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The concept makes no sense to me. Who works late nights on top of a full-time job to help someone else?
Zahra:Sure.She needs her money more than I do and I like helping.
Me:But why does she need to work two jobs? They give us free lunch and offer us cheap housing.
I thought those kinds of measures were put in place to help lessen the cost of living.
Zahra:Not everyone can survive off Dreamland’s dismal wages.
There’s that drastic heartburn again, trickling its way through my chest.
Is that me starting to care?I swallow back my unease.
Zahra:But we make do.
I type out a response before I lose my nerve.
Me:Wouldn’t people quit if they were unhappy with the pay?
Zahra:They might. I wouldn’t blame them.
Huh.Really?Our annual surveys always report such high employee satisfaction rates.
Zahra:But many people love their job. Some are even multi-generational.
Me:Like you.
Zahra:Exactly!
She tacks on a heart to the message, which is new for her. It makes me smile.
You seem ridiculous obsessing over something as small as that.
Me:It’s hard to forget about the ukulele-playing, Elvis-loving family that happens to work here.
Zahra:It’s kind of nice that you pay attention to the little things.
Me:Don’t set your standards so low.
Zahra:Trust me. My standards were obliterated a while ago.
The burning in my chest cranks up the intensity. I want to do something, but I don’t know what, so I settle for the only thing that might make her better.
Me:Who hurt you? Do we need to find their HP address?
Zahra:Haha so funny. Are you expanding your talents to the computer hacking business?
Me:For you, I’d consider it.
And I mean every word.
* * *
I’ve always prided myself on the ability to remove my emotions from any kind of business decision. It took an effort to develop the skill, but I’ve perfected it over the years. I was the first one to suggest laying off ten percent of The Kane Company employees when our company lost millions after two bad movies in a row. I’ve been known to be demanding and clinical, from forcing employees to work Christmas Eve to swapping health insurance policies to trim our bottom line. No amount of crying, moaning, or yelling from our employees could convince me otherwise.
Despite this training, Zahra somehow got under my skin. Her calm and collected conversation about the employee’s finances actually got to me. The thought lingers in my head during every encounter I have with Dreamland employees.
Martha is the final straw.
