It didn't add up

IT DOESNT ADD UP

By Dewain Williams

Cason Conners half alive sat up on the edge of his bed and stared begrudgingly at the sun he depended on as his alarm clock. How could it look so bright and cheery each morning when he felt so dejected by his current position in life. At twenty-eight he was still living at home with his parents; that wasn't the problem. A house of his own seemed like too much responsibility. He still has nightmares about the responsibility of a puppy his dad got for him as a boy. 

"Sorry max wherever you ran off to."

He had the most beautiful girlfriend anyone ever laid eyes on. An angel with a nursing degree whose one desire in life was Cason that wasn't the problem. The problem was his job. As nonchalant as he was about life he did possess astronomical mathematical abilities and wanted them if not to raise him to the stature of Einstein or Pythagoras at least gain him some degree of notoriety before he dissolved into history.

He staggered into the kitchen after getting ready for work. 

"Morning mom dad."

"Okay Plato was the imperfect sun bent dial at fault again?"

"You're wise beyond my years dad."

"Mighty strange how me and my old dumb farm animals can manage to get up and to our chores by the same dial. It is befuddling how a numbers master somehow let a six and two zeros slip by him every morning. Something doesn't add up".

"Honey stop picking on Case, he's already late, late enough."

"Thank mom for not rubbing it in."

"No problem Rip van Winkle. Here you go."

Case took the sandwiches his mother prepared and headed for the office. The drive gave him time to think of where he was in life; nowhere; and how he got his start.

 Without a doubt it started in Ms. Fergerson's math class in the fourth grade. Her bent eyebrows and laserbeam projecting eyes was enough too zap any juvenile mind meandering across the playground outside. He remembers vividly his first clash with the powers that be. It was after Ms. Fergerson marked and answer wrong on his test paper.

"Ms. Fergerson, my answer is right." He pointed to the X on his paper with a frown on his face. 

Ms. Fergerson pulled out her answer sheet. "See here Carson. Your answer for eleven doesn't' match the answer sheet." 

"I don't know bout that! I just know that you told me the numbers don't lie!"

"Calm down. Let me work the problem to see where your answer is wrong."

It didn't take her long to see Case's answer was right the mistake was in the answer sheet. The slight embarrassment and extra work of correcting other mistakes and that little I'm right smile, didn't place him near and dear to Ms. Fergerson's heart. That was failure only chance at claiming victory over Case because his never missed another math problem all the way through high school. When he graduated Mrs. Fergerson was there front and center prouder than anyone else of his achievement.

So impressive were his test scores that they earned him a full scholarship to M.I.T. This was a whole other animal though to this small town boy. Classes were a breeze as they always had been for this math wiz. But socially he was an untrained piece of meat thrown in a lion's den as the egotistical elite attacked any who dared show intelligence in the presence of these aristocratic anuses. Case was invited to a faternity party and a one Phillip Morgansfield of the Morgansfield food brand took a particular dislike to him and his intelligence. He put on his best fake smile and set out to embarrass Case in front of everyone.

"Hello friend aren't you Carson Conners? You're the numbers guy. A regular Einstein in the making."

"And aren't you Phillip Morgansfield money already made."

"Sounds like you're a little jealous. I can look at your clothes and tell you aren't dressed for success. How can you afford the tuition to come here."

"You're smarter than I give you credit for. I am jealous. To live as long as you have and not to have accomplished a darn thing in life why it's simply amazing. Tell me philly how much of that Morgansfield fortune did you make?"

Phillip was beginning to turn as red as a pepper.

"I take by the silence you didn't contribute a darn thing to the wealth you're boasting about. Philly I got here on a full scholarship oops guess that makes me the smart guy in the room. And if you plan on riding my butt this tour of duty you can be my smartass. And for a small fee, I can help you blow that million dollars your parents are pissing away on your college experience. God, Philly you're beginning to take on a beautiful glow. Is that pissed off pink?"

Everyone was snickering at Phillip; and his smirk in sidekicks began to backslide into the other partygoers.

"It's not too late to make something of your your life. Maybe you could find a nonprofit community college that's doing a field trip to the Congo to study the habits of parasites. The findings could help you better understanding who you really are. These clothes; they aren't for success; they're for partying! Who's here to party!" 

Everyone chimed in! 

