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Post by Mike on May 3, 2007 17:48:55 GMT -5
4:45pm, not long until closing time, Mr. Benjamin strolled on into the office of Wakefield Realty. He smiled to the receptionist, it was genial and sincere all the way down the eyes. "Afternoon, miss. Is Mr. Wakefield in? I believe I have an appointment." He waited, as she dialed back to Mr. Wakefield's office, informing that somone had come to meet with him. The visitor was patient, silent, but most of all courteous.
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Post by Jonas Last Howl on May 3, 2007 21:21:46 GMT -5
The phone on my desk "blip-blip-bleee-dooo's" twice. I always let it ring twice, reminds me of "24" and I ordered this particular system expressly because the ring was so damn catchy.
Rosemary, the telephone operator, politely tells me that Mr. Benjamin is out front. I ask her to send him to the conference room and that once we're in there to go ahead and take the rest of the evening off as I have no other appointments today.
Rosemary guides Mr. Benjamin to the conference room and brings him his choice of Cafe Bustello or Ceylon with appropriate milk, 1/2 and 1/2, sugar (raw turbinado), lemon (with peel), or honey (local tupelo). The conference room is very tastefully decorated, good natural lighting as the sun is getting low, yet also good lighting in the room itself. It takes a moment to realize that none of the rooms in the office use fluorescent lighting...mostly color temperature controlled LED bulbs. The table is sturdy and wood, covered in a pane of acid-etched glass covered in abstract and geometric shapes. The chairs surrounding it are comfortable, wooden, brown-leather upholstered, with those little brass tacks holding them down. Everything looks just-so...a stack of post-it notes with the company name and my picture rests in the center of the table next to a cup filled with branded pens...the awesome liquid gel kind. Next to that, a black soapstone business card holder with a crow keeps my cards in order.
Photographs of famous and interesting places around the world adorn the walls...I watch him wonder if I took these...I didn't, she did. I've been watching from the dark side of the velvet curtain all this time. Now that I'm comfortable knowing he wasn't followed, I head back to my office to push my way across to meet my visitor.
"Robert, Robert...sorry to keep you waiting, I had to put out a couple fires out with a client. I swear...entitlement and accountability...that's what's eating this nation alive. People only want to make a deal when it's time for them to buy. Put them in the seller's chair, and they'll shitwall the stone out of you," I give him a firm handshake, "How are things on your side of the world?"
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Post by Mike on May 4, 2007 8:35:14 GMT -5
"Not too bad. The big men upstairs are starting to crack the whip a little...." He returned Jonas's handshake. "...You know how that is." He smiled, sitting back in a chair across from Mr. Wakefield. "Shall we get down to brass tacks, so to speak?"
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Post by Jonas Last Howl on May 4, 2007 8:54:31 GMT -5
"Do you need help in shaking the shackles? I hear they can be pretty rough over there. Why might that be? The establishment has enjoyed high profits, decent distrubution, successful giveaways, and sterling media coverage in the face of adversity." I sip my ceylon breathe in the relaxing flavor before I set the cup back down.
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Post by Mike on May 4, 2007 9:09:25 GMT -5
"Well, right now is sort of the light period. College crowd dies down a little, the sports crowds are still around but they're not the moneymakers as opposed to football season. The execs are concerned with their bottom line...and I'm the one who's got to pick up the slack. Oh well..." He said in rather noncommital way, as he took a sip of Cafe Bustello. "...pesevere, and all good things come to those who wait."
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Post by Jonas Last Howl on May 4, 2007 9:24:41 GMT -5
"Yes, and I believe your payoff is coming soon. When was the last time you had a vacation, anyways? You've been working there for quite a while."
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Post by Mike on May 4, 2007 12:02:33 GMT -5
"Oh?" He leaned forward a bit, piqued interest. "I've been holding out hopes for a promotion. Get another rung higher in the corporate ladder. Do you think now is a good time for a vacation? The prices of airfare right now are little steep. I've been trying to plan a trip to Hawaii for the past couple months now."
