Chapter 2

Bob Donald called Cathy into his office for a private meeting.

"As I mentioned last weekend, the company has a special designation for the administrative assistant to the General Manager of each facility. I have just received approval to promote you to that position. There are certain responsibilities that come with that position, but there are also certain benefits that tend to compensate for the added responsibilities. Please understand, after I explain all this, if you choose to decline the position, you are prohibited from speaking to anyone, and I mean anyone, other than me about it. Do you understand?"

"Yes. You know that you can trust me."

"Yes. Okay. To begin with, you will become the number one interface between the General Manager and everyone else in the plant, other than me. This means that you will have access to information about people, projects, profits and a hundred other things that very few others in the plant will need to know or have a right to see or hear about. Part of your job will be coordinating where and to whom all of this information gets forwarded, and in a similar vein, how much of the responses need to be seen by the General Manager."

"That's the first part. The second part is that you will become the spokesperson for this division, the person whose face will appear on camera, and whose voice will be heard on the radio as the representative of the company as well as the division. The third major change is that you will be required to travel more than you may have anticipated when I originally spoke to you about this job several months ago. If the corporate offices need a company representative somewhere, you may be the closest person available to send, even if it does not pertain to our division. Naturally, you would receive all of the data and information pertinent to the trip, because they certainly aren't going to hang you out to the press with nothing."

"How often does that happen? How much notice would I have?"

"It doesn't happen very often, thank goodness, and you may not receive much notice, other than sufficient time to go home and pack. It's good that your parents are nearby to look after your daughter, should that ever be necessary." Bob paused to let the information sink in. It was clear, by the expression on her face, that Cathy was surprised by some of these things.

"Now, in return for all of this, the person in this position enjoys the title "Assistant to the Vice President and General Manager". It is a salaried, not hourly position at a rate that is nearly double your current monthly income. In addition, you and your family would become eligible for the executive health and welfare plan, at no cost to you even for family coverage, you will have a company vehicle assigned to you, with unlimited personal use, and finally, because the company expects you to look like an executive as well as act like one, a monthly stipend for professional clothing. This is the position, the responsibilities, the duties and the benefits. I am offering this to you today, and you may have twenty four hours in which to consider the offer, however, you are not allowed to discuss any part of this with anyone else. If you choose to accept this offer, it will become effective immediately."

"Can't I even ask my husband what his thoughts are about the traveling stuff?"

"Okay, I can see your concern. You may talk to him, and/or to your parents about the duties and the traveling, but may not speak to anyone about the compensation or the added benefits. That is information that is extremely closely held."

Cathy had dinner with her parents that evening, and then called her husband Steve, still serving in the Army in Europe on an involuntary military extension. Everyone concurred that it was the right move for her, that it would provide great job security and that they would be fully supportive of her. The next morning, she informed Bob of her decision to accept the position.

"That's great," Bob responded with sincere enthusiasm. "I am delighted that you came to that decision. I will complete the necessary paperwork today and you should see the impact in your next paycheck. Now, I have something else to offer you. The last part of our discussion yesterday, the part about dressing as an executive, I want to add something to that. I have a friend in Chicago who promises in her own words, "to help pretty women become beautiful women." She supervises and oversees the whole thing, from hair, to make-up, to wardrobe. I have funds at my disposal that are discretionary, and I will offer her services to you for a weekend. You already have a clothing allowance now, but I will supplement that as necessary, and of course, the company will pay for her charges completely. How does that sound?"

"It sounds unbelievable. When would this happen?"

"I can arrange it for this weekend. You would fly into Chicago on Thursday, spend the first day at the salon and spa, have dinner with her and some fashion coordinators and then have all day Saturday actually shopping for new clothes with her."

