The Story of Silence (Book 3)

Chapter 9

Friday, March 10th:

The next day Silence was late for work, his alarm had gone off but he hadn't heard it. And in his rush to get to work he almost forgot to pay his taxi driver, a large man who could have made his business elsewhere.

He glanced at his watch as he entered Inks and Paper and headed towards the elevator, ten-thirty, two and a half hours later. Well, he thought, I might get away with it by putting in some overtime with the accounts. He was deep in thought with this that he hadn't noticed that someone had rushed over to join him in the elevator until they spoke.

'The new boss wants to see you in his office straight away,' the man told, interrupting him from his thoughts.

Silence frowned. I thought the new guy didn't start till next week?

The man shook his head. 'Well, apparently that's what the plan had been, but he talked it out with your uncle and asked if he could start today.'

Oh great! Thought Silence. When did he ask to see me? He wrote, suddenly worried that it had been when he wasn't there.

'Oh don't worry,' the man assured him. 'You won't be late. He's been seeing all the Members of The Board one at a time in his office all morning. He's only just asked to see you.'

Silence breathed out a sigh of relief. So he wouldn't get in trouble after all. Thanking the man he rushed off to his uncle's office the moment the doors dinged open. He reached the boss's door and counted to five before knocking. Inside he heard Oldwood say come in and he entered.

George Oldwood was seated in Silence's uncle's chair at his desk. Across from him sat one of the board members, one Silence recognised as Jonah Harret. Harret was looking extremely nervous, and as he glanced at Silence he gave a small smile of relief.

'We will continue with this conversation once I am done with Mr Mourner here,' George Oldwood told him, watching with his own slight smile as Harret's vanished.

Harret rose unsteadily to his feet and walked slowly to the door. He tried to give Silence a reassuring look as he passed, but it didn't work.

Silence breathed in as the door behind him closed, sealing him in alone with Oldwood, and then he took the chair that was offered.

George Oldwood ignored Silence by reading over a piece of paper on his desk. Silence thought that it was rude as he had dismissed Harret to talk to him, and now he was ignoring him. He was about to reach into his pocket for his notepad when Oldwood placed the piece of paper neatly in the Out Tray and placed his stare on Silence.

'Mr Mourner,' he began. 'Your uncle has handed his business over to me,' he said in his silky rich voice. 'That makes me your new boss, the person in charge of it all. And may I say that this place is a mess! I will be making changes to things that don't fit my taste of how a business such as this should be run immediately. That is why I have asked your uncle to let me start today, despite not all the details being complete.'

Silence waited for him to continue, and then realised that Oldwood was waiting on him to say or do something. He nodded. It worked and Oldwood continued.

'Which brings me to why I have asked you to join me this morning...'

Silence felt that if George Oldwood had been wearing glasses he would have been looking down his nose through them at him.

'You do more than just one job here, don't you, Mr Mourner?' Oldwood asked him.

Silence nodded, and went to write what he did but he was interrupted as Oldwood continued.