by Bob Brown
Maybe it was the alcohol. But Jason never even considered God for one of the corner pieces.
Chapter 41
Jason was surprised at how good he felt the next morning. He didn’t even remember taking aspirin, but he was certain he must have. Otherwise he surely would have died during the night.
The first thing Jason did was call Karen and apologize again. Then he called the florist he always got flowers from and arranged a delivery to Karen’s classroom for just before the start of her first class at 9 AM. On the card he had them put simply: ‘To Oz. No longer in search of a heart.’ He had the shop sign the note: ‘Tin Man’.
On the way to work, Jason called Kyle. He hadn’t spoken to Kyle in a couple of days. Not since the two had last run on the beach. He wanted to make sure that Kyle was feeling better and fill him in on what was going on over at Jagged Edge. There was no answer on Kyle’s cell, so Jason left a message that he would call again later.
Jason had plenty of time to think during the drive to work. And what Jason resolved during that drive was that his time at Jagged Edge was nearing the end. He had known it before. He just didn’t know exactly how or when the end would come. Now he had a better idea.
But one thing was certain: To whatever extent he could orchestrate it, Jason would leave Jagged Edge on his own terms. He was not about to be beat down, bullied about, or pushed out. He had worked too hard and for too long to be discarded like yesterday’s ad copy. He was going to run his own show until he chose to leave. Or he was going to get fired trying.
*****
Back at work, Jason suspected that he would have some explaining to do. He would do that in due course. But first he wanted to catch up on messages. Then he needed to call each of his key clients, just to make sure there was no confusion regarding whose clients they were. Last, he needed to have a meeting with his Account Managers. They were sure to have figured out that something was going on. It was pretty hard to miss a new face in a small office or the fact that a new name had appeared on an office door in the executive corridor.
After four hours of phone calls to nearly thirty clients, Jason confirmed what he had always known. His clients respected him. And they valued his advertising skills.
But what Jason had not known until his phone calls was that, to a client, each had resented the manner in which Jack had just showed up and introduced himself as the new man in charge at Jagged Edge. It might have been different had Jason quit or been fired. But to the clients, the action taken by Jack demonstrated both a lack of class and a disregard for the mutual respect valued by agents and clients. It was a violation of a sacred trust.
Sam and Alex may have owned the business, but they clearly knew little about the details of running it.
*****
The afternoon began with a meeting in the conference room. This time it was Jason’s meeting. Behind closed doors, with his five Account Managers, Jason carefully but thoroughly spelled out the new order of things at Jagged Edge.
Jason had no grand illusions. He knew the Account Managers would see things for what they were. Jason’s planet was no longer the brightest in the sky. The Account Managers would, at varying rates, willingly or otherwise, eventually transfer their loyalty to Jack Barrett. The ‘survival of the fittest’ mentality of the ad game required it.
Following the Account Manager’s meeting, Jason put in a call to Jack.
“Jack, this is Jason. I’d like some time this afternoon so we can talk.”
Jason had been put through by the secretary which he now shared with Jack. He had tried to just knock on Jack’s door, but he had been politely admonished by the secretary that Jack had left explicit instructions that meetings would be by appointment only.
So much for the small office ‘door is always open’ way of doing things.
“I had planned to get together with you next week,” replied Jack. “I thought I made that clear at the meeting yesterday.”
Arrogant bastard, thought Jason.
“You did. I just thought that sooner is better than later. In any case, I’ve got some things that need clearing up. If you want to meet next week, fine. But I’d still like time today.”
“OK. Give me ten minutes. Then come on down.”
Jason made a few notes. Then satisfied that he had the meeting covered, he put in another call to Kyle. Still no answer. Odd, thought Jason. He wanted to try the number at the dealership, but he didn’t have time. It would have to wait until after his meeting with Jack.
Jason walked out of his office and headed down the corridor. He figured since he and Jack had verbally agreed to the meeting, he didn’t need to bother clearing it with the secretary. But he didn’t know that for a fact. The rules were changing, and Jason no longer knew what they were.
“Come on in, Jason,” Jack said as soon as Jason approached. “Please close the door.”
‘It’s going to be another one of those meetings,’ thought Jason.
“So, what’s on your mind?”
Jason sat down across the desk from Jack. He had decided to start cordially, just to see how far that would take him.
“Well, I just thought it might be nice for you and me to clear the air, find out a little bit about each other, and get things out in the open.”
There, that was pretty cordial, thought Jason.
What came next was not.
“Well,” replied Jack, “I think I know all I need to know about you. At least anything that Sam and Alex thought important enough to tell me. I know you graduated from USD about seven years ago, that you’ve been with the company since graduation, and that you’ve had a very successful record of sales and satisfied clients.”
Jack paused just long enough to leave Jason uncomfortable and wondering whether he was supposed to say something.
“That’s all good,” Jack continued. “But as of today it means nothing. What’s past is past. We’re entering a new era at Jagged Edge. We’re going to pick up the pace. We’re going to expand, add people, and increase our presence in the market. It’s my job to make all that happen. So we’ll be doing things a little differently than what you may have become used to.
“And as for getting to know me, don’t bother. I’ll tell you everything you need to know. The rest is irrelevant. Suffice it to say that I’ve got more years in the ad business than it’s likely you’ll accumulate before you finally decide to quit and do something else with your life. Because, like it or not, most people in this game eventually drop out or are pushed out. Which category you fall into really depends on you.”
‘OK,’ thought Jason. ‘I take back what I thought earlier about Jack. He’s not an arrogant bastard. He’s a mean, arrogant bastard.’
But since the gloves were obviously off, Jason figured he might as well try to land a few punches of his own before the round was over.
“Look, I don’t know how you’re used to doing business or why you think you need to come in here and shake things up. But let me tell you a few things Sam and Alex may have overlooked in briefing you. Jagged Edge has nearly doubled its revenue every year since I’ve been here. If one hundred percent annual growth for seven years isn’t success, then perhaps I was asleep when that was discussed in my business classes. And as I reminded Sam and Alex some months ago, upwards of eighty percent of the companies representing that growth are personal clients of mine.”
Jack had been leaning back in his chair, listening nonchalantly to what Jason was saying. Jason found the indifference especially annoying. It was obvious that Jack considered Jason an irritation, like a leaky faucet, something to be tolerated. But only until a permanent fix could be applied.
For some reason Jason thought of the Band-Aid option from his Marketing seminar back at USD. Jason figured at this point he was the leak. Jack fashioned himself the miracle fix.
Jack leaned forward in his chair, the classic power position. He rested his arms on th
e desk and began in a measured tone.
“Jason, are you familiar with the term ‘whale’ as it applies to gambling?”
“No. I don’t gamble.”
“Good for you,” replied Jack. But he clearly didn’t care one way or the other.
“In casino parlance, a whale is a high stakes roller, a big gambler, someone who flies into town in his personal jet and plays with a line of credit worth millions of dollars. The casinos typically put the whales up in complementary suites, provide personal concierge service, and cater to their every need for the duration of their stay at the casino.”
“OK, thanks for the lesson. But what’s that got to do with anything?” Jason hated it when a conversation had no direction.
“I’m coming to that,” said Jack. “Casinos make money, lots of money. They make money because people like to gamble, and because the average gambler loses. But the casinos make big money on whales. Because whales also like to gamble. But they gamble with big money. So they lose big.”
“If there’s a point or a moral to this story, could you please just get to it.”
“I’ve heard you like to be direct, so I’ll spell it out for you, because apparently you’re unwilling or unable to see what I’m trying to say. The point is, for too long Jagged Edge has spent its time fishing in the kiddie pool. Sam and Alex are no longer interested in the sub-million and million dollar accounts. They want to land the whales. They want the accounts worth the tens of millions of dollars.”
Jason had to admit the strategy was bold. But it was also risky. Chasing big clients cost big money. And big clients typically came with huge expectations and a cadre of attorneys retained for the sole purpose of wrestling every financial and legal incentive away from an agency.
Besides, too much focus on fishing for whales could cause the school of fish that had been feeding the company all these years to move to some other pool.
“So what exactly is my part in all this?” asked Jason.
“I need you to do what apparently you think you do best. I need you to connect with potential clients and create winning ad campaigns. I’ll provide the leads, and you’ll close the deals. Then once the contracts are in place, the Account Managers can handle client relations. Long term, I expect we’ll add people on the front end and cut people on the back end.”
“But that will reduce client support and undermine the trust we’ve worked so hard to build with our customers.” Jason didn’t like where this was going.
“That’s the way Sam and Alex want it. They want their payroll in sales, not in hand-holding.”
Jason thought for a moment. “So let me see if I’ve got this right. All you have to do is make a phone call and invite some whale to a meeting that I run. Then I do all the work to develop a campaign and finalize a contract. Then you come along and take a piece of my commission. And on the other end you turn my Account Managers into glorified complaint department clerks. Do I understand it correctly?” Jason was incensed.
“Well, it’s not quite as simple as all that, but basically I think you’ve got it right.”
“And how exactly did you convince Sam and Alex that this was best for Jagged Edge?”
“Let’s just say that my best work is not in charity. Sam and Alex came to me because I get results. So as I said at the outset, things are going to be different. You can either play along, or you can go play someplace else.”
And that was the end of the meeting.
Jason didn’t bother telling Jack what he knew from the conversations with his clients. In due time Jack would learn the hard way what Jason had known since college. Unhappy customers get even. And they vote with their wallets.
Chapter 42
When Jason got back to his office, he returned a call from Karen that had come in during one of his meetings. He had fully expected to get her voicemail, but instead heard that ever-cheerful voice he had come to love.
“Hi, sweetheart,” Karen gushed. “Thank you so much for the flowers. As always, I love them.”
“Hey, I thought there was some policy against answering your phone at school,” Jason teased. “I was going to just leave you a message. Anyway, you’re welcome, hon. Just my way of saying I really screwed up yesterday and I’m sorry to have worried you.”
