by Craig Davis
CHAPTER IX
The queasy feeling of a long elevator ride doubled up in Joe B.’s stomach. In his mind he armed himself against the worst accusations he could imagine. Would the Big Boss be a heel and order him to knuckle down and work harder, or perhaps finger him for a tendency to belly-ache around the joint? Whatever Joe B.’s response might be, it would have to have heart if he was going to get ahead.
The elevator car came to a gravity-defying halt, and the doors opened, not to the 40th floor, and not to the top operations floor, but directly to the Big Boss’ upper offices.
“This is the end of the line for me,” said the secretary. “Michaela will take care of you from here.” She motioned toward a somewhat older but pleasant-looking woman behind a long, gently curving counter.
Joe B. stepped tentatively into the foyer. The ends of the long reception desk reached around like arms embracing him, and the lady smiled. “The Big Boss is waiting for you. Please come around this way,” and Michaela opened a door cleverly concealed within her counter.
Spreading out before him lay an office the full width and depth of the Universal Whirligig building. Lush, delicately designed Oriental rugs stretched grandly across the floor, revealing only at the edges the gleaming green marble underneath. Joe B. could hear the fibers crunch beneath his shoes as he timidly strode across the vast expanse. Great plates of glass to each side served as walls, providing an uninterrupted vista of clouds and stars and other denizens of the blue sky. This day a dark storm roiled in the turbulent heavens, safely held at bay. The ceiling featured heavy Elizabethan paneling, and the back wall as well. Dozens of portraits lined that wall, lovingly framed pictures of former Universal Whirligig associates, having finished their tenure well and now being well remembered.
Plush leather chairs formed a broad horseshoe shape in the middle of the room, the lucky ends pointing toward the back wall. Each had its own table large enough for a saucer and a small plate, with a built-in computer touch screen. Overhead hung a grand chandelier, hundreds of dangling crystals shooting flashes of brilliant light in every direction. Circles of spotlights surrounded the chandelier like rings radiating from a stone cast into still water, filling the office with brightness so that no room remained for a shadow.
Stretching past the ends of the horseshoe stood a number of tables, each bearing up under neat stacks of papers and a collection of cryptic electronic gizmos. Behind the tables and against the wall stood an equal length of fresh- and salt-water tanks, fish floating languidly among the coral and anemones. The tanks in turn were flanked by tall potted palms, cacti and succulents, and by statuary of classical personages. Socrates seemed in conversation with David, as Confucius made a point to Chaucer. But the centerpiece of the whole arrangement was a small, simple desk, battered by decades of use, and behind it stood the Big Boss, who had labored at it all these many years.
“Sir?” Michaela asked. “The Mr. Joe B. you sent for.”
The Big Boss looked up benignly. “Yes, thank you. Did you have a question for me, Mr. Joe B.?”
Joe B. squeezed out a “Yes, sir” past his heart, firmly wedged within his throat.
“My son mentioned you to me,” the Big Boss continued. “He called you a man not afraid of the truth. I’m fond of the truth myself. So let’s hear it – what can you tell me?”
Joe B. hadn’t expected this. “Well, yes – sir – ” he began deliberately. “I once worked as one of your vice presidents, but you sent for me today from the mailroom. You put me in the mailroom. If that’s what you’re going to do to me, then I wish you’d never hired me. If I’d never had a career, I could have been content being a schlub somewhere. But under you I learned to love prosperity. As one of your vice presidents, I rose in your company steadily and never once received any kind of discipline. I excelled at every assignment given to me, but I never let success make me lazy. I always gave you my best effort. I realize now that I can’t buy your favor, but I know as well you are not against me, or you wouldn’t be seeing me now. So why do you treat me this way? Tell me now how I offended you, while others cheat you. Why do you set out to ruin me?” Joe B. swallowed hard.
“Is there anything more? I can take it.”
Joe B. looked at his hands, a parched mess. “Well – sir – I don’t know what I did to deserve this – I suppose you could pick out something. But I don’t live in a vacuum. My family suffers along with me – my children can’t understand what’s happened to their world. They can’t figure out why their dad stays loyal to a man their mom is furious at. My marriage is just barely hanging on. My old friends shun me. My life has crashed and burned, and I have lost all hope of a better future! I have no future to offer my kids, and you don’t seem to care! Universal Whirligig surely is your company, and you can do with it as you wish. But that also means that you did this to me, and you alone! And all I ask is, why? I just can’t understand.” His voice shook as he laid the remainder of his life on the table.
