pull in.”

“It must give you a great sense of satisfaction to have such ownership,” said Will. He was trying to stay positive, and make a good impression. Despite his own distant relationship with his father, he believed that it was always important, no matter what, to respect elders. And he felt relieved that Nate Nadeau had gone far out of his way to confront Will. He’d likely just arrived to do some work at his business, and spotted Will and decided to introduce himself. At least that was the most positive face that Will could put on this confrontation.

“It’s certainly better than working for others.” Mr. Nadeau said, chest still puffed up like one of those tropical birds that protects its territory. Will perceived it to be a second dig at his occupation and station in life.

“I’m glad you are happy with your lot,” Will said, shuffling his feet, trying to give Mr. Nadeau a signal that maybe it was time to move along.

“How about you?” asked Nadine’s father.

“Well, I’m doing well, thanks. My work out here has been steady, and the Perrault Brothers Construction Company seems to like the quality of my work.”

Nate Nadeau nodded. “So you’re a subcontractor. And you don’t own anything?”

Will paused to reflect upon these latest comments.

“Not a company like you. But I do own a cabin and the thirty acres on which it sits.”

“Yes, I know. But you inherited that from the hard work of your uncle. He was a well-respected handyman around here.”

Will did not appreciate the contrast Nate Nadeau was making between him and his uncle and he didn’t appreciate it. It wasn’t necessary.

“I’m glad to hear that he had such a positive reputation round these parts.”

“Do you have life insurance?” Mr. Nadeau asked abruptly.

Silence ensued. Will grimaced. Were his previous digs not enough to satisfy him?

“I don’t,” admitted Will. “I’m single.”

"Well you have a family back somewhere, I suppose?”

“Yes.”

“Well you could benefit them. You don’t get ahead in life, or protect your loved one’s in death, unless you think ahead.”

“Do you have homeowner’s insurance?”

“I don’t.”

“Why not?”

“Well I’m trying to build up my savings.”

“What if you have a fire? Or someone gets injured on your property?”

Will had considered all these things before. He just couldn’t afford extra costs, as he only had a few thousand in his bank account. It seemed useless to defend himself because he knew that Nate Nadeau would poke a hole in any argument he might make.

So he said nothing. And Mr. Nadeau said nothing. And the two men stared at each other in the parking lot, hand on right hips. Eastwood versus Van Cleef.

“Well it’s been a real pleasure to meet you, sir,” Will said with a smile. “I think Nadine might be expecting me. But I hope I’ll see you again.”

“O.K. Will. Consider getting some insurance. You never know when you’ll need it.”

“I’ll consider it, Mr. Nadeau,” said Will, trying to sound cheery, as he started to proceed up the remainder of the steps toward Nadine’s door.

“She’s not home,” said Nate Nadeau.

Will stopped climbing. “Her car’s right over there,” he pointed at the light blue RAV4.

“She took my truck on a project since it is on marshy soil.” Mr. Nadeau rubbed his chin.

Will felt trapped.

He had three choices. He could climb the last few stairs to Nadine’s door and knock. But then he’d be ignoring what her father just told him and essentially showing he didn’t trust him.

He also could leave it with Mr. Nadeau and ask him to give it to Nadine when he next saw her. But that would require a large amount of trust, which he didn’t presently feel, especially as he was dubious about the claim that Nadine wasn’t home.

Or he could retreat from the stairs and take his gift back with him, and effectively admit defeat in his attempt to see Nadine.

“I see,” said Will, clambering back down the stairs as Mr. Nadeau followed him with his eyes. He opened the door to his red Buick Skyhawk and shoved the gift box into the passenger seat. “I guess I’ll catch her another time.”

“She don’t want to see see you. It’s best you leave her alone and let her forget about your lurid hijinks as best she can.”

“I appreciate your advice, Mr. Nadeau. But things aren’t always what they seem and she don’t know what led to what she saw.” Will turned toward Mr. Nadeau and put his hand on his hip in his best gunslinging fashion. “I’d rather just talk to her myself.”

Nate Nadeau’s fingers that he’d hooked onto the right-side loop on his brown left belt transformed into an impromptu pistol. “I reckon my daughter knows when people are naked. It’s time you left town.”

Will politely saluted Nadine’s father as he climbed into his Skyhawk and pulled away, leaving Nate Nadeau watching him as the dust rose around the parking lot as if to obscure the truth of what had just transpired.

To read the previous chapter in this series, please click here. To start reading the series from the beginning, please click here.