by Bob Brown
Kyle headed toward the kitchen. “You want a beer?”
“Absolutely.”
As Kyle fished around in the lower level of the refrigerator for a couple of Pacificos, Jason went to open some blinds. “You mind if I let some light in here?”
“Nope.”
Jason turned the rod for the mini-blinds and light poured into the living room. Then as he entered the bedroom Kyle used as an office to open the blinds there, he happened to glance at the computer. What he saw stopped him cold.
Kyle had apparently been doing some research. On the screen were the displayed results for a Google search. The keyword said ‘blood diseases’.
“Hey, Jason. Where’d you go?”
“I’m in the office.”
Kyle came into the office holding the two beers. From the look on his face, Kyle instantly knew that Jason had seen the computer screen. He handed one of the beers to Jason, then he turned and left the room.
Jason followed his friend into the living room. Kyle dropped into the recliner and pulled the handle. His feet popped out in front of him and he leaned back, holding the beer in both hands in his lap.
“Kyle, you want to tell me what’s really going on?”
Kyle took his time. He wanted to make sure he said it right.
“OK, here’s the deal. As far as I know, I probably just have a case of the flu or something. I have no specific reason to think otherwise. But something just doesn’t feel right.”
Kyle paused, choosing his words carefully. “I’ve told you before how my mom died of this rare blood disease, right?”
Jason just nodded.
“Well, I remember the first thing she noticed before she became so ill was that she was always short of breath, always extremely tired. Within three months, they had her hooked up to an oxygen tank, and she rarely got out of bed. Five months later she was dead.”
“OK, but what’s that got to do with your cold?” Jason was hoping that if he asked the question he could change the answer.
When Kyle looked at him with dark, solemn eyes, Jason’s heart skipped another beat.
“It might not be a cold,” replied Kyle. You see, when my mom was sick, the doctors said there was maybe a thirty percent chance I had inherited the disease. But they said the older I got without exhibiting any symptoms, the less likely I would ever be affected.”
“Did you ever get tested? Wasn’t there some way to determine whether you would get the disease?” Jason was piling hope upon hope.
“See, that’s the thing. The disease lies dormant in the blood cells. Totally latent. There’s no way to know for sure until it becomes active. And by then it doesn’t matter, anyway. There is no cure.”
“But what I hear you saying is that there’s no reason now to think there’s actually anything wrong with you. So it could just be a cold.” Again, Jason figured if he said the words, he could affect the outcome.
“That’s correct. But I’ve made an appointment anyway, with the doctor that treated my mom. She’ll know what to do. Either way, I probably need to know.”
“Well, let’s not assume anything until we know what we’re dealing with,” Jason said with a lot more conviction than he was feeling. “So until you meet with the doctor, let’s see about getting you healthy and back to work.”
“Roger that,” said Kyle.
*****
Despite the fact that there was no specific evidence, Jason couldn’t help but think the worst. Should anything happen to Kyle, God would have failed him once again. Jason was beginning to lose count of the number of times.
Then, even as he thought it, Jason realized how selfish his thoughts were. Although he truly feared for his friend, he was also tallying his own losses. Sadly, his life, his priorities, and his perspectives seemed to be increasingly without focus. Jason didn’t realize that without God in control of his life, he had no control in his life.
Jason spent the rest of the afternoon with Kyle. The two watched some random daytime TV, threw a few darts, and played cards. Spending time together was all Jason could think to do for his friend. With the possible exception of Karen, there was nothing more important in Jason’s life than his friendship with Kyle.
Certainly not his job at Jagged Edge.
Chapter 43
Reassured that Kyle was safe, Jason returned his attention the next morning to the expanding crisis at work.
Since he obviously didn’t figure prominently in the new vision for Jagged Edge, Jason found himself wondering why he still had a job. If Jack had the backing of Sam and Alex, which he clearly did, why didn’t he just fire Jason and be done with it? Or if Jack was too spineless to pull it off, then why didn’t Sam or Alex do it? Jason considered there might be a couple of reasons.
First, Jason presumed that Sam and Alex were concerned Jason might sue if they simply dismissed him after seven years of consecutive sales increases and scores of satisfied clients.
Second, Jason reasoned that there might be some as yet undisclosed scheme being planned that Sam and Alex hoped would either prompt him to voluntarily leave or force him to refuse a direct order that could then serve as the just-cause for his firing.
Third, Jason considered that Jack might be planning to somehow maneuver circumstances with the intention of destroying Jack’s reputation with his customers.
It didn’t take long for Jason to get some answers.
Jason’s phone rang. “Jason, could you meet me in the conference room, please.” It was Jack.
As Jason entered the conference room, Jack was seated on the far side of the table, his laptop open in front of him. Projected on the screen was the desktop image from the laptop.
‘How appropriate,’ thought Jason. Jack’s desktop depicted a photo Jason knew to be from a safari Jack had been on in Africa last year. It depicted a lion in full stride, chasing an antelope across an open range.
