Chapter 10: Tolerating Mrs. Collingsworth

Mrs. Collingsworth called on Thursday afternoon to confirm that she and "Tom' would come to view the space at 10 AM the next day. I told her to plan on staying for lunch. She responded that she didn't eat lunch.

"Did she think I would forget such an important meeting?" I asked Wanda

"She only called as an excuse to hear your voice."

I spent the rest of the day making sure nothing would go wrong. In addition to reminding Tom Pierce and Ralph Shepard that the meeting was scheduled for ten AM, I stopped at Ruby's desk and scribbled a note to Mr. Oldham, inviting him to join us for lunch.

"Do you always call you father Sir?" Ruby asked. I told her it was a practice I'd picked up while attending a military high school.

Thinking that I should refresh my memory of the layout, I asked facilities to open the door for me and went downstairs to wait for the kid with the key. The space we were proposing was one half of the first floor. There was a common lobby, staffed with an employee of our company.

Janice was one of many receptionists to hold the position since I'd been coming to the building. It was high turnover position, and I prided myself in remembering their names. In addition to greeting visitors, her main job was to make sure the company they were visiting was expecting them, and to direct them to the correct floor, depending on where the company they were visiting was located.

I stopped at the reception desk and asked her if she was going to be on duty at ten AM the next day.

She smiled and said, "Yes, Mr. Oldham."

"That's great! I'm expecting visitors," I said, and watched her smile again.

Behind the elevator was central receiving for the building, which we also staffed as a service to all tenants in the building.

On the other half of the first floor was the cafeteria, which was operated by an outside company, and open to all tenant employees and their visitors. We encouraged employees to access the cafeteria by the service elevator, but entrance through the lobby was also permitted.

The kid from facilities showed up with the key, but he was not a kid at all. I recognized him as Phil, the mail room attendant I'd had a run in 1 with on my second day of work at the company. I'd been fifteen at the time and he had to be eighteen or nineteen.

"Phil, I remember you from the mail room. Are you in facilities now?"

"I'm a maintenance man," he answered, proudly, and then adding as an afterthought, "Mr. Oldham."

He asked if I needed him to show me the space. I told him no, but to give me the key because I had visitors coming to see it the next day.

"I'll open it..." he began, but handed the key to me when he saw my open hand waiting for the key.

"Thanks, Phil," I said in a dismissive tone reminiscent of my senior year at C.M.A., when I was responsible for the conduct of thirty-one other teenagers.

The space had been vacant for over a month and the previous tenant had left a mess. In addition to broken pieces of furniture and equipment, there were worn places in the carpet, several ceiling tiles had been removed, and some of the walls showed signs of having suffered abuse. When I found a bag of trash that had been left, I cursed myself for not checking the space sooner.

The nearest telephone was located in the lobby. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself before approaching Janice. I couldn't fool her; she knew I was upset.

"Get a hold of Barker, Shepard and Pierce for me and put them on that extension over there, please." I said, speaking softly because there were three visitors waiting for their party to come and greet them.

Janice dialed Simon Barker's number and the extension was ringing before I got across the room to pick it up.

"Mr. Barker?"

"Yes, Sir," he answered, in a tone that told me he'd been warned by Janice to be wary of my present mood. Simon Barker was the head of Administration and I hadn't spoken to him since the cocktail napkin incident 2 when I'd taken Wanda under my protective wing.

"Simon, I'm in the vacant space on the first floor, and I could use some help clearing the clutter."

"Yes, Sir, I'll have the cleaning crew in there tonight. They'll..."

"Does facilities still report to you, Mr. Barker?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Do you still report Suzanne Oldham?"

"Yes, Sir, but..."

"Thank you, Mr. Barker. Suzanne won't like breaking the chain-of-command rule, but I'll see if she can persuade facilities to help me."

I heard him sputtering as I replaced the receiver in its cradle as quietly as possible.

"Ralph?" I asked, as soon as the next call came in.

"Yes Sammy, is there something... ?"

"I'm in the vacant space on the first floor. Do you know if the security deposit has been returned to the previous tenant?"

"Yes, yes, Sir, I ... yes, Sir, I authorized it. Why? Why do you ask?"

"Do you have a moment to join me on the first floor?"

"I'll ... yes, Sir, I'll be right there."

Janice was already dialing Tom Pierce's number.

"Tom, have you seen the condition of the vacant space on the first floor? I don't know how you could submit plans for the Collingsworth space without noticing the clutter."

