Chapter 23: Clouds on the Horizon

October 27, 1981, Chicago, Illinois

When I left work on Tuesday, I was still very concerned about Monroe and what might happen. As Nick and I had discussed, Suits almost always got their way, and I was ‘just’ a mailroom clerk. Fundamentally, I knew Mr. Spurgeon could order me fired just to make Monroe happy, and there was little or nothing I, or anyone, could do about it. I thought about calling Uncle Alec, but I suspected even he couldn’t change the course of events, which meant all I could do was keep doing my job and wait for the chips to fall.

I cycled home, realizing that very soon it was going to be cold and rainy, and I’d have to switch to the L to get to and from work, which meant getting exercise another way. There was a gym at Spurgeon, but ‘support staff’ could only use it very early in the morning, so I’d have to be at work before 6:00am to work out. I could go to the coffee shop afterwards and read the newspaper or study, so the time between my workout and starting work wouldn’t be lost.

At home I took a quick shower, made a simple dinner, and after I had eaten, left to meet Anala for coffee at David’s in Bridgeport. She was waiting in a booth when arrived, and after I greeted her and sat down, I ordered coffee and a piece of apple pie.

“How are things going?” she asked once the waitress had left.

“OK, except for a bit of trouble at work yesterday and today.”

“What happened?”

I explained the sequence of events, doing my best to state only the facts.

“I don’t see how you could have done anything differently without upsetting your boss, and right now, he’s the only one who is at least partially on your side.”

“Partially?”

“Do you think he would risk his job to save yours?”

She had a very good point.

“No, I don’t think he would. All I can do, really, is to keep doing my job.”

“Which is what you should do, but you should also carefully begin looking for a new job. I know you like working there and see a way up the ladder, but you need to take the necessary steps to protect yourself.”

“You’re right,” I sighed. “That is not what I want to do, but I guess I have to. It’s just that I think it’s going to be tough to find something. I’ve never looked for a job like this before, and I’m not even sure how I would start.”

“Have you ever created a résumé?” Anala asked.

“No, but in one of our classes in High School we learned how to do it. But that was years ago.”

“I can help you,” Anala said, taking a notebook from her bag. “Let’s start with listing all your jobs, even part-time or things like mowing lawns.”

“From age thirteen to fifteen, I mowed lawns and shoveled snow. At fifteen I got a work permit and started working for a landscaping company on weekends, and a lumber yard after school. During the Summers I worked for a feed lot during the mornings, and the lumber yard or landscaping in afternoons and evenings.”

“OK. We need the names of the places, the names of your supervisors, and how much you made per hour. Start with the lumber yard.”

“84 Lumber, where my boss was Mr. McGhee. I was making $3.75 an hour when I left to come to Chicago.”

“What was Mr. McGhee’s first name?”

“Gerald,” I replied.

“When did you start there?”

“It would have been December of 1978.”

“And you worked until when?”

“May of 1981. That’s when I quit all three jobs, right after graduation.”

“OK. And the others?”

“Harris Landscaping, where the boss was John Harris, and I made $3.45 when I left there. Goshen Farm Supply where my boss was Hank King, and I made $3.55 when I left.”

“OK,” Anala said, nodding. “What’s your current job title?”

“Mailroom Clerk.”

“Pay rate?”

“$7.00 per hour.”

“Boss?”

“Jack Nelson.”

“What’s his title?”

“Facilities Manager, but obviously I can’t use him for a reference.”

“No, but you put him down. Do you have phone numbers for the companies?”

“No, but I could get them.”

“You don’t need them for the résumé, but if they ask for references, you will. Who would you use for personal references?”

“My Uncle Alec, for sure.”

“Usually you can’t use relatives.”

“Hmm. Then Bev’s dad, Roger Newton. I’m not sure who else I could use.”

“A teacher you liked who knows you?”

“I was only a mediocre student, but there was one teacher I got along with, Mr. Bell, the shop teacher.”

“First name?”

“Uhm, I honestly don’t remember, but I can get it from my mom, I’m sure.”

“It would be in your yearbook.”

“I never saw the point of paying $50 for a book of pictures of people I didn’t really know and didn’t really care about beyond having to go to school with them. $50 would pay the utility bills for a month.”

“Do you have a typewriter?”

“An old portable that I used to type my papers in High School. It works fine, though.”

“OK. Let me rewrite the notes in the correct order, and then you can create a résumé. Just type it up in the way you learned, then I’ll review it for you and you can create one that you can copy and send out. You can check the ‘Help Wanted’ section in the newspaper, or just send the résumé to firms that would have mailrooms — law firms, investment firms, and so on. You can find them in the Yellow Pages or White Pages, or ask around, carefully, obviously. And write a cover letter that says why they should hire you as a mailroom supervisor.”

“That’s going to take some time, obviously.”

“Yes, it will, but you’re being proactive. Hopefully, you won’t need it, but if you do, you’ll have a head start. And worst case, it’s good practice for the future.”

