"Alicia, how's your first day?"
"It's great, Mr. Damien."
"Okay, then I wish a happy two months for you. You'll love it here."
"Thank you very much, Boss."
Alicia walked out of the office of Gabriel Damien, with heavy steps and a light heart.
The job, contrary to its Hollywood portrayal, was not an easy one. She had to sort through stacks of documents, take pages of notes throughout the day, and be the calendar of her boss.
The last one was in fact, the most challenging of all.
Gabriel Damien was a man of will, of authority, and of whims. He had too many meetings and not enough time. It was the duty of Alicia to sort out his over-packed schedule, only to be later thrown away, because he "felt" to go on a different tour. A new over-packed schedule would be expected of her shortly after.
At precisely 9:30, Gabriel summoned Alicia, and told her to reschedule his 11:00 meeting with Mrs. Cole to the afternoon, as mini-golfing with an old friend of his was decidedly the better way of spending the hour just before lunch.
Of course, Mrs. Cole was not happy about it. It apparently wasn't often that an investor would get blown off. But Mr. Damien was unaffected when Alicia passed on the lament she received from Mrs Cole, minus a few words of troubling vulgarity. He waved his giant hands, and told her,
"She'll come to the meeting in the afternoon, and she'll invest. Listen, business ain't personal. She doesn't have to like me; I just have to demonstrate that the business worthy of her money."
"Of course, Mr. Damien."
"You did a fine job, Alicia. Now, you've probably realized the real meaning of your job: absorbing all the phone calls and stuff, and when you pass them on to me, filtering out the negativity. You're the
Wall of Negativity
."
"O, okay......"
"It's of utmost importance that I remain positive. If I'm positive, the business runs well. If the business runs well, the business gets money. Where there is money, you get paid, and you can kick the negativity away. Isn't that a great strategy?"
"Absolutely, absolutely."
"That's my first lesson to you. You can write that down. Business 101: Hire a beautiful secretary to be your Wall of Negativity."
Alicia doubted how positive her professors would be when she reported that lesson back to college. And, she was 80% sure that Mr. Damien had made up the phrase "Wall of Negativity" a moment ago, and thought to herself to keep the lesson at the "remain positive" part.
In fact, she was convinced that to "remain positive" was fairly effectual, at least in the case of Gabriel Damien. He delegated most of his job to managers and ran the company by meeting with people, blowing them off, and earning their trust back by swooping in with an air of aggressive positivity. The strategy was built on his extraordinary confidence.
The man spoke with enthusiasm and certainty, dress with the most luxurious—but not outrageous—suits, and stared with the most inviting and powerful gaze. His manner and appearances gave importance to his character, which was his greatest tool of persuasion.
In essence, he seduced them to empty their pockets for him.
Alicia gave Gabriel Damien another good look, and thought,
yeah
, who'd say no to those dashing, fierce, gray eyes?
The second day began with a big hiccup on Alicia's part. Mr. Damien's 10 o'clock was double-booked.
Outside the door, two clients were waiting. A gray-haired man with a blue tie reclined on the couch, glancing at his golden watch every 30 seconds. On the other couch, a woman in her thirties and in black pen suit, sat upright with her legs crossed, her fingers tapping, and her chin posed so high, matched only by her self-importance.
Inside the door, Alicia was apologizing in broken words.
"I'm so so—sorry; I don't know what happened. I must have, have, have looked at the wrong—"
"Cut it off! Cut it off!"
Mr. Damien, the boss of Damien Enterprise, plugged his ears with his fingers and shook his head.
"Don't you come in here and apologize like that! All whimpering and crying! Stop it! I'm not listening! Not listening!"
"I'm not actually crying, Mr. Damien......"
"Good! That's a good start. Remember, I hired you as the
Wall of Negativity
. I didn't hire you so you can come in here and complain yourself. Quick, say something positive."
After a few seconds of musing and gaping, Alicia raised her eyes, and with all the positivity she could gather, said,
"You have two clients waiting for you, Mr. Damien. Double the meeting, double the efficiency. You can make two deals with half the time."
He dashed from his seat, hugged Alicia like a bear hugging a rabbit, and stormed into the waiting room.
"Brilliant! That's my pretty new secretary!"
It was an hour of intense negotiation. She gave up the hopeless task of taking notes, and ended up admiring Mr. Damien speaking like a machine gun. His negotiation technique was either frightening or entertaining, depending on whether one was on the receiving side.
