by Jamie Knight
Chapter Four - Dixie
I was working at my desk when I heard a commotion over my ear buds. All I could hear was Drake, but people were talking to each other and looking concerned. Some people were gathering around a PC and watching a newscast on YouTube. Several people were looking at their phones.
Mr. Lamb rushed through the hallway, along with some of the other partners in the firm. That was strange. I mean, breaking news was one thing, but breaking news and an emergency at the firm? Seemed like too big of a coincidence.
“Hey, Layla,” I said, calling across the room to a coworker. “What’s going on?”
“I’m not sure,” she said. “Something about a virus. They want us all in the conference room for a meeting.”
The entire staff jammed into the conference room. It wasn’t meant to hold that many people, and the crowd spilled out into the hallway. Mr. Lamb took charge, confident and assuring. In that moment, I thought he looked very presidential.
“Everyone,” he said. “Please, keep down the chatter; I know people in the hall are having trouble hearing. We have a crisis on our hands. The new virus has come to the U.S.. If you’ve been following the news, you already know the governor just ordered a business shutdown and a shelter-in-place order to go into effect. We’re shutting down the building, but please make sure you bring your work home. Sam?”
“IT will be emailing everyone instructions about installing software so you can work from any laptop or PC. If you use a work laptop or tablet, make sure you take that home as well. It’s unknown how long this will last,” said Sam.
“It’s important that we don’t panic,” Mr. Lamb said. “You don’t have to run screaming from the building or anything. Just take your time. We won’t close for a few hours. Management will most likely finish out the day. But please do prepare to work from home for the foreseeable future. Any questions?”
“Does anyone know anything about this virus? Is there new information?” asked Layla.
“My understanding is that it’s very contagious, so it’s important to keep washing your hands and not to touch your face. There’s some conflicting information about wearing a mask, but the state is going to require social distancing. That means staying six feet apart at all times,” said Mr. Lamb.
“Is anyone in the office out sick?” asked Peter, who sounded a little panicky.
“No one that I’m aware of,” said Sam, trying to remember. “Frank is out, but I think that has more to do with his daughter’s wedding.”
“You don’t want to go jumping to conclusions,” Mr. Lamb said. “My understanding is that the virus has a two-week incubation period, and that during that time, most people don’t even realize that they’re sick. Not to freak you out, but if you had it, you probably wouldn’t even know until you started showing symptoms. By then, you would have spent two weeks spreading it.”
“The news is saying that the elderly are most vulnerable to it,” Nathan from accounting added. “You might want to isolate yourselves from any older relatives you have for a while.”
“Oh, my God, my grandfather,” said Layla. “I visit him every Sunday! How am I going to explain this to him?”
“For now, tell him it’s for his own safety,” Mr. Lamb said.
It was amazing, the way he handled a roomful of people. He didn’t just bark orders; he listened. This was what real leadership and real management skills were all about.
Mr. Lamb was so dreamy in that moment that I had to check myself. I was the only one in the conference room smiling; everyone else had a serious, worried look on their face.
“It’s important we’re all on the same page on this,” Mr. Lamb said. “You know, our clients are going to be worried, too. This is going to impact the market, but — and I don’t want this to sound ghoulish, but it’s true — if everyone’s home for the next few weeks, this could be a big opportunity for us.”
“It’s true,” Layla said. “Everyone is going to be on the Internet or watching TV. What else are they going to do?”
“The exposure we could give our clients might be staggering,” Sam said. “And it could be important too. I see an economic downturn if this thing continues past a month.”
“That long, you think?” asked Mr. Lamb.
“Who knows?” He shrugged. “I don’t remember anything like this ever happening before.”
“There was the Spanish Flu,” Nathan said. “Over 100 years ago, the Spanish Flu hit, and deaths were… Well, let’s just say that they were high.”
“But that was so long ago,” Layla said dismissively. “Scientific discovery is way more advanced now.”
“That’s probably what the people back then thought,” Nathan said. “I mean, your present time is the most advanced time, right? The early 1900s had seen the Industrial Revolution just a few decades prior. I’ll bet that’s exactly what those people said when it started.”
“Well, we’re not scientists. We’re an advertising firm. All we can do is just do what we do best,” Mr. Lamb said. “These bigger considerations… There’s nothing we can do about them. If the world is going to end, it’s going to end. It might as well end while we’re doing something satisfying. And when the world doesn’t end, the firm will live on, so we’ll all have jobs, right?”
People seemed to calm down and nod in agreement. I marveled at the way Mr. Lamb could just summarize the bigger picture so clearly. Maybe he could be president, or at least a senator. I could see him give that reasoned, yet impassioned, speech to keep the public calm.
“I want to get a face mask,” Nathan said, determined. “Does anyone know who sells them?”
“I guess the drugstore?” suggested Layla. “I mean, it’s a medical supply.”
“Yeah, but the nurses need them,” said Priscilla, one of the other workers. “My sister’s a nurse at the state hospital and she says there’s already a shortage of masks. You probably shouldn’t buy any.”
“It’s not like the hospital goes to the local drugstore for their supplies!” said Marty, laughing. “They probably go through so many of those things on a given day, the supply in the drugstore wouldn’t last an hour!”
“They already stopped all elective surgery,” Priscilla said. “They’ve been getting ready for an influx of patients for days. They have a whole wing of the hospital just for virus patients.”
“That quick?” asked Marty, worried. “Oh, boy. That’s not a good sign.”
“Marty, you gotta try not to be so negative,” Mr. Lamb said. “Yes, this virus is bad, but it’s better to be over-prepared than under-prepared, right?”
“That’s true,” said Marty.
“So, since I won’t be seeing you all face-to-face for a while: get home safe, drive carefully, and again, don’t panic. No rush to get out of here. Take the rest of the day to quiet yourself, check on your families. Things may change, but human beings are an adaptive bunch. We’ll get through this,” Mr. Lamb said confidently. “I hope that by the time the Christmas party rolls around, we can sit back and laugh about today.”
The meeting broke up. Predictably, some people rushed to their desks and right out the door. I could hardly blame them, especially if they had family. But, me? I didn’t even have a hotel room to go back to.
The news said hotels were closing, too! What was I going to do?!
Chapter Five - Julius
“How are we going to get through this, Jules?” asked Sam. “You put on a brave face, but you gotta be worried.”
“Worry is pointless,” I said. “We need to just forge ahead. This is an opportunity. Everyone is going to be home and on the Internet. That’s where our business shines.”
“You’re asking people to work through this? Forgive me, but… People are going to be freaking out about their kids, their relatives—”
“That’s exactly why it’s best to keep them working,” I said. “Work keeps you focused, disciplined. You can’t control the world, but you can control your little piece of it. Look, I don’t want to overw
ork people or anything like that, but we have to give people something to do and keep them employed. You know that this is the worst timing possible for something like this, right?”
Sam nodded. The firm was a little over-extended, and it was in the in-between period from when business slows to a crawl and just before it starts to pick up again. Businesses would not advertise if they couldn’t open up. It could become a real problem.
“You know we’ll have to lay people off, right?” Sam said, lowering his voice.
“I’m not gonna let that happen,” I said. “These people are like family. You don’t let family go hungry.”
“It would be temporary,” said Sam. “That way, the government would eat all the costs. It would be like an extended vacation for most of them.”
“Being on unemployment is no vacation,” I said. “I was on unemployment for a time. It’s nerve-wracking. You don’t know how you’re going to pay your bills in the future, and you end up with a very high tax bill at the end of the year.”
“They’re talking about a stimulus. They might make more by staying home, if you can believe it,” he said.
“No way they’re serious about that,” I dismissed. “They can’t just keep printing money.”
“You got a point. I don’t know… I’m just — This is a nightmare!”
“Buddy, why don’t you head out? I’ll make one last pass through the office and make sure everyone’s out, okay?” I said, trying to give him some assurance.
“Thanks, man. Watch yourself out there.”
“You too.”
I headed through the empty halls of the firm. It was strange. It looked like someone had abandoned the place because of a nuclear bomb or something. It reminded me of some of the footage from Chernobyl I saw on YouTube.
Satisfied the place was empty, I was headed back to my office when I heard a voice. It sounded like it was coming from Dixie’s area, but I had been sure she was one the first ones out. I could hear her talking to someone tearfully on the phone.
“Tara, isn’t there anything?” she said.
“No, I’m so sorry, hon. It’s such short notice, and I can’t get anyone on the phone now. People are in a panic,” said the woman on the other line.
“Could I stay with you and Ken? I swear, I’ll stay in the basement! I’ll cook, and I’ll pay you rent—”
“Ken’s mother is staying with us, and she’s 83. I know you might not think you’re sick, but lots of people don’t show the signs. Ken would never allow you in. He’s freaking out and setting up the basement for her. I have to get home before he has a breakdown,” the woman, Tara, said. “I’m so sorry. Surely there’s someone. Your parents?”
“I can’t — No, it’s okay,” she said, clearly putting on a brave face. “I’ll figure something out. It’ll be fine.”
“You’re sure?”
“I can’t impose on your family. It’s selfish of me. I’ll find something. It’s not so bad. I’ll call around. Maybe… Well, you’d better get going.”
“Thanks, babe. Call me when you get settled?”
“Sure.”
“Bye.”
Dixie hung up and broke down in tears. How could she have no place to live at a time like this?
“Dixie?” I said gently as I approached.
“Oh, God! Mr. Lamb!” she said, startled. “Didn’t see you there.”
“I couldn’t help but overhear some of that,” I said gingerly. “I don’t mean to pry, but… What happened? I thought you were living with someone.”
“I was, but I can’t go back there,” she said, wiping her face. “My boyfriend… ex-boyfriend is a drunk, and he was getting abusive. I couldn’t take it anymore, so I left.”
“I’m so sorry,” I said.
“My parents and I don’t get along, so I can’t go back to them,” she said. “Under normal circumstances, Tara would find me a place, but the whole world’s gone crazy. I’ll probably just find a motel.”
“The state’s closed them all down,” I said.
“Oh,” she said. “I guess… I could sleep in my car.”
“That’s… No. That’s not right,” I said. “Look, I don’t want you to feel pressured or anything but… I’d like you to come — come stay with me. I’ve got two spare bedrooms.”
“That’s good,” she said. “I have everything I own in my car.”
“You and I — We’ll look out for each other,” I said. “It gets kind of lonely in the house by myself.”
“You don’t have to do this.”
“No-no-no,” I said dismissively. “I insist. Can’t have you on the street in your car. That would be dangerous.”
“I could park in front of your place, where you could see me,” she said jokingly.
“Well, then you might as well come into the house at that point,” I said, laughing. “Or at least park in my garage so the squirrels don’t get you.”
“You have ferocious squirrels in your neighborhood?” she asked skeptically.
“Enormous. Three feet high,” I said.
“Thank you so much. You don’t know what this means to me, Mr. Lamb,” she said.
“Oh, c’mon. Call me Julius. We’re going to be roomies,” I said, grinning. “It’ll be fun. I’ve got Hulu, Amazon Prime, Netflix—”
“And chill?” she said.
“And what?”
“Chill, you know — Forget it,” she said awkwardly. “It’s a thing from — Well, never mind.”
“Do I have your cell?” I asked. “I can text you the address.”
She gave me her number. As we exchanged information, I wondered if I’d get in trouble for this. The head of HR’s head would explode if she found out I was letting one of my 19-year-old subordinates stay at my house. But the truth was, she was too young to be out on her own in this crisis. A young girl like that would surely be taken advantage of, and probably had been by her drunk, deadbeat boyfriend. She deserved better. I had the wealth and the means. Why shouldn’t it be me?
And, sure, she was only 19 and I was 34, but we were both adults. I wasn’t forcing her; I was helping her out in a crisis. Isn’t that what people should do? Help each other in times of need?
Maybe I knew right there and then that it was for my needs, too. Maybe I needed to believe that I was the white knight, coming in on my horse to save her. She looked so relieved when I made the offer. That look would be worth it, even if this whole thing came back to bite me in the ass. That look would stay with me.
I locked up the office and retrieved some files that I needed for home; I had to make a few trips to the car. Dixie lent a hand. I noticed her car a few rows away in the now-empty parking lot. It looked like she had just robbed a clothing store.
“Wow, you really do have all your stuff in there,” I said.
“I didn’t have time to pack,” she said. “When Shawn passed out, I wanted to get out of there as fast as possible.”
“Can’t blame you. Let’s hit the road,” I said. “Fortunately for both of us, I just went food shopping, so we should be okay for a week or two.”
“Oh, God, food,” said Dixie. “If they close everything, how are we going to eat?!”
“They can’t close down the supermarkets,” I said, chuckling. “People would loot them. No, I think we’re in for some strange times, but… It will all work out in the end.”
Chapter Six - Dixie
We pulled up to his address. My jaw nearly hit the floor of my car: It was a big house, mansion-level stuff. I mean, he had an iron gate. If you have a gate around your property, that makes it an estate, and if you have a house that big, it’s a mansion.
Jesus, he was so hunky and manly and everything. Or was I just on the rebound from Shawn? Did it even matter? Perhaps fate had brought us together at just the right time. Had I left Shawn two weeks ago, I’d probably be able to go to my own apartment, or, I was a spineless wimp again, I would’ve crawled back to Shawn to give him one more chance. This was only happening bec
ause it happened today of all days.
“Well, this is it,” he said, presenting the mansion. “You like it?”
“Like it? My God, it’s like a set out of some soap opera,” I said. “And you live in this giant house all by yourself?”
“I like to have a lot of room,” he said, shrugging. “And when I invite friends over, there’s plenty of places to relax. Guess I won’t be doing that for a while, though. C’mon, I’ll show you around.”
Mr. Lamb — Julius gave me a tour of the mansion. It was pretty lavish; I mean, he had his own billiard room, for starters. That’s definitely a rich guy’s room. There was a pool in the backyard, along with a massive deck and a bar counter with a built-in barbecue. He must have had some pretty swanky parties here! I could get used to this!
“Here’s the guest room,” he said, opening the door to a huge bedroom.
“This is the guest room?” I laughed. “It’s huge! Shawn and I rented a house and you could fit most of it in here.”
“Well, I had this place custom built. I wanted all the rooms to be spacious, y’know? It lets the air circulate better, I think,” he said. “Let’s unload your car.”
“I don’t want to be a bother,” I said, feeling a little overwhelmed. “This can’t last that long, so I might as well leave most of it in the car.”
“Oh, don’t be silly,” he said. “This isn’t going to be over in a few days. They’re saying it’s a worldwide pandemic; I think you might be here a few weeks. Besides, it won’t take long.”
A few weeks? Wow. We were definitely going to get to know each other!
After we unloaded the car, I decided to change out of my work clothes. Julius did the same, disappearing for a bit. I put on a sundress and restyled my hair a little. I wanted to look good, but not too sexy. I didn’t want to give him the wrong impression.
Then again, what impression was I going for? I mean, I was super attracted to him. Quite frankly, it was the perfect time to make a move. What his intentions were was the question. What if he’s just being nice?