I've Got a Feeling

Gary Landis stopped at the foreman's office as a courtesy to his immediately superior. Two weeks prior, he had scheduled the afternoon off, but he still wanted to make sure his boss, Hank, was aware of his departure.

"Don't worry, Gary," Hank assured him. "You're already off the clock, so get your ass to that game. Have a cold beer for me."

Gary grinned as he waved his understanding to his supervisor. He quickly spun and headed for the exit, but ran into a problem. Before he could slow his momentum, Gary collided with a woman.

It wasn't just any woman. She was the granddaughter of the owner of the company. Gary had never been introduced to the young woman, but he well knew who she was. Everyone in the company knew who Monica Henderson was.

She was the apple of her grandfather's eye as well as his heir apparent. Her thick blonde hair whipped across Gary's face as he instinctively brought his hands to her shoulders to prevent her from falling to the floor on the rebound. As brief as the contact was, Gary had felt her ample bosom hit his lower chest before she caromed backward.

"Ma'am, I'm so sorry," Gary sincerely apologized. "It was entirely my fault. Are you okay?"

Monica Henderson looked Gary directly in the eye before turning her head to stare at his left hand which remained on her shoulder.

"The sooner you release me, the sooner we'll be able to put this incident behind me," Monica stated coldly.

Gary was still admiring the beauty of the young woman as she spoke. He had seen her in the building a few times, but had never had the opportunity to see her so close and so clearly. Her eyes shined like diamonds and her skin was flawless. She was easily the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

"Gary! Let go of Ms. Henderson's shoulder." Hank's commanding voice broke through Gary's paralysis.

Monica Henderson had been in a hurry and hadn't been paying much attention to her surroundings. She had an important meeting in ten minutes and had forgotten to place an order for a lunch delivery. She was especially concerned since she had promised to have deli sandwiches available for her new clients after their meeting.

She had seen Gary operating a large, complex looking machine several times as she crossed the factory floor for various reasons. While he obviously wasn't her type, she admitted to herself that he was a good looking man. The fact that he was working as a machine operator for her grandfather indicated he was nowhere near her status. Accordingly, she had never bothered learning anything about him.

Monica had no trouble detecting the interest in Gary's eyes as he slowly removed his hand from her shoulder. That was when she realized he was the answer to her lunch problems. Her obvious irritation morphed into a beautiful smile as Gary stood mesmerized by the transformation. She was a vision.

"It was partly my fault, too. I should have been watching more closely," Monica told Gary as she looked into his unblinking eyes. "You can make this little incident up to me by picking up an order I've just placed at The Village Deli.

"Here's a hundred dollars to cover the bill. You can keep any money left over. Please deliver it to my office by one. Thanks so much," Monica added as she handed Gary a bill and immediately rushed away.

"Nice looking girl, isn't she?" Hank asked rhetorically. "It looks like you're going to be late for the ballgame, but being noticed by Monica Henderson is worth it."

Once Monica left Gary's line of sight, he found himself once again in control of his thoughts and actions. He looked at Hank and chuckled.

"She didn't notice me. She noticed a way to get a schmuck to do her bidding. Women like her don't even know guys like me exist. I'll be getting to the ball game on time."

"What about her lunch order?" Hank asked. "How are you going to manage that and get to the game?"

"Let me give you the money if you're worried about her," Gary suggested as he offered the bill to Hank. "I'm giving you the chance to get in good with the future boss."

"I'm not going to get in the middle of this," Hank declared firmly. "I'm not taking a bullet for you either, so think about your future here before you do something rash."

"I've been planning on taking Frankie and Brent to opening day for weeks. They're expecting me to pick them up in a few minutes," Gary stated. "We both know she's way out of my league. She was just using me to solve a problem she was having. Lack of planning on her part does not an emergency make, at least not for me."

"It's your neck on the line," Hank warned. "When she has me called on the carpet I'm going to tell her grandfather the truth. I'm not lying for you."

"I wouldn't ask you, nor expect you to lie," Gary replied. "I need to get going or I won't make it before the seventh inning stretch."

