(These characters, company, places, things and events are all fictitious. Any similarities are pure coincidental. As in the finest restaurants, good food takes time to prepare, good stories take time to develop.)
He started out just trying to be nice and in the end was faced with losing his career because of it. Being nice, acting so generous towards what he considered the opposition, the female of the species wasn't in his nature. So this noble act was unusual for George Hanigan and the results life-changing.
The company he worked for employed over three hundred at his location and while not at the top of the totem pole, he wasn't far from it. The department he managed had seventy-four people, more than half were technical, the rest support. They worked the same hours as accounting, seven to four to beat the rush hour traffic.
There were strict company rules about a manager dating someone in his department and while he had been oft tempted, George had kept his thinking brain in control. Besides, there were plenty of fish in the other departments to snag, as he liked to contemplate. George was a player. He was working his way though the roster, keeping score. He had a physical presence and good looks that added to his power package, making the vast majority of his conquests easy prey.
His cocky nature was not all bravado, just a few years earlier he had been ranked in the top three nationally in Ironman Triathlon. A push from a competitor, unseen by anyone else, sent George off the road on his bike. His protests not believed, his other injuries healed, but his knee would prevent him from returning to the top of his game. Eighteen months later, that competitor had his own knee problems, no one could find the person who did it, and George had long been forgotten. Following two years of Therapy, he had nothing else going on in his life ... he resigned himself to only chase girls instead of trophys. He did so with a competitive spirit, a zest for conquering, his game was seduction.
Prudence on the other hand was at the other end of that athletic and attractiveness scale. She had graduated High School ten years earlier and when the reunion invitation came in the mail, it was thrown in the trash before the scads of other junk mail. Life had not been socially pleasant for her since the third grade. She grew taller and bigger than the others too quickly and by the time she was ten, her 5'-10" frame carried well over two hundred plus pounds. Added to the crooked teeth, bad fashion sense, and thick glasses, even the geeks and nerds shunned her. And so went the rest of her school life which carried over into her ten years working for the company. It wasn't that anyone hated her. They just ignored her. Still, living with her parents made life tolerable, however unsatisfying.
But her office skills could not be questioned. She was reliable, she always followed instructions, and reports always filed on time without mistakes. Prudence had not always been so efficient; in fact her first seven years with the company had been unremarkable. But transferring into George's department had changed her attitude about her working life. Rather than being treated like the ugly duckling, George had treated her with respect and dignity. She felt motivated by that treatment and when George asked for something, she literally gave him 150% every time. She researched why the company was looking for the information and put that report in the perfect form for upper management to filter out what they were looking for. George never understood why she always responded with something he didn't ask for, but he had come to trust her. It always made him look good, he knew not why. So, after two years of this, George promoted her to Section Manager, reaping the benefits of these results from her entire section.
Along with the pay raise and profit sharing, Prudence was given additional health benefits and perks. A great dental plan was one; optical plan another, and membership in a gym was the third. But a year after getting these benefits, she was still not taking advantage of any of them.
It was a bright spring day in May when she was called into George's office ... there was some trouble. "Prudence, please sit down." George had a chair next to his desk that matched the other office furniture, but he had purposely cut the legs lower a couple of inches, forcing the sitter to be easily intimidated by what he termed his 'hot seat'. He was feeling a little cockier this day, another notch in his belt the night before, a circle filled in with a check mark. It was enough to keep him smiling for at least a week. But like the pure male of the species, he was able to compartmentalize his behavior; he put on his stern, professional office persona.
"Prudence, I had a meeting earlier from someone in your department that I think we can leave anonymous. This person is complaining about your insensitivity or political incorrectness. Not being one to take people at their word, I delved as deeply as I possibly could into this matter, coming to the conclusion that the complainer was guiltier than you in the sensitivity realm ... to make a long story short, it seems to be past us, no further action needs to be taken. Nothing will be entered in your file."
"Mr. Hanigan, I have no idea what I might have done or said. I didn't know I was having problems with anyone."
"Yes, Prudence ... I understand. Let me continue. What we have is a growth opportunity. If I might be so indelicate, let me say that rather than performance, there are people too quick to judge others based upon their social skills and appearance. And with this inappropriate attitude on their part comes disrespect, which we can not tolerate. You are my best Section Manager and ... if you will bear with me ... I am trying to be sensitive ... but I was wondering why you haven't taken advantage of our dental program."
Prudence's face turned bright red and her hand flew up to cover her mouth like she always did when she was about to speak or laugh. She was very self-conscious about her ugly teeth. "I'm sorry," was all she could say.
"Prudence, I believe you would become an even a greater asset to this company if your self image were enhanced. Here is the card of a friend of mine. He is an excellent orthodontist. Pardon my impetuousness, but I have made an appointment for you ... it's there on the card. I think we could spare you for a few hours that day ... you have never taken a sick day in the last three years, you can afford this."
"Yes sir," was all she could respond with, unable to look him in the eyes.
"Please tell me if I have stepped over the line ... I am only looking out for your best interests."
"No sir, I appreciate your effort in talking to one of my people."
"Good, and I want to keep my best Manager happy ... you certainly keep my bosses happy with your reliable and faultless performance."
