The Reluctant Assistant - Book One

Awakening Part 8

Later that afternoon, Jackson and Raymond were seated in the main dining room across from his parents. Jackson and Raymmond felt like they were under a heavy spotlight. Jackson at some point had his handkerchief out to mop his brow. Raymond automatically took it from him and swopped it with a clean from his pocket. His ears turned bright red when he noticed Jackson's mother looking at him.

"It was such a nice surprise to have you two come over." Beatrice Dealer smiled over at the two.

"Actually you..." he got no further, as Raymond had stomped on his foot to keep him quiet.

"It's nice to be here." Raymond smiled, "Jackson said you were renovating?" he steered the conversation into safer waters.

"Of course I must show you! I'm sure you'd understand my vision. Nobody else seems interested!" she said turning slightly toward her husband, who only winked at Jackson with a smirk.

Jackson poked Raymond in the ribs coughing 'kiss ass' into his napkin, while Raymond stomped much harder down on his foot to shut him up. The rest of the meal went relatively well, so well that Raymond was starting to relax. Nothing related to the company had come up, which he took as a good sign. 

Raymond cursed all the signs out there when he was holed up alone in a small study with Jackson's mother serving him tea some time later. Raymond was used to having these meetings with her when she was in town, but this time was different. It felt almost as if he'd done something wrong and was back in the principle's office. And now Jackson wasn't there, which he was afraid of, they were going to divide and conquer.

"Now, Raymond. How are we going to solve this problem with Jackson?" she asked turning her full attention to him

In the process of lifting his cup to his mouth, he immediately put it down. This woman is not one for small talk. He didn't know what to say, so he just kept quiet.

"I don't know what possessed him." she moaned. "He's such an embarrassment, honestly. I mean after six years and all." she trailed off.

"You know?" Raymond's eyes widened. He wasn't surprised by the fact that she knew he'd resigned, he was shocked that she knew the actual reason why. It's not like you can put in your resignation letter the reason for leaving is; asshole boss not knowing employees name.

"Everybody knows. That's why it's so much more embarrassing." she put her cup down on the table.

"I'm not going to say that I know what it felt like to find out that Jackson didn't even know your first name, but I can tell you that my son has a lot of faith in you and also cares a lot about you, Raymond." She took his hand. He looked down surprised and slightly confused, so he just sat there and listen as she talked, slightly in shock.

"Since he first took you on as an assistant, he seemed to start getting direction in the company. Almost as if he was interested in it again." she sighed. "By that time I'd already all but given up. He was impossible to be around back then... that was a difficult year for our family," she continued as a shadow crossed her face, her mouth tight. Taking a breath she pressed on, "Then, one day, he came into my office and threw a file on my desk and said he wanted you as his assistant. It was the first time I'd actually seen him so determined to get what he wanted again. He was always so apathetic, bending as the wind blew." 

Raymond wondered where all of this was going. He was very interested to hear about Jackson from his mother, though. He'd never really thought about what Jackson was like before he started working for him. By the time he'd survived his first year, he was just too elated that he never took much notice of the rumours of the previously doomed assistants. But hearing these things from his mother, made him seem more human, just like last night when he had a nightmare. Before he could carry on, she interrupted his thoughts.