Chapter 10

MONDAY MORNING, Ellen met Erin in the lobby and took her to have an ID badge made.

“This is the only way you can get to your office,” Ellen explained. “The badge is keyed to areas where you have access, and very few people have access to the penthouse suite. Part of your job will be calling the elevator when there are authorized visitors. You press the badge against the reader in the elevator and then tap your floor number.”

“I take it my boss doesn’t have many visitors.”

“I guess we accept it because the penthouse is his apartment as well as his office. But don’t worry about that. The areas are separate. And he doesn’t like close contact with people. He’s out of the office today, surveying a land acquisition. As soon as we get the paperwork taken care of and go through the new employee orientation, Mrs. Carver will take you up to the office and give you the specific job instructions. She’ll work with you all day tomorrow to be sure you’ve got the systems down, and then you’ll be on your own.”

“I can do this.”

“I’m sure you can.”

Erin filled out tax forms, signed for the employee handbook, got set up for health insurance and a new 401k, and listened to the benefits person go through her payroll deductions and corporate policies. The company had a liberal vacation and time off policy. In general, the people she saw around the office seemed happy and productive.

Just before lunch, Royce Duval stepped into the room and introduced himself as the president of the company. Erin didn’t really know the organization of the company. Mr. Duval did not look like the kind of person with the social interaction problems Jacqueline had told her about the previous day.

She looked at Ellen with a question on her lips, but Ellen shook her head, so Erin held her piece until Royce left.

“Do I work for him?” she asked.

“No. I mean no more than everyone works for the president of the company, but by that token, we all work for your boss, the chairman and CEO. I have to tell you that Royce is the real engine that powers this business. He comes up with ideas that make us all a fortune. And he can stand in front of a thousand people and have them eating from the palm of his hand in five minutes.”

“Impressive.”

“You know we’ve done some belt-tightening in the past couple of months and you’re the only new hire that’s been allowed. We’ve heard Royce is about ready to present a business-reviving idea to the board next month. He’s been behind closed doors most of last week with just a few engineers and architects with him. No one ever sees your boss. He’s the chairman because his mother and grandfather own the company. Royce is the real brains.”

“Oh. That’s interesting,” Erin said noncommittally.

Maybe Mr. Duval was everything Ellen said, but Erin had worked in marketing and management for ten years. She’d seen people like Royce in other companies. They could sell anything, but they were nothing without a product. Ellen called a stop to the training when Jacqueline came into the room.

“Are we ready for lunch?” Jacqueline asked.

“Just waiting for you, Mrs. Carver,” Ellen said. “Why don’t you take Erin to lunch and continue the training at your pace. Good luck, Erin. I’m sure I’ll see you around.”

“Thank you, Ms. Barrett,” Erin said. She gathered her jacket and followed Jacqueline out of the office.

“I’m sure Ellen filled your head with nonsense, but that’s her job,” Jacqueline said as soon as they were out of the building.

“I ... uh ... Ms. Barrett was very informative,” Erin said.

“You’ve mastered lesson one,” Jacqueline said. “Our company is generally informal. People refer to their coworkers by their first names. They dress in what is usually described as business casual—though sometimes that becomes a little too casual for a business environment, if you ask me. That applies to all employees except you. You represent the Chairman of the Board. He is also the Chief Executive Officer. It might seem pretentious, but you will always address your boss as Mr. Carver and he will return the respect by calling you Ms. Scott. Unless you prefer to be ‘Miss?’ No, I didn’t think so. You’ll address every employee as Mr., Mrs., Miss, or Ms. If there is a question about which to use, fall back on Ms. There is probably only one employee in the company you could go wrong with and he used to be a she. Don’t ask. We just use the preferred mode of address.”

“I see, Mrs. Carver. Using honorifics is an established way of maintaining professional distance. Mr. Carver is a man who is not comfortable with familiarity. Maintaining the formal address keeps him from uncomfortable situations.”

“Yes, Ms. Scott. You do understand. You may also assume that anyone attempting to address you by your first name, or your boss by his first name, is attempting to insinuate himself into a closer relationship where none exists. If Preston decided to have a first name relationship with anyone, it would be his choice, not that person’s.”

