CHAPTER 2

When Maddie began getting ready for work the following Monday, she was so excited she was all thumbs. She dropped her earrings, hair pins and almost spilled coffee on her suit. She wished she could have shopped and bought new clothes so she could look more like the other women she’d seen waiting for interviews and working in the office. Her aunt, however, had left her a closet-full of very expensive suits, blouses, shoes, and the various miscellanea of scarves and jewelry. Her aunt had also taught her the value of a dollar and while Maddie was more than comfortable financially, she couldn’t in good consciousness throw away money on stuff she didn’t need, even if her aunt’s clothing was a bit old-fashioned and slightly too big for her.

Well, she told herself, he hired you looking as you looked during the interview, so just suck it up. If he wanted a fashion-plate, he would have hired one of the other interviewees.

Not knowing what the day would bring, Maddie made herself a healthy lunch and put the lunch bag in her large purse/briefcase. She didn’t expect his assistant would ask her to lunch nor did she expect Mr. Lorax to take her to lunch. Maddie also included her favorite pens and notebooks so she’d feel more comfortable with familiar objects at hand.

Maddie entered the building and went directly to the security desk. A very attractive young man whose name badge said Kevin stood up at her approach. “Good morning, Kevin, I’m Mr. Lorax’s new assistant. I believe I’ll need a proper name badge.”

“Good morning to you too,” he responded, looking down at his clip-board. “Yes, here you are, Ms. Morgan. I’m to provide you with a temporary badge that expires in one week. Now, if you’d step over here, I’ll get a quick photo for the badge and have you on your way in no time.”

“Please, call me Maddie,” she responded as she stepped around the counter and took a position in front of a plain screen.

As Kevin prepared her badge, he asked, “So, you’re just visiting for a week? I heard Sharon, or Ms. Forsythe as she prefers to be called, is leaving.”

“I’m certainly hoping to have you make a new badge by the end of the week, one that doesn’t expire. Mr. Lomax has engaged me for this week and if I meet his approval, then he’ll hire me. Cross your fingers for me since if I cross mine, I won’t be able to type or write.” Maddie responded with a laugh, holding up hands with crossed fingers.

“Happy to do that Ms. Maddie, happy to do that.” Kevin responded, handing her a lanyard and her badge. “Please wear this at all times while you are inside this building.”

“Thank you, Kevin, and please, no Ms., just plain Maddie will do. Now, I’d best get upstairs and get busy so your finger-crossing won’t be in vain.”

Maddie took a huge breath as she exited the elevator on her floor. She approached the reception desk, noted the name in the holder on the desk and introduced herself. “Good morning, Annie, I’m Madeleine, or Maddie, if you prefer, and am….”

“Welcome, Ms. Morgan. Ms. Forsythe is expecting you, so go directly back. I’m sure you remember where she’s located, right outside Mr. Lomax’s office. Please don’t hesitate to let me know if I can be of assistance, Maddie.” Annie said with a wink as she pushed a button that released the door lock to the interior.

Maddie walked slowly down the hall toward what she was determined would become her desk by the end of the week. She reflected on what she’d learned in the last few minutes. Apparently, the EA she would replace was a stickler for what she considered proper. Maddie would have to wait and see, but she figured the woman wasn’t very friendly with the other staff and held herself above the other employees. Like her aunt had always said, you can gather more bees with honey than vinegar.

Sharon was already behind the desk with pods in her ears, typing away. She looked up, motioned Maddie to the chair beside her desk and continued her conversation.

“Yes, Mr. Lorax. Ms. Morgan just walked in. I’ll be sure to share this information with her.” There was a pause as she listened and again responded, “Yes, I remember very well the conversation we had on Friday. I promise to do my very best.” A shorter pause followed by, “Bye and good luck today.”

The printer behind Sharon began to spew out paper which the woman gathered up and handed to Maddie. “Here is Mr. Lorax’s schedule for the next couple of days. He won’t be in the office until Wednesday, so that will give us plenty of time to go through files and for me to acquaint you with his preferences as well as his dislikes.”

Sharon rose from her chair saying, “We may as well begin in his office since he isn’t here. To access, you need to push this button under the left side of the desk to unlock the doors.”

