Chapter 45

A few days later, when things have calmed down, I’m at work and notice a kid in his early 20s working with Kevin and his dad. I call Dahlia into my office and ask her, “Who is that with Kevin and Declan?”

“He’s the RM you were looking for. He has been working here for three days now. I didn’t want to bother you about it because of everything else going on. You aren’t mad, are you?”

“Not at all. As the executive secretary, such things should fall under your purview.”

“There you go with your strange vocabulary again.”

“Next time you decide to take more responsibility, let me know. I will likely say yes, but there is a chance I will say no or that it will be a one-time thing. Our sales team has many different responsibilities; they will need more people, so keep looking. Just from now on, after you interview them, give me the option to yay or nay it.”

“Sure thing, Boss.”

“Is there anything else?”

“Yes, you have surpassed my expectations and do a far better job than I could hope for. I’m going to push you a bit and see just what you are capable of.”

“Uh oh, what does that mean?”

“Until now, you have been doing mostly secretarial stuff. An executive secretary is much more than that. The job of an executive secretary is to take the orders of the company president and find a way for them to be fulfilled. When I say, I want everybody in our companies to be able to do the job of their boss as well as their subordinate; it’s then your job to go around and help people find a way to make it happen.”

“I think I get it.”

“Good, make it happen. I want all senior staff to be able to do the job of their subordinates and their supervisor. I want a few grunts to be able to take on the position of supervisor when needed. Summer is coming. We are about to hire a bunch more people. People are going to quit without notice and people will be going on holidays. We need to be prepared.”

“I’ll get right on it.”

“One more thing. Everybody knows how their division or company will be expanding. Get a list of job openings, how many people we need to hire, and what they will be doing. Ask around and see if any of our parents want a temp job doing human resources work. We can’t have the entire company being teens.”

Dahlia laughs and says, “I can tell you right now that Moira’s mother will jump at the opportunity. She thinks you are evil, and there is some big conspiracy happening. She wants a way in so she can spy on us.”

“We have nothing to hide. If she does the job reasonably well, then she can have it. Call her in for an interview. I suppose we need to make exceptions to the cycle training. Shift supervisors and labourers are exempt. They are allowed to participate, and if they ask, they will be given the time off to do so. If we make everybody do it, there will be too many people, and I am not buying that many bikes. Encourage competitive sport. Anybody that needs time off for a tournament gets it. If they have a training schedule, try to accommodate it.”

That Wednesday, Carol got her cast replaced with an arm cast. She can use her hand and doesn’t have the cast extending over her shoulder anymore. We all go out to celebrate.

Things go smoothly, and nothing special happens until the last month of school. That is when we start hiring university students that come home for the summer. Mrs. Papadakis is surprisingly effective in the HR role.

We start a major advertising campaign for the boat business and patent-holding company. We also start getting ready to advertise our new carbon-fibre road bike. Alva, riding around on hers, does wonders recruiting people to help us build new ones. Many competitive cyclists joined us in hopes that they can get one.

My first life, I thought that having a Jr. high school grad was a little funny. This time, I don’t even think about it until one day at work, Carol comes into my office excited, saying, “I get my cast off the week of grad. Can you take me to grad, PLEASE?”

“Do you know how disappointed the other girls will be if I go with you and don’t take them?”

“Then take all of us. I’m not missing grad, and I’m not going without my boyfriend.”

“Shit, how am I supposed to find a romantic way to ask the other three girls.”

“Why do you keep referring to us as girls? It makes us sound like a group of toddlers.”

“What am I supposed to call you?”

“I don’t know. We are as close as sisters are, and we do everything together. Why not call us sisters?”

“If that is what you want. So, how am I supposed to ask your sisters out on our group date.”

“DAHLIA”

Dahlia comes into my office, wondering why Carol would yell for her like that. She tentatively asks, “Ya?”

“He is pulling the, ‘we can’t because of your sisters’ shit again.”

Dahlia puts her hands on her hips, standing like a woman in disappointment, and asks, “What is it this time?”