After landing in Chicago, Cathy was whisked by limousine to a muti-story building just off Michigan Avenue and met by an extremely attractive woman, about her own age, who greeted her by name while a very handsome young man followed soon after, carrying her luggage. Cathy was asked to sign the guest book at the desk in the lobby and then, escorted by her greeter, shown into a large paneled office that was more elegant than any room she had ever seen. Almost immediately, another woman entered through a side door and walked directly to Cathy. Cathy was nearly speechless. She was certain that she was being introduced to a famous entertainer or some other well-known person, because the woman whose hand she was shaking was certainly the most beautiful woman she had ever met.

"Cathy, I am Donna Vincent. I am a fashion and beauty consultant and I manage a company that transforms pretty girls, such as you, into beautiful women. You have often heard the expression, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder"? I can promise you that when you return to your home on Sunday, you will have a totally different appearance, and a tremendous boost in your own self-esteem, all of this without the benefit or problems involved with cosmetic surgery, and all of this courtesy of your boss, Mr. Bob Donald. All of the employees of this 'hotel' are actually associates in my company. All of the guests are here to take part in the same services for which you have joined us. I have asked Melissa, whom you met upon your arrival, to be your personal escort for the weekend. She will meet you in the dining room for breakfast tomorrow morning at eight o'clock sharp. Tonight, you are free to join the other guests for dinner here, or go out on you own for a stroll up and down Michigan Avenue."

After dinner, Cathy took Donna Vincent's suggestion and strolled along the "Magnificent Mile", that segment of Michigan Avenue in Chicago that is lined with upscale shops and merchants. She was appalled at the prices of some items and surprised at the reasonableness of others. As she stood looking into the window of a dress shop in the entryway of a hotel, she heard someone calling her name.

Chris Larson, one of her husband Steve's closest friends while they were all stationed together in Europe, was walking into the hotel entryway. "What in the world are you doing in Chicago, Cathy?"

"I'm here on a business trip this weekend. What are you doing?"

"I flew in for a job interview; only here for tonight and tomorrow. Where are you staying?"

"In a little hotel around the corner somewhere near here. It's a women's only hotel."

"Well, I'm staying here. Why don't you come inside and have a drink with me and we can catch upon old times."

Cathy had been walking up and down the sidewalk for hours, window shopping and marveling at the sights and sounds of the city. Her feet were sore and she was tired. "That's the best offer I have had all night."

Cathy Henry had been raised in a relatively small community in rural Iowa. The community, and for that matter, the entire county in which she was raised, was populated by descendants of Scandinavian immigrants who had settled in the Midwest and farmed the land. The vast majority of the residents had blond hair, blue eyes and very fair skin. Of course there were a handful of others with chestnut hair, a few with red hair, and even fewer with brown or black hair, those few being subjected to good natured teasing about their early relatives living near ports and sailors and the implications therefrom. What did not exist, anywhere in the county, was an individual who, in today's politically correct terminology would be considered a minority. There were no Latinos, no Asians and no African Americans; not that they were intentionally excluded or precluded from living there. It was simply that none had.

Chris Larson, while he was in the Army, had been a member of the same unit to which Cathy's husband Steve was assigned, and had been Steve's roommate before he and Cathy were married. When Cathy joined her husband at his European post, Chris Larson was the person that had met her at the airport, escorted her to the post and assisted in her acclimation to military life. Chris Larson was the very first black person that Cathy Henry had ever met. Soon, the three became inseparable. If they planned a weekend excursion, Cathy, Steve, and Chris would venture out together. Many times Chris would bring along his girlfriend of the month, other times it was just the three of them travelling together, until Chris would locate a suitable candidate for "girlfriend for the night". It wasn't hard for him to locate such amenable girls because he was, and still is, an incredibly handsome young man, certainly as good looking as any man on television or in the movies. He had been mistaken, on several occasions, for some unnamed famous person by one or two young, willing girls who were intent on meeting such a person. Steve and Cathy would go along with the impersonation and try to act in ways that suggested they were staff people supporting him. To them it was a harmless lark and for Chris, it meant company for the evening, and later.