Chapter 7 A Different Kind of Progress
By week five, I had settled in and established the working model I wanted in the design department. As the new equipment arrived and the programs were either upgraded or replaced, I could see the attitude of the people really begin to shine. On top of that, Rueben and Dick had encouraged the other engineers to get involved with the designers and see what the new software could produce.
I implemented step-by-step training on the new stuff, with Terry being first, then Petra, then having the two of them help me bring the rest of the staff up to speed. I was pleased that the group as a whole were both cooperative and quick to pick up on the new materials. That was another step in our progress.
When I arrived in Toronto it had been the last week of winter and it felt like it. Cold, blustery winds off Lake Ontario, combined with rain squalls made those first few days very unpleasant. Fortunately, I had plenty to occupy my time and if the weather was too grisly I could spend some hours in the various facilities at Rossmoor.
Now it was mid-April and the baseball Blue Jays were back in town. Their home opener against the White Sox had already passed and with the improving weather and the retractable roof on the stadium there wouldn't be any rainouts. It would be something to do on the weekends, at least.
I spent some of my free time at the major attractions like the Royal Ontario Museum and the Art Gallery of Ontario. They were all within walking distance of my apartment. But by the end of April I was beginning to run out of new things to do. I hadn't bothered to rent a car yet. As long as I didn't need to go out of the Metro Toronto area there were streetcars, buses, subway lines and commuter trains to take me wherever I needed to go.
The twins had spoiled me for living on my own. In fact, they'd spoiled me for a lot of things including great meals, unlimited sex, companionship and just plain conversation. I'd been keeping in touch with them via Skype and it was good to see they were happy being home in Holland once more. I told them about my new job and some of the trials and tribulations I had encountered. I also told them about the end of my marriage.
There wasn't any likelihood that the twins and I would get back together again. The eighteen months we spent together was something unique and probably not repeatable. I didn't want to damage the memories I took from our time together. Better to leave them just as they were; delightful memories.
I had also been staying in touch with Jon and Merry. Again, Skype was great for Jon in Chile since it worked anytime he was near a high-speed internet connection. I had signed on for a comprehensive cell phone plan so I called Merry on her cell. I had neglected my son and daughter when I was in the Caribbean and I wasn't going to do that again.
I didn't socialize with anyone in the Trent office, but I had been invited to a couple of barbeques in May and June and I decided that would be a nice diversion. Janice and I had become quite friendly as we were plotting the subversion of the rigid regime once dominant at Trent. In fact, when I thought about it, other than John Flannery, I had a good relationship with all of the staff regardless of department.
It was ironic that as I was thinking about Mr. Flannery and his hostility when I got a phone call from an unexpected source.
"Mr. McLeod, my name is Michelle Gauthier. I am a shareholder in Trent Engineering."
"Yes, Mrs. Gauthier, I know who you are. How can I help you?"
"I wonder if we could get together for lunch one day this week. I want to get to know the new people in the company and since you are a resident now, I thought I'd begin with you."
"I'd be happy to, Mrs. Gauthier. When would be convenient for you?"
"Would Thursday be all right?" she asked tentatively.
"Thursday will be fine. Where should we meet?"
"My late husband belonged to the University Club and I've retained his membership. Why don't we meet there? Oh by the way, you'll need to wear a tie. Sorry about that."
"That won't be a problem. Thursday noon at the University Club. I'll see you then," I said.
I wondered what this was about. I looked up the University Club website and saw immediately that I was being invited to a very posh setting. When I saw the lay of the land on my first day at Trent, I immediately took to wearing a suit and tie to work but more often than not I discarded the jacket and loosened the tie when I arrived in my office. As far as John Flannery knew, I conformed to the dress code throughout the day.
It was a short distance to the club via streetcar and I left the office in plenty of time to make the noon appointment. I arrived a few minutes early, announced myself to the maitre d' and was immediately seated at a very nice table along the wall. I was barely in the chair when an attractive forty-something woman approached and smiled.
"You must be Dexter McLeod," she said brightly. "I'm Michelle Gauthier."
I rose and took her hand. "Very nice to meet you, Mrs. Gauthier."
"Oh please, it's Michelle. I understand you go by Dex. Is that correct?"
"Yes, I'm afraid it is."
"Don't be embarrassed, Dex. From what I hear, you're single-handedly changing the culture at Trent and for the better I might add."
"I plead guilty with extenuating circumstances, ma'am."
She laughed with genuine humour.
"I'm told you weren't exactly welcomed with open arms by John Flannery. No surprise there," she said, still with a smile.
"No ... he wasn't pleased to see 'some upstart from the west' invade his kingdom."
Again she laughed. "Ah, Janice was right, you are a breath of fresh air."
"Oh ... so that's where you're getting your inside information," I said with a grin.
"Yes ... her and other places. You've made quite an impression in a very short time. I had to meet you to find out just who John Flannery's nemesis was."
"Well, I'm not trying to be his nemesis. My main objective is to stay out of his way. So far, so good."
We decided to look at the menus and a few minutes later after I filled her in on my background, the waiter arrived and we ordered.
"What do you think will happen with John, Michelle?" We had comfortably progressed to a first name basis.
"I'll tell you something you probably don't know. John hasn't always been the curmudgeon he is today. Five years ago his wife was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Katherine and John have been together since college, over forty years. They remain deeply in love and committed to each other.
"While that was going on, two of the senior partners retired and then my husband, David, died suddenly. It left the company stripped of the energy and vitality that made it go. You add those two stresses to a man like John and it isn't hard to imagine how he could be pushed to the breaking point."
"I had heard that his wife was ill but your knowledge of him makes his behaviour almost understandable. Why doesn't he retire?" I asked.
"Trent is all he has to occupy his time. He's devoted to Katherine so he comes in to the office to give both of them a break, then leaves early to be home with her as soon as possible."
"He'd be better off taking a leave of absence and taking his wife on a long trip or a cruise while he still can. At least he'd be able to enjoy some of his remaining time with her."
Michelle looked at me as if she was seeing me for the first time.