The Big Boss considered the words. “You did do something – you have been a good and loyal associate. So you became a target in the eyes of some. How long have you been with Universal Whirligig, Joe B.?” he said after a moment.
“More than twenty-two years, sir.” Joe B.’s chest pounded.
“Yes, I know. That is a long time. But I’ve been here longer, and Universal Whirligig has been within me since the very beginning. I believe the idea of it was mine from as far back as I can remember. Even as a boy, I put into motion the work that has made Universal Whirligig what it is, starting in my father’s garage. As a teen-ager, I lugged around a huge sample case door-to-door, trying to find retail clients. I spent hours looking up contract law as I developed markets with large outlets. I’d stay up designing new innovations early into the morning, then it was right back to selling the next day. Every extra penny I earned went right back into the company, and I ate nothing but ramen noodles as I prepared a job for you.
“The first man I ever hired was a salesman out of work for three months. Hard times had taught him a lot. While he took over the selling, I turned my attention to creating new products and building markets. He became just as dedicated to my plans as I was. There was nothing I held more dear than his simple friendship. There’s his picture, there at the top. He gave me someone to walk with.
“I saw that everything I had accomplished was good. Still, I pored over every step of new development. Our expansion out of state I postponed until everything was in place for overnight distribution. Seven deadlines passed before coast-to-coast service started up, as I made sure no customer might fail to get a delivery. The day I signed our first international contract, dancing filled the halls back in our old rented warehouse. But that day came only after three years of ironing out every detail.”
The Big Boss picked up a toy steam shovel from his desk for a moment. It had a “UW” decal on its side. “Of course, we couldn’t stay in that warehouse. Do you remember when this building went up?”
“No, sir, that was before my time.”
“Yes, I know. Everything the company owned, I turned into collateral to finance this building. Those were lean times for our cash flow, and some associates had to go on hiatus, but I never let anyone go. Many gave up present comforts for promises of a better future. I knew the grade of steel in every girder used in this construction, and the type of concrete poured. I knew the strength of the reinforcement, and the weight of the glass. I knew the temperature used to fire the brick. Not a single detail escaped my attention. Even the mailroom apparatus you toil at, Joe B., I designed specifically for our purposes.
“Nobody begins a project without counting the cost, if he is wise. In my case, the cost included taking ownership of these decisions, and that continues to be my debt to Universal Whirligig. I weigh what I have to take from one division in order to add to another. What foregone alternative is an equitable price for any particular choice? What are the long-term ramifications of making any change, or not making it? What mix of the human elem
ent works best within a specific work environment? I never stop thinking about these issues.
“As Universal Whirligig grew into a global concern, certain divisions moved into markets where the competition was fierce, if not unfriendly. We could easily have driven these competitors into the ground, or swallowed them up. But how would aggressive takeovers affect our standing in those business communities? What reputation would we then have with their customer bases? Instead, I studied each culture and found a way to bring these competitors into partnership.
“Our expansion continues, and divisions spin and turn, revolving around each other in a system of inter-connected activity. The needs of one division will affect a dozen others down the line. Each division’s strengths must be matched with the weaknesses of others in order to make a whole corporation. I alone can weigh which options best serve the company. At some point, everyone who works for me will think he’s been short-changed, but in the end the benefit of working as one body will be obvious to everybody.”
Joe B. spoke. “Certainly you’ve accomplished great things, sir. But why must it mean nothing but suffering for me?”
“A great man does not show his strength with terror, but with gentleness. Have you heard of Bethsaida Waters, Joe B.?”
“Why, yes – we get most of my daughter’s medical care through that center,” Joe B. stammered.
“Yes, Bethsaida Waters Center for the Treatment and Prevention of Profound Birth Defects. You’ll have to forgive me – I like long titles. Bethsaida Waters has ministered to hundreds of thousands of children, treating both body and soul, on every point of the globe. The center is in constant contact with hospitals worldwide, seeking out the broken and crippled who might be served. Bethsaida Waters is fully funded by Universal Whirligig, as is the medical school that pours doctors and nurses into the center, as are the companies that develop and build the medical equipment. So Universal Whirligig is not just about the selling of widgets and gadgetry, nor the keeping of files. In a way the firm is beside the point, just a means to an end, a greater good. And Bethsaida Waters is just the tip of the iceberg.”
