Chapter 12: My First Employees

Rachel picks me up at 11, Saturday morning, so we can go to Carol’s for lunch. We get there, and she introduces us to her Dad, Mr. Paquet and her brothers, Darcy, Gabin, and Jean.

Darcy is a-year-older than Carol. Gabin is two years younger, and Jean is three years younger. We start getting into a discussion about Yarrows, where Mr. P works. I pipe up, “It is only a matter of time before their doors close for good. The government has given them some rather extreme tax breaks, but that isn’t going to last. Sure, the government has been giving tax breaks to all the shipbuilding companies in Canada, but things are changing. You know the government favours the east over the west. People are crying for the government to crack down and stop giving tax breaks to big companies. The first company they will crack down on is Yarrows. It would mean more business for the east coast companies, so they will not need as many tax breaks. Sure, Victoria would lose its 2nd biggest employer, but nobody in Ottawa cares about what damage it would cause BC. They only care about how much the east would benefit.”

The boys don’t seem to care for our conversation. They just talk among themselves and fool around. They do not care that they are disturbing our conversation and lack all respect. I do not blame Mr. P. He puts in long hours and is trying to raise four children on his own. The boys have just refused to face reality and grow up. It is easy to see why Carol has few friends. She has no time for them. She is clearly the woman of the house and is the only one keeping things together as her father strives to put food on the table.

Our conversation is a bit distressing to Mr. P. He knows how tenuous his job is, but there isn’t any other place he can work with his skills. He is a metalworker that tends to work with steel. The closest job openings are the other side of Canada in Ontario.

Mr. P says, “All we can do is cross our fingers and hope that doesn’t happen. It’s not like I can get a job anywhere else. We can’t afford to move across the country to where the jobs are.”

I state, “I would like to help out.”

“We don’t take charity.”

“Pride goeth before the fall Mr. P, but that isn’t what I meant. I was thinking more along the lines of hiring Carol so she can contribute financially. I have a business plan for another company. It will likely start up just as summer break starts. In the first year, I expect to only make 50k. Carol will get half that. After that, I expect between the two of us to make six figures. Unfortunately, since Carol is only 15, the child labour laws put severe restrictions on the hours she can work.”

“Why don’t you hire Darcy instead?”

“With all due respect, sir, you can’t ask that of me. Look at the way your boys have behaved since I have been here. If I hired him, the company wouldn’t last. I need responsible and dependable. None of your sons seem to fit.

“I realize that your family can’t function without Carol. Your boys need to learn how to fend for themselves. It works out beautifully. I have another problem that this could solve.”

“How so?”

“I started a company with Rachel. It is a patent-holding company for my inventions. I didn’t know if I could trust my family since I hardly knew them. I had no choice but to find a business partner that wasn’t a minor. With recent events, she will become quite wealthy. The unfortunate thing is, she has little to no responsibilities in the company, and I need her to feel useful.”

“How does that have anything to do with us?”

“She was forced to drop out of school for reasons, not under her control. She has one more year of school left. If she chooses to accept, I want her working part-time here teaching your sons to cook, clean and take care of the place. She is my foster sister and has a lot of experience motivating kids that have no reason to help out. She will whip your boys into shape, so your household doesn’t fall apart when I take Carol from you.”

I look over at Rachel. She doesn’t look happy, but she would never argue with me about this. She knows how much she owes me for getting her out of Fort Grand. I don’t want to take advantage of her either. I explain to her, “You are not going to be a slave or even their maid. You can come here and do your homework while getting the boys to help out around the house. As time goes on, you will be doing less and less. You can’t deny that you are the perfect person for the job.” She seems to accept that.

Mr. P asks, “So, how would this work?”

“You would have to give Rachel more control than you give Carol. She should have the right to discipline your children, should they not do as they are told. She should have the right to make up chore lists and ensure they are followed. She will also ensure they do their homework. From what I have seen, that seems to be lacking here too.”

Darcy states, “There is no way she is going to force me to do women’s work.”

Rachel replies, “Most janitors are men, as are most chefs. If you were in the military, you would be doing the same chores and expected to do it at a higher quality. So then, how is any of this woman’s work?”

That shut him up, and he started to pout.

I say, “I was hoping Rachel could start today and free up Carol for some much needed free time. Do you know she spends so much time on your family she was forced to grow up and has almost no friends? Before I showed up at lunch, she was relegated to sitting with a kid so geeky; the nerds wouldn’t have anything to do with him. Thankfully our group of friends has grown, and she deserves to be able to spend time hanging out with them.”

