by Claire Adams
I just realized I had a thought of what Dad said to me without consciously thinking about him, was this a sign my memory was being unlocked? Today could be the start of a new chapter in my life, maybe. I hoped so.
“You want to see me, Sir?” Jefferson said as he stood in the doorway.
“Hi Jefferson, come in and have a seat, it’s nothing, I just want to see how things are going and how you have finally settled in?” I asked.
“Things are good. The work is fine and, yeah it’s all good,” Jefferson said, looking quite genuine.
I looked at him and thought he was probably shit scared, and I noticed that he looked like a deer in the headlights of an oncoming car.
“You were informed that you were close to achieving your bonus quota this month,” I said.
“Er, yes, Kendall informed me I was on target,” he responded nervously.
I tried to talk to him a little more, but he wasn’t being loose, he was just responding to what I was saying, I hoped I hadn’t totally ruined the chance to have a workforce which was effective, and an environment was a happy one. I let him leave and moved to look at Kendall.
“Who’s next, Kendall?” I shouted through the door.
“Hayley. She’s just come back from her break, so she’s free at the moment,” Kendall informed me as she smiled.
“Good. Send her in,” I said.
Hayley entered within two minutes of being called.
“Hi, Hayley. I hear you’re a star in the making,” I said with a smile. “Please sit down, please.”
“I don’t think of it like that, Sir. I’m not a star, I just have a job to do and to move forward in my career, I have to do it the best I can,” she informed me.
Hayley informed me that she had managed to sort child care out for her child, so she was able to work full time; a very smart woman I thought, and that was the sort of attitude any boss would welcome. I could see it in her eyes though, that she was really apprehensive about me speaking to her like this.
Kendall sent a few more employees in, and it appeared to me there was a trend, many were happy with the work and everything, yet they all had one problem in common. Unfortunately, that problem was me. I could tell they were all a little scared of me for whatever reason.
“Kendall, can you come here please,” I shouted.
“Two minutes, just uploading something,” she replied as she hurried her mouse on her computer and bit her lip.
“Yes, what do you want?” she said politely.
“Sit with me for a few minutes because I need to ask you something, just close the door and the blinds.”
Kendall pulled the blinds and shut the door before taking a seat. I urged her to come and sit next to me, the desk was too business like for my liking.
“I have a couple of things I want to ask, but business first,” I said. “How are things with you and your job going?”
“It’s great. I have plenty of variety, and the job is not the same old routine. Um, and the perks are pretty good, yourself not included,” she said with a smile.
“You see, that is what I wanted to hear from them, you have opened up a little, even though you didn’t include any bad points about the job,” I replied. “What do you think I could do to make them happy and more relaxed toward me? I know I was probably not the best boss in the world, but that was before, I want to make it right.” I said as I offered my smile.
“Let me think about it for a while. I’ll come up with a couple of ideas before the end of the day.”
“Great, I appreciate it,” I was grateful to have her on my team. Here and personally.
“What was the other thing you wanted to ask?” Kendall asked as she waited to hear.
“How well do you know Peter?” I asked as I leaned into her.
“I have not really had much to do with him, to be honest, he did use to come here quite frequently before and now I don’t see him as often,” she said quietly.
“What did he come for?” I asked quizzically, “I would have thought once or twice a week would have been enough.”
“What I thought was strange was that he used to come just before the day shift finished but didn’t stay long,” she said with a puzzled look on her face.
“In future, if he comes, keep a note on the day and time, but for God’s sake don’t let him find out, he has been a diamond of a brother since I had my accident, but I just feel something is not quite right,” I said.
“No problem, mom's the word,” she said raising her finger to her mouth to mock a silence gesture.
“Thanks, Kendall, I don’t know what I would do without you,” I said as I grabbed her soft hand over my large desk.
“I just remembered, before your accident you should have had a meeting with your lawyer which you canceled. He’s called a couple of times while you were out. Do you want me to contact him?” she asked.
“No, it’s okay. I’ll call him later. For the life of me, I don’t know what I wanted him for,” I replied. “It’s probably nothing now anyway."
Kendall squeezed my hand. "I better get going and come up with these ideas for the staff,” Kendall said as she got up and left my office.
I picked up my cell and called the guy.
“Hello, Mr. Roddenberry’s office. How may I help you?” the voice asked in an overly happy tone.
“Hi, is Joe available please?" I asked.
“Who’s calling please?” the woman answered.
“Just tell him it’s Elijah. I believe he wishes to speak to me,” I said, wanting to know why.
Joe’s voice filled up the line. “Elijah, how are you feeling? It’s good to hear from you, man.”
“I’ve just been informed you were trying to contact me. You have to forgive me. My memory is a bit blank. I have no idea what I wanted you for,” I said in the hopes of finding out.
“I understand, but we should meet, the phone is not the best place to discuss the matter,” he replied.
“Matter? What matter?” I asked.
“I’ll give details later, but it was about both Peter and your Dad,” he added.
I was perplexed. “Okay, I’ll give you a call later when we can meet, I have a few things to fix at work first."
“Ok, Elijah, be careful,” he added as he hung up the call.
I was intrigued by his words before my mind moved back to work.
“Kendall, you have any ideas yet?” I called.
“Yes, I’ll be with you in a moment,” she called back. “You want a drink?”
“Do you have juice? I am a bit thirsty.”
I waited for Kendall to enter the office, as my head started to swim. I started to feel faint.
“Here you go,” she said as she passed me the juice. “Hey. Are you okay? You look a bit pale.”
“To be honest, I feel a bit woozy,” I replied.
“Come and sit on the couch and put your feet up for a while,” she said
“Maybe you have done too much today."
Kendall steadied me as I stood. My legs were weak as I made my way to the couch.
“I don’t think it’s work. I think it’s something else,” I said to her feeling slightly worried.
“We can do these ideas later. You should rest,” she said as she got me a damp cloth.
“It’s okay. This is important for the business. Fill me in on where you are,” I pressed on.
“First, a simple party, an appreciation party. Who doesn’t like a good party?” She smiled. “Secondly, a bowling night with a meal could be good. That would help build teamwork."
“I like that one. We could even turn it into a regular thing, intercompany teams and all that,” I replied.
“The third one is a camping trip or something like that, but some have families and may be difficult, Hayley, for example, has a kid,” she replied.
“I think the bowling one would be the best idea, totally informal and everyone has a chance to bond, do you have an idea what we need to do to set it up?”
“It’s okay, I’ll sort it all out, I’ll check on a good night, and what we need to do to create a company league, etc., etc., etc.,” she said as she scribbled on her pad.
“And a trophy. We would need a trophy for the winning teams, and a prize, not cash because that looks like I’m trying to buy them off or something. But something useful though, maybe a gift card to a restaurant. That’s as good as cash,” I said.
“I’ll ask around and see what everyone thinks is a good prize,” Kendall answered.
“Thanks. Can you turn the light off for a while? I’m going to rest,” I said as I covered my eyes.
Kendall turned off the light, and I laid in the darkness. My head was heavy and flashes shot from nowhere. Images of my dad in his office. He was screaming on the phone and cursing a lot. I was sitting on the couch watching him lose his shit.
Other images, images of me flashed before me. I saw myself with Kendall and a conversation about her dog. I could see I was a fucking asshole, and her dog had since died. Images of Peter came, where we were arguing, I was calling him something, but I couldn't quite grasp it all.
I had the feeling, I was remembering, and these were not just images that came and went, lights flashed behind my eyes, and I started to sweat.
“Kendall!” I screamed out.
Kendall entered the office and hurried to me, she turned on the light and came and sat next to me on the couch.
“What is it, Elijah?” she asked.
“I’ve remembered a few things. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. Forgive me. Please forgive me, Kendall,” I begged.
She held my head in her lap and comforted me.
Chapter 18
Kendall
I entered the office and waited for Elijah to ask me to take a seat, he previously said I could just walk in and sit down, yet we were still in a work environment, and I had to show respect for his and my positions within the company. I also had to consider the way the other staff could think about our situation and read too much into it, and take it the wrong way.
The last thing I wanted was for them to think I had taken advantage of the situation. It was bad enough for myself to think that on occasions.
“I can’t believe we have been communicating for nearly a week,” Elijah said as he gestured for me to sit.
“Communicating is that how you see it,” I said with a frowned expression on my face.
“I’m just being professional, I don’t want the staff to get the wrong idea,” he said with a laugh.
“Have you been reading my mind?” I replied with a puzzled look on my face.
“Kendall, I have just observed how concerned you are about what others think of you here, hell, you won’t even take a seat without being told to. And no matter how many times I say it’s okay, you still concede,” he replied now more sternly.
“So, now the good Sir is mocking me,” I said with a giggle.
“I would never mock you, Kendall. I have just enjoyed this week immensely. I might even be tempted to carve your name on the bottom of my pencil case,” he said and laughed.
“Wow, the good Sir... wealthy he’s, he can afford a pencil case made from real wood,” I replied as I laughed hard, with tears formed in my eyes.
“So, getting back to work wench, what news doth thee bring for me,” he replied in a very bad Shakespearean tone.
“Being serious, the party is all organized, and everyone will be here to set up during the day, we have no need for the conference hall, and they can use the rear entrance, so as not to give anything away, to you or to the staff,” I explained.
“A surprise eh? Hmm, the girl is very smart,” he replied as he winked.
“Not just that, all of the staff are coming, not one has said no, so it’s good we chose the conference hall to host it and not the board room,” I replied.
“From the bottom of my heart I would like to thank you for doing this, it means a lot, I need to regain the confidence of the staff, and this could be a great start,” Elijah said now more serious again.
“I was pleased to help, even before we started communicating, as you so kindly put it. I would have helped. It was fun to do.” I was happy to help my beautiful boss.
