Short Story – Figure 8
Photo credit: clarita from morguefile.com
The interview with Nathan Jack was not acceptable at all. I therefore, request you to find a more suitable candidate for the vacant spot of Jannie Kay as the Assistant Manager. Please Figure 8 within the next two days.
That was my first handwritten note from Alexander Duvel. I couldn’t quite understand why he wrote ‘figure 8’ instead of ‘figure it’ but then I soon forgot about it.
I propped open the file of the other likable employees who were worth to get promoted to Assistant Manager and thought over and over again that it was Nathan Jack, who, unfortunately had been painted with a red cross.
Maybe he hated me. Maybe Alexander Duvel hated me and that would make sense.
I was an intern in Jenner Industries and I got this really high post because well, my family owns the company.
My uncle is the current CEO and my oldest brother, the Deputy Director at thirty five. And it makes sense that Duvel would hate me. Well, I’d find him an Assistant Director he would not be able to refuse.
Late that night, I contemplated whether Duvel would like a lady Assistant Manager. Well, the guy is divorced and Jannie Kay was a lady, and a quite pretty one, I’d mention. She must have resigned because of inappropriate advances by her boss. Anyway.
So probably, I would have to use another tactic, i.e. go for the pretty lady instead of the square-jawed, calibre-full man.
Bring it on Duvel.
I chose Jennifer Haley, the red head model of the woman. When I told her about the interview for the promotion to Assistant Manager, she smiled beautifully at me, “Thank you, Robert. I know I can do this well.”
I hope you do this well, I thought.
I was even going to mention that she drop few buttons but decided against it. Let it be; her face itself was quite alluring.
I saw her sashay into Duvel’s room, and I looked at my watch. The interview started at exactly 12:30 pm.
An hour later, she came out, rosy faced and ridiculously happy. I quickly pulled her into the corridor, “How was it?” I asked her urgently.
“I banged it” she said, “He liked me. I could say that. He was totally taken by me.”
I noticed her two top buttons were open, which weren’t when she had gone inside. I told her to go back, went behind by desk and waited for Duvel.
The interview with Nathan Jack was not acceptable at all. I therefore, request you to find a more suitable candidate for the vacant spot of Jannie Kay as the Assistant Manager. Please Figure 8 within the next two days.
My second note arrived at precisely 1:49pm the same day.
That guy didn’t even have the courtesy to change the name. So instead, I took out the pen and scratched Nathan Jack, and wrote Jennifer Haley on top with a red marker.
Awesome. Now what? Maybe Duvel is gay. That would make sense. The guy is divorced after all. And he hasn’t been seen with any woman since then. So technically, he is looking for a pretty boy who would also have some knowledge of the workings of an Assistant Manager. And I had quite a plan to groom a certain boy.
Cole MacArthur was the resident pretty boy, twenty nine years old, Duke University graduate, and my saviour. And I would groom him for the top notch job.
“I don’t know Robert,” he said uncertainly, “I am not really cut for Assistant Manager.”
“But I’ll help you” I said, ruffling his hair.
“You’re only twenty years and you literally don’t have any experience” He said dryly.
Ouch. He had a point.
“C’mon! I am Harvard student. And experience? My whole family’s been doing this their whole life.” I said cheerfully.
I had two days to prepare Cole MacArthur.
In the evening, I drove him up to my family house in suburban New York.
“That’s a nice surprise, Robert” my mom said warmly and she came forward to hug me.
“Later mother. Where’s dad?”
“In the study. But why? And who’s this young gentleman?” she asked, looking at Cole.
Just then my dad came down and speculated the scene.
I explained him everything, and to my mom, who had also once worked with the company, and told them to give Cole some pointers.
For the next two hours and thirty, we all sat down in the living room, including my grandmother (who by the way had no idea what was going on and kept force feeding Cole her famous Wednesday resin cookies) and gave Cole the necessary inside pointers to get the post.
At around eight thirty, I was knocking at another door. Elizabeth opened the door and smiled, “You’re just in time for dinner.”
Over dinner, my brother, Daniel went on about some more ways to gain Duvel’s approval and Cole looked as if he were drinking every word.
Elizabeth on the other hand, played with their three year old, Sophie, fussing about her and I played with the dog.
At lunch break, the next day, I dragged Cole into the office of the CEO. My uncle, Andrew, was just opening his own lunch box. Seeing us, he hastily put it away, and smiled, “Robert, What a pleasant surprise. I hope you’re enjoying the internship.”
Enjoy? Yeah right!
He looked past me and at Cole. I gave him a brief and told him the whole scenario.
“Well, Alexander Duvel is a tough nut.” My uncle agreed, “Anyway, sit. I’ll tell you how to impress that man.”
My last arsenal was Charlene Bloom, Duvel’s own secretary.
Beat that, Duvel.
The next morning, at sharp 10, I pushed a rather confident Cole MacArthur into the room. Charlene wished him a quiet good luck.
I waited anxiously for about an hour, and finally, Cole emerged from the room.
“Yeah?” I asked him.
“I think it went-excellent. He even smiled at me-told me I was pretty good.”
I gave a sigh of relief and congratulated Cole.
My third and final note arrived at around 2:00 pm in the afternoon. Charlene delivered it to me and said, “He was smiling when he wrote. You did it this time, Robert.”
I grinned at her and unfolded the note.
The interview with Nathan Jack was not acceptable at all. I therefore, request you to find a more suitable candidate for the vacant spot of Jannie Kay as the Assistant Manager. Please Figure 8 within the next two days unless you want to shift your post to another department.
At least this time he added a few more words. I give up, Duvel.
__END__