The spirits of the clients were overwhelmed by Mr. Damien, their self-esteem crushed, their faculty fogged, their objectives cast aside. The gray haired man had been adjusting his tie every 30 seconds, but that didn't stop him from sweating through the shirt. The woman, whose chin was raised, now leaned her temple against her palm, and looked as if she'd falter to the ground otherwise.
He bid them against each other and reached a deal that both of them were to be purchasing more than they had planned.
"Phew, that was a glorious hour. I almost need to catch a breath after that."
Mr. Damien patted Alicia on her shoulder. His giant hand was quite sweaty and hot from the hour of glory. His face were flushed, his hair quite scrambled, as if he had finished not a business meeting, but an athletic deed.
She brought him a cup of iced coffee and a damp towel, while he reviewed his calendar for the rest of the day.
"Alicia, cancel the rest of the day, and we're going to celebrate!"
"For getting the two clients?"
"No, for you! You saved the company! My schedule was double-booked, and you came up with a brilliant idea that enabled me to turn it into an opportunity."
"It was me who double-booked you in the first place."
"Honesty! That's also what I value dearly. I'd say you have more than atoned for your little hiccup by taking the challenge, and making it into an opportunity. You are the
Opportunity Motor
, like an electric motor that turns electricity into motion."
"I thought I was the
Wall of Negativity
."
"
Wall of Negativity
...... That sounds silly.
Opportunity Motor
is way better. Anyway, your perspective was impeccable, and your contribution worthy of celebration. Let's go to a pub."
"At noon?"
"Why not? You can drink, right? I can't quite tell if you are over 21."
"I'm 21, yes."
"Bar it is! Oh, by the way, that's the third lesson I'm teaching you, always reward the subordinate for a good idea."
That actually sounded like a solid lesson, albeit plenty obvious.
Alicia thought.
"Shotgun!" Mr. Damian proclaimed.
The bar, however, was not open.
Alicia could see a shadow of disappointment looming over his face, so thought hard on what could inject him with a dose of positivity.
"Hey, boss! What about we buy a couple of beers and just chill somewhere else? It's quite a beautiful day, isn't it a good
opportunity
for a picnic?"
The idea was deemed brilliant, and Alicia was again showered with praise. They drove to the top of a nearby mountain. The secludedness was to make sure that they wouldn't bump into a police officer while consuming alcohol, as Mr. Damien didn't seem to be thoroughly convinced Alicia was "a day over 20".
They stopped at a square of clearing of moderate slope, which was surrounded by a rocky edge that provided them with the view of a deep valley.
Water could be heard but not seen. Alicia had suggested that a creek was near, and the sound had echoed through the valley and was amplified by the opposing mountain. But that was not enough to dissuade Mr. Damien from believing that a giant underground river was roaring a few inches below their feet.
Unfortunately, it turned out that Mr. Damien tolerated alcohol as good as he tolerated negative clients. One can of beer was all it took to knock him flushing and tumbling.
Those gray handsome eyes of his were softened by giddiness. He looked less fierce, and instead, a bit goofy and humorous.
He stood on the edge of a giant rock, looked around, and announced,
"Ah! I feel funny, Alicia. I feel funny."
And he hunched over—Alicia had to rush to bolt him to prevent him tumbling over the edge—and threw up into the valley.
His giant body slumped on her shoulders, which almost knocked her out of breath. With incredible fortitude, and despite her slender form, Alicia carried Mr. Damien to the car. Neither had the strength to place him into the car, so he sat down on the ground, giving no care of his expensive suits which were now planted in dirt and grasses.
"You are totally drunk, Mr. Damien."
And you weigh like a bear.
She thought.
"Oh, you are, stronger than, than I thought. You are so pale, and weak."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"I'm, wasted, at noon. That's not, very, boss, like. Bad, role, model. Don't write, that, down."
"I'm going to write down that my boss is the most chilled boss in the world."
"Ah! Enough with the positivity alright!"
"Really?"
"I don't want positivity right now; just some, honest, conv—conversation. Hey, I know you may have thought I was silly, for making you the 'Wall of Negativity' and 'Opportunity Motor'. It kinda sounded like I was some snake oil self-help seminar speaker, didn't it?"
"It really did."