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Post by Jonas Last Howl on May 4, 2007 16:36:42 GMT -5
"Hmm, aren't you the Head of Public Relations? That's a pretty high up, unless I'm totally mistaken. Then again, I'm not one for many-headed corporate entities. It's hard to tell where you stand with them, things are always shifting, and before you know it, you're hip deep in someone else's shit. I have all this, I work for myself, the hours are great, and the money...well, it's a good time as long as you don't mind giving Caesar his chunk. I think Realtors are Uncle Sam's favorite children...because we damn sure pay our way to his heart." I chuckle. "I hear Hawai'i is a long flight, a real killer for the pets. Anyway, I always pinned you as more of a mountain man with your desire to climb wherever you could as long as it pointed up. I hear they miss you over at the rock gym. Work must really have you strapped down if you haven't been there in almost a year. You are still planning on climbing again, right? Because they can't get enough of asking me about you."
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Post by Mike on May 4, 2007 16:46:44 GMT -5
"Senior V.P. with the P.R. department, but I'm just a local fish with eyes on a larger prize. Perhaps when my promotion goes through, I'll have time to make it out the gym. Hobbies tend to suffer when work gets hectic."
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Post by Jonas Last Howl on May 4, 2007 16:49:45 GMT -5
"Eh, S.V.P. sounds pretty good, it keeps most of the sniper paint off of you. What time frame are you looking for that promotion to take place? I'm sure things are getting pretty hectic, I saw in the paper that the company was hosting a cattle call for security...what's that all about?"
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Post by Mike on May 4, 2007 17:37:35 GMT -5
"The buzz words around the water cooler are 'corporate espionage'...though, with the recent 'bomb scare,' the big-wigs aren't taking any chances. Though some of the guys strollin' around the halls are pretty tightly-wound. Not in the fly-off-handle-and-strangle-a-guy sort of way, but more suspicious-of-every-shadow. Not very nice guys, but execs like'em because they come off as 'efficient'...Personally, I think they're a fuckers." It was said rather matter-of-factly, though Mr. Benjamin politely cleared his throat after cursing. He took another sip from his ever-cooling drink.
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Post by Jonas Last Howl on May 4, 2007 18:33:53 GMT -5
"Wow, corporate espionage at a beer company...I guess the germans really were pissed off that Budweiser was picked as the official brew of last years World Cup. Speaking of the water cooler...what kind are they using over there? Zephyrhills? Culligan? Me...I'm a big fan of just straight up Fiji. You can see clearly right through the bottle and it's paradise. BOOM...tropical rainforest, in all her beauty waiting right on the other side. What are they seeing through the company water cooler? Probably just more cubicles. I hear some of the new guys are pretty shallow, almost to the point of hollow. Others I hear aren't afraid of lurking shadows, only the light to be brought in opposition. Then again, what do folks like you and I know of light and shadow?"
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Post by Mike on May 7, 2007 8:15:19 GMT -5
"I've haven't heard any talk about seeing anything through the water cooler...not unless they started putting LSD in the water. Come to think of it, I'm not really sure where the water comes from...I prefer to bring my own." Robert leaned back in his chair. "Yes, there are quite a few shallow people, many of them working in my own department...though none that I would call hollow. On the other hand, there are some guys that are pretty deep. I feel like the more I interact with people of other departments, the more interesting things I learn about people."
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Post by Jonas Last Howl on May 7, 2007 9:33:09 GMT -5
"It is probably for the best that you drink your own water. What have you learned about people in your time there? I always get curious how the other parts of life live. For instance...when everyone meets up for beer, do you honestly only drink your brand?"
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Post by Mike on May 7, 2007 16:08:38 GMT -5
"No, outside of work, I try to drink everything but my own brand. As far as I know, many of the basic wage-slaves come to work, do their job, and go home. Team spirit is a myth handed down from up top. The execs, however, I couldn't begin to list the inner office affairs that go on." He laughed to himself. "Security is another matter all on its own. Some keep to themselves, some have their own cliques...very exclusive. Talk about hunting and sports for on and on...yadda yadda yadda....you know how it goes."
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