Caring

"Who does he think he is?" thought David. The personnel officer had actually threatened to not pay him for 3 weeks if he was late in his timesheet. He felt anger grow as he stepped in head office. He would rip a new one into that ass.

As he walked across the cubicles he heard someone being chewed out. On a whim, he decided to listen. "We are tired of you taking too long to make payments. If you don't get it in by the end of the day, accurate and complete, you're out! Stay back all day if you have too, we don't care about your personal life! Now get the hell out!" David watched a tiny man barely in his late twenties trudge out. He looked so tired, that he was struggling to walk.

Feeling bad for the kid, David followed him to his desk. The paperwork he saw was staggering. "You have to process that much?" he said, aghast. The small man smiled a small smile. "Yep, the whole thing, no-one else does it." "Wait you pay suppliers and payroll for the whole company? But that's hundreds of people!"

The small man nodded. "That's why I start at 6 a.m. and finish at 7pm. My wife is expecting twins. I have to do it for them." "But you're paid a lot?" The man told him the amount. David was staggered, that was a whole lot less than him and he didn't have a family. "Why not get a new job, then?" whispered David. The small man looked aghast. "Because I am the 5th person in 6 years and the only one to last more than 16 months. The company and the staff need me. I can't let them down. They work hard, they deserve to be paid on time. Even if I have to push them. Otherwise Management won't pay them. And I would feel awful if they went without."

David looked at the little man and offered him his hand. The small man shook it. "David Walters." David introduced himself. "Damien Robert Smith." replied the small man. "Thanks for caring!" declared David. Following Damien's gaze; David look through the glass office where David recognise the top management brass, drinking champagne. "Someone has too!" whispered Damien.