It was just after three when a seething Monica Henderson stepped into Hank's office.

"Where's that bastard who stole my money?" Monica demanded. "You'd better tell me he was hit by a cement truck on his way to pick up my order or I'm going to have him arrested, fired and impoverished even more than he already is."

"It was on Fifth and Main as he tried to cross against traffic. The impact knocked him clear out of his shoes," Hank stated with a sad shake of his head.

"Oh my God! Was he badly hurt?" Monica asked.

"Naw, he really went to the opening day baseball game of the Tides. Gary promised a couple of kids who he's mentoring that he'd take them. He'll be back in tomorrow if you want to talk to him then."

"You think this is funny? I had important clients in my office and I had promised them we'd have a sandwich while we worked through lunch. It was extremely embarrassing for me.

"Maybe you forget who I am," Monica continued. "My grandfather is going to be pissed when I tell him how that man stole my money and he won't be very happy about you making a joke out of it."

"Actually, I think Sam will get quite a chuckle out of it," responded Hank. "He pulled some great pranks on the guys when he worked the floor years ago. I was his helper for a year and I saw him pull some funny sh... stuff."

"We'll see who's laughing tomorrow," Monica replied with some heat. "I'm going to tell Grandpa about this man leaving work to attend a baseball game and taking my money like he was going to pick up my order. He's a liar and thief."

Sam Henderson was hanging up the phone as Monica stormed into his office. She couldn't help but notice his grin as he motioned for her to have a seat.

"Gramps, I want to report a guy named Gary Landis. He runs one of the machines. He agreed to pick up a lunch order I called in since I was busy with a meeting. I gave him a hundred dollar bill to pay for it, but he left work and went to a ball game instead."

"So, what exactly, is your complaint, Monica? Did he tell you that he'd pick up your lunch order? You think he knew he would never get back with your order and just took your money?"

Monica considered her story. She had not been raised to lie and she realized she was, at the very least, exaggerating.

"He didn't actually agree to pick up my order. It was more of an unstated understanding. He took my hundred dollar bill quick enough. He knew I expected him to use it for my lunch order."

"When did you promise that you'd supply the vendors who you were meeting that you'd supply lunch?" asked her grandfather.

"Last week when we made the appointment. I told them that I'd have sandwiches for them since they were on such a tight schedule and we had to meet during the lunch hour," Monica replied.

"You made an appointment and promised a lunch to these people almost a full week ago? Ten minutes before the meeting was due to begin; you were looking for someone to pick up your order?"

"Yeah, it does sound pretty lame, doesn't it?" Monica admitted. "I forgot about it until I looked at my schedule half an hour before they were supposed to arrive."

"So what do you feel Mr. Landis did wrong this morning?" Her grandfather patiently asked.

"I guess for having a life of his own, for not kowtowing to my demands and maybe for taking my money knowing full well he'd never pick up my order," Monica reluctantly stated.

"That's much better, Monica," Sam Henderson gently responded. "Own your mistakes and learn from them. Organize your meetings better and keep extensive notes. It'll serve you well."

"Let me give you another word of advice. You've been working here for a few months. How many people working for this company have you actually met and spoken with who are not in management?"

"I think I know everyone in the office," Monica answered. "I really haven't had time to meet the people working the manufacturing side."

"Really? You're here for over eight hours every day and you've never found a few minutes to get to know the people who make our product?" Sam questioned. "Who do you think is responsible for making this company profitable? The people in the office or those making the products we ship out?"

"They're all equally important," Monica quickly responded.

"Okay, let's go with that answer. If you feel that's the case, why have you only met with office personnel?"

"Because I'm pompous and a bit judgmental?" Monica asked contritely.

"That could be overstating it, but not by much," Sam asserted. "You'll be running this company someday. I can't stress enough to you how important it is for the person in charge of a company to understand as much about the dynamics of the business as possible. An important part of that is getting to know the people working for you, as well as their hopes and dreams.

"A good example is this little bit of information. The same Gary Landis you had a problem with this morning is one of our most productive, highly respected employees. The other associates like him and follow his example. You probably couldn't pick a worse person to have a problem with."

