The Divorce

16|Happy Wife, Happy Husband

(Back to the past, 2004)

"This is the fifth time you called in, Jimmy," the man said into his work phone. "If you want to keep your job I strongly suggest you come in today."

The man hears his coworker sigh into the phone. "But I'm sick, boss. I think I may have a fever."

The man rolls his eyes and begins looking at the inventory checklist on his desk. "Jimmy, you had a fever last week. And the week before last week as well. We're not buying your bullshit anymore, bud."

"But I can't even get out of bed."

"You know that's kinda funny you're saying that because Jake told me he saw you getting wasted at the bar last night. I think you're just hungover."

Jimmy became speechless knowing that his boss caught him in his lies.

The man was over this conversation. "Look, you either come to work today or you don't. But if you don't, you're fired." Then he hangs up on Jimmy.

The man groans and puts his hands over his face with frustration. He hated being a warehouse manager, but it paid the bills.

He just got promoted a few months ago since the old manager quit and found a better job. Michael, the owner of the warehouse, offered the man the job when he noticed the man's hard work over the past few years.

At first the man was going to refuse the offer since he just enjoyed being a warehouse employee. But since he's never been a manager at the old warehouse he worked at before he moved to the suburbs, he thought he could give it a try.

But the job sucked and it added more responsibility for the man. And almost half of the employees called in every week so he would have to cover every single one of them since they were short of workers.

As the man began checking off inventory at his desk, a knock raddled from his office door.

"Come in!" The man calls out.

A bald man walks inside the man's office. It was Michael.

"Hey Mike!" The man gets up from his desk and walks over to shake Michael's hand. "What brings you in today? I didn't know you were stopping by."

Michael shakes the man's hand and pulls out a piece of paper from his pocket. "I just wanted to give you my nephew's application. He's on vacation with his family right now but he'll back next week on Tuesday so you can interview him."

The man chuckles. "You're not just gonna him the job? I'll literally hire anyone at this point since Jimmy might be fired today."

Michael rolls his eyes. He didn't like Jimmy either. "That boy called in again today? Jesus, this would be the fifth time this month."

The man nods and heads back to his desk chair. "I gave him an ultimatum over the phone. He either comes in or I simply just fire him if he doesn't show up."

Michael smiles proudly at his star employee. "This is why I gave you the manager position. You don't take shit from lousy workers."

The man resumes checking off inventory. "You got that right."

Michael notices the man's sullen expression. "You doing okay, though? You look a little stressed out."

The man shrugs. "I'm just tired of people always calling in. Do you think it would be possible to hire a second manager? Bobby's a good worker, maybe he could step up for the job."

Michael smiles. "I'll think about it. Usually there's only one manager but since we've been getting busier lately I'll consider hiring Bobby as second manager."