"We work with tenants in the field all the time without visiting the actual space, Sammy. I suppose I should have walked through the first floor..."

He'd made a good point. It was common practice for his department to work with building drawings from all over the country. "I'll be right there," he said before I could tell him that I understood his point.

Three men came through the door leading from the cafeteria. In addition to Phil, there was an older man I recognized as the facilities manager, and the third young man was about Phil's age.

The elevator door opened, and Simon Barker walked into the lobby, looking ashen. He didn't look directly at me, but he glared at his manager of facilities. Both men were old enough to be my father. I considered telling them that I shared the blame for not discovering the clutter sooner, but decided this was not the time.

I watched them enter the space before removing my tie and entrusting its safekeeping to Janice. She smiled, meekly.

I overheard one of the visitors whisper to Janice, "who's that?" as I walked through the door leading into the space, but I wasn't interested in hearing her response.

The facilities manager was sending Phil to get a vacuum cleaner, broom and trash bags.

Barker, who had also removed his tie, told me that he would see to it that everything was made shipshape. I refused to leave until I was satisfied with the results of their efforts.

Ralph and Tom arrived, saw me carrying two broken chairs to the dumpster, and removed their ties. I told them it was not necessary that they help, but they were already picking up ceiling tile from the floor.

It only took an hour to clear out the tenant's belongings and vacuum the carpet.

"Thank you, gentlemen. It's not perfect, but it's the best we can do on short notice," I said as my way of dismissing the crew.

Simon Barker looked relieved as he and his facilities people filed out. Tom Pierce and Ralph Shepard hung back.

"Are we finished here?" Tom asked.

"Yeah, I need a minute to find the words I'm going to use tomorrow."

"Do you need an audience, Sammy?" Ralph asked.

"Yeah, that's a good idea. I may call on both of you if I run into trouble. I'm not concerned about Mr. Collingsworth. I'm sure he'll be able to visualize the finished product. It's his daughter-in-law that I'm worried about."

"I see what you mean. I remember her from the day the investors gave you the car," Ralph laughed.

"She'll raise questions none of us have heard before, and we won't know what she's asking. The sad part is that she pulls a lot of weight with Mr. Collingsworth. He brought her to the states after the death of her parents and her husband."

Ralph stifled a laugh.

"What?" I asked.

"Did she kill them?"

"I'm not sure," I said, and watched both men laugh openly now.

"Okay, here's how it's going to work. I'm not going to apologize for the present condition in here. Wanda and I will post signs that indicate where everything they've asked for will be located. Security of their inventory is a major concern, and Mrs. Collingsworth is fanatical about the temperature and lighting in the cutting rooms. They want to be in a position to expand into internet marketing as soon as it is possible.

"I'll call on you, Tom, to show them carpet and tile samples, finishes, and explain your design concepts. Ralph, I'd like you to give them an overview as to how our company supports all tenants with services. I'll try to portray an atmosphere of warmth and serenity they'll feel as soon as they move in."

"It works for me," Ralph quipped, and Tom echoed the sentiment.

My shirttail was hanging out, my hands were filthy, and I had stains on my shirt and pants as I collected my tie from Janice. I thanked her as I went into the cafeteria. The manager took my order for lunch to be served in the Oldham boardroom the next day, saying that he would add his personal touch, which was sure to impress my guests.

Administration reported to Suzanne. Sales and Engineering reported to Mr. Oldham. If word had reached either of them that I'd humiliated their reports and created a scene in the lobby, they didn't mention it at dinner that evening.

Mr. Oldham asked if I was prepared for my meeting, and I told him that I was.

I could not have been more wrong. Mrs. Collingsworth arrived at ten minutes after ten, saying that 'Tom' had been detained. It was apparently dress-down Friday at their company. Her designer jeans clung to her legs so tightly that they looked uncomfortable. Did she dare sit down? The thin yellow sweater was stretched across her cone shaped breasts, accented by the same black onyx pendant I'd seen before. I didn't look at her feet, knowing the heels extended her height by four inches.

Ralph held the door open, welcoming her inside the space and I followed, taking note that the design on her jeans defined the narrow shape of her ass.

I didn't get a chance to introduce Ralph and Tom. The door had barely closed behind us when she exclaimed, "This will not do!"

Mrs. Cynthia Collingsworth was through the door, heading toward her sports car before it dawned on me what just taken place. Her rude and sudden departure stunned me into thinking that I was asleep and a nightmare was in progress. By the time I recovered, she was shifting the Alpha Romeo into third gear.