‘Different setting, same predator-prey scenario,’ thought Jason.
As Jason dropped into a chair across from Jack, Jack clicked an icon on his desktop and opened a PowerPoint presentation.
“This first slide should look familiar to you, Jason.”
Jason studied the slide. “It does.“
The slide header read ‘Current Top Twenty’. It had three columns. The first contained the name of a client. The second listed the current contract value of campaigns associated with the client. The third listed the expiration date of the base contract or the current option on the contract.
“Now, I suspect the information on this second slide is new to you. In fact, this slide is likely the only place you’ll find this information. These are the ‘whales’ we discussed the other day.”
Jason studied the slide. The slide header read ‘Prospective Top Twenty’. As before, it depicted three columns. And as before the first contained the name of a client, the second a contract value, and the third an expiration date.
But what surprised Jason was the fact that every client on the second slide was a major regional brand name. More surprising was the fact that the contract values and contract expiration dates were listed at all, since these details were likely safeguarded in non-disclosure agreements between ad agency and client. Exactly how Jack came to possess this information was something Jason was not sure he even wanted to know. Jason started making notes as Jack continued.
“This third slide is entitled ‘Two Year Sales Target’, for obvious reasons.”
Again, Jason studied the slide. It was basically a timeline, with hash-marks for each quarter, beginning with the current quarter and extending for eight quarters. Within each quarterly hash mark were the names of prospective clients from the second slide that had contract expiration dates falling within the selected quarter. There were three this quarter and four in the next quarter.
“Any questions so far?” asked Jack.
“Where did you get the data associated with the prospective clients on
that second slide?”
“Not something you need to be concerned with,” replied Jack.
“I disagree. If you expect to use proprietary information as the basis for negotiation with a potential customer, at the very least you set yourself up for a breach of ethics action. More likely, you’ll get sued and cost this company millions.”
“Again, not something you need to be concerned with.” Jack said this with a tone of condescension that was not lost on Jason.
“OK, since you obviously didn’t bring me in here to discuss legal and ethical issues, what exactly am I here for?”
Jason asked the question, but he was absolutely certain he didn’t want to hear the answer.
“You're here so I can tell you how we’re going to proceed,” Jack began. “Step one. I will personally initiate contact with each of the ‘whales’ whose contracts are expiring in the next two quarters. With the information we have on their current contracts, we should be able to craft an ad campaign that will both get their attention and appeal to their pocket books. That will be your job.
“Step two. While you are waiting on me to arrange the initial round of meetings, you are to contact each of the current clients on the first slide whose contracts or options expire in the next two quarters. You are to approach each of these customers and advise them that we would love to continue representing them, but only if they negotiate contract renewals in excess of three years.”
“What? Are you out of your mind?” Jason was on his feet. “You can’t expect me to do that. Some of these clients have been with me almost as long as I’ve worked here. They trust me. Many are personal friends of mine. And most of them are small companies with limited budgets. They can’t commit to a three year contract. Heck, they might not be around in three years.”
“My point exactly,” Jack replied. “This is how we weed out the small fish. I’m giving you the opportunity to prove what you’ve been saying about your good relationships with these clients. Use those relationships to convince them to commit to long-term contracts. Otherwise, cut them loose.”
Jason was outraged. “You’re out of your mind. You’re asking me to destroy seven years of client relationships. These are worthwhile, profitable contracts you want to just throw away. This makes no sense at all.”
“I can appreciate that you may not like the new direction,” said Jack. “But It costs money to pursue small dollar companies for small value contracts. The return is just not sufficient to warrant the effort. Sam and Alex have decided to do things differently. As I said the other day, you can either play along, or you can go play elsewhere.”
Jack paused, then added almost as an afterthought. “Jason, you’re a smart guy. So I probably don’t have to spell this out for you. This new direction can make us all rich. So what if we lose a handful of your baby clients? All we need to do is land a couple of the bigger clients on that list and we’ll all be set for years.”
But Jason was already on his feet, heading for the door. “I’ll let you know” was all he could manage.
Then he left the conference room, once again closing the door behind a bad situation at Jagged Edge.
Chapter 44
“So what do you want to do?” asked Merle. “What’s your heart telling you to do?”
Jason was glad that Merle had not asked, ‘What is God telling you to do?’ Because he wouldn’t have had an answer for that. He hadn’t read the Bible in months, hadn’t even prayed since the deaths of his parents. He might be able to figure out his heart, but he didn’t have a clue about God anymore.
“To be honest, I’m just not sure. My gut tells me I’ve got to move on, that what Sam, Alex, and Jack are cooking up is going to destroy the company. What they’re asking me to do will alienate my clients and ruin my reputation.”
Jason thought a moment, then he added, “On the other hand, I’ve invested over seven years in Jagged Edge. I hate to just walk away. Besides, there’s a huge upside potential. At the risk of losing a few clients, I could make some serious money if even a couple of Jack’s ‘whales’ take the bait.”
“Surely you wouldn’t trade your reputation for a few dollars. That almost sounds like Judas and the pieces of silver. I had thought you were better than that.”
Jason immediately regretted his comment. The last thing he wanted to do was disappoint Merle.
“’You’re right, Merle,” Jason retreated. “I was just thinking out loud. It’s not going to be about the money. In the end I’ll do what has to be done.”
“Hey, guys, save some of the good stuff until I get there,” Karen called from the kitchen.
It had been three days since his last meeting with Jack, and Jason had invited Merle and Karen over to the condo for dinner. It was just a friendly, social evening with an alternate theme of ‘crisis in the workplace’.
Karen was busy cooking Italian in the kitchen. It was Merle’s favorite. Merle’s wife was out of town. Kyle had been invited, as well, but he was too tired to come over. It bothered Jason that his best friend couldn’t be there. He valued Kyle’s perspective. But he needed to move forward. This couldn’t wait.
“No problem, hon,” Jason called back. “How much longer?”
“Give me five minutes.”
Karen was many things. But a good judge of time wasn’t one of them.
Twenty five minutes later, the three sat down to a dinner of spaghetti, lasagna, salad, and garlic bread. Merle said a quick prayer, piled a helping of everything on his plate, then jumped right back into the topic of the evening. But this time the conversation turned more personal.
“Jason, I know you’ve been wrestling with your faith for some time now. It pains me to see you suffer at a time when you most need the reassurance that can only come from knowing that God will provide for you.”
Merle took a sip of his wine. Then he continued. “I’m going to apologize in advance for what I am about to do. But I want to share with you a couple of simple verses from the Bible that I think apply to your situation at Jagged Edge.”
Merle put down his wine glass. "In Proverbs 16:9 it says:
‘In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.’
“And Jeremiah 10:23 says:
‘I know, O Lord, that a man's life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps.’
“And here’s my favorite, because based on what you’ve told me, this fits perfectly with what you refer to as the scheme being orchestrated at Jagged Edge. It’s from Psalm 37:
‘Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.’"
Jason felt Karen’s hand on his shoulder. He looked at her and she just smiled.
“The point of the verses,” continued Merle, “is to help you recognize the importance of God’s guidance in your life. It’s God who chooses your path and God who leads you to achieve your full potential. But God can only be a factor in your life if you are patient and choose to listen to him.”
“Merle’s right,” added Karen. “It’s like the New Testament parable about the shepherd and his sheep. Remember how Jesus talked about how the sheep know the shepherd’s voice and follow him once he has opened the gate? Remember how he said that the sheep will ignore the voice of a pretender?
“Christians are like the sheep. We are safe as long as we obey the simple rule of following the shepherd’s lead. It’s when we listen to some other voice that we are likely to be led astray.”
“Well put,” said Merle, as he reached for another slice of bread.
Jason had been half-heartedly forking his lasagna and poking at the salad. He reached for the wine bottle in the center of the table and refilled all three glasses. The action gave him a few additional minutes to gather his thoughts.
“I’ve had this feeling for some time now that I need to leave Jagged Edge,” Jason began. “I
don’t know whether it’s God’s guidance, plan, or desire. I suspect none of the above. Regardless, I feel like it’s the right thing to do. I just need to work out the how and when. And I obviously need to find something else to do.”
“Jason, do you remember our first real conversation in my office at WADP?” asked Merle.
Jason just nodded.
“Well, you remember how I got shot down during the war, worked in a restaurant, then at General Dynamics, and finally at WADP, where I basically started at the bottom and worked my way up? There’s no way I could have orchestrated that sequence of events. It didn’t just happen. God directed it. All I’ve really done with my life is listen and follow.
“It’s a hard truth, Jason, but in John 8:47 it says:
‘He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.’”
Karen took Jason’s hand in hers and held it tightly. “Jason, it sounds like you’ve pretty much decided what you plan to do. I think all we’re saying is that you should pause long enough to make sure that your decision is for the right reasons, and that you’re not just reacting out of frustration, anger, or spite.”
“But I thought we all agreed that leaving Jagged Edge was the only way I could salvage my reputation.” Jason was confused.
“It might be,” replied Merle. “But you won’t know for sure unless you’ve given yourself time to consider the possibilities. Then, whatever you decide, you’ll be more certain that the voice you hear is that of the shepherd, not the pretender.”
Chapter 45
It was just before 2 PM on a Tuesday in mid-May when Jason and Kyle walked into the offices of Dr. Neumann and Dr. Neumann. According to Kyle, the Mr. Dr. Neumann was a gynecologist, while his wife was a hematologist. Kyle told the receptionist he was there to see the wife. Under other circumstances, Jason might have thought that funny.
Jason had offered to drive Kyle to his appointment with Dr. Neumann. Insisted was more like it. There was no way he was going to allow his friend to go to this appointment alone. Even though this was just a preliminary exam, Jason had promised Kyle that he would be right next to him for every appointment, lab test, x-ray, or procedure.