Just an Average Romance

At his apartment there was a note on the door. Jeff had been there looking for him. Mark left the note in place. He would talk to Jeff but when he was ready.

After a shower, shave and a small breakfast along with a pain killer, he felt somewhat human. He called for a moving company to come and give him a quote on storing his belongings until he found a place to stay in his new city.

It must have been a slow day as a representative showed up within an hour to discuss options. Mark was intending to drive his car loaded with staples and clothes, just enough to get established. The rest of stuff would then be trucked to him when he needed it.

The rep was surprised that Mark wanted the movers there as soon as possible. Mark just explained that the opportunity for advancement had suddenly appeared and his employer wanted him to move immediately. The movers would be there the next morning. The rep and Mark shook hands and Mark got busy sorting his stuff. His plan was to be on the road by the next night.

Clothes were sorted according to business need, a little casual clothing, and seasonal need. He packed his coffee maker, his microwave, and some pans, plates and utensils that would go into his trunk. His flat screen was too large to go into the car so he intended to use his desktop monitor as a TV for a short while. That meant his computer had to be packed. Soon he had a car full of stuff ready to be packed.

He stopped and looked around. It was now after 5:00 and he was getting hungry. He had charged his phone but had neglected to turn it back on. When he did so he found his mailbox was full of voice mails and he had literally hundreds of text messages. Most were on the order of "Where are you? We need to talk." He deleted all but the few from his employees who had been told that he was abruptly leaving.

He answered those with a short message that the opportunity to show what he could do with a bad performer was too good to pass up but that he needed to move quickly in order to get to work as there was a limited time to improve the store before it was deemed too poor to stay open. He wished them all well.

Mark went back to the bar where he had gotten drunk the night before. It was so foreign for him to ever drink that he didn't think he would be disturbed there. He ate a specialty of the grill and had a couple of beers but stayed sober this night.

His phone went off a couple of times. Once was Stacey, another was his dad, once from Mary and one from Jeff. He called and talked to his dad for a bit. He didn't dwell on the proposal at all and deflected any questions about the humiliation brought on by a public refusal of his proposal. He just told his dad he was moving immediately due to the sudden opportunity to increase his worth to the company.

After talking to his dad he texted Jeff and just told him he would talk with him the next day and that he was tremendously busy right now.

As he sat and contemplated his move he mentally tried to determine if there was anything of worth at Stacey's apartment. He decided that anything he had left there she could donate to charity. As for anything she had left at his apartment he would have it delivered to her apartment.

When he got back to the apartment he found another note on the door. It was from Stacey begging him to call her. He really couldn't understand how or why she would want to talk to him after dumping his ass the night before. He was too tired to even contemplate about having the energy to talk to her and didn't think there was any reason to discuss anything with her.

He undressed and crawled into bed. He was too tired to even dream. When he woke in the morning there was someone pounding on his door. At least he hoped it was someone pounding on his door as he had a headache from the few beers consumed the night before. Then he could hear the doorknob rattling. He had set the deadbolt the night before and there was no key for it. He usually only locked the door knob itself but Stacey had a key to that and he didn't want to hear her or see her so he had hit the deadbolt.

After a few minutes whoever was at the door must have decided to give up and leave. Mark didn't care enough to even look out the window to see someone leave. He didn't want to hear explanations or get reassurances from Stacey or anyone who might represent her. Her message had been plain enough, she didn't love him enough to marry him. Maybe she was waiting for Thad. Maybe Thad was already in contact and soon to arrive here. Mark concluded he was just a diversion until her real love could appear.

The movers showed up at 10:00. They were very professional. The items he was going to take with him were quickly moved to the side and the men packed his other things into a truck and it was gone to a storage facility owned by the moving company. He signed the contract outlining rents and penalties and gave it to the foreman before he left for his next job.

Now Mark just needed to get his stuff to the car. First he called a cab to take him back to the restaurant where his car was parked. There were numerous post-it notes on the windshield. He pulled them all off without reading a single one and balled them up and dropped them in the nearest trash can before driving back to his apartment. Luckily he had been gone long enough for someone to leave another note on his door. He didn't bother to read it or even take it down.

He called his landlord and told him the apartment was vacant and ready to be cleaned and shown. His landlord was sorry to see him go as he had been an excellent tenant but wished him well.

Now for the final visit. He headed for Jeff's place. He figured Jeff would be home and alone. He was half right.

Jeff had company. Mark assumed it was Mary but didn't really care. After Jeff answered the door and then gave the surprised Mark a huge hug he asked Mark to come in but Mark caught a glimpse of someone behind Jeff and turned his invitation down. He instead asked Jeff to come out to his car for a few moments.

Jeff went back inside and spoke to his guest for a few minutes. Mark figured that if the guest was Mary he had about twenty minutes before Stacey arrived. He was intending to be long gone before that time. He didn't want to get drunk again tonight.

Jeff joined him at the hood of his car. Jeff could see that it was packed. Mark just informed him that he was moving but not where to. Jeff tried to get Mark to talk with Stacey.

"Mark, you don't know what happened after you left the party. Stacey's dad came over and wanted to know what was going on. She told him that since you asked her to marry her on her twenty-fifth birthday that you must be only wanting her inheritance. Thomas wanted to know how you knew about the trust fund from her grandmother. No one could answer him. When he kept asking her she became less and less sure that you were some kind of gold-digger and started to cry."

He stopped for a second. "Did you know about the trust fund and that she was to get control of it on her twenty-fifth birthday?"

Mark shook his head in denial. What a shit storm. Money almost always caused more trouble than it was worth.

"Yeah, I thought so. Anyhow Mary and I have been arguing for the last two days about it. She is adamant that you knew about the inheritance and that was why you picked her birthday to ask her to marry you."

Mark shook his head again. "What have I ever done to her?"

Jeff shrugged his shoulders. "I suppose it is really my fault. I love her and I can't stay away from her but I am embarrassed by her weight. I wish I could get over it but I can't. I think that she is so upset by me that she has been talking against you to Stacey. It's the only plausible explanation."

Mark stood up. "Well, it that was all it took then this is all for the best. She would never be happy as she would always be looking for ways that I was not the man she wanted or needed. She can have Mary and be happy knowing the gold-digger is gone. