The Revival

Chapter Two - Part II

“Good morning, Jessica!” welcomed Troy’s exuberant voice as he adjusted his seated position in his chair. “I’m glad you made it. Here, I hope you enjoy a little cream and sugar in your coffee. Be careful, it’s still hot, I just ordered it a minute ago.”

“Thank you, Mr. Duckworth,” replied Jessica. Dressed in a gray women’s suit and black heels, she smiled at Troy’s warm welcome and coffee offering.

“Do you enjoy cream and sugar in your coffee?” asked Troy with a pretend interest, leaning forward to display interest in her preferences.

“I appreciate the gesture, Mr. Duckworth; however, I do enjoy my coffee black,” she said.

Troy frowned, then posted his left elbow on his left knee, cupping his chin with his thumb and pointer finger. Quickly, he leaped up from his chair and turned towards the barista. He jumped in front of several customers waiting in line to order their morning coffees.

“Excuse me!” he shouted just above conversation voice. “Excuse me,” he repeated. “I’d like to order another medium coffee, just black please. Could you just bring it over to those tables, there?”

He pointed in the direction of Jessica Thomas sitting in a chair, blushing and looking down to hide her face from the onlookers. Troy then tossed a one hundred dollar bill at the barista and added, “Thank you, much appreciated” before returning to his chair across from Jessica’s.

“No worries, Jessica. I arranged for your coffee to be as you prefer,” he said with a sly smile.

“I know. I do have functioning eyes and ears. That was quite the move. A move that I would not have appreciated if I were in line at the moment,” she remarked.

“Hm,” thought Troy. “Well, it’s nice to meet finally you,” he continued with a smile, extending his right arm to shake her hand.

Jessica reached for his hand.

“And it’s nice to meet you too.”

“Now, let’s talk about the job I’m offering you,” began Troy. “Again, it pays extremely well-”

He cut himself off, reached inside his jacket, and pulled out an envelope. “Which reminds me, here is your interview bonus,” He handed Jessica the white envelope.

“Thank you,” she said with uncertainty.

“Where was I? Oh yes...the job I offer you pays very well. May I ask how much you currently earn?” he inquired, leaning back in his chair.

“Ma’am?” interrupted a soothing, youthful voice. “Ma’am? Here is your black coffee. Be careful, it’s hot. Enjoy,”

The young barista smiled pleasantly at Jessica and nodded her head at Troy before returning behind the coffee bar.

“Thank you very much,” appreciated Jessica as Troy returned a nod to the barista.

Jessica continued, “Well...” she stuttered. “I...I make about twenty-five grand per year.”

“And what is it that you do now?” he questioned.

“I work for an insurance company. I’m in the service industry,” she explained.

“I can promise you nearly four times what you currently earn. On top of that, I can assure you that you will enjoy arriving to work every morning and that I will do everything in my power to meet your accommodations,” he persuaded.

“I believe that,” she laughed with a genuine smile. “I believe that after you cut all of those people in line just for my coffee.”

Troy tilted his head and looked at her through his narrowed eyes. He pressed his fingertips together, his hands above his lap and elbows resting on the armchairs.

“Let me ask you this, Jessica,” he began. “I’m not a person who condones lying or excuses. If I mess something up, I will fix it now; I don’t push things to the side and worry about it later. I’m a go-getter. I do things for people whom I care about and I try doing those things the right way. I take care of people who promise to take care of me. If you work for me, that is how this relationship will operate. Is your mind making sense of this?”

Jessica gulped her coffee before expressing a serious, yet appreciated expression. “Yes, sir. I do understand and I completely agree with your outlook.”

“It is not an outlook,” interjected Troy. “It is the only way to live.”

“Yes, sir. That’s how everyone should-”

“I’m glad we agree,” interrupted Troy again. “Now, do you have any questions for me regarding your position with Duckworth Incorporated?”

Jessica could not hide her overwhelmed expression. She raised her eyes and her eyebrows followed, her lower lip tucked inside as she nervously bit down on it.

“Yes,” she sighed. “I know you already told me your company’s genre and focus, but what exactly is my position?”

“I’m glad you asked. I was beginning to worry that you wouldn’t,” admitted Troy with satisfaction. “Your position entails a lot of responsibility, iwis. But Duckworth Incorporated is going to change the world. It is going to change how people live their lives for the better. You are going to be Duckworth Incorporated’s very first secretary. You will be the first to review all invoices and then filter out the ones which you believe I should be interested in.”

“That does sound like an important job,” confessed Jessica with a deep sigh of excitement. “Are you going to greet me with a hot cup of black coffee every morning?”

“Ha!” bellowed Troy. “You bet! You better believe it!”

Troy pumped his fist into the air, then reached his hand out and shook Jessica’s petite hand with a wide smile.

Jessica smiled in return and stood up from her chair.

“So when do we start?”

Still smiling, Troy straightened his jacket and tie.

“We’ll start the first of the month. In just under two weeks. I think it’s a perfect time to provide your former employer with a notice.”

“Yes, yes, I will do that,” she agreed with excitement.

“Then you will want to sign this,” offered Troy.

He reached into his jacket once more, pulling out another envelope and handed it over to Jessica.

“Yes, thank you,” she smiled as she tucked the envelope into her briefcase. “I’ll sign it and bring it to you on the first.”

Jessica walked towards the coffee shop door, providing one last look through the transparent window after she exited.

Troy’s smile disappeared. He straightened his jacket and tie once again, picked up his coffee, headed towards the door and dumped his half-drank coffee into the trash bin before pushing his way through the glass, bell-ringing door.