The Perfect Christmas Present Page #2

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I'm looking

for the Christmas gift.

That is

less than three weeks away.

That is not enough time, man.

- Sorry.

- Please?

- I'll think about it.

- Thank you.

But I'm not making any promises.

Heard.

All right, well, before

I decide to take you on...

you need to fill out

one of these.

- What is it?

- This is Jenny in a nutshell.

That's step one.

And if I decide it's a good fit,

then we go on from there.

People are remarkably simple.

We like to think we're all

beautiful, unique snowflakes...

but when you really

get down to it,

we're all just slight variations

of the same clump of ice.

Case in point. Question one.

Likes and dislikes?

According to a national study,

52% of US population

would say they like puppies.

Remarkable.

Okay, maybe some ice clumps

have more points than others,

but they're still just clumps.

- Thank you, Jimmy.

- Mm-hmm.

Hm...

Of course, not everyone

is good at sharing

their intimate feelings.

Or maybe their partners

just aren't good at listening.

You can't just

leave spaces blank.

How am I supposed to know

her favorite childhood memory?

Have you tried asking her?

This is good.

Thanks, babe.

What's your favorite

childhood memory?

Some answers require

a little more legwork.

I've found that if you really

wanna get to know someone,

you should read

their favorite book.

It says a lot.

The questions don't always

have to be complicated,

like number four. How do they

spend their downtime?

Ah. Hi.

The secret to my business is...

Well, there is no secret.

It isn't a gift,

it's just a lot of research

and understanding

that deep down,

most of us want the same thing.

Sometimes,

the simplest questions

can lead

to the most profound answers...

but not always.

Of course, it does help to ask

the big questions

to find out what inspires them,

what moves their world.

This takes discretion.

People aren't always honest,

even with themselves,

when faced

with questions like this.

But if you really wanna know

what makes someone tick,

you might only get the answer

by seeing it for yourself.

Truth be told,

these questions might feel like

they're impossible to answer,

but with the right person,

they can be painfully obvious.

Hm.

No, I am not giving up,

I'm saying it's impossible.

- There is a difference.

- Come on, dude.

I thought you were supposed

to be good at this.

I am good at this,

but the process takes time.

And two weeks is not enough,

especially for someone

as interesting as Jenny.

Congratulations, by the way.

She's a winner.

Much more difficult to figure

out than most of my clients.

Yeah, I know.

That's why I'm asking for help.

Come on, Tom,

you're not gonna let

one little speed bump

throw you off, right?

But it can't be done,

I'd have to focus

all of my attention on her

to get the information

you're missing.

That's a good idea.

You'll figure it out in no time.

- Come over for dinner tomorrow.

- What?

- Yeah.

- Why?

So you can meet her.

Get the intel in person.

So, Tom, Paul tells me

you're a consultant.

- He did?

- Y-yeah.

Well, when I told Jenny

you were coming over for dinner,

she asked what you do,

so I told her.

Yeah, but Paul

didn't really elaborate.

What sort of, uh, consulting

do you do?

Uh, you know, um,

finances and branding

and outreach.

- The youzhe.

- Those all sound like buzzwords.

- They do, don't they?

- Mm-hmm.

- What about event planning?

- Hm?

Well, it seems you have

a wide array of contacts,

given the breadth

of your expertise.

Mm. Well...

Yeah. Yeah, I, uh, I-I...

Yeah, I dabble in, uh,

event planning.

- Really? That's perfect.

- Mm-hmm.

You're just the guy

I've been looking for.

I'm gonna get some more wine.

You want some more wine?

- You guys want some more wine?

- I would need...

- Good.

- Yeah, I'd like some. Thank you.

- What is she talking about?

- I don't know.

I don't know anything

about event planning.

Then why did you tell her

that you do?

- Paul.

- So, Tom...

I could really use your help

if you're available.

Oh, yeah, sure.

What exactly do you need?

Well, I don't know

if Paul told you,

but I actually run a non-profit.

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

The Family Shelter Network.

Providing shelter and comfort

for families in need.

Yeah!

I-I saw that when I looked it up

on the Internet.

Well, I still manage

the LA office remotely,

but while I'm here, I figured

I'd explore the possibility

of expanding a Chicago branch.

So what better way

to spread the word

than to throw

a big holiday benefit?

- Uh-huh.

- And since I'm new to town...

I could really use

some help planning.

You know, finances,

branding, outreach?

Those sorts of things.

You want his help

planning a charity benefit

for Christmas.

Yes, that would be amazing.

I know two weeks

is not that much time.

Yeah, I-it's a little bit

short notice.

But I think

that we could pull it off.

- If you're interested.

- Uh...

And as an added bonus,

I would actually have

a friend in town,

given the fact

that we'd have to spend

pretty much every day together.

- Um...

- I-I'm-I'm sorry.

I didn't mean

to just dump all this on you.

No, no, it's fine.

I've known you, what,

20 minutes?

And I'm already trying

to recruit you into my charity.

- Don't worry about it.

- No, really.

Forget I said anything.

Honestly, I, I can handle it.

I just get a little carried away

sometimes.

Oh.

Say yes.

You know what, I'd love to help.

- Really?

- Sure. Sure.

- How can I say no?

- Oh!

Wow. Thank you.

Yeah, Tom, thank you.

- You're welcome, Paul.

- Hm.

Well, given that we do not have

the luxury of time,

when would you like to start?

What's your day like tomorrow?

Oh, this is gonna be great.

I fail to see

how me getting another job

with another Christmas deadline

is a positive.

Dude, two birds, one stone.

You jab about the charity

and then suddenly

push the conversation

towards deepest desires.

Plus, it's another paycheck,

so I'd say

you're having

a pretty good holiday season.

You and I have very differing

definitions of good.

Well, here she is now.

I'll let you know how it goes.

- Hey!

- Hey. Oh, wow!

- We're, uh, hugging.

- Sorry I'm late.

I walked by the Rookery Building

and I couldn't not go in.

- Sure. Who could resist?

- I love this place.

It's so quaint.

Oh, what?

Nothing. I had a client

who described it the same way.

It's funny how different

a word can sound

depending on who's saying it.

- Right.

- Something to drink?

What are the odds

they have an herbal tea?

- Not a coffee drinker?

- No, I am. Well, was.

Paul and I

usually avoid caffeine.

The tea helps him unwind.

Seems like

he needs to do that a lot.

Yeah, you know,

he's tried everything.

Massages, sleeping pills,

aroma therapy.

Maybe he could try

a less stressful job.

Yeah, try telling him that

and let me know how it goes.

- Have you ever heard of ASMR?

- Mm-mm.

It stands for Autonomous Sensory

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