I didn't see Mrs. Collingsworth until the following Wednesday, September the fifteenth. It was not for a lack of trying. I drove to her company, saw the sports car in the parking lot, and went inside to be told that she was in her cutting room and was not to be disturbed.

I was seething as I asked to see Mr. Tom Collingsworth. He came into the lobby, apologized for failing to make our appointment, but he would not apologize for his daughter-in-law's behavior. I refrained from showing my rage and left, mindful that he and Mrs. Collingsworth had two million dollars each invested in a trust with no tangible assets. They could persuade the other investors to vote to dissolve the trust on a whim, and demand the return of their money.

Suzanne had heard what happened and was sympathetic. I let her tell Mr. Oldham how Mrs. Collingsworth had made me look like a bungling dunce. His reaction was predictable. He told me it was a valuable learning experience.

Marcie was the only one I spoke to all weekend. She tried to cheer me up. I told her it was no use and we ended the call early.

After receiving another rebuff from Megan's mother, I informed her that I would stop trying to speak with her daughter. She told me it was a good idea and that she was glad I'd come to my senses.

At Mr. Oldham's Monday morning staff meeting, I suggested that we gut the space on the first floor to make it show better.

"Are you giving up on attracting the Collingsworth Company, Sam?" Mr. Oldham asked.

"No Sir, but the space is not in rentable condition now. I think we should make it appear workable."

Mr. Oldham offered to inspect the space. I thought he meant that he would stop by when he was leaving the building. It surprised me when he invited his staff members to come along. He and Suzanne led the way. The rest of us followed.

I still had the key from the previous Friday. I stepped aside to let Suzanne go in first. "My God! It's disgusting! No wonder Cynthia left in such a rush," Suzanne said as soon as she saw the missing ceiling tile and holes in the walls.

"You should have seen it before Sammy had us clean it up," Tom Pierce said.

Ralph Shepard was unusually quiet, probably holding his breath waiting for Mr. Oldham to ask if the former tenant's security deposit had been returned. Even I was glad that the question of the deposit being returned didn't come up.

"You're quite right, Son," Mr. Oldham said. "This area needs to be gutted before we can attract a tenant. Simon, have Mack get quotations and make his recommendation to Sam as to which contractor he prefers to do the work."

I was not sure awarding a demolition contract fell within my job description of special projects, but that is how I met and worked with Daniel McDonald, the facilities manager that Simon Barker had failed to introduce me to the day I'd recruited his help in cleaning up a mess.

Mr. Oldham's staff meeting was effectively adjourned. As soon as I got to my office, Wanda came in and closed the door. She had some news for me. Word had spread about the tall woman walking out on me without giving me an opportunity to explain about the condition of the space. She laughed as she told me it had taken until two PM before employees became brave enough to raid the sandwich tray left in the boardroom.

"By two-thirty, nothing was left but the tray," she giggled.

Her gay mood disappeared in a second. "I don't know if I should tell you this."

It was more of a question than a statement. "What?"

"Ruby came to see me last Friday. She'd overheard Simon Barker's assistant talking to someone else in the ladies room," Wanda said, pausing to see if she should continue.

I nodded, eager to hear what was coming next.

"Simon Barker was beside himself when he returned to his office last Thursday. He said, 'It's one thing for me to have to report to the old lady. Now, I've got the kid giving me orders. It may be time to put my resume' in circulation.'"

I didn't like what I was hearing. I'd been working full time for two months and already alienated a highly respected executive. However, that's not what bothered me. Simon Barker had referred to Suzanne as the old lady.

"If last Thursday upset Simon, what just happened will really piss him off. Mr. Oldham told him to have his facilities guy work with me on a special project."

"Oh, my God! Ruby came to me because she wanted you to know. Please don't do anything rash, Sammy," she said as she got up to leave.

"Find a way to let Ruby know that I appreciate the information," I said without letting on that I'd heard her warning.

Daniel McDonald called for an appointment. I told him to meet me in the engineering department. Tom Pierce helped us mark up a set of prints to define what was to be demolished and removed from the first floor space.

I was impressed with the way Daniel worded the requests for bid. He took precautions to minimize the disruption to other tenants in the building by stipulating that the majority of the work was to be performed on weekends or at night. He told me that contractors needed the work, and would abide by the restrictions he placed on them.