Reflections [Complete]

Chapter 2

I have never been more riveted at a picture of random graphs and plots before, but I feel the credit must go to the speaker. I am not exactly sure why but I was getting this perverse pleasure in pushing him out of his comfort zone to see how he would react. He had definitely dressed more formally for the presentation, except it was slightly worse than what he wore on regular days. The jacket he had thrown on was wrinkled and maybe a little stained at the bottom right, like it hadn't met the insides of a dry cleaner in a decade. Then there were the pants that were clearly two sizes too big for him, making his belt work overtime to keep them hanging low over his slender hips. But keeping the shoddy clothes aside, he didn't seem to really have a problem getting up there and talking to the crowd.

Sure there were some basic tell tale sign of a person not thrilled with so many eyeballs on them. He avoided making any eye contact, he spoke a little faster than normal, he bounced on the balls of his toes every now and then, but overall he did a much better job than I had expected. He had a soothing voice, a little softer than I preferred but he spoke without stuttering, without hesitation. He clearly knew his stuff and he could put it across to his audience without overwhelming them with unnecessary information. All the man needed was a little grooming and he could easily sky rocket up the corporate ladder. That and some self-confidence. But I have a feeling the second one might be a much harder challenge.

Not two minutes after he had wrapped up did he once again rush to leave the room and hide behind his chair. He was definitely an interesting character. This would have been precisely the time he should have stuck around to suck up to me, get some commendations on a job well done, but he was apparently adamant to never get noticed by his boss.

Too bad for him, notice him I had and the more I saw, the more intrigued I got. If he truly was the hidden gem drowning in the sea of dullness that I think he is, I will enjoy polishing him and presenting him to the world. But obviously grabbing him by the collar and shoving him in lime light isn't going to work, especially since looking at his pale face it is quite apparent that he isn't a fan of any form of light. Hence, we begin all the way at step one. That is getting to know the man first.

"Everyone, I just wanted to say something quick. I really appreciate all your hard work and extra hours you had to put to meet the new launch deadline. So lunch is on me today as a way to say thanks. Let's head out around noon ok?"

The short announcement was met with a round of cheers and applause and I smiled at my employees before pointedly turning towards him, where we briefly made eye contact before he quickly averted his eyes and walked away to his desk. As loud as company lunches get I am sure if I maneuver myself correctly I can find a way to sit close to him and probe away at a few questions. Except when we showed up at the restaurant I recognized everyone there with a very distinct exception.

"Hey KC is everyone here already?"

"Yup."

"Ummm....someone seems missing."

"No, I think everyone is here."

"I don't see Kong anywhere. I wanted to talk to him about his presentation today."

"Oh right. Kong doesn't come out to eat. He brings his own lunch."

"He never comes out?"

"Hmmmm, don't know for sure, but he hasn't ever joined for lunch whenever I have been there."

"Why not?"

"I think he is allergic to certain foods. So he prefers to eat his own lunch and not risk restaurants. I don't really know though. He is the super quiet type so I haven't ever spoken to him too much."