Monica was unable to hide her surprise. "How can you say that, Grandpa? When he bumped into me, I had to insist that he take his hands off my shoulders. He stared at me for the longest time, especially my cleavage. I don't think you know him as well as you like to believe."

"Monica, I may be getting older, but I'm not blind. You wear clothes that enhance and display your curves. Gary is a straight male. You're very beautiful, probably more so than any other woman he's ever seen. I can't blame him for staring at you. You'd be disappointed if he didn't. Now that I think about it, I would be, too."

"He still owes me a hundred dollars," Monica insisted as she realized she was getting nowhere complaining about the man to her grandfather. "I'm not going to let him get away with taking my money."

Gary was not surprised when Hank summoned him to the office early in the shift the next day. Monica Henderson was waiting for him when he stepped inside. Hank simply nodded to Gary and left the room, carefully closing the door behind him.

"You took a hundred dollars of mine as well as embarrassing me in front of customers. Did it ever occur to you that your job is dependent on the continuing sales of the product? Securing the business of those customers was far more important than a ball game."

"You pretty much told me to keep the change, so I did," Gary carefully replied. "You assumed that since I was so infatuated with your beauty I would do your bidding, regardless of any conflicting obligations I may have had. I promised two kids that I'd take them to opening day. They'd been looking forward to it for weeks. I had requested yesterday afternoon off and it was cleared with management."

"You stared at me, at my chest and my face," Monica stated. "That's not infatuation. It's plain creepy behavior. In fact, you're looking at my chest right now. What is wrong with you?"

"Ma'am, I'm only looking at the parts that are showing," Gary responded with a grin. "Is there anything else? I need to get back to my job."

"You mean anything else like an apology, the return of my money and the decency to stop looking at me like I'm a tasty morsel? When can I expect my money back, or will I have to withhold it from your pay?"

"You must have learned something in the time you spend getting your business degree. You can't withhold money from my check over a personal dispute like this, so that's an empty threat," Gary reasoned. "You can't walk around looking that damn good without expecting men to look at you as closely as possible. I haven't done anything to apologize for, but if it means so much to you, be here at Hank's office at shift change. I'll have the money then."

"You're going to get into so much trouble talking to women in the work place like you just did to me. It isn't just creepy, it's wrong and it's illegal. I'm giving you a break this time because Grandpa asked me to be easy on you, but it won't turn out so well for you if you maintain your misogynist attitude. I'll be here to collect my money. You can be sure of that."

Monica stepped into Hank's office a few minutes before shift change and was surprised to find a thin girl of about eleven wearing thick glasses. A boy who was obviously her brother was sitting next to her in one of the two guest chairs in the room. The boy quickly jumped up and pointed to the chair he had just vacated.

"Ma'am, you can have this chair. We won't be here much longer anyway."

Curiosity got the best of Monica. Two children sitting in the foreman's office during work was a bit out of the ordinary.

"Why are you kids here? Does Hank know you're in his office? Do you have a parent working here?" Monica asked in rapid succession.

"We don't have any parents," replied the girl. "Hank told us to wait here. We came to thank the lady who paid for our lunches at the game yesterday."

"Yeah, it was great!" the girl's brother added. "I had five hotdogs and seven root beers."

"Don't forget the ice cream sundae you had on the way home," his sister reminded him.

Monica was chuckling at the boy's food consumption when Hank entered the room with Gary in tow. The two kids' faces lit up when they saw Gary. It was quite evident that they both held him in high regard.

"Frankie, this nice woman is Ms. Henderson," began Gary. "Miss Henderson, this pretty young lady is Frankie Banner. They good looking boy next to her is her older brother, Brent. They have something they want to tell you."

"Gary told us that you gave him the money for our hotdogs and sodas. We'd like to thank you for being such a nice lady," Frankie stated sincerely. "He said you were very pretty and that you liked baseball. Maybe you could come to a game with us, if Gary's able to take us again?"

Monica shot a hard look at Gary before giving the two kids a warm smile. "Gary wasn't supposed to tell you about the money I gave him. Thanks for the offer, but I don't ever go to baseball games. Is Gary your uncle or something?"