Mr. P acknowledges,” My boys could use a bit of discipline, and they have been without a mother figure for a long time. I suspect a nanny is something they could use, but I can’t afford to pay her.”

“I pay her plenty. It is an investment for me. If I didn’t find a way to help your family enough for me to be able to hire Carol, I would have to try and find somebody else I trust. That isn’t likely to happen any time soon. It would cost me a lot of time and money that I do not have to get my business off the ground.”

Carol cuts in, “All this talk about hiring me and you haven’t even told me what the job is.”

I reply, “I suppose I haven’t. I just assumed you would accept it since you seem to love your time in the woodshop.”

Mr. P asks, “So what is this company?”

“Building skin on frame boats and selling kits. I have a way of making the boats as durable as any other out there. They are lighter, and I have some designs that are faster. In the end, I intend to grow the company into other things. I will teach Carol everything she needs to know and intend to make her a partner. By the time she is ready for university, she can either sell her portion of the company back to me. By then, it should be enough to pay for her schooling. Or as I would prefer, she keeps on with the company, and it pays for her to get a business degree.”

Mr. P says,” You thought this all through long term, haven’t you.”

Rachel cuts in, “He tends to over plan things.”

I admit, “That way, I have no surprises.”

Mr. P asks, “When does Rachel start.”

“I was hoping; it would be right now. She can get Darcy to do the dishes. Gabin and Jean can clean up from their sleepover, while Carol and I go hang out with our friends.”

Mr. P states,” I guess it is settled.”

I say, “Not quite. I have a condition that adds a bit of responsibility onto your shoulders, Mr. P.”

“What is it?”

“I know Carol well enough to know that she will want to spend all the money she earns on helping the family out. She needs to spend more time and money on herself. I will give you her monthly pay statements. Part of her job will be to provide you with receipts. She is not to spend more than 50% of what she makes on the family. The rest she is to either put into savings or spend on herself.”

“Why are you doing this.”

“Purely selfish reasons. I have been through a few things and do not give trust easily. I trust Carol, and so, I want her to work for me. If this venture fails, I will start another. If the business thrives, I have somebody I can trust to take care of it. In all reality, I hope it doesn’t grow too large, and we can sell it, so she can eventually work for my main company. It would mean she can have a much better life.”

Rachel asks, “What would have happened if we didn’t all agree.”

I joke, “The lunch wouldn’t have been a complete waste. I told you that you would be busy until 7 tonight. No matter how the lunch went, I was going to spend the afternoon and likely most of the evening hanging out with an attractive woman I trust, whose company I enjoy. The only thing in question was which beauty would I have for the day. See, everything was purely selfish.”

Mr. P says, “I think I like your style of selfishness, young man.”

The rest of lunch is uneventful, just some polite conversation while the boys misbehaved. Carol didn’t know that I have planned for us to hang out with friends, so she has to get ready. I wait outside for her and Rachel joins me.

Rachel says, “You could have warned me I was going to be working today.”

“I suppose I should have. I’m sorry. I didn’t want to give anybody a chance to say no.”

“At least I didn’t have plans.”

“You never have any plans.”

She punches me in the arm, “I could have.”

“I know I said you would only be working part-time on weekdays, but I have something for you to do next Saturday.”

“Dare I ask?”

“You will like it. You need a friend, and Carol needs a big sister. I need you to take her for a spa day. Get her hair and nails done. Then take her shopping. Your main job is to have fun. It has been a long time since she had anybody show her how to be a girl.”

As Rachel and I are talking, I get my bike out of the trunk of her car. When Carol comes outside, we say our goodbyes, and we head off to Kim’s place. We are only there for a few minutes. Just long enough for Kim to introduce us to her parents and then we are off to the mall. There we meet up with Dahlia, who is accompanied by her and Kim’s friends. We really don’t do much. We just hang out at the mall.

For supper, we all eat at the food court. I don’t want Dahlia or Carol to feel selfconscious about me paying, so I used a trick from my first life. You could tell they were both hurting for money because they both went to Taco Bell. It’s the only place with a daily special. When the girls aren’t looking, I go right up to the teller and give her $200. I say to the teller, “This is for your next few customers. Just tell them that a nice woman already paid for them. Now pretend like I just asked for a rag to clean off our table, so nobody knows it was me.”

