UNDERCOVER The Secret of Luck (10 page)

“You are welcome, John. Don’t be so modest. You should know that you are pretty good at what you do. Anyway, we have an opening for you. The salary is on par with what the industry offers and we offer excellent employment benefits and growth opportunities. If you are interested, I will have our human resource contact you tomorrow morning and mail in the necessary paperwork. What do you say?” asked Mr. Mint.

“I think I would be interested, Mr. Mint. Here is my card.” said John, handing over his card. Mr. Mint got up from his chair, took the card, and put it in his pocket. John also stood up.

“Before I leave, John, there was something about the job I wanted to tell you. I have already told you everything that is of importance. This is more like an advice, coming from an old guy like me to a young man like you. I would understand if you do not wish to hear me out. If that is indeed the case, I will leave now and wait for your answer tomorrow.” said Mr. Mint.

“Mr. Mint, I would consider that a blessing. My Mother speaks very highly of you, and I believe I remember Dad mentioning your name as well. I would be more than happy to hear what you have to say. Given that you will soon be my employer, anything you have to say would be very helpful to me.” said John, showing him to the client chair.

Torn Mint took the chair that John had pointed him to. John took his usual chair on the other side of the table and waited for Mr. Mint to speak. John noticed that there was a sudden change in the expression of Mr. Mint’s face. He seemed pleased with the developments, especially the last bit about what John had said. He sat in the chair comfortably, took a deep breath, and started speaking.

“John, I say in the most respectful way possible. You remind me of my younger self twenty years ago. Before I tell you what happened, I would like to know something. You said that your parents have mentioned me. What did they say?” asked Mr. Mint.

“They told me about how you have been employed at your company for more than fifteen years now. Mom told me about the many awards you have won over the years. There was also this bit about you being one of the youngest managers at your company. I thought that was pretty impressive. Come to think of it, that was one of the many reasons why I decided to meet with you. The way Mother talked about it, you are an inspiration and role model for a lot of people. You could count me part of that as well.” said John.

“Thank you for the kind words, John. I don’t mind being honest with you. I am fairly proud of what I have achieved, and your parents aren’t wrong with what they are saying. There is something I usually don’t share with everyone. Somehow, I don’t mind sharing that with you. Fifteen years ago, I wasn’t anything like I am today. In fact, I was sort of like you. I would even go as far as to say that you are doing much better than I was doing back then.” said Torn.

“How so? Do you mind if I get two glasses and something to drink? Some vodka, perhaps?” John asked as he turned to go to the kitchen.

“I would like that, John. Thank you for the offer.” said Torn.

John expected that this discussion would go on for a while. So, he figured, he might as well make an evening out of it. He went into the office kitchen where he kept all the drinks. He returned with a bottle of vodka and two glasses. On his way back to the office, he had picked up some crackers and chips and laid them out on the table. He poured vodka into both the glasses and placed the bottle on the table. Mint picked up his glass and took a sip.

“This is good vodka. You have nice taste, John.” remarked Mint.

“I don’t deserve all the credit for that, Mr. Mint. My assistant picked it up when she was still working with me. She took care of everything.” said John, picking up his own glass.

“She sounds like a good assistant, John. Where is she?” asked Mint.

“She is…on vacation. She should be back next week.” lied John.

“I see. Well, give her my best. Coming back to the topic I was about to talk to you about. Fifteen years ago, I was this weird guy who had no clue what he was doing. Do you want to make a guess, how many jobs I had worked before I landed at this company?” asked Mint.

“Two jobs. Three maybe.” said John, making a guess based on the fact that Mint has been at his current job for more than fifteen years.

“Well, you could not be more wrong, detective.” said Mint.

“So, just one job then?” asked John.

“Twenty-three.” said Mint, taking another sip from his glass.

“Twenty-three jobs? That is unbelievable.” said John, completely taken aback.

“That’s right, son. I had changed twenty three jobs before I landed at this job. When I came for a job interview that day, the manager who has behind the hiring table was less than convinced with me. At that point, almost everybody would have been less than convinced with my ability to hold onto a job. What they did not know, though, was that things had changed for me.” said Mint.

“What had happened?” asked John, curiously.

“Despite my job changing persona, I was very dedicated to this girl in my life. She was fairly patient with me, but when I changed my final job after less than three months of service, she just lost it. She said that I was a worthless piece of human being who could not be trusted with any responsibility. She left me, John. Just like that.” said Mint.

“I am sorry to hear that, Mr. Mint.” said John, not wanting to advise about life experiences to a person who was at least twenty years older than him.

“Thank you, John. Then, I had a bit of a revelation. I realized that I should figure something out. I had to fix myself. That was when I landed this job. You would not believe it, John, but I had a serious discussion with my then manager about how I had lived. He agreed to give me the job on one condition. You want to guess what that was?” asked Mint.

“He wanted you to get a new girlfriend and settle down. That’s my guess.” said John, half believing what he just said.

“Funny. No John, that wasn’t the condition he placed. He said that he would give me a job, if I agreed to work according to his rules and with a salary that was deferred for the next six months.” said Mint.

“Wow! That seems really tough. Is that even fair?” asked John, really feeling for the guy who was chatting in front of him.

“That was my reaction when he made that announcement. I went on a rage and threw the first thing I grabbed from the table in front of me. I thought he would kick me out right there and then. Fortunately, he did not do anything like that. He waited patiently for me to calm down. Believe it or not, John, it took me about thirty minutes to calm down. I calmed down mainly because I was tired more than anything else. That was probably what he planned all along. He just waited it out till I got dead tired. Then, when I collapsed on the chair in his office, he started speaking. He did not speak much. He asked me if I wanted a glass of juice.” said Mint.

John laughed. He laughed like he did when he went on that surprise date with his old college friend, Nancy.

