Flip, Flop, Flip

George really did not like where he was working. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy the kind of work he had to do. He was an accountant and had since his early school days enjoyed playing with and learning about numbers. George had the gift, and knew how to use it

The problem was his boss Ralph. He was very condescending towards the people he openly referred to in the office as his ‘underlings.” That, of course, included George, whom he regularly addressed as “number nerd” rather than using his name. “Hey, number nerd, how was your weekend. Did you do a lot of counting? One potato, two potato, three potato, four. I wonder if my wife saw me drop them on the floor.” It never ended.

It had gotten to the point that George felt he needed to find another job. He had to be careful though. He didn’t want Ralph to know until the deed was done. He had to make the three co-workers whom he listed as his references ‘swear to an oath of silence’ concerning his applications. That cost him a few beers, and some one-way work sharing, but he felt it was well-worth it to get away from his boss. 

He felt that he would have a good chance to get a new job. For after all, he had a Masters’ Degree in Accounting (better than his boss, who only had a B.A. in Business), 10 years’ work at the job he was doing, plus three good references.

The process did not begin well. George received rather rapid e-mail turndowns from two of the companies he had contacted. But he wasn’t disappointed for long. About an hour later he received a call, telling him that a third company wanted to interview him. He was asked whether he would be available tomorrow morning, and he gave a fast ‘yes’ in reply. 

When the call ended, he realized that he would have to come up with a good explanation for why he would not be at work tomorrow morning. His first thought was an inspiration. Ralph had been coughing a lot, even in George’s office, and had taken yesterday afternoon off.  

So George began to cough, putting as much energy and sound into the fake symptom that he could. Not long afterwards, the boss walked into his office, and said, “Okay number nerd, you should take a day off before you spread your sickness to others.” He clearly did not have a well-developed sense of irony, given his past day away.

George hid his smile well, and just said ‘Thanks boss. I think that I will.” Then, to take the apparent blame away from the boss and his coughing, he added, “My boy had a bad cold the other day. I guess I must have caught it from him” “I guess you did,” said Ralph with something approaching a smile on his face.”

The Interview

           George stepped boldly into the interview room with a genuine feeling of confidence. As it had been 10 years since his last interview, he had practiced the process with his wife the night before. The last run through had been smooth without being too slick.

           The interview went well. His wife, and their boy who had watched and listened when they went through the drill, would be proud of him. He wasn’t surprised, then, when he was told by the head manager, that they were going to offer him a job.. He was told that it would be a more senior position than he held now, and would pay more too.

           He was a little surprised by what he was told immediately afterwards. “You guys at Westwood must not like your jobs. We hired someone else from your company just yesterday.”

George wondered for a few seconds who it was, but didn’t really care. Maybe it was someone that he knew. It didn’t matter.

Back at the Office at Westwood

When he walked briskly into his office the following morning, he entered the room with a ‘this will be the last time’ feel to it. He soon told everyone in his office that he had been hired by another company, and would be earning more money. There was a general applause, with a few ‘we will miss you’ comments to add to the joy of the moment. 

Then he declared that he would have to “go tell the boss”. Much to his surprise, he was told that the boss too had also been hired by another company just the day before. He was surprised, but at that very moment he didn’t really care. He was rid of the boss, and he was going to be paid more. Those thoughts crowded, and to a certain extent clouded his mind. It wasn’t until he left the office that he remembered what had been said about someone else from the Westwood being hired too. He also thought about the boss being out of the office the day before he himself pulled the fake cough routine. Was he just repeating the boss’ trick?

Without a word or a happy thought he cleared out his desk, and promised that he would attend a farewell party for him on Friday night.

First Day at the New Job

           On his first day at the new job George entered the building with worry coating his heart like emotional slime. He got into the elevator and pressed the number for the top floor. Leaving the elevator he dragged his feet when walking to the office of his new employer’s head manager. Sure enough his worst nightmare appeared to have been realized.  When he opened the door he saw Ralph sitting on a couch. His heart sank. Ralph had a big grin on his face.

           “Well, n. n., it looks like our old team is back together again. You can’t escape your fate, n. n. You just can’t escape your fate.”

           It was at that dark moment when the head manager walked into the outer office and said with a smile, ‘It looks like you two probably know each other. So an introduction will not be necessary.” The two men nodded their heads, one with a grin, the other without.

           “Okay, this is how it is going to be. George, you are going to be the new manager of the finance department. Ralph, you are going to be his number one assistant. Welcome to the firm boys.” Hands were shaken all around, two doing so with enthusiasm.

           The expressions ‘turnabout is fair play’ and ‘revenge is sweet’ danced in George’s head, but he soon put them to rest.. He was not going to treat his former boss as he himself had been treated. That would make him a hypocrite. Well, maybe he could get in just one little shot.

           “You know you have made a good decision here. This guy is really good with figures, a regular number nerd.”