Joe B. didn’t know what to say to that, so he didn’t say anything, and thought only of Marie.
“So you see, you do speak rightly about me, Joe B. – I am in charge here. I am the final authority, and every move is my responsibility. But where do you go from there? Should I share each decision, each strategy with every employee? Am I constrained to seek counsel from each associate who will be affected by the choices before me? Do I halt operations as I call every office across the globe before making a decision I know has to be made? Do you get advice from your mail carrier before choosing a mailbox? Do you explain to your grocer why you pick up a loaf of bread at another store? What do you say, Joe B.? Will you do what you ask of me? Or am I just a doddering old man, prattling on about the old days? Can you take my decisions from me, and guide Universal Whirligig yourself?”
“You know, sir,” was all Joe B. could offer.
“You are full of questions, Joe B., but you received only foolish answers.”
“Yes, sir, that is so. Even Eli who works for you said some things that just didn’t ring true. Please don’t hold it against him. He doesn’t understand that he doesn’t understand,” Joe B. said.
“You speak rightly, that he doesn’t understand, and to say the same about yourself – though perhaps you can counsel Eli now. You can’t know what it is to be me, and I daresay, you never will. But, you now have a greater appreciation of me than you had before, when I made you prosper. I do not limit my judgments to only reacting to the behavior of people around me. But as well, you are more to me than whatever work you do. In truth, your relationship with me never changed, only your circumstances did.”
The Big Boss turned his attention to something on his desk. “You are full of questions indeed, but I’m afraid upper management decision-making must remain confidential. You have waited a long time to receive a right answer, but you will not know one until a day comes when you are promoted. A man’s depth is not found in spilling out all his thoughts, but in allowing others to search them out.
“However, I think we can rectify some of the things you do know. In your absence, the paper backup records have fallen into disarray. I can think of no one I can better trust to make this situation right than you. Unfortunately, your former office has undergone some changes and is no longer sufficient to your needs. I think you’ll like your new suite somewhat higher up – shall we say floor 50 or so?”
Joe B. stared.
“I believe there’s a matter of some back pay as well. I’ll have my outer secretary take care of that. I think she’s taken a liking to you. As you know now, I am well aware of your daughter. We’ve looked into the special needs she has in terms of living quarters and home therapy, and I’m sure we can help line you up with an appropriate house. Your case has led me to alter the health coverage for Universal Whirligig associates, so experimental treatments should be more available. I’ve also arranged for the world’s leading specialist in cerebral palsy to move her practice to Bethsaida Waters, so we’ll set up an appointment for Marie. I hope you will find that acceptable.
“I will let you in on something, not because you need to know, but because I want you to know. Your demotion was based on lies, which comes as no surprise to me. But you saw it through. I put my trust in you, and knew you would not fail. There are those who have accused you, who now will have to take responsibility for their boasting. Some people know what’s right but refuse to believe it. They can’t be told – they have to be shown; I’ll deal with her in due time. But for now, Joe B., thank you – you’ve helped me today.”
“But what about – I still can’t understand,” Joe B. said in a small voice.
“ ‘Can’t’ is the right word. You work at an appointed time and place, and I trusted you to arrive at this moment. I am what I am. The fullness of my thinking I keep to myself.” The Big Boss paused. “Will there be anything else?” He had a patient expression that meant the interview had reached its end.
Joe B. kind of rattled and managed a “no” and a “thank you” before turning to walk back toward the entrance of the upper office. As he passed Michaela’s desk, he overheard the Big Boss’ voice instructing her over the speaker phone, “Send Luci Fernandez up to see me.”
***
Joe B. rebuilt his home and his career at Universal Whirligig, and he kept the old VW bus, just to help him remember. He gathered his wife and children around him, and they all lived to a great old age, joyful and content, except Marie, who remained happy and comfortable but never improved, until one night when she triumphed over all things and sweetly slipped into the lap of a loving God, abundant with room for playing and dancing and singing.
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After earning bachelor’s and graduate degrees at the University of Missouri, Craig Davis toiled for 20 years at newspapers, and has spent a lifetime in biblical scholarship. He has also authored “Feallengod: The Conflict in the Heavenlies” and “Wars of the Aoten.” An amateur musician, he was once wrestled to the ground by a set of bagpipes. To keep up with The Job and other works by Craig, please join our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Job-Based-on-a-True-Story/104805546240239. Also, please visit https://www.StCelibart.com.