Miss Kitty

Miss Kitty - VI

The morning came. With it, and the variances in alcohol from last night's date, I wore a slight tarnish. It was fine: nothing too bad. This morning was just a little too bright.

The office was already in fear by the time I got there. It was going to be one of those Fridays. Heads were stuck in monitors. There was little chit chat.  Shit, there was no chit chat.

Word was that the new overlord was to be in today among other rumors. Davis (Accounting) was saying that this was much different than expected: it wasn't necessarily a new boss, it was a merger with another memory company on the south end of the next county. That changed everything. It took the pressure off a bit. Why? Simply because a merger meant the muscle was going to do what it was going to do. I couldn't pretend to do anything or be anything than what was on the record. I'd have to live on my designs and efficiencies. If I wasn't viable, then I was fodder. It's the way things work.

I spent lunch eating a bad tuna sandwich with the door closed. The roach coach was the alternative when we didn't want to be too far from our seats. I answered e-mails and started filing through my project dockets. The silence persisted. I had to walk the halls occasionally just to make sure folks were still here. They cowered in their open cubes, like antelopes cornered in the wild.

Ding. A meeting invite came from the head honcho. Or at least the guy that happened to be in charge until the new honcho could be figured out. The leads from each department were invited. Sounds like fun.  I pulled down a mint.

It was three o'clock and the appointment was an hour and a half away. I had literally nothing to do. Looking at the activity from e-mail and on the spot reports, not much was going on today. You wouldn't know it by the thirty people updating resumes as best they can, while trying to make it look like they were getting something legitimate done. The clicking staccato of desperation rang everywhere. I had to get out.  I took a walk. I couldn't take this. It felt like a funeral parlor.

The industrial park had a sidewalk that encompassed the entire affair. It was about as uninspiring a walk as one could take. I often wonder about civil engineers and their lack of adding some flair to their work. Not here: little strips of grass and the cheapest bushes they could get away with and not calling them weeds. I did the circuit about three times before breaking down.

My car had a stash of awfully dry cigarettes that I probably bought two years ago now. I didn't even know if the lighter worked anymore. It didn't. I threw them both all away. I took a deep breath and found that the head honcho was staring at me from his office window. He scowled and disappeared behind the blinds. Great. For an instant, I wanted to call Rebecca. That would've been stupid, but I was happy to have thought of her right now.  One good sign today.

I went back in to stare at the vending machine, not to buy a thing, just to look at the colors. I wondered about the new person. Usually to be in the technical design and fabrication business, you had old engineers, or some management hybrid that also new machining of some sort (an operator or designer). I would hate to have them someone like me. That never lasts. One of us was going to find each other boring to the point of career suicide.

Ding. Fifteen minutes to our meeting. I smoothed out my clothes and gave myself a once over in the mirror. The day was wearing on my face. Thank goodness for the walk. I put on a polyester blazer to formalize the day. The charcoal grey jacket did much to ease the dark navy shirt. I smoothed out my hair and grabbed another mint. Let's just get this over with.

Fake smiles met me as I rounded the corner to the main office. It had been vacated for two months now. But, new guy already had it to themselves and the door was closed. The stiffs from fabrication, engineering, distribution and I were in too close proximity to say anything out loud. We gave each other stupid looks: raised eyebrows, half-cocked smirks, a few deep breaths. Bobby from engineering was almost palpitating, his clammy forehead had sweat beads that looked like glass. He shifted on his feet back and forth. "Take it easy, this isn't a death sentence," didn't help him at all.

He was about to say something like he had some information, when the door opened with little fanfare. The once head honcho was red and jittery - obviously Ted was going to stay as is (or got hinted at walking papers, I won't know yet). "Come on in guys."

As we entered into the staid office, she smiled as she stood, as stately as you please. Hot fire blasted my forehead and chest. Miss Kitty stood before me. She was my new boss.