"Who's here for drinking!" 

Cheers rang out even louder!

"Now, go Philly, go Philly, go philly!"

"I guess you're trying to get me to party with you too, huh?"

"Heck no Philly." Case open the front door and started the crowd chanting again. "Go Philly, go Philly, go Philly." He walked out and Case shut the door behind him and cheers rang out once more with even more of a tumultuous roar!

With his mind continually pressed against the grindstone; graduation came, and college went into his-story book. He had a slew of fantastic job offers; but Case lacked the one thing they needed most of all; a reply. So, he returned home after graduation; walked into Evans Accounting; and the rest has been his mechanicalized movements of monotony.

Case awoke from his daydreaming as he turned into Evans parking lot. He walked in the front door and immediately felt a wellspring of emotions directed at him from Mr. Evans and the other employees. They were all staring at him with these big, booming smiles exploding from their faces.

"Okay did someone steal my credit card and buy you all breakfast?"

"Get your butt in my office," Mr. Evans yelled, with a smile still on his face.

"Okay, but I'm returning what you all hadn't eaten."

Case went in and sat down, just as Mr. Evans tossed him a letter.

"Read it."

The more Case read, the lower his jaw slumped to the floor!

"Are you kidding me!"

"No I'm not kidding you; and according to that letter, neither is Malcomb and Sloan Accounting and Auditing Firm. They were very, very impressed with the work you did for them."

"They hired your firm; I was just the tag-a-long guy."

"Cut the crap. They hired several firms to help them; but you were the one who cut through all the smoke and mirrors to solve the mystery in record time. Your research was nothing short of phenomenal!"

"But Mr. Evans I work for you."

"Not if you don't consider taking their offer. A free apartment, and a hundred-fifty thousand dollars six months internship. With a guaranteed associates position upon completion!"

"Yeah, but their headquarters is in New York."

"Life is everywhere Case; even in New York. This is the life I chose. I don't have the calculator brain you have that craves complex problems. What I have here is a well running little import I've been idling every since in started this company. I thought you'd take flight after a few months when you finished college, but you stayed and you've been idling every since you've been here. You working here is like driving a Lear jet to the convenient store for milk. The plane wants to take flight Case and so do you."

Case headed home to showed the letter to his parents; thinking back on the unusual happenstance that led to the offer. Long Ranger Trucking Company was experiencing a dramatic drop in profits in this region, and hired Malcomb and Sloan to find out why. They in turn hired five local firms to do the preliminary work to pinpoint where their high powered auditors should focus. They met in a hotel conference room in Silverton with Mr. Sloan headed the meeting.

"Ladies and gentlemen here's the deal. Long Ranger is experiencing a drop in it's profit margin in this area and want to know why. I've issued five computers to your five accounting agencies they are networked to mine. The information on my computer is confidential company data so don't print or copy anything without my consent. It may require some huddling only work from the computer you are issued. Go to work and we'll reconvene tomorrow morning."

Mr. Evans was rudely awaken the next morning when Sloan called him to the carpet as the first order of business. 

"Mr. Evans seems you've been a very busy fellow going where no man is suppose to go."

"Excuse me."

"I think employee personnel files are a little off limits don't you agree?"

"Excuse me Mr. Sloan, but it was me looking at the files."

"And you are?"

"Carson Conners. I work for Mr. Evans."

"Keep talking."

"I looked at the data which showed an immediate change in company spending protocol which corresponded to the sudden drop in profit. There was no authorization for the change so I felt the necessity to find out who was behind it all. A couple of weeks prior the company hired Mr. Abrams as fleet manager for this region. And a couple weeks later Mr. Abrams hired Mrs. Abrams as the accounts receivable and payable manager. Immediately thereafter profits bottomed out. There were large expenditures for expensive truck parts. But there are no maintenance records showing the parts were ever installed or ever ordered for that matter. There's a lot of money being sent somewhere by the Abrams but nothing in company records to show where."

"You can prove this?"

"The numbers can. People lie the numbers don't lie."

Sloan adjourned the meeting, but had Case stay behind. About two hours later he reconvened it and to the firms astonishment paid them in full for their services collected his computers and sent them on their way. He shook Mr. Evans hand with a big smile on his face as he paid him.

"You've got a sleeper here Mr. Evans. A real sleeper."