I used to do things like this in my first life. My favourite was when a group of friends, most of whom were starving students, went to a sit-down restaurant. I would get up in the middle of the meal, pretending to go to the bathroom. Approaching a waitress, I would pretend to flirt with her and palm her enough money to pay for everybody, including a generous tip in case anybody ordered more. My friends that didn’t have much for money wouldn’t feel guilty by me insisting I help them out. I made it about everybody, so they got the help they needed and didn’t feel bad about it. After a few times doing this, all my friends knew it was me. People just chalked it up to another one of my eccentric quirks.

I know Carol likes chicken. I also know Dahlia likes A&W onion rings. I go to KFC and get a four-piece meal then stop at A&W for two orders of onion rings. I barely touch my supper when I start complaining that I ordered too much. I give Dahlia one order of onion rings, and Carol two pieces of chicken.

What is a pleasant surprise to me is how civil Carol and Dahlia are to each other. All in all, we have a good time just being kids hanging out at the mall.

After we ate, the other kids go home, and I take Kim, Carol and Dahlia to an early movie. The three girls are the ones I am closest friends with, and I didn’t want the day to end so soon. The way the girls change up their rivalry is cute. They are no longer semi-hostile all the time. We get our seat, and before the previews are over. Carol curls up to my side, putting her head on my shoulder. Moments later, Dahlia does the same thing. Their rivalry has switched to that of one-upmanship. I don’t mind this kind of rivalry. In fact, I can see the benefit. It is cute, but it also makes it difficult for me to get at the popcorn or drink my coke. If this is to be the new norm, I will have to train them to feed me.

Dahlia’s Mom picks her up when the movie gets out. The rest of us ride our bikes to Kim’s and drop her off. Then I take Carol home. To say goodby, Carol kisses me on the cheek, then says, “Thanks for today and for all that you are trying to do for me. I just hope that my working for you will not ruin our friendship.”

“That is why you will not be working for me. You will be the manager and do most of the work. As such, you will own 49% of the company and will be paid in dividends. The faster you can make our company grow, the more money you will make.”

I kissed Carol on the forehead and take off.

Sunday, when Dahlia’s Mom drops her off, I am waiting in the driveway and invite them both in. We all sit and socialize. The first time there is a pause in the conversation, I say, “I know how difficult it can be to raise a child on your own. I also know it pains you that sometimes Dahlia has to do without. I do not want to insult you by offering charity, but I would like to offer Dahlia a part-time job while school is on and full time in the summer.”

Dahlia is curious because I haven’t talked to her about it yet. She asks, “Doing what exactly.”

I reply, “It depends on the day. The minimum would be cooking lunch and supper for me, my family and employees then cleaning around the house. In addition to that, there are times when I will need a secretary. There are times I will not be home and will need somebody to answer phones and book appointments. Maybe do some typing.”

Ms. Fells, Dahlia’s Mom, asks, “What do you need a secretary for and how many employees do you have.”

“I own my own company and am starting a second one. I currently have two employees. Technically they are partners. I expect both companies to grow. We don’t have an office, so I will likely bring in another phone line to the house. There will be a lot of time spent lounging around, but I will need somebody sitting by the phone for me. It may sound lame, but it is only a start. Eventually, I will need an executive secretary. If she wants to stay working with me, whichever company she ends up working for will pay for her to go to university. I need people I can trust, and I find that is a rare commodity.”

Ms. Fells ask, “Why my daughter? Surely there are other single parent kids in your class.”

I answer, “To start with, it isn’t just your daughter. I had lunch with the Paquets yesterday and offered Carol a partnership in a company she is well suited for. I also gave her the same offer for education. Other than that, it is because I do not make friends easily. I do not have the patience for most people. Once somebody is my friend, I am fiercely loyal. I like and trust Dahlia. It saddens me to see her have to put on her best old dress when her friends all show up in brand new ones. I need help, and you can use mine. Everybody wins.”

“How am I to know this is not just a ploy, so you can invite her into your bedroom without my knowing.”

Dahlia exclaims, “MOTHER!!!”

I reply, “Dahlia, it was a fair question. Your daughter will attest that I have made it abundantly clear I have no interest in a relationship at the moment. You can rest assured that I will not lie to you. You know how wonderful your daughter is and given time for me to heal, I will eventually stop hiding from girls. Bedding your daughter is by no means my intent in offering a job. Two bachelors live here, so we need help picking up after us. I am also going to be in desperate need of a part-time secretary. Your daughter is capable of providing everything I need. Besides, my bedroom is my office, and there is no lock on the door. If I were to do something in there, then any one of a number of people would end up walking in on us. There is no way we could keep that a secret.”