Kate and I, chapter 7

This is the first time I've been on this conference room, and I didn't realize how enormous it was, it feels like the length if a football field but it's actually only about 30 or so feet. There are a few chairs at the end of the table I the far side, and they are occupied by three very important people. Mr. John Spencer is sitting in one, the 'devil in a pinstripe suit' is very fitting for him today, as he is dressed in a black and white pinstripe suit, with a purple tie underneath. To Mr. Spencer's right a couple seats away, sat a middle age woman dressed conservatively, with a minute thingy machine in front of her, ready to write down every single word that is uttered, and to his left, right beside him was mystery man, he was a man in his 40s dressed in dark blue expensive looking suit, seemed like he controlled the room.

Wow, I feel so small, I stepped in the conference, and towards a chair, these chairs look more comfortable than mine l, that's in my shoebox, I think to myself as I stand beside it, "hello, sirs and ma'am."

"Hello, please state your whole name for the record," 'the devil in a pinstripe suit' says.

"...I'm Aden Thedore Jones," I say not at all confident, is that my name?

"And Mr. Jones," the mystery man speaks, "why are you here today?"

"I'm,was," I say, swallowing back my saliva, "invited in here for the audit, that is taking place."

"Just to sit the record straight," Mr. Spencer speaks, "this is a performance audit for the whole company."

"Yes, sir," starting to ease up now.

"Okay," the mystery man speaks, "first off, Aden," he speaks very softly but to the point, "do you like working here?"

"Yes sirs," I say, "actually I love working here, it's always fun and interesting, it never seems to be a down minute."

"What makes it interesting, I've heard that the customers can be a handful sometimes?" The mystery man asks.

"We'll, sir, they can be, but that what makes it interesting, yes, sometimes you do have a less than cooperative customer, but those are the ones that make this fun."

"Fun? What do you mean by that?" The mystery man says, with a some what puzzled look.

"For example," I start, "the second to last customer I had, two.... yea, two weeks ago was a little mom's and pop's store, they were looking for a new cleaning company to come in after they closed at night and clean. But the last company that had was stealing from them, so they came to us, Apex, looking for a reasonable cleaning service. I helped them get in contact with businesses that were looking to expand.

But the mom and pop's store didn't feel like they were trustworthy enough for them. So, I sat down with both groups and hammered out a deal, and if you look closely at the contract here," I pulled out the contract from my stack of papers that I brought in with me, " and here it covers the mom and pop's place against any theft that goes missing during the night at the hands of the cleaning business. But also there is a stipulation in the contract that says that the cleaning company would not be held liable if the mom and pops doesn't do inventory inside of 12 hours of the missing inventory."

The mystery man leaned back in his chair, put his under his chin, as to caress his chin, and he said, “I know, but I want to know why you decided on 12 hours, and not 8 or 24, why did you choose 12?”

Damn, that’s a damn good question, I thought to myself, “Well, the mom and pop’s store wanted 4 hours, and the cleaning company didn’t want any, because they said that is was unfair and discriminatory, that if anything went missing, that they were going to be held computable for it.

So, when I sat them down to negotiate, I actually found that the cleaning company was willing to move or budge, but not at what the mom and pops was going let them. The cleaning company on the other hand was willing to move but not more than 18 hours. So, my assistant, Kate, talk to the cleaning company to see how far that they were willing to move. Without letting the mom and pops know how far they were willing to go, to be at a better at the negotiating table.

When I talked to the mom and pops, I realize that they were holding hard at 8 so I tried to convince them that 12 would be a better deal, especially since the cleaning company was one of the or not the lowest bidding one. When I found this out I got with my assistant the discuss where the cleaning company was at and the number of hours that they suggested. When they, separately decided on 12, I knew we had them.

Mr. Spencer was surprised when I told them about my assistant, “Your assistant, why didn’t you bring in another employee to help you? Why your assistant of all people, this Kate?”

“Because, she could do this job better than other employees, and plus I trust her, I don’t trust other people.”

“Why don’t you trust other people, Mr. Jones” chimed in the mystery man.

“For the exact reason that we are here today, this audit is a good example, if you trusted your employees to do their job, would you have as many of these audits?”

The mystery man was taken back by what I said, hell even the woman who was taking the minutes looked up when she got done typing. “What the hel….,” Mr. Spencer started to say. But the mystery man put his hand up to stop him. Who is this guy, i thought to myself, he just stop Mr. Spencer, who is the Vice President in Marketing, in the middle of a sentence, like it was nothing. The mystery man, still leaning back in his chair, with his arms crossed stunned at what I said, and Mr. Spencer, who looks like a little kid who want his toy back, waiting for the Mystery man to speak or to let him speak.

“I think I’ve heard enough, Mr. Jones,” I God am I getting fired or something?!, I say to myself, as the mystery man starts to say, “First thing do you know who you are talking to?”

“Um, no, sir,” I choke back on my saliva like its water and I haven’t had anything to drink in years. Mr. Spencer has the biggest smile on his face, just knowing what would happen next.

The mystery man gives an half smirk, “I like this kid, don’t you, John?”

Mr. Spencer snaps his head around, “Um, sir,” finally being able to speak, “Mr. Verlander, he just basically call your company untrustworthy!” As he says with a little squeal in his voice.

Wow, what, um, that's, um, that’s Mr. Verlander, the CEO of Apex International!! Why did I speak my mind like that, what was I thinking!? I’m a freaking dumbass, stupid, stupid dumbass, I studder to myself.

“No, John, his said the people, not the company is untrustworthy, and the be honest, I kind of agree with him. He’s right, if we did trusted our people more we wouldn’t have to do these godforsaken, waste of our time and capital, audits.” Mr. Verlander says.

I just sit back in chair, relieved, at what Mr. Verlander said and a little surprised, too. I was expecting something different, I really didn't even mean to say what I did, actually. The 'conversation' went on like this for another hour and half, it felt like six hours. During this time, Mr. Spencer has begun to despise me, and while Mr. Verlander has grown to, more or less, like me, or at least not show the hate that Mr. Spencer was showing.

At the end of the 'conversation', Mr. Verlander and Mr. Spencer were talking, in private, and I was just sitting there, not sure what to do. I couldn't hear what the were saying, but from what it looked like Mr. Verlander was giving the business to Mr. Spencer. Mr. Spencer looked like a sad puppy, in other words he did not agree with Mr. Verlander. "Well, Mr. Jones," Mr. Verlander started to say, while extending his hand, as for a shake, "have a great day, and you'll be hearing from us shortly."

What does that mean, thinking to myself, while I reach out to shake his hand, "Thank you, Mr. Verlander, and Mr. Spencer," I reach out towards Mr. Spencer who begrudgingly, shakes my hand.