Well here it was. The first day AM -- After Mary. We had her going away party last Friday and now she was in the midst of her big move out west.
Mary had been a mainstay in the finance department and this company for almost 25 years. She had done almost of the jobs in this department and had written the job descriptions for them as well. Mary was our main go-to girl when things were not going well.
Unfortunately, there was no where for her to grow. She had been there and done that in every job. The only exceptions were mine and several other top jobs but they required an accounting degree. So she was dead-ended.
I didn't know what to do until about a year ago, there was talk of us opening a new office in the mid-west and we needed a manager to run the place. It hit me like a brick. Why not Mary? She knew all about the finance department, had worked closely with every other department and was well liked and admired in the whole organization. Everyone thought she was the perfect choice. Accepting the position moved her into management, a big pay raise along with all its perks, gave her new responsibilities and would revitalize her determination.
Luckily her husband was able to arrange a transfer in his company so off they went.
This meant a new employee was coming today. Usually between 10:15 and 10:30 HR would bring them up after they were done the paperwork and had given them the twenty five cent tour.
At 10:20, I heard a knock on my door jam and looked up to see Shelly from HR. She said to me, "Richard, I would like you to meet Kelly." At that, Shelly moved back from the door frame. Kelly stepped into my line of sight.
The first thing you notice about Kelly is her height. She stands six foot one. That was interesting as I am six foot five. When she moved forward and the lights from my room illuminated her face better, the second thing you noticed was that she was very pretty but her eyes were sunken and she had big black bags under them. She looked gaunt and sickly.
I quickly shot Shelly a look and all she did was shrug her shoulders. Then she said, "Kelly, this is Richard White. He is the VP of Finance and will be your boss." At that Shelly handed me Kelly's file folder. Kelly stepped forward to shake my hand.
As I took her hand, I said, "Thanks Shelly." She waved, turned and walked away. "Come on in Kelly and have a seat. I like to have a little talk with my new employees just to learn more about them."
"Thank you Mr. White," she said as she came in and sat down. I watched as she sat and noticed her skirt ride up a little to reveal long and very shapely legs.
I sat at my desk. "This is very informal. I just like to know about my staff. Remember, you have the job this is not an interview." I laughed and Kelly smiled. I then asked her things like if she was married, husband's name, had kids, her birthday, etc. etc. We talked about her education and work experience even though I had copies of her application and resume in the folder. I just wanted her to feel comfortable and talking about oneself does that. Of course I made notes in her folder just in case I needed them later.
As we talked, I was studying her face and trying to figure out what was wrong. I didn't arrive at an answer.
I then took her out and introduced her to her supervisor and then left to let them get acquainted.
We have a very loose lunch time code in this department. People are allowed to leave when they are hungry or when their work allows them to take a break. Sometimes you just can't leave a job in the middle. Most leave from twelve to one though. It was sometime after twelve when I left my office that day to head to lunch. Our office is in a large office tower with a number of food establishments on the ground floor.
As I entered the main office area, I noticed the place was empty except for Kelly who was sitting at a desk and working on the computer. I decided to walk over. "How's it going?" I asked.
"Pretty well. I'm just trying to learn this accounting package."
"Ah, the first day! It can be a challenge." I happened to looked down at her desk and then into the garbage pail and saw there was no mess anywhere. "Not going to lunch?"
"I will in a bit thank you. I just wanted to get this section done."
"Ok suit yourself. Will talk with you later." I turned and walked away.
When I got to the first floor, I had my usual hamburg and milkshake. Then I went back up. I usually don't take more than 20 minutes for lunch.
I could see through the glass that Kelly was still at her desk. I stopped just before entering the office. It finally hit me, Kelly was starving and malnourished. That was why she had the sunken eyes and dark circles. She hadn't eaten and did not bring a lunch.
I just stood there for a few seconds thinking about this then turned and headed back downstairs. I bought a ham sandwich with lettuce and cheese, an apple and some milk. I then went to the ATM and took out some money.
As I entered the office, I called to Kelly to meet me in my office. As she came in, I told her to sit. I placed the food on my desk and told her to dig in. "Oh Mr. White. I can't. Thank you very much but I can't."
"Yes you can young lady. It took me a while but I finally figured out the eyes. Now eat. I won't have my employees wasting away."
Kelly looked at me nervously. Slowly and timidly, she reached for the sandwich and carefully unwrapped it. The first bite she took caused this warm smile to cross her face. I stood up, almost closed my door all the way then sat down again. "So tell my, how long has it been since you ate?"
"About two weeks."
"Why?"
"My husband Darrel lost his job about 4 months ago. This recession hurt his company badly and he was laid off. It has been terrible trying to find another job. We used up all our savings. The last of our money went to rent and we didn't have any left for food. I was told I had this job three weeks ago so we just had to hold on until I started."
"I thought it would be something like that." I reached into my pocket and pulled out the money I had taken from the ATM. "Here's $300. Buy food for you and your husband. Unfortunately, you don't get a pay check for two weeks here so this should tide you over. If your rent is due, have them call me and I'll make arrangements for you to pay after you get your check."
"Oh Mr. White. I can't take this. This is too much. No! No! I can't."
"Yes you can and you will. This is a loan and no one will know about this. Just you, me and your husband. I expect you to repay me $20 a week until you've paid it off. Do you understand? And by the way, this is a no interest loan. I just want you to get healthy."
"Yes sir and thank you so much."
"Now eat up and enjoy. I think I covered the food groups there. Anyways, it is a good sound lunch."
"Delicious also."
"No doubt especially if you haven't eaten in two weeks. Mud would taste good now." We both laughed.