24 A Troublesome Gift

David looked at the package left for him by Gustav Meiden a bit like a dog looks at a hedgehog. Curiosity warred with anxiety in him. Yes, he was curious about what Meiden had left him, but it was probably better not to check it out.

"Well, I don't know..." he said without taking his eyes off the package, which at this point was as dangerous to him as a bomb. "I probably shouldn't accept it, so I shouldn't open it either..."

"David, son, remember what I said about not offending Mr. Meiden? If he saw fit to give you a gift, you should thank him beautifully and accept."

"But..."

"This is an apology gift. When your father quarrels with a colleague, he goes to him with vodka. When my neighbor apologized to me for the damage, she brought strawberries. It's not a big deal. What matters is the intention. I think I did something wrong, so I want to compensate you somehow. If you refuse to accept such a gesture, you let that person know that you haven't forgiven him."

David sighed with resignation. His mother was right, sort of. He understood what she meant. When he quarrels with one of his buddies and then wants to reconcile with him, he buys him a beer.

In the current situation, however, there was a problem. Meiden came to apologize to him before he met him at the disco and told him those harsh words. And before David told him his own in response. In that case, did he have the right to accept this apology? And what were they actually for? For the damaged clothes? For the incident a week ago, not the one on Thursday?

"It would have been better if I had talked to Meiden first," he said aloud.

"It's too bad he didn't find you yesterday. I told him where the barn where the discos are held was."

"Was that you?"

"So he found you after all? Why didn't you say anything? So everything between you is already explained?"

"Nothing is explained! I drank a little, so there was no talking and he just drove me home."

"Oh, so it's not Philip?"

So that's why Meiden was at the disco yesterday? He came to apologize to David. Couldn't he really wait until Monday? First he came to his house and then to the disco... really to apologize to him?

This realization made David feel a little foolish. Meiden's intentions were apparently sincere, only the situation he found at the disco made him get carried away by his nerves. David clouded over. Sincere intentions don't make up for what the Norwegian told him, but....

"Do you really think I should check?"

"Of course," she smiled softly. "Mr. Meiden recently came to us from a completely different culture, so some disagreements are bound to arise from time to time. But I don't think there's any point in insisting too much on our own, even if we think we're right. After all, he is not only your employer but also your neighbor. If there was a misunderstanding between the two of you and Mr. Meiden reached out first, you should swallow your pride and accept an apology. After all, you are almost neighbors and may be living in the same community for several years. Why spoil the relationship between you at the outset?"

All in all, his mother was right. People argue, sometimes even say ugly words to each other or hurt each other in other ways, but somehow they have to live in the same community afterwards. Maybe not as friends, but as peaceful neighbors. He looked at the package no longer as a threat but as an actual token that speaks to the sincerity of Meiden's intentions.

"Of course, there are things you absolutely cannot forgive," his mother suddenly added. "If, for example, someone tried to force you to do something, used violence, threats or simply wanted you to do something against your conscience..."

"..."

Well, yes, only wasn't the soiling of his clothes the result of violence and then Gustav Meiden didn't do something against David's conscience with it? But to make it all unforgivable? After all, the Norwegian didn't use force against him for the sheer joy of being violent, he really thought he was stopping a burglar. And then, well, yes, this little "bara bara" was against David's conscience but it didn't quarrel with his body and David could have escaped him at any time, he was just too curious and too... excited.

But seriously, didn't he have better things on his mind like dwelling on the past? That way he would never get ahead.

"You're right," he stated with confidence. "Let's see what's in this package or this token."

He energetically opened the package and saw that a white, pre-packaged T-shirt lay on top. He snorted amused. And what was there to be afraid of? It's just a piece of clothing!

"He said he would buy back my clothes," he announced lightly. "He felt guilty for destroying them. I said it wasn't necessary, but apparently he insisted."

"You see, he's an honorable man. He admitted his mistake and made amends. That's exactly what any decent man should do. Let me see, is that your size?"

"It looks like it," David unwrapped the T-shirt, which, however, was not a copy of that one. It too was white but the material was sort of better and the picture didn't match. Yes, they were hussar wings, but slightly smaller. David recognized the pattern and quickly glanced at the manufacturer's label. He felt uncomfortable.

"Something's wrong?" his mother was surprisingly alert.

"I can't accept it! This shirt is three times more expensive than that one I have!"

His mother looked at it from all sides.

"Actually, it is much better in quality. Oh, the manufacturer is also high-end. Actually it must have cost more..."

David could tell that this was a problem for his mother, too. Poor people and people from the so-called middle class didn't give each other gifts that were beyond their wallets. And since they also didn't hang out with people who were clearly wealthy, they didn't have the opportunity to receive such gifts either.

"Remember how I said that when it comes to apologies it's the gesture and the intention behind it that counts more than the gift itself?"

"Yes, I remember."

"There is no choice, you must accept this T-shirt. For you, its price is very high, but Meiden probably didn't even pay attention to it. He wanted to make amends with you, so he bought the kind of T-shirt he thought was most similar to that one. After all, he didn't have time to look at it too closely at the time, did he?"

"So you really think it's okay?" he continued to have his doubts.

"Thank him nicely and just tell him not to buy you too expensive gifts in the future."

David sighed. I guess he will actually have to do that.

"But wait, that's not all. There's something else in the package..."

It was pants of exactly the same color as those that had such a close encounter with the grass and had the same cut, only....

"Branded..." David turned pale. "Mom, this is already..."

"If one has said A, one must also say B," she also went pale. "Just make sure that in the future there won't be a situation where Meiden has to apologize to you."

Yeah, sure, easy for her to say, except that there was still an unresolved situation from last night. David preferred not to think what resolving it would look like....

***

David stood in front of the mirror looking at his reflection. His face was a little pale, his hair a little unruly, but that was not what made him have a not the happiest expression. He had just tried on the clothes Meiden had bought for him, and not only did they fit perfectly, but he felt great in them. Maybe a robe doesn't adorn a man, but it certainly lifts his sense of self-satisfaction.

It would have lifted David's, too, if not for his conviction that he didn't deserve such expensive clothes. Not as an apologetic gift. A man should earn such clothes himself, and if he can't afford them, he should simply not wear them. A T-shirt worth almost half a thousand and pants worth several thousand is not something a young gardener working in the province could afford, so he shouldn't wear them either.

But his mother was right, if he didn't accept the gift, it would mean that he didn't accept Meiden's apology and, after all, he was his employee. So...

David took a deep breath. He didn't want to meet with Meiden today, but I guess he'll have to do it. He will have to talk to him and ask where their current relationship stands. One way or another, the whole situation must be explained to each other, and as soon as possible.