“I feel like I should tell my uncle about this.”

“That’s up to you, obviously, but it’s probably better to keep this to yourself right now, so that it doesn’t get back to your boss, or worse, the owner of the firm.”

“But isn’t it possible someone I send a résumé to will tell him?”

“I suppose it is, but from what I understand, nobody does that because it would mean nobody who was employed would be willing to send a résumé because of the risk.”

“That makes sense, I guess. I’ll do it because I have to have some kind of backup plan.”

“Do you have enough savings to tide you over?”

“I could maybe go two months,” I replied. “I’d probably try to find a part-time job doing manual labor, or something like McDonald’s, to make my savings last longer.”

“I would suggest you conserve your resources in the short-term, until you have savings that would last you three months without taking an interim job. Basically plan for the worst, and if the worst doesn’t happen, you haven’t lost anything, and your savings are better established.”

“I’m pretty conservative with my spending,” I replied. “Including being careful how much I spend on dates.”

“I’ll treat tonight, and once you’re sure of the future, you can treat.”

“Trying to make sure I want to see you again?” I asked with a smile.

Anala laughed, “You do need to so I can review your résumé for you, but as I said, I do like you and enjoy talking with you. Changing subjects — how are things with your girlfriend?”

“I haven’t managed to get into the dog house just yet,” I chuckled. “But I’m not going to purposefully do something that would upset Lily. That would be the epitome of stupid!”

Anala laughed softly, “I’ve found that men have a great capacity to do foolish things.”

“Bev said something similar when some guys down the street ended up in the hospital after trying to jump a creek in one of the hollers back home in their car.”

“Holler?”

“It’s spelled ‘hollow’ and means a small valley. You can hear it in Coal Miner’s Daughter by Loretta Lynn. She refers to Butcher Hollow, Kentucky, but pronounces it ‘holler’ just as I did.”

“Ah, yes, OK. I’ve heard that song and just assumed it was the name of the town.”

“It is, just not spelled the way it sounds.”

“So like much of English, then?” she asked with a silly smile.

“I suppose so. What language did you speak in India?”

“Gujarati. It’s one of the top twenty-five most spoken languages in the world.”

“Sorry if this sounds ignorant, but is that the language of India?”

“No, just Gujarat State. Hindi is the most widely spoken, then Bengali. But English is more widely spoken than any of the other languages besides those two. I think it might even be more widely spoken than Bengali, but I’m not sure.”

“Because of the British, right?”

“Yes. Hindi and English as basically the official languages, but each state uses their own native language as well.”

“State like in the US?”

“Not quite; the various states have differing levels of autonomy, and there are also six ‘Union Territories’ which are governed by an administrator appointed by the Indian President.”

“How many states are there?”

“Twenty-two.”

“We learned very little about how other countries are governed in High School. I didn’t even know India had states.”

“So do Mexico, Germany, Brazil, and many other countries. And of course, provinces in Canada operate like states. These are things you’ll need to know if you’re going to get involved in global investing and money management.”

“One step at a time! First I have to keep my job and get promoted!”

“Yes, of course, but never lose sight of the long-term goal. That’s why you’re studying and reading the appropriate newspapers and magazines, right?”

“Yes.”

“When you have the resources, The Economist is perhaps the best weekly news magazine on the planet. It will give you much more information about the world than something like Newsweek.”

“It’ll be next Summer before I can spend any additional money on something like that. But it’s a couple of years before I’ll be in a position where I need that knowledge for work.”

“You might consider taking a course at Circle. I’m sure you’d qualify for financial aid, and a class in accounting, political science, or history would be very helpful, each in their own way. You should look into that.”

“Someone else suggested the same thing, and I said that was something to think about next Summer.”

“You really should ask about financial aid, because you might even be able to go for free. And that would be something you could put on your résumé which would be a big help. Even enrolling and saying you were enrolled would help. Call them tomorrow on your break and speak to the admissions office. They’ll set up a meeting with an admissions counselor who could explain everything to you. Your goal is to make yourself as attractive to new employers as possible.”

“You’re being awfully insistent,” I replied.

“Because you’re naturally very conservative, which I understand given your past. But it’s good advice, Jonathan. What you do with it is up to you.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound as if I didn’t appreciate it. I just wondered why you were pushing so hard.”

“It’s in my best interest for my friends to do well and be successful. I hope you consider yourself my friend.”

“I do, despite being so touchy about religion.”

Anala laughed softly, “And yet you just brought it up.”

“Only to apologize again for my bad behavior.”

“It’s in the past and forgotten. When do you think you can get a draft of your résumé completed?”

“Probably over the weekend. Could we meet again next Tuesday?”

“Absolutely! Make sure you tell your girlfriend so there aren’t any misunderstandings!”

“That’s probably the best advice of all!”

