The Goat

The hate was real, but it was also consistent. David did not mind it when they ignored him at the mall, pulled their children away from him at the park, or refused to help him in any store where he needed to shop. By this point in his life, it was normal.

'It's him, isn't it?'

'Yes. Who else could it be?'

'Can you believe it?'

'Not at all.'

'You won't believe who I saw today at...'

'People like that should be...'

'They should not be allowed to...'

'I know.'

'Shameful.'

'Disgraceful.'

'Awful.'

'Ugh...'

And on and on it went. David did not mind when his coworkers talked like this and it was clearly about him (he could not control the words of complete strangers); he just wished that they did so when he was not in the same room, especially when projects were due and the deadlines were approaching.

*

His boss had him on for the last set of meetings held for the quarter, and she did not care about the hate. He got the job done and that was what she needed.

'David?'

Ms. Warner was at the door of her office, holding her cellphone under her left ear. She looked angry, but it was not clear if it was for him or the caller.

'Ms. Warner?'

'Could I speak to you for a minute?'

Was he in trouble? Would he even notice now?

'We have a problem...'

'Ms. Warner, I know what people think of me.'

She dropped her phone, catching it before it hit the desk. She sat down and looked up at him.

'What? Oh no, son. I really don't care about that. What people do on their own time, or what they constantly blab about, is none of my business. My business is my business.'

She sat down and pointed at the chair in front of her desk.

'And as long as it does not reflect on the company, so what? Let them say it.'

He stared at her.

'It does not reflect on the company.'

'Thanks.'

She tried a smile, letting her face attempt a movement she did not feel in her heart or head. The only urge she felt was a need for more coffee, not pleasant words.

'Anyway, that is why I called you in. We have just found out we need to have someone explain the latest shipment to one of our contacts.'

She picked up a stapled form on her desk, all pink and covered with blue lines and figures. He recognized it right away.

'This is a schematic of the last order you sent.' She passed it to him. 'Pretty simple, right? Like organic chemistry or home surgery. Even I thought it was ridiculous to...never mind.'

A frown caught his face.

'What was ridiculous?'

'Sending the last guy just because they thought he knew the deal instead of you because of...all this.'

He smiled. He liked her, that was true, but he did not often hear her defend him or his talents like this.

'Y'know, Ms. Warner, you can talk about this here. This is a private office. No recording devices are allowed and they already hate me, so you can talk.'

No smile this time.

'David, all of this nonsense occurred long before I showed up, so I really did not consider it a problem when I started here. They talked about you at the head office, but I looked at your work record and you were one of the best people then and are still one of the best ones now.'

He sat back; she leaned forwards.

'I just wish that there was some way to make things easier for you, but the world being what it is, people are going to keep talking and saying what they want, doing what they want...'

She got up, not sure about what she wanted to do.

'They have already made it clear that they want me to get rid of you. But I said, Not until you give me something solid that will make it easy for me to ruin a man's life...'

'Sometimes I feel like it is already ruined. All of the words don't hurt. It is the isolation that bothers me. No real contact with anyone.'

She now knew what she wanted.

'Coffee?'

'You read my mind.'

She had her own machine in the adjoining office. 'Just a sec.'

It was a short walk, and it only took her a few minutes to gather up the cups, let the machine brew two small cappuccinos, and bring back everything on a cafeteria tray. But that was enough time for someone to lob a paper cup of water at him through the still open door.

'Good God!'

'It's okay...'

'No, it isn't! No one should have to go through this!'

She slammed the tray down on her desk, hit a button on her desk, and made an announcement that echoed through all seven buildings of the company:

'ATTENTION! I HAVE JUST DISCOVERED THAT SOME COWARD HAS THROWN WATER ON ONE OF MY EMPLOYEES AND DID NOT HAVE THE COURAGE TO STICK AROUND TO FACE THE CONSEQUENCES OF THEIR ACTIONS. SO, I AM GOING TO MAKE IT PLAIN THAT IF THE CULPRIT DOES NOT STEP FORWARD BY THE END OF THE DAY, SUBSTANTIAL CUTS IN STAFF AND WAGES WILL BE TAKEN AND PEOPLE WILL SUFFER. THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO REASON WHY AN ACCIDENT OF BIRTH SHOULD CAUSE SUCH BEHAVIOUR IN PEOPLE WHO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ADULTS AND CHILDREN!'

It was very quiet in the office now. No one could be heard walking down the corridors.

'They will know it was all about me...'

'Damn them! And don't worry about that. Just go and get ready.' She picked up the now cold cup in front of her and drank without looking.

'Get ready?'

'That's why I called you in. We need you to spend at least a week with those numbskulls who couldn't even figure out a schematic. And since you helped design it...sorry, you designed it on your own, you can finish the job and make them happy.'

'But my situation...'

'So what?' She pushed the tray aside and stood up and over him. 'You deserve to get away from these trolls for a while.'

He stood up, finding a napkin in his hands and one of Ms. Warner's hands on his shoulder.

'Good luck!'

*

He walked back to his desk, happy and refreshed by both the words and his new responsibility. No one said a word about him now and he wanted to get going to beat the traffic.

It was all an accident of birth.

And someone had done a number on his desk, but he did not mind. Most of his valuables were at home or in his car with a very sound security system. The only thing left untouched besides the company computer and some files was his plaque. He would not touch it until Ms. Warner had a chance to respond:

'David Hitler: Human Engineering Expert'.