After that one time meeting Case soon forgot it; until now.

Case waited for his parents reaction as they read the offer. 

"Case this is the opportunity of a lifetime!"

"That's what Mr. Evans thinks. I know I can handle the pressure but, Dad what do you think?"

"Huh." With that little grunt his dad turned and walked out. Case followed him to the barn where he was working on a tractor.

"Dad, you don't have an opinion?"

"Sure I have an opinion." He took a ruler and started tapping Case on the head.

"You have been sticking this out all your life. You're very smart Case. I'd just once like to see you very happy. Your head tells you, you aren't happy. That's why you're having so much trouble making up your mind. You need to have a talk with your heart and don't second guess or look back. John Deere ask me to be their field service rep years ago. There was a lot of opportunity and money being the support mechanicc for the dealerships in the area. But as much as i liked working on tractors I loved farming on tractors more. It was a dream job but a lot of my dreaming would be on the road in motels away from your mother a double whammy since I don't like sleeping alone. The money was great but at the end of the day it didn't add up."

"Thanks dad."

"Uh huh."

Case left and went to the hospital to face the real reason he stayed in such a decision dilemma. Case picked up Chrissy and took her to lunch at the local diner and watched as she read the letter. He saw a crescendo of excitement build on her face. She hand him the letter back then he watched as life seem to drain from her body.

"That is great news Case. That is definitely the opportunity of a lifetime. You deserve it with all the years you put in studying. I'm glad to see it finally pay off."

"So How would you feel about living in New York? I hear there's a great demand for pretty nurses."

"Me! I don't remember seeing my name in that letter anywhere! This is about you. It's what you've worked so hard for. It has nothing to do with me. What's the problem?"

"You're the problem Chrissy. You're' the problem that brought me back here after college. The problem that I use to stay at my parent's house. And the problem that keeps me from getting on with my life. And out of all my figuring; the one problem I hadn't been able to solve. And since you're the biggest part of this equation; I'm not gonna keep on waiting on you to get on your knee and ask me to marry you."

"Me! Ask you to marry me!"

An old patron spoke up, "bout the only way it's gonna happen; sure you've noticed, the boy is kinda slow."

Case took offense to the truth being told. He remove the ring from the napkin and getting down on one knee slipped it on Chrissy's finger.

"Chrissy Wilson, will you marry me?"

"Case, I don't want to stand in the way of you dreams."

"Dreams become nightmares Chrissy if they make you unhappy."

The waitress couldn't' help but chime in, "He gotcha there honey."

"Now that I've had too stop and look at my life i realize you're the most important thing in it. And without you nothing else seems important. I don't why I've overlooked you for so long."

"Because you're dense."

That old patron really was starting to work on Case's nerves.

Chrissy trembled with a nervousness that erupted into a big smile.

"Yes. Yes I'll marry you."

The entire diner exploded in cheers!

The old patron stopped by their table as he left and looked at Chrissy.

"You have my condolences."

Chrissy burst out laughing while Case sat there wishing they didn't have laws protecting old people.

"Guess with that big house Aunt Emily left me I could rent you a room. Just to get you off your parent's grocery bill."

Case gritted his teeth gave her a hug and kiss and took her back to work wearing her wooden engagement ring.

 He went back to work and told Mr. Evans of his decision not to accept Malcomb and Sloan's job offer. He sat and watched Mr. Evans in deep thought, just staring at him. Then all of a sudden a big smile popped on his face; and he waved for everyone to crowd into his office.

"Ladies and you jerks Case is passing on his golden opportunity. I'm not. Effective immediately, I quit!"

"Mr. Evans what do you mean?"

"Betty what I mean is if Case continues to work here I can retire. I intend on taking advantage of my golden opportunity. Case you're the new office manager until my lawyer contacts you with the paperwork to change the name to Evans and Conners. I love you all but I love fishing more. Close you mouth Case it'll all add up when it sinks in. I proved a way of life for us all and a service to this community. If it's to continue and grow it's time for fresh new minds or mind. Now i can feel good about retiring and feeling like I've abandoned you. One last word of advice. Think franchise. You might want to purchase Malcomb and Sloan one day."

And with that he bid them fare the well. Case and his employees stood there reeling for a moment. Finally, he start to see life adding up to more than he ever thought possible.