October 28, 1981, Chicago, Illinois

On Wednesday nothing was said at work, and I didn’t think it was in my best interest to ask. In the end, it was going to come down to how much of a stink Monroe made and what Mr. Spurgeon did about it. I was fortunate that on my two mail runs, Monroe wasn’t in his office, and I studiously avoided saying anything at all to his secretary. I also was very careful about what I said to Sharon and Rachel, though both of them knew the rules and were being just as careful.

I had lunch with Rachel, but it was becoming increasingly awkward because I was seeing Lily and I knew how Rachel felt about me. I had an excuse to leave early so that I could call Circle and make an appointment to see an admissions counselor. I was able to arrange one for Saturday afternoon, and I was sure that Lily would join me if I asked her.

When the workday finished, I clocked out and made my way down to the loading dock as quickly as I could to get my bike. I hurried home, showered, and set the table before Lily arrived with the fixings for dinner. We exchanged a kiss and then began preparing our meal.

“On Saturday, after laundry and grocery shopping, I have an appointment with an admissions counselor at Circle.”

“You decided to go to college?”

“Not yet, but I’m thinking about taking a class. My friend Anala convinced me it was a good idea because of some stuff going on at work.”

“Trouble?”

I shrugged, “Maybe. One of the traders got his nose out of joint because he was called on the carpet for not following a policy about not moving computer equipment. He tried to blame me, but I was doing what I had been told by my boss, so then the guy made up a bunch of lies to try to get me in trouble.”

“Trouble as in maybe being fired?”

“Yes. My boss said not to worry, but there’s a history at Spurgeon of the Suits always getting their way.”

“My dad says there are two different sets of rules — one for normal people and one for people who think they’re special, like politicians, famous people, and company owners.”

“My next door neighbor’s dad always said the same thing — the government makes rules they don’t have to follow, and I think that’s true for people who own companies, too. But so long as they control the police or pay our salaries, there isn’t much we can do about it.”

“Vote?”

“Sure, but then you just change who gets the benefits. I mean, sure, some stuff the politicians do is good, but they also seem to be very corrupt. I read the Tribune and there are stories every week about some kind of corruption. But, in the end, we have to find a way to deal with it. So I’m taking the steps Anala advised — creating a résumé and possibly enrolling in a class, assuming I can get financial aid. Come with me?”

“Sure. That’s probably where I’ll go next Fall, but I’d go just because you asked.”

“Will you do anything I ask?” I teased.

Lily laughed, “I know you well enough you’d never ask me to do anything illegal or outrageous! And if you’re asking for a blowjob, I’ve never done that but I’ll try! I really like when you put your tongue in me!”

I laughed, “I was teasing, not thinking about anything specific! And I really like to put my tongue in you!”

“And your big dick!”

I chuckled, “That, too.”

“I know what we’re doing after dinner!”

“What about Friday?”

“Yes!” she giggled. “Oh, wait, you meant going out?”

“Yes. Though I need to be careful about my spending.”

“Because you’re worried about your job?”

“Yes.”

“We can go to IIT — they’re showing Love at First Bite for $2. And they have a small restaurant they call ‘The Bog’ where they have really good but inexpensive burgers.”

“Sounds like a plan to me!” I agreed. “On Saturday evening I’m hanging out with my friends Stuart, Tom, and Dustin. You’re welcome to join us.”

“Doing what?”

“We usually hang out at Tom’s place and watch college football or some other sporting event. His place is in Bridgeport.”

“I’ll check with my parents. They were a bit antsy about it last time because they’re all out of High School.”

“What about Sunday dinner with my uncle? I could call and ask if it’s OK for you to join us.”

Lily laughed, “Is that like meeting the parents?”

“I’d say it’s that serious given what we’re going to do after dinner!”

Lily smiled, “I wasn’t objecting! I want to be your girlfriend, so meeting your uncle and aunt is a good thing in my book!”

“Of course, there’s my cousin Lisa, too. Her you’ll just have to ignore.”

“How old is she again?”

“Twelve.”

“Oh, God! I see the sixth and seventh graders and can’t believe I was ever like that!”

“Just ignore her and you’ll be fine. I’m sure she’ll make some kind of snide remark. She had a fit because one of her friends had the audacity to talk to me!”

“Another twelve-year-old?”

“No, her friend Jeri, who’s fifteen. Lisa is basically a spoiled brat and my uncle pretty much lets her do whatever she wants. And what she appears to want is to be a bitch.”

“No wonder you wanted to move out of your uncle’s house so quickly!”

“Mostly it was because I want to do as much of this on my own as possible, but her attitude pushed me to do it perhaps sooner than I otherwise might have.”

“I’m not complaining!” Lily said, giving me a quick kiss.

“Me, either!”

We had a wonderful dinner, cleaned up the kitchenette, and then got into bed. Lily kissed me on the lips, then scooted down and grasped my semi-flaccid dick.

“Why call it a ‘blowjob’ if you’re supposed to suck on it?” she giggled.

“I have NO idea!” I replied.

“I’m pretty sure I can’t get the whole thing in my mouth.”

“The head is the most sensitive part, anyway. Suck, bob, and use your tongue and you’ll make me cum for sure!”