“Well, next time you decide to go drinking in the middle of the day, just make sure you invite me along.”
Jason laughed with Karen. He loved the way she so easily made everything seem OK.
“It’s a deal,” replied Jason. Then he got serious again. “Hey, you haven’t by chance heard from Kyle have you? I haven’t been able to connect with him for a couple of days, and I keep getting his voicemail. I’m about ready to just call the dealership number.”
“No, he hasn’t called me. But I’ll check with Sydney and see if she’s heard from him.”
Kyle and Sydney had been seeing each other since they had met at the funeral. Kyle said they were just friends, but Jason suspected it could become something more.
“OK, thanks. It’s probably not a big deal. It’s just that I’m used to being in touch with Kyle almost daily.”
“No problem. And have I mentioned lately how fortunate I consider myself that you actually make time for me.” Karen laughed at her own joke.
Again the kidder. Jason went on to tell Karen about his day, about his calls to clients and the meetings with his Account Managers and Jack Barrett.
“This guy Jack sounds like a piece of work,” Karen observed. “So what are you going to do?”
“I’m not sure, exactly. I’ve got a couple of thoughts going around in my head, but nothing I can clearly explain to you right now. I will say that it’s clear to me that I’m not going to be able to continue at Jagged Edge for long if things keep moving as they are.”
Karen did her best to offer encouragement. “Well, I know that whatever you do will be the right thing. I’ll continue to pray for you, both for what you have going on at work and for your struggles to understand how God is working through you.”
“Thanks, Oz. I appreciate your patience. And your prayers. Eventually I’m sure all things will be as they’re meant to be.”
Even as he said it, Jason realized he was no longer sure exactly what that meant. He had said it before, and it had sounded right. But now Jason was convinced that what he really believed was much more basic. Jason now believed that things would be what they would be, not necessarily what they were meant to be. Because from Jason’s new-found perspective, things were increasingly not what he had meant for them to be.
Jason concluded his call with Karen and rang Kyle’s cell. Voicemail again. He punched in his fast access for the dealership.
“Garrett Motors, this is Nancy, how may I direct your call?”
“Hi, Nancy. This is Jason. Is Kyle there, please?”
“Hi, Jason. No, Kyle hasn’t been in for a couple of days. He left a message with Gus that he wasn’t feeling well and would probably be out until the weekend. Maybe Gus has heard from him. I can put you through so you can talk to him, if you’d like.”
“Thanks. I’d appreciate that.”
After talking with Gus, Jason was even more concerned. Gus hadn’t heard from Kyle for a couple of days either. Jason told Gus not to worry, that he would run by Kyle’s place to see what he could find out.
*****
Jason left the office early to head over to Kyle’s condo. As he climbed into his new Mercedes, it occurred to Jason how different things were now. He had hardly ever left early in his years at Jagged Edge. In fact, on most days he had seldom seen daylight when he exited the parking garage. Now he didn’t even feel guilty about it. Times had certainly changed.
As Jason made the right onto Pacific Highway and headed north in the mid-afternoon traffic, he played over again in his mind the reasons he had conjured for Kyle’s extended absence. Nothing he could come up with was good. In fact, It was a
ll bad. Some of it was very bad.
Fifteen minutes later, as Jason approached the front door to Kyle’s second floor condo, he was at least thankful that his friend had seen fit to provide him with a spare key. Whatever good or bad was to be found at the condo, at least Jason wouldn’t be stuck on the front porch wondering.
As it happened, the spare key wasn’t needed. The door was unlocked. Jason pushed the door open and peered cautiously inside.
“Kyle. Hey, Kyle. You in here?” No answer.
It was dark inside, lit only by the late afternoon sun filtering through the slats of the partially closed mini-blinds on the windows in the living room and on the sliding glass door to the patio. There were no lights on that Jason could see.
Jason wandered past the living room, into the kitchen. The place hardly looked lived in, and except for a single plate in the drain board on the kitchen counter, everything seemed to be where it should be. Kyle had taken his lessons in responsibility and cleanliness seriously.
“Hey, Kyle,” Jason called again. This time he headed toward Kyle’s bedroom.
“No need to shout. I’m not deaf.”
Jason’s heart skipped a beat as he spun around in time to see Kyle coming from the front bedroom that he used as an office. He had on a pair of old gray sweat pants and a dark blue San Diego Chargers tee shirt.
“You scared the crap out of me,” said Jason, his tone a mixture of relief and fear.
“Sorry about that. I wasn’t expecting visitors.”
Relief returned to concern almost immediately. Jason needed some answers.
“Kyle, what’s going on?” You haven’t returned any of my calls. No one at the dealership has heard from you. You’ve basically been missing for three days now. You’ve got everyone worried sick.”
“Yea, sorry about all that,” Kyle replied, uncomfortable with the thought that he had caused undue concern among his friends. “Truth is, I haven’t been feeling very well since the last time we ran the beach. I’ve just been holed up here, tying to figure things out and shake this bug, or whatever it is.”