“Oh, I’m just a harmless old man, Jason. You needn’t worry.”
“How do you know so much about everyone in this town? Are you from here?” I asked.
“Oh no, I’m not from here. I’m just a very good listener. You’d be surprised how much people say around someone who they perceive as invisible,” he replied.
“How did you find yourself in Friendship?” I asked. Feeling bad that he felt invisible, I wanted to know more about him. No one should feel that way, and maybe he was just a kind old man.
“I tend to go where the magic is. Friendship is full of Christmas magic, you know,” he said. His gaze drifted back to the people shuffling around the square, and he smiled. “Just look around you. I know you can see it too.”
He was right. I always felt that way about Friendship. But how he knew that was still lost on me. And it was a weird conversation to be having. Yet I didn’t cut and run either. “This town definitely takes its Christmas celebrations seriously. There’s no doubt about that. Have you been here before?” While he seemed familiar, I was quite sure I’d never met him before, and no one else seemed to know who he was or where he came from.
“No, this is my first time here.” He smiled joyfully.
“How long have you been here?” I asked.
“I just arrived recently. And I told you before, I listen.” He turned to me. “Have you seen Samantha yet?” he asked.
“Samantha?” I repeated, buying myself time to come up with an answer. “I don’t even know her.”
“That isn’t what I asked, now is it, Jason?” He grinned. Even through my embarrassment, I couldn’t help but smile back.
“No, I suppose it isn’t, Gabe.” I chuckled at the situation and at how I was feeling. Even though there was nothing to be embarrassed about, I couldn’t help but feel a little uncomfortable talking to him about her. I had only had a single encounter with her, which was awkward at best. Yet she’d been on my mind constantly, and somehow he knew. “I have not seen her,” I admitted.
“You will,” he replied.
“Gabe, what’s all this about Samantha? Seriously?” It was one thing to have a new woman in town on my mind, but it was entirely another to have this homeless man weighing in on the situation.
He took in a deep breath. “Jason, some things you’ll need to figure out for yourself. But here’s what I can say.” He paused as I leaned in, on the edge of my seat. “Samantha is someone that should be in your life.”
“How could you possibly know something like that?” He was back to sounding crazy again.
“May I ask you a question?” he asked, ignoring mine.
“Sure, go ahead,” I replied.
“Okay. Are you happy?”
“I’m as happy as anyone else, I suppose.” I wasn’t sure where this was going, but I did give it some real thought. “Why do you ask?”
“Happy means different things to different people, right?” he asked.
“Of course it does.”
“But there are some things that everyone needs in their life to be truly happy.”
“What are those?” I asked.
“There’s many. Love, growth, certainty, uncertainty, significance. These are all important components of true happiness.”
“I see.” I thought over what he said for a moment, but wasn’t sure I understood where he was going with it or what it had to do with Samantha.
“You will,” he replied.
Gabe stood up and looked down at me. His shaggy hair was unkempt, and his tattered jacket had seen better days. He smoothed out the front of his coat with one hand before returning it to the coffee cup, which was surely keeping his hands warm.
“Is there anything that I can get you, Gabe? Do you have a place to stay? It gets very cold here at night.” He had to be sleeping somewhere, and with the storm approaching, I was concerned whether or not he’d be able to survive out on the streets. He may have been strange in many ways, but no one should be sleeping out in the snow.
“Oh, I’ll be just fine.” He picked up his small bag and readied himself to leave. “Don’t you worry about me, Jason. I’ll be just fine.” He began to walk away but then stopped and turned back around to me. “You deserve to have all of those things in your life, Jason, most of all love.”