I sat and thought to myself. It’s still strange to hear him say thank you. It was the last thing that would have ever left his mouth before. I wasn’t one to complain though. It was nice to hear, even though it confused me somewhat.
“Well now that it’s sorted, what do you have planned for this evening? “Elijah asked.
“I have a fun filled evening planned, I’m off to visit my best friend Mandy for a while and then I have to get home, and I promised I would call Mom and keep her abreast of the news,” I replied.
“Off you go. It’s quiet here, and we have wrapped up the most important things for today,” Elijah said.
“Okay boss, I’ll see you tomorrow, get some good rest, you have worked hard yourself."
“Goodnight and thanks again,” Elijah said as I exited the office. He wanted me. I could feel it all over me.
***
I arrived at Mandy's house and was welcomed with open arms as always. She hugged me and ushered me inside and urged me to give her all the latest gossip from the world of Kendall, straight from the horse’s mouth as she always said jokingly.
“So, what’s new with you then girl?” she said as she fixed us a pitcher of her homemade lemonade.
“Well, Elijah is a totally different person, we have got on like a house on fire this week,” I explained as I sipped my glass of cool lemonade.
“I’m still not convinced, no matter how much you say he has changed, I still have doubts about him being totally genuine.” She looked at me with a raised brow.
“I know, it’s hard for you to fathom, but I have been with him quite a lot, and there is no sign it’s fake or false. He really does seem like a changed man,” I answered.
“Well, you should just be careful and keep an eye on him, you never know if he will start remembering, and he may just play on the fact and go for sympathy,” she said with a disgruntled look on her face.
“I have my wits about me. You have no need to worry about that. Plus, I have the advantage of knowing the signs of what he was like before. He has no idea, so if he slips, I should spot it immediately,” I said as I topped up my glass. The heat was stifling today.
“So, how has he been with the staff, are they convinced he’s different?” she asked.
“Some are, yet a few still have doubts, they think he will burst into one of his tantrums, and it leaves them feeling confused when it doesn’t happen,” I replied.
“I have been organizing a party for them for most of the week, he wants to show them he’s a changed man and not the tyrant he once was,” I said as she did the dishes.
“Fuck, it would take more than a party to convince me to forgive and forget,” Mandy replied.
“Elijah isn’t asking for forgiveness and for them to forget, he just wants them to accept who he’s now, and build on that. The past has gone for the time being, and he wants no part of it coming back into his life, either,” I explained.
“Well, either way, just look out for number one, I don’t care for him, I just care what happens to my bestest friend ever,” Mandy said as she placed her glass on the table.
“Give me a big hug before you go,” Mandy said as she threw her arms around me. “And say hi to your mom, I know you will be calling her.”
“Goddammit, am I that transparent?”
“Hell yes!” We stood up, and I headed toward the door.
I returned home to Bo who had perched himself just inside the front door. He sat there as he wagged his tail and barked as he wanted to go out.
“Hey boy, how have you been?” I asked him.
He jumped to his feet and headed for the kitchen door and sat as he waited for me to reach him. I opened the door and let him into the garden for a run. I returned to the living room and perched myself on the couch. My l
egs curled up under me, and a large cushion wedged firmly under my arm.
“Hi Mom, it’s me Kendall, and yes I’m calling so no need to say it makes a change,” I said with a giggle.
“How are you doing sweetie?” she asked.
“Not bad, just got home from Mandy’s and she said 'hi.'”
“So, to what do I owe this pleasure of a phone call during the week?” Mom asked me in her over-excited tone.
“I just fancied a chat, no real reason, and just to let you know how the week has been." I pulled the cushion closer to me.
“I’m actually glad you called, I was going to call you. I have a friend who can get you a job, a very good job with a nice company,” she said. “That is if you are still looking for another job.”
I was silent for a moment before I answered, I knew she would guess I had changed my mind, she could read me better than Mandy could read me even when she was on the phone.
“Well, that was what I was going to mention, things are completely different now, this kind man has emerged, and he’s still in a frail state of mind, and I’m the only person he can relate to apart from Peter. But he does not know the business well enough to assist that much,” I explained.
“Well dear, I have said before you have to make your own choices and stand by your decisions, if that is the way you want to go, I know there is no way I’ll be able to change your mind. You have a touch of your father’s stubbornness, and we know how I wasn’t able to win against him,” she replied.
“So, this job, should you decide you still want it, is with Jessica. I’m not sure if you know her, she owns a large corporate lawyer's place downtown. And they are looking for a personal assistant,” she said.
Mom had this habit of still trying to convince me of something, even when she had said she accepted my decision to go in another direction. I never had the heart to tell her, so I always let her continue.
“So, tell me more about this job,” I asked just to humor her.
“Well, Jessica is a big powerful woman and always takes on associates from college, and they basically do on the job training and normally get hired to join the company once they have finished their term,” she explained.