Employee of the Year

Chapter 36 - The Golden Parachute

The week of October 10. Four months after the murder. 

After the ceremony we huddled around my kitchen counter with our guests, sharing snacks, drinks, and stories. It was hardly the kind of place where you could feel comfortable entertaining friends, yet everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Larry arrived late, and I made him a whiskey on the rocks. Once he swigged his first glass and had a buzz going, he confided that he’d finally found a new job. He was planning to give his notice to quit Passion the following Monday.

“Where are you going to be working?” I asked.

“It’s a new venture,” he explained. “Remember Ram Ramaswamy, the computer expert who helped us with the identity thieves? Well, Ram is doing so well he decided to start his own consulting company focused on credit card fraud. He’s going to be based on the East Coast, but he offered me a job as lead investigator for an office here in LA.”

“That’s a great opportunity. Will he be hiring anyone else local?”

“Ram gave me budget for an assistant, some one to help with the investigation.”

“Have anyone in mind?”

“I’m hiring Hernando, Jaime’s son. I promised Jaime I’d help him out. He was worried about his keeping his son away from the S Gang. So I figured the best thing I can do is bring him on and train him in the security business. This way he’ll have a steady paycheck, and I’ll give him the skills to protect himself.”

“That’s really nice of you.” I said. It was true; I was happy for Jaime’s son. At the same time, I was disappointed that left no opening for me.

“He’s a smart kid, and he’s willing to work cheap since he don’t have experience. So it works out for both of us.”

“I’m sure Jaime is relieved.”

            “Oh, he is. I warned him that he and his cleaning crew better have some other contracts lined up. I am not sure how much longer they’re going to need them to be sweeping the floors at Passion.” When Gina stopped by, she apologized right off the bat that she could only stay for a few minutes before heading into work on the weekend. I knew she was scrambling, putting in extra hours, probably trying to figure out what she had to do to make sure ChetCastle wouldn’t put her out on the payment. She was the old boss’s pet assistant. They were usually first to go so the new boss could make a place for his own pets.

            “You didn’t have to do this,” Suzy said, holding up the expensive baby clothes Gina had bought from some baby boutique in the Del Amo Mall. I saw my wife discretely checking to make sure the tags were in the box. I knew she planned to return all the items.

“It’s my pleasure,” Gina said. “I know you’re going to be a great mother.”

It had been a long time since Suzy and Gina last met up in the restaurant during the Christmas party. I knew Suzy resented my co-worker back then for pulling me into her turbulent life. She thought Gina was using me because she’d made bad decisions about her own marriage and had no one else to turn to. She probably thought Gina used her charm to leech favors off of men whom she didn’t really care about. My wife had the wrong impression of Gina. She didn’t understand how Gina had helped me so many times at Passion. My wife hadn’t been out in the world for a while, she’d forgotten about the give-and-take that happens between friends in the workplace just to survive.

“I hope you’re not mad at me,” Gina told her. “I hope maybe we can be friends and you can let me spoil Reina.”

“I am not mad,” Suzy said. I didn’t believe her, but maybe she had changed. “I was just jealous when we met before. I thought you had such an exciting career. I was just sitting alone in my apartment every day, watching TV and getting morning sickness.”