The two women ate Caesar salads at a pleasant restaurant a block from the office. They took time to enjoy the meal while Mrs. Carver found out more about Erin and Erin learned more about her new boss.

“If you will pardon me, ma’am, Mr. Carver sounds like ... let us say, an older gentleman. A man much older than would be possible as your son.”

“Yes, you are right. He sounds that way. It’s his grandfather’s fault—the former chairman of JeriCorp. My father, Mr. Jerico, established the rules during a time in which that form of address was the standard. It’s the way Mr. Carver was trained to take over the duties. Formality is a protection against his social ... awkwardness. It works well and you will never misunderstand him.”

Jacqueline paid for the meal and they walked back to the office. The streets were wet, but most of the snow had melted.

“It is unnecessary for you to walk through the common areas to get to your office. Come directly to this entrance and go to the top in the elevator. You do not need to announce your presence when you step off. Greetings are not required.”

Jacqueline watched as Erin used her keycard to operate the elevator for the first time.

“Your office is here, immediately next to the elevator. You’ll find you have a top-of-the-line setup. If you need any hardware or software, let the tech people know and they’ll get it for you. This office has all the supplies you’ll need without having to go to the lower level supply cabinets. You just need to be on top of reordering as needed.”

“This is impressive. I can hardly wait to get into my work.”

“While Mr. Carver is on his site visit, let’s tour the entire office. First, masks. Mr. Carver insists on masks in his office. He had a bout with the pandemic a year ago and has been overly conscious of it since.”

Erin snapped a mask over her face. It was convenient to have masks available in the elevator so she needn’t worry about carrying them around or forgetting one.

She was impressed with the open room in front of her. Her office area next to the elevator was well-defined. It was completely open to the rest of the large room, in the middle of which was a table with a three-dimensional terrain map. Beyond the map table, Mr. Carver’s desk was on an elevated platform. A second work station was in the other corner.

“Don’t be put off by the dais,” Jacqueline said. “It isn’t a power trip. It’s very difficult to get a good perspective on his project if he’s on the same level. Sometimes you’ll see him go upstairs and look down over the loft railing. He isn’t spying on you. He just needs a bird’s eye view. He has no boundaries in this office. If he wants to see what you are doing, he will walk directly up to you and look over your shoulder.”

“That’s not too spooky.”

“It’s actually quite refreshing. You may have worked in places where you get the feeling someone is looking at you but can’t see it. Mr. Carver leaves you in no doubt,” Jacqueline laughed. “Let’s start at the top and work our way down. Are you familiar with Rubik’s Cubes?”

“Oh, yes. I competed in speed competitions when I was a teen,” Erin said.

“Don’t mention that to Mr. Carver. He’d want to test you and compete. But whenever you see a Rubik’s Cube around the office or apartment that has been solved, scramble it. I’ve bookmarked a web page on your computer that will provide instructions for randomizing a cube without following a pattern. Mr. Carver works them as he is contemplating problems in his project or in the business. You’ll find upward of twenty of them of varying degrees of difficulty scattered around. For example, this one by his bed he uses to put himself to sleep at night.”

“A 7x7x7? Wow! He must have trouble sleeping if it takes that much.”

“His mind is working at a speed you can’t comprehend. His record for solving the 5x5x5 Professor’s Cube is fifty-one seconds. The world record for the 7x7x7 cube is 1:36. Mr. Carver is significantly slower than that, which is comforting.”

“Why?”

“It tells me that no matter how brilliant he is, he is not an idiot savant. He has many things in that mind of his,” Jacqueline said. “Now, you will notice his bed is made and there are no clothes out of place. He is obsessively clean and tidy. When he awakens in the morning, he showers and dresses. Everything he has worn or used is deposited in the laundry chute that drops into the bathroom on the lower level. He makes his bed and dresses in clean clothes. You’re responsible for tying the laundry bag and sending it down in the elevator when the service comes to pick it up on Friday. Monday morning, you will receive the clean laundry and put it away. Learn the order of his drawers carefully.”