"No, but we wish he was. We met him at the park one day when Grandma passed out on the bench. He helped her feel better and gave us a ride home. He's been our friend ever since," Brent revealed. "Grandma is getting sicker all the time and Gary's been helping us get meals and to school. He's really cool."

"Okay, kids. My shift is over and it's time to head home. What do you say that we stop at the grocery store and get something we can make for dinner? Your grandmother won't have to worry about it and she can rest some more," Gary suggested.

As the two kids headed for the door, Gary paused long enough to pull a bill from his shirt pocket and offer it to Monica while out of their view.

"I was just being a jerk about the money," he admitted with a grin. "Here's your hundred back. We're even now."

"You don't think very much of me, do you?" Monica demanded in a low voice so the kids would not hear her. "I'm not taking that money. All you had to do was tell me you spend it on those two precious kids. I'm not the cold bitch you seem to think I am."

In what seemed to be developing into a habit, Gary looked at her for a long time. He finally nodded to Hank before telling Monica, "Thanks. The kids really enjoyed themselves."

As soon as Gary closed the door, Monica turned her attention to Hank. "Who are those kids and what is their connection to Mr. Landis?"

"Like they said, their grandmother had a medical problem at the park and Gary helped them out. He found out their mother had died from a drug overdose and their father's in prison for murder in a drug deal gone bad.

"Gary's taken them under his wing. They live with their grandmother over in the 'Meadows' low income housing complex and have it pretty tough," Hank added. "Gary's pretty worried about what's going to happen to them when the grandmother dies or becomes totally infirmed."

"That's too bad," Monica stated with a sympathetic sigh. "Life isn't fair. The kids are so polite and well mannered. The grandmother deserves a lot of credit."

"You didn't meet them when Gary first became involved. Those kids were hellions," Hank said. "Gary's been a very good influence on them. That's for sure."

It was two weeks later when Monica overhead her grandparents talking. It was during one of her grandmother visits to her grandfather's office. Monica often left the door open between her office and her grandfather's so she could learn more about his management techniques.

"Gary's going to be here in a minute. He wants to see you, Martha. I think it's about those kids he's been helping. He sounded concerned."

Monica heard a light knock on her grandfather's door and then Gary's voice. "I hate to be a bother, Martha, but I didn't know where else to turn. Thanks, for giving me some of your time."

"You know I'll always make time for you, Gary," Martha Henderson replied. "What can I help you with?"

Monica was quite surprised that her grandmother was on a first name basis with Gary Landis. How did that happen? When did it happen?

"You know how I've been trying to help the two kids I met at the park a few months ago," Gary began. "Their grandmother's been given a very short time to live. I tried to have the kids move in with me, but child services got involved. They don't feel a single man would be able to provide a suitable home for two kids, especially when one of them is a young girl.

"I know you serve on a lot of boards and have some influence in the community. I was hoping that you'd vouch for me and that it might help my chances."

"That's a tough one," Martha admitted. "Do you have a steady girlfriend or fiancé by any chance? I think that would greatly improve your chances. What they really want is a stable family with a husband and wife. You can understand their reasoning."

"I do understand how that may be the optimum outcome, but doesn't it seem like those kids would be better off with an adult who already cares for them, already knows them and is willing and able to adopt them?" Gary asked.

"Of course I do, but there are probably married couples in the foster care system who would be willing to give the children a home. The system is going to turn to those couples first. If no one is found, I'm sure you'd be considered and I would give you my full support," Martha promised.

"That doesn't sound very encouraging to me. Frankie and Brent have their hearts set on living with me. I guess I'm feeling the same toward them," Gary admitted. "The odds of me finding a wife or even a supportive woman are pretty slim at this juncture. I don't know any woman who would even consider marrying me. You may have noticed that I'm a bit lacking in charm and charisma."

Martha looked toward the open side door as she spoke a tad bit loudly. "It's possible there are women out there who find themselves in an untenable situation as well. If you could find a woman who, for reasons of her own, needed a husband immediately, you might be able to work something out. Your plight could be the answer to her problem."