The Train Schedule

My boss is divorcing his wife. We are all in shock because he loved his wife so much we hated him. We thought he was bluffing at first because we had many staff members who were infatuated with him. Like a good soldier he pummeled along ingnoring our gazing t bewildered eyes. He was a looker for sore eyes. He spoke well and was very smart. A conversation with him made you want to treat yourself to a Jamba Juice fresh fruit and lemonade and ginger shot. Ofcourse, all of us were delirious everytime one of us was called in his office. It just would not be for any good reason. He just felt that a one on one meeting with his staff was the best way to govern in his office. So we all looked forward to being called in his office. Once in the office very few of us had something constructive to say.

One day my friend Dawn was called in to explain why she felt that the customer should be referred to our competitors. Even though she clearly and concicly had all the reasons in her portfolio, she could hardly put it into words. To which the famous boss called all of us in his office.

"This is what I am talking about. Don't hand me long narrations which you cannot repeat or explain verbally. All the work that you decide upon should also be supported by verbal expression. I call you in my office to be sure that the work presented is infact presented by you and was thought of by you. Is that clear?" he asked.

I looked at him with my eyes wide open wondering why he was so smart and so good looking at the same time. Are they not supposed to choose one or the other not both? Anyway that also was a call to duty to make us feel not really up to par. We all thanked him and professed to understand where he was coming from.

We were young and hungry for any recognition. The harder we worked the harder he critiqued us until we realized that we were lucky to be his employees. Unlike our counterparts we have ways to go, and step to skip. It no longer was the money that motivated us but the challenges that we faced. Learning to speak well, using the correct spelling. Memorizing all the research that we presented to justify our decisions.

If one of us was hurt or ill we all felt it. So we were broken hearted when he once talked to his contemporary at work about his wife leaving him, because he was emotionally unavailable. We were so offended he just was such a sweet soul. He always looked forward to each and every day and we promised to meet him half way by being present at work and supporting him in his moment of shame.

The feeling of my boss losing a spouse through divorce placed a new reality to me and my close friends. We wanted to experience life too not through him now that he was hurting. We had focused so much on our work that we stopped going on dates fearing that we would lose the momentum. Our scxhedules were packed and there not enough hours in the day or night to meet all of our needs besides work, gym, phone calls, and occassional restaurant outings. We asked for this busy life and we could not blame anyone!

The meetings in his office with us became briefer and briefer. He asaked us to write a memo to his suggesting how he could improve or what he can do better. He felt that he needed feedback from us to make sure that we all in sink. We did make suggestions, sensitive to his dilema of having to be a professional at work yet aching because it turned out he did not want to divorce his wife but was too timid to refuse her wishes.

Once we knew that we felt we also had to change and find dates so that he did nto have to rely on us for spiritual momentum. I for one met a someone. A guy from down the street. He bailed out of college and decided to sit in his parent's home in his old bedroom to find himself. It was not so much an upgrade for me but he was available and willing plus I did not want to be the odd one out as many in my circle turned out to be in serious relationships except me. So he became a godsend!

He had no car or any prospects. I was the successful one in the relationship and it did not bother him. For dates we met in subways and pretend to be riding trains together from work when infact he rode a train to meet me where I would leave my car and ride with him on the train to the city to have dinner and a movie or whatever our plans were. Six months of this routine proved to be not so great afterall. By then my boss had made up with his wife and was his old happy self again. Guess what dumb me felt. I too feeling high I too made up with his wife. Crazy right? I began to feel guilty. I was cheating on my boss, I was also cheating on his wife. It just did not feel good. i needed to be that focused employee who was wide eyed and wanted to be able to narrate all the questions asked as I defend my work to a competent boss!

"Let's meet at the train station this afternoon after work. I won't drive to the train station." I said to him on the phone after he called to be sure we were meeting for dinner.

"Oh sure. I guess I will meet you later." He said

"Any luck in the job front." I asked not caring really just happy to be back.

"No not so much. I just don't care anymore." he said

Well there I was after a taxi ride to the train station to meet him in another platform. Just as I got on the train and looked through the window, I saw him standing in a train running on the opposite platform. He recognized me and waved his hand to me. I glared at him as if I did not understand what he was doing. He wasnt supposed to be on that train! Where then was I going. My phone was dead. I don't know that man. I don't like riding the train! Should I get off on the next train station and follow him. Should he follow me??? Something told me that he would not ride a train to me.