Chapter 55

We got to Fleming's at five before seven. Billy Ray and Kyle were waiting for us, outside the restaurant, with their wives. All the rest of us had come together in the stretch Lincoln I'd rented for Hans. I thought it would be a good choice for him, for the time he would be down here. It wasn't as big as our limo, but it held six people in the back compartment, easily. I think Hans was slightly miffed when Gerta elected to sit in the back with us, declaring that she was on her vacation.

We were seated almost immediately, and I certainly had no complaints about the service we received. We had two rounds of drinks before we ordered dinner, allowing all of us to relax and get to know each other. I had chosen to sit between Cindy and Joyce, in the center of a long table where they seated us five to a side. It wasn't crowded at all, because the table could have seated sixteen people easily.

Maravelle was a real beauty. She had black hair and eyes so dark they looked like they were black as well. She and her family had emigrated from Cuba in 1962, when Maravelle was just an infant. She had spent some years in Florida, before her father was transferred to Birmingham to open up a cigar shop for his employer. Doing the math, it appeared that Billy Ray was several years younger than his wife. It also appeared to me that they were still very much in love with each other.

Trudy was showing her pregnancy, but she certainly wasn't what anyone would call large or ungainly. She looked a lot better and happier than she had that night I'd met her, over at Gene's house. I think she felt less tension without her in laws being present. Kyle looked nervous and ill at ease. He was quiet and fidgety, moving around in his chair.

"Something bothering you, Kyle?" My question startled him. He'd been reaching for his water glass when I spoke, and he almost tipped it over, recovering it in time only with a deft and very athletic move.

"We bombed today. It was a massacre. I shouldn't say it was all bad, because Lenny Train opened twelve accounts himself, and Virgil had nine, but after those two it was pretty bad."

"You were only expecting an average of five accounts per salesman. Those two had twenty one new accounts between them. How bad could it be?"

"Three of my guys were shut out. One quit after three hours. By the time I got out there and saw what was happening, it was already too late to salvage much. I feel terrible about what happened. I really thought we were ready."

"What did the other four do? The ones who weren't shut out."

"Two did three each, Larry got four, and Terry got five. They all should have done better. I don't think they tried very hard. That's all I can think it could be."

"Kyle, you probably aren't going to find one salesman in five hundred who can do what you do. It comes easy and natural to you. I couldn't do it, and I've seen a lot of very successful salesmen that couldn't come close to doing what you do. If you try to judge their performance by what you could do, you're going to end up a very unhappy and frustrated boss. Getting thirty six new accounts your first day isn't a massacre. Ten or less would be a massacre. Fifty would have been a grand triumph."

"Forty one new accounts. I got five while I was showing the other two guys that were shut out how to talk to the buyers." Kyle seemed to be feeling a little better. I worried that he had seemed afraid of what my reaction might be. I tried to stay reasonable and tolerant about achieving goals. I knew too much pressure wasn't good for achieving sustained success.

"I was expecting about thirty. Forty one sounds like a terrific beginning, Kyle, something we can build off of. There is almost a certainty that their technique will get better once they get used to making their presentations. Another thing in our long term favor is that the snacks seem to be selling quite well. These small store owners are going to want to buy anything that moves off their shelves, and even more so when their profit mark up is above what they've been used to having. I'm pleased with your first day out there."

"They weren't all full sales, Kenny. Most were, but there were some half orders sold too. Maybe about ten of them."

"It doesn't matter. Remember, the goal was to get our product on their shelves and to open a company client relationship. As long as our location sales average comes out to about two fifty a month, we'll be very happy. You should concentrate on the positive more. I hope you gave out rewards to the two big producers who did a great job for us today?"

"I don't guess I did. I was really ticked at how the others fell on their asses. I should have done better with that. I know you're right about being positive, Kenny, but its hard for me to be happy when all those guys fell right on their asses."

"It isn't about you being happy, Kyle. You're the brains and the heart of your sales team. They look to you for leadership and inspiration. One of your biggest jobs is to get them back up and anxious to get out there again tomorrow, to do even better. You can't do that if you aren't telling them positive things, and helping them improve their skills. You need to be thinking of the long run, not a single day's performance."

"What can I say to the two guys who didn't sell squat today, the ones who didn't already quit?"

"If it was me, I'd tell them that it sometimes takes awhile, and then offer to go with them tomorrow to see if you can spot something they can work on to improve their results. They are the ones that you can use to refine your teaching techniques. The two that sold twelve and nine, they don't need your support as much right now, just some sign that their effort and results are appreciated. Concentrate on the others that need your help, until you can bring them up to an acceptable level of performance. This is about building a permanent sales team. What you learn here will help prepare you for your next group, and the one after that."

"No more talk about that, Kenny. Tell us what happened with Billy Ray's daddy today. I asked him to tell me and he said he can't. He won't tell me anything about his new job either." Vellie had just the tiniest hint of a Spanish lilt in her voice.

