Chapter 5

“I remember you always looking great, like you do now, but nobody dresses up for second shift. We can’t wear jeans, but most of us are pretty casual. The guys wear sport shirts and slacks, and the women wear blouses or sweaters and skirts or pants. You’ll make all the girls feel plain today.”

“This is one of my interview outfits. Probably the stuff I wear to sell neckties and belts will be okay in a casual office setting. You know how I am. I’m not obsessed with it, but I try to look nice.”

“You do. Since you’ll be early, Dad’s going to try to wait with you.”

“Great! I always loved your dad.”

“When I told him about you needing this job, he was all for it. He’s anxious to see you again. He said he gave you a good reference. C’mon. We need to get moving.”

My father was waiting in the lobby when we walked in. “Look at you, Katie! All grown up!”

“Hi, John!” She gave him a quick hug and shook his hand warmly. “You’re looking well. I never thought I’d be trying to get a job where you guys work.”

“I’m glad you are. You were fun to have around, and Ed always tried really hard in school to keep up with you. Go sign in with the receptionist. Cliff Schmidt asked me to give you the nickel tour of the place while he finishes the meeting he’s in now. He’ll page me when he’s ready to see you.”

“I have to punch in,” I said. “Good luck, Katie. Maybe I’ll see you later.”

About an hour after I started work, Mr. Schmidt walked in with Katie in tow. “Ed’s dad had you in here already, but I want you to meet your trainer. Go ahead and call him Crazy Frank. His bark is worse than his bite, and he is THE man to teach you this job. A lot of the people in this department on day shift learned from him until we moved him to evenings to help with our expansion.”

Frank stood to shake her outstretched hand. “Crazy Frank O’Connor here.”

“Pleased to meet you. I’m Katie White. Don’t believe anything Ed says about me.”

“Oh, then you’re not the smartest girl he ever met?”

“That part may be true. I used to beat him on tests in school.”

“Sometimes,” I chimed in.

She turned to me and grinned. “I got the job, Ed!”

“Told you. I think you’ll like it.”

Mr. Schmidt said, “Katie, Frank will be in charge of training you and evaluating your progress, so listen to him, not Ed. With three of you now, it’s a team, and Frank’s the coach. Frank, find a table she can use, and requisition equipment and procedure manuals for her. She starts the second of January. Also, you might want to figure out which of your jokes you shouldn’t tell in front of a young lady. Ed, could I see you for a minute?” He motioned me into the hall. Katie stayed behind with Frank.

“I’m not making a mistake here, am I?” Mr. Schmidt asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Your father assured me I’m not, but I need to hear it from you. Katie gave me a copy of her transcript, your dad spoke well of her, and she was bright and attentive in her interview, so I hired her as a second shift tech. My concern is this – will working with her be a problem?”

“You mean because we know each other?”

“I gather you knew each other quite well at one time. John told me about you two yesterday, and Katie was very open when I asked how she knew you. She said you went steady senior year in high school.”

“Sir, that was a long time ago.”

“Five years isn’t that long. I remember being your age.”

“It was a friendly break-up, and we moved on. She even got married.”

“She’s an attractive young woman in the process of a divorce.”

“Mr. Schmidt, Katie and I both need these jobs. There won’t be a problem. It’s not that way with us anymore.”

“Listen, Ed. When people work together, they form some kind of relationship – hopefully congenial, but sometimes it’s more. I can’t stop a workplace romance. Can’t really say much since I dated a co-worker myself at one time. We’ve been married almost thirty years, so it worked out well.

I don’t care what you and Katie do when you’re off the clock, but I expect you both to focus on work when you’re here. Your dad said good things about you before I hired you, and so far you’ve proven him right. Don’t change that.”

“I understand.”