“That was what I did, and that was the last time I got angry with him. You are probably wondering why I am boring you with this story?” asked Mint, picking up the bottle and pouring another drink for himself and John.

“Mr. Mint, I have the highest respect for you. Partly because of the way my parents have spoken about you. Partly because you are offering me a job. No, Mr. Mint, I don’t think you are boring. On the contrary, I am very interested to find out how this story is going to conclude.” said John, picking up his glass.

“Thank you, John. You are a nice young man, and I should have given you more credit than I did before I met you. I was under the impression that you would be a reckless man, who would refuse to listen to anybody. Looks like I should stop judging people on appearance and age alone. Returning to the topic I was coming to, you know why I feel that you are just like me? Perhaps not an identical copy, but someone similar. Would you agree with me, detective?” asked Mint.

John nodded.

“If so, you should remember that you will find it very difficult to work at my company. This is not to imply that our company has a hostile work environment. Far from it, in fact. On multiple employee surveys, our organization ranks among the top employers. My concern is the major difference between your present work environment and the type of workplace that awaits you, if you join us.” said Mint, waiting for John’s reaction to this.

“I don’t quite get you, Mr. Mint.” said John.

“I suspected as much. Let’s look at your current work situation, John. You are your own Boss. You own this office, and you have an assistant who does most of the things for you. You choose your clients and decide which cases to work on. You have authority and power in everything you do. If I am not wrong, you are either consciously aware of this, and chose to be in this business because of this. Or, you just don’t know it, but enjoy it anyway.” said Mint.

John nodded, and Mint took that as a signal to continue.

“Once you join an office like ours, you will notice that much of this freedom is gone. Since you will be starting at a relatively junior position, you will not have an assistant working for you. I have been in the company for almost fifteen years and even I don’t have a fulltime assistant to help me. That is how it works there. You may not like to admit this, but you are going to miss your assistant.” said Mint.

“I understand what you are saying, Mr. Mint.” said John, nodding along.

“That is not even the hard part, John. It would be okay if you were just coming out of college. Then you would have had an easier time getting into things, forming new work habits. However, since you have been operating this business for almost two years now, you will find it harder to adjust, since you will no longer be your own boss.”

“I think I am getting the hang of what you are saying, sir. I have to admit and accept what you are saying. I don’t get one thing though. It seems like I have the skills for the job, but not the experience. Are you sure you want to hire me? I know you have already made up your mind to employ me. I don’t quite get why you are sure that I would do a good job.” said John.

“The reason is a simple one, John. Fifteen years ago, a manager gave me an opportunity. I was down in the dumps and I needed someone to pick me up. I am only returning the favor, shifting the roles. I would not say that you are down in the dumps. Technically speaking, I don’t think you are in any sort of dump right now. You have only been in one job. Your Dad is a successful businessman. You have excellent references from your past clients. But if things are not fixed soon enough, you might end up where I was twenty years ago. I don’t want that to happen. I have been carrying this load on my shoulders for so many years. I want to put that off my shoulder and place it on your shoulders. Maybe ten or twenty years later, you can do this favor for another guy who is in a similar position.” said Mint.

“I understand completely, Mr. Mint” said John.

“Well then, that takes care of business. Hope you will take up my offer, John. Have a good day.” said Mr. Mint, shaking hands as he left John’s office.

John got out of bed. For once, in a really long time, he did not experience the recurring nightmares. There was a simple explanation for this. He did not get any sleep all night. It was nearly four in the morning. John walked to his apartment window. John’s apartment was all the way outside the city, a good five kilometers from the last metro station of the city of Primer. When John finished college and returned to Primer, the first thing he did was find an apartment that was away from the city but still within reach of all the modern amenities.

As he stood there looking out of the window, John saw a clear sky with twinkling stars. At a distance, he could see the skyline of the City of Primer, lit up like it was important to be lit up all night. John thought about all the people who were working all night, and was grateful that he wasn’t one of them. Then he looked towards the residential areas of the city to note that most of the lights were out. He felt a little jealous, thinking of all those thousands of residents sleeping, without a care in the world.

John thought of going back to bed. He had been trying to sleep since 10pm but had not succeeded yet. After some thought, he gave up on trying to get back to bed and headed to the balcony. He sat on the reclining chair and thought of the day ahead of him in the context of all that transpired over the previous 24 hours or so.

Sitting on a seat on the balcony, John decided to let go of the past and to focus on the future. As if trying to help him think clearly, a gentle and cool breeze was caressing him. After that meeting with the insurance manager who wanted to hire him, John had called up Rod. Rod was already on his way out, on a date perhaps, John assumed. John asked Rod to meet him at his office later in the day. John would like to brief Rod about his consultation with the shrink. He also wants to get a second opinion on the new job offer that he was seriously considering. John did not have many friends. The only friends he had were the people who worked with him and those included his former assistant Sheila and Rod. John was feeling blessed to have such supportive friends.

As John kept thinking about the many things that could go wrong or right, he noticed that the sun was slowly rising above the mountains. Dawn was breaking. John decided to try one last time to get some sleep. He returned to his bed and laid down. As the morning sun rays streamed across the horizon, peaceful sleep took over John.

Some hours later...

John’s phone was ringing for the fifth time in the last ten minutes. The phone display was showing Rod’s name and the time was about eleven o’ clock. The phone stopped ringing; ten minutes passed, and it started ringing again. The sixth ring finally woke John up from his sleep.

“Um...Hello?” said John, still trying to wake up.

“John. Are you up yet?” said the voice on the other end.

“Who is this?” asked John, still half asleep.

“This is Rod. Where are you? You told me to be at your office at ten. I am here and the office is locked. The janitor let me into the building. Should I come to your place?” Rod asked, sounding a little concerned.