Dinner with God

Chapter 5 - An honor

June 9th 1971

As soon as you’re in, I would like to see you in my office, the note attached to Johns locker said.

There we go, he thought. With a sign, he slammed the door of his locker shut, and then zipped up his jacket, as if that could protect him from what was to come.

‘Buddy…’ Evan said, while placing his hand on John’s shoulder in comfort. ‘It was an honor to work with you.’

John punched him in the chest. ‘You’re such a jerk.’

John wanted to smile, but he couldn’t. He had a very bad feeling about this. He had forgotten to deliver a package and Decker was probably the least forgiving man on the planet. People had been fired for much less, over the past years. In an attempt to save his reputation and his career, John had gotten up extra early to deliver the package, but the flower shop had still been closed. He had no other choice than to face the facts, and with that, the consequences.

John opened the door to Decker’s office, but the only thing he saw was the back of his chair. It instantly told John how this would go down. Decker would slowly turn his chair around the second John had closed the door. He would give him a cold, silent stare for minutes. Psychological warfare.

Somewhere, deep inside, John had a little sparkle of hope that Decker would surprise him – in a good way – but of course, he didn’t. Immediately after John had closed the door, his boss turned around, excruciatingly slow, and the staring game begun. John decided to put up a fight and returned the stare. It bothered him that he saw nothing of Decker Sr. in the face of his son.

‘Sit down, McKenzie.’

‘Listen,’ John said, his hands apologetically in the air. ‘I know that I …’

‘Sit down, McKenzie,’ Decker interrupted him.

As always within the walls of this building, John allowed Decker to walk all over him. Obediently, he sat down in a metal chair. Decker got on his feet, and walked back and forth through his office, his hands theatrically behind his back.

‘We have a problem, McKenzie.’ Decker suddenly looked at John, who wanted to disappear in a hole in the ground right then and there. What was he supposed to say? He knew perfectly well why he had forgotten to deliver the package, but Decker would never understand it. The alternative was lying, but John refused to do that.

‘Mr. Decker, I …’

‘Are you going to keep interrupting me, McKenzie?’ his boss barked at him. ‘Because if so, let me know, and this conversation will be a very brief one.’

‘I’m sorry, please go on.’

‘You know me, McKenzie,’ Decker continued his monologue, ‘I hate firing people.’

There was the word that John had feared. With an obedience that made him sick, he wanted to jump off of his chair, drop on his knees and beg for his job, if that would have made a difference. But he knew Decker all too well, so he remained seated.

‘Over the past year, we have lost half our customers. Half, McKenzie! If things don’t change, I will be forced to file for bankruptcy. I work my butt off, but I simply can’t compensate for the lazyness of you two.’

John was too distracted to feel insulted. So this wasn’t about his package? He looked at the clock. Maybe there was still time!

‘Am I boring you, McKenzie?’

‘No, of course not, Mr. Decker,’ John murmured, realizing after his third reprimand that he was not doing himself a favor today, and the truth concerning the package hadn’t even been revealed yet.

‘I’m trying to tell you something, McKenzie.’ John tried to listen attentively this time, but was distracted by the pulsating vein above the eyebrow of his boss. ‘In the next two weeks, I am going to have to fire someone: you or Mr. Andrews. Dad had a weak spot for you, so consider this a warning. Watch your steps. Who knows, I might just decide to keep you on board.’

Was Decker trying to do him a favor? Or was he being threatened? Either way, it instantly took his thoughts back to the package. If his boss were to find out, it was game over. But what about Evan? How could he not tell him what he had just heard?

As if Decker was able to read his mind, he continued: ‘This information is my gift to you. What you do with it, is up to you.’

John nodded.

‘Well, what are you waiting for, McKenzie, get to work!’

Clumsily, John got up from his chair, and stumbled out of the office. After he had closed the door behind him, he leaned his back against it.

‘My God, John, you look like you’ve seen a ghost!’ Evan said after he came rushing towards him. ‘What on earth did that bastard tell you? He didn’t…’

‘Ssh,’ John urged Evan to lower his voice. ‘Not so loud. If he hears you, you’ll be done for.’

‘Did he fire you?’ Evan whispered, as they moved away from the door.

‘No.’ John stopped to think for a second. ‘At least…No, no, he didn’t fire me.’

‘But what did he do? He clearly got to you.’

‘It’s nothing.’

‘C’mon man, you can tell me. We’re friends, right?’

John hesitated. ‘I simply can’t right now, I need some time to process. But it’s nothing to worry about right now.’

Reluctantly, Evan accepted his answer. He grabbed his work jacket and walked John outside. ‘You’re sure everything is ok?’

John nodded affirmatively, but avoided Evan’s eyes. Just before he closed the entrance door, he saw Decker standing in the doorway of his office, both hands in his pockets. With a smug grin, he winked at John in a way that made his stomach turn.