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“Yes, Harold?”
“I just saw my calendar. I have a lunch meeting with parents? Why am I meeting with parents?”
“The parents are concerned about their student,” I replied.
“This is a college,” he spat. “I don’t do parent-teacher conferences.”
“These parents are very large contributors to the history department,” I reminded him.
He frowned and I could see the wheels turning. “A little warning would have been nice,” he grumbled.
“Sir, I told you last week. You agreed to the lunch. I left you a note on your calendar and I left you a post-it on your computer screen.”
He mumbled something under his breath and walked back into his office. I shook my head. This was my life. The man had the memory of a fly. I could tell him something a hundred times and he wouldn’t remember, but he remembered every detail of the Renaissance. This job was killing me slowly. It was sucking the life out of me. I was certain this was my last semester. I couldn’t keep doing this.
“Macy!” Harold shouted from the hall.
“Yes, Harold,” I said, sighing.
“I need my notes from my desk,” he hollered. “Bring them to the lecture hall.”
He was literally ten feet away. Why he didn’t just come and get the damn things himself was beyond me. But that was what he did. I stopped the transcription I was doing and went into his office. The smell of him clung to the furniture. It actually nauseated me. It was mind over matter. I was so disgusted with my job that every little detail was grating on my nerves.
I found the notes he was referring to. At least I hoped they were the right ones. There were yellow pads scattered all over the desk. He taught several classes, and unlike most people, he chose to write lecture notes. He rarely used computers. It was nothing short of a miracle the man was a functioning human, let alone the head of a department.
Most people wouldn’t be able to read the man’s chicken scratch, but I could now. I had learned how to decode the scribbles. I had to. I usually had to put together notes for the students. There had been a few mishaps along the way, but I had figured it out.
I carried the notebook to the hall and slipped through the door to deliver the notebook to the podium.
“This isn’t the right one,” he complained.
“Yes, it is,” I argued.
“No, it isn’t.”
“But it is,” I held firm. I knew I was right. He would figure out I was right in a minute. This was a regular part of the day as well. “Look.”
He put on his reading glasses and studied the page. “I can’t read that. What does it say?”
I rolled my eyes. “If you would just type this on the computer, you wouldn’t have these issues. It says Medici.”
“Oh, yes, right, this is the right notebook,” he said.
“I know,” I muttered.
I walked out of the hall and went back to my desk. I resumed transcribing the dictation from the last lecture he gave. He liked to publish the text from his lectures. I just couldn’t imagine anyone actually wanting to read through it. But that wasn’t my concern. I just had to keep doing the job. Keep earning a paycheck. One of these days, something would change.
Granted, I would have to make the change. It was going to be up to me to take a leap of faith. Just thinking about the change gave my heart palpitations.
4
JON
Itapped my pen on the edge of the desk while I scanned the final marketing plans for the new launch. It looked good. I loved the photography for the new line of watches coming out. I knew the watches would sell themselves but having some sharp photos didn’t hurt. After reviewing the budget, timelines, and all the material, I signed off on the marketing campaign.
The stakes were so much higher these days. I couldn’t do a half-ass job. Eight years ago, I had taken the company public. The pressure I had been under that first year to be a success was immense. After the first year was behind us, I was able to breathe a little better. My investors were happy and a lot richer. I was a hell of a lot richer. I’d been worried about losing that small business feel. Not anymore. We were small, but not too small.
Our offices had moved to the prestigious financial district in San Francisco. We occupied a suite of offices on the twenty-third and twenty-fourth floors. My office was pretty damn amazing. Things were good. Real good. I had to keep challenging myself. This new line of watches was just a little different. A bit more dramatic. I was hoping to appeal to those that really liked the idea of standing out. Men and women of means with eccentric tastes.