Maddie got up and followed Sharon into “his” office, thinking that Sharon certainly must put the man on a pedestal the way she used his name and the emphasis she placed on the word his.

Once inside, Maddie walked to the corner where the large glass plates came together and offered a more than 180-degree view of the city and the sound. It was a glorious day, sun shining brightly, sparkles jumping off the water and flags flying happily in the wind. “This is such a great view.” She said without turning around. “I could probably stand here all day and find something new every single minute.”

“Well, that’s not going to get you hired at the end of the week, so you’d best come over here with your pad and pen and start taking notes. I don’t want to have to go through the information more than once.”

Maddie rolled her eyes before turning around and moving toward “his” desk where his soon to be late assistant waited. “Yes, Ms. Forsythe. I’m ready to begin. I just thought perhaps we could spend a few minutes becoming better acquainted with each other.”

“What would be the point of that Ms. Morgan? It’s not as if we are going to be co-workers or best friends any time soon. Now, this drawer Mr. Lorax always keeps locked. I’ve never tried to get inside and have no idea what’s in there. I suggest your curiosity not get the best of you. And, this file drawer here contains all the….”

That’s the way the morning went. Ms. Forsythe continued to go through the various files both in the desk and on the computer without allowing much time for Maddie to ask questions. Once again, Maddie was grateful for shorthand because she was able to put down every single word the woman said. Her fingers were cramping by the time Ms. Forsythe called a halt for lunch. She didn’t invite Maddie to eat with her and left saying, “I’ll be back promptly at 1:00 pm, so be ready to begin with my desk and computer at that time.”

When the door closed, Maddie crossed her eyes and stuck out her tongue. “Yes, Ms. Forsythe, no Ms. Forsythe, screw yourself Ms. Forsythe, you cold bitch.” Then Maddie began to laugh before she clapped a hand over her mouth. “Way to go Maddie, way to go. What if there’s a camera aimed directly at you. God, I hope  not.”

As she turned away and took her lunch out of her bag, there was a knock at the door. She walked over and opened it to find Annie standing there. “I figured Ms. Forsythe hadn’t invited you to lunch because I don’t think she’s had lunch with anyone that’s not Mr. Lorax or a board member ever.”

As Annie was saying this, she glanced down to see Maddie’s lunch in her hand. “Oh, great, you brought your lunch. If you’d like, you can come with me and we can go to the employee lounge. You’ll be able to meet some of the other staff and Spence stocks great coffee and tea, not to mention a wide variety of sodas if that’s your preference.”

“Thank you, Annie. I’d be delighted to have lunch with you and other staff members. Being the new person can be very difficult if one isn’t welcomed or welcoming back.”

In addition to her lunch, Maddie brought along her pad and pen. If it was okay with the people she met, she wanted to make a note on her pad that included their name, position and a bit of a description in shorthand. She didn’t ask a lot of questions, but responded to the ones asked of her. By the end of lunch, everyone there knew her age, college major, the fact she cared for her aunt until her death and that this would be her first real job in the corporate world, that is if she were hired. Maddie was careful to smile often and use the person’s name when responding. She believed she had made a good impression on the individuals with whom she hoped to be working on a permanent basis. If nothing else, Mr. Lorax…they all called him Spence, but she’d wait until invited to do so…should receive positive comments about her if he cared to ask his employees.

By the end of the day, Maddie was exhausted, more from the cold reception she received from Sharon. She couldn’t understand why the woman was so hostile toward her. Really, she thought, if she wanted to continue working here, why was she leaving? From the time they had spent together, Maddie’s opinion was that the woman really was an excellent EA; and Maddie couldn’t see a reason why Mr. Lorax would fire her. Besides, if he’d fired her, she wouldn’t have been kept on to instruct Maddie on his likes and dislikes.

Still, it was fine. Annie and Kevin and a couple of other employees with whom she rode down in the elevator smiled and wished her a good evening. It felt enjoyable to smile and extend her own good wishes, to feel as though she was part of a team.

One the way home, Maddie stopped at her favorite Chinese restaurant and ordered dinner to go. She’d have leftovers for lunch tomorrow and not having to cook just for herself would give her that much more time to go over all the notes she’d made and list any items she’d want Sharon to clarify the next morning.