"Phil? Not much happened. He came in, we talked for a few minutes, and he decided to come back to work, starting tomorrow. The reason Billy Ray can't say much about what he's doing for me is because its very hush hush. I have trade secrets that I can't afford to have anyone else knowing. He helps me with keeping all the records for what I'm doing with grain sales and commodity trading. Those records are very important, and very confidential.

"One thing I will tell you though, is I'm real happy with the work Billy Ray's been giving me. I think he's going to surprise a lot of people with the way his career is going to take off in the next year or two. I consider Kyle and Billy Ray to be my two Macklinson's stars.

"Cindy too though. She's doing a great job helping us remodel the administrative offices, and I'm going to be sending her to Texas soon, to help me with an expansion project we're working on over there. I'm also raising her salary to forty thousand dollars a year, effective the first of next month."

Cindy beamed a bright smile at me for including her among my star Macklinsons. The pay raise went over well with her too. She tried to bombard me with questions about what I wanted her to do in Texas, but I told her it wasn't the time to be getting into it.

We took a rest while we all considered our menus. Just like I knew she would, Joyce leaned forward so she could see around me and asked Cindy what she wanted to eat. She did that all the time in restaurants. She could never decide what she wanted, so she'd keep asking people until someone mentioned something she thought she'd like. Cindy didn't even hesitate.

"Kathy Ireland." Joyce erupted in surprised laughter, delighted at the joke I'd gotten Cindy's help to play on her.

"Kenny took Tom Cruise and Sean Connery off the menu." Joyce had her hand on my knee and was rubbing me lovingly as she explained her laughter to the table.

"Where are you reading dears? We must not be reading the same menus." Mama seemed confused, which only added to our mirth.

"Kenny, if you took Sean Connery off the menu, then Gerta is going to be very upset with you. For years she prays that he comes down her chimney at Christmas." Hans was laughing and threw his arm around Gerta affectionately.

"It isn't my chimney I want him coming down on." Now Gerta and Mama were both laughing too. Hans looked undecided for a second or two, but then he joined in with them.

"What is this thing about Sean Connery? I don't understand what the big appeal is." I looked around, hoping for a sensible answer. Mama spoke up.

"Masculinity, Kenny. He exudes it. He's a throwback to a more primitive era in a way. There's something very compelling about a man you just know would take you if he chose to do it. Sean Connery makes women feel that he could. He looks like he would too." Mama seemed very certain of her words. I had the impression that she had given the matter a lot of thought, even before the subject had come up at the table.

"Okay, Joyce. Just for you, I'm putting Sean back on the menu for you. You have to handle all the arrangements though. I won't be involved in setting it up."

"Thank you, Kenny. This includes Shirley as well? She likes Sean even more than I do."

"You're kidding, right? The guy's in his sixties. I can't believe either of you would prefer him to me."

"Not to, Kenny, with. What a delicious sandwich the three of us would make. You just remember that you promised me. It's probably going to take a lot of work to get him to come to Kansas. If you back out after he gets here, Shirley and I are going to be mad."

While all this was going on the two Macklinson couples were staring at all of us like we were all Martians or something. I gathered that talking about fantasy threesome's with famous people involved wasn't their normal conversation in a public restaurant setting.

"Kenny, if Joyce does get him to come to your house, you let Gerta come and cook for him, Ja?" Gerta was pleading. She believed that Joyce might pull it off.

"Gerta, if he does come, I promise to let you come to our bedroom and watch the whole thing. You can even bring a camera and take pictures if you want."

"Kenny! Sean isn't going to let anyone take pictures. Gerta no camera. You can watch if you want. After Shirley and I get finished with him, you can even see if he'll give you a turn too."

Hans and I looked at each other. We both shrugged at the same time. That's when I noticed Mama. She looked like a school kid who knew the answer to the teacher's question but was fighting not to raise her hand.

"Mama, was there something you wanted to say?"

"No dear, nothing. If he does come, Joyce, I'm expecting that you'll bring him by so that Thomas and I might meet him. We've been big fans of his work for years. He's Thomas's favorite James Bond."

"I'm not sure how long he'll be able to stay, but, if he has the extra time, I'll bring him over. I better talk to the other wives too, especially Emily and Brenda. How about you, Cindy? Any interest in being the meat in a Sean/Kenny sandwich?"

Cindy just looked at her without answering. She was still tuned to the Macklinson wavelengths. I'm pretty sure she knew we were all just kidding around. I was pretty sure we were only kidding around. I didn't see any possible way Joyce could actually get Sean Connery to come to Kansas. If she did, I didn't think she could talk him into having a threesome with either her or Shirley, especially with another guy as the third person. I was pretty sure, but with Joyce, you could never absolutely count on anything being an impossibility.

When our waiter came over to take our orders, I was the only one not already fixed on a choice. I ended up having a thick rib eye steak. Gerta seemed disappointed that I hadn't ordered one of the more exotic menu offerings. I felt bad that I hadn't done my part and presented her with more of a challenge. I resolved to order a dessert, something rich and unusual, so that Gerta could have something to compete against.

I found out that Maravelle worked in her father's cigar store, and that Trudy worked as an office manager for an engineering company. Both enjoyed their jobs, but Trudy and Kyle had decided that Trudy would be a stay at home mother. In a way, Maravelle was a stay at home mom, because she and Billy Ray lived in a house right next door to the cigar store. Her parents lived in a smaller house situated behind their daughter's. I gathered, from what Vellie said, that it was her parents who owned both those properties.

It became apparent, during the meal that Kyle and Billy Ray weren't the closest of cousins. From what I was able to observe, Kyle seemed to look down on Billy Ray. Some of his comments suggested he didn't consider Billy Ray to be much competition, in any arena. I didn't like seeing that. While I would concede much to Kyle, I doubted that he had the temperament to do some of the tasks that Billy Ray managed handily. I was beginning to see what Gene had meant when he told me that Kyle was always a little too full of himself. It was one thing to be very talented, and quite another to be conceited about it.

"Kyle, I'm probably going to be in and out of the office quite a lot over the coming months. More than I had anticipated I would be, because of our new acquisitions. I'm going to need you to report your results through Billy Ray. He's my new administrator, and he'll be the same as me whenever I'm not in the office. If you need anything, or you have to get in touch with me, you'll need to go through Billy Ray."

"You said I only reported to you."

"That's correct. When I'm out of the office, Billy Ray is me. Whatever decisions Billy Ray makes are my decisions. It won't work if I'm out of the office and out of contact. I have full faith in Billy Ray's ability to act in my stead."

"You want me to take orders from Billy Ray?"

"No, I want you to take orders from me. Billy Ray will tell you what I want, when I'm not there to tell you myself. These aren't his orders, they're mine. He'll just inform you of them."

"I don't know if I'm going to like that." Billy Ray had looked away after Kyle voiced his objection to taking orders through him. Kyle's objection hung over the whole table. No one else was speaking, waiting to hear my response.

"What possible objection could you have? Billy Ray and I work hand in hand all day long. He knows what I want and need, because he sees more of the big picture than you do. Only because he's there when the big picture is being discussed. You need to think of Billy Ray and I as interchangeable parts Kyle, like Joyce and I. Joyce is my boss, but I tell people what to do, in her name, all the time. If I wasn't telling them the right things, she wouldn't keep allowing me to speak for her. The same thing goes for Billy Ray. If you refuse to take my orders from him, its the same as telling me you won't take my orders. Is that what you're telling me?"

I saw Trudy tugging at Kyle's arm. She understood that this was a power struggle. I hope she realized why it had come about. Lately, I had found myself coming down hard on people who were mistreating or speaking ill of other people that I knew. It wasn't usually something I got that worked up over. I wondered if the mood swings, lack of tolerance, and my sudden bad temper were at all connected with my hand shaking problems. I was right there during all of it, and at some detached level I was surprised by my actions and reactions. I didn't feel like I was fully in control of my moods anymore.

This whole day was almost a perfect example of that out of control feeling. I'd start off with good intentions and then say or do something to darken other people's mood. I hadn't needed to pick this fight with Kyle. Nothing positive would come of it.

While I was thinking these thoughts and waiting for Kyle's answer, I reached out to take a sip of my wine. My hand started shaking violently. I moved it back away from the wine glass and moved it down to my lap. Everyone had noticed my hand though. Joyce reached over and took it in both of hers and brought it to her stomach. It was the first time she'd reached out and tried to calm my hand. Before she'd shied away from it in fear.

"Sorry about that. It seems like I've picked up a hand tremor from somewhere. It will pass in a moment or two. I believe I was waiting for you to answer my question, Kyle."

"What was the question again?"

"I asked you if you were telling me that you wouldn't take my orders if they came to you from Billy Ray?"

"I've got no problems taking any orders from you. It just surprised me when you said Billy Ray would tell me what to do. You're the boss, Kenny. I know that."

"You're the boss too, Kyle, and Billy Ray is going to be a boss as well. We all have to work together to get the best results. We need to help each other, not worry about who is higher up than the next guy. In the next few years, all of us are going to make a pile of money, and we're going to help keep a lot of people working so that they can take care of their families and pay the bills. It isn't only us we're concerned with. Sometimes, we forget that we're all in this together, like one big body." I lifted up my shaking hand to show Kyle. "This is what happens when part of that big body starts doing things on its own, without thinking about how it affects the rest of the body. We don't want that. It isn't good. I've got a big enough problem with finding out how to get this damn hand to behave. I don't need any problems between you and Billy Ray. You're both important to me, and to my plans for this company. I want you to work together, with me, and with each other."

I was going to drop my hand back in my lap when it went back to normal all by itself. The effect was quite remarkable in its timing. Couldn't have been better, in fact, as perfect punctuation for what I'd been saying. It was almost like a symbol of what I'd been saying.