Epilogue

Chris and I had our meeting that Monday morning and we talked about a lot of things. He told me that he really admired how I had proven myself as a manager. He said he couldn't believe the way I had worked so hard and sacrificed so much to make his stores successful. He also apologized again for some things he had failed to understand. He just assumed that I was okay with things the way they were since I hadn't complained about the overwhelming challenges.

He didn't need to remind me that he was President/Owner and General Manager of all the stores but he brought it up anyhow. Then he told me that it was becoming too much for him at his age (he was over 60) and he wanted to relieve himself of some of the pressures he had to deal with.

I didn't know where he was going with this until he finally asked me, "Ed, how would you like to become General Manager of all my stores? It means you won't be selling anymore, but you will be training all the salesmen in all the stores. You will also oversee the operations of the stores along with managing the inventories. I'll provide an automobile, give you a credit card to cover your expenses, and pay you $75,000 a year. I might even work out some sort of arrangement for quarterly financial incentives as I see the sales volume grow. How does that sound to you?"

I sometimes fail to control my quirky sense of humor, and in this case I responded, "How does it sound to me? Hum a few more bars. I think I'm beginning to like that tune."

I wasn't sure he understood my attempt at humor so I quickly added, "I am flattered that you would ask, Chris, and I would look forward to the challenge. Thank you for having the confidence in me to offer me the job. When do you want me to start?"

"Would two weeks from today be okay with you? I'll need to make some changes, and they will take me about that long. In the mean time, take a vacation. You deserve it, and Mike can continue to handle your store. Besides, I think I'll make Mike the manager and send over some other salesmen to cover the schedule."

I started my new job two weeks later, but I didn't tell Colleen that it was going to happen until the day after she moved back into our home. That was the day I brought my new BMW home for the first time. I saw the look of panic on her face as she asked, "How on earth can we afford a car like that, Ed? What are you doing with it and what's going on?"

I decided it was time to come clean about my new position. Was she happy to hear the news? Suffice it to say... she about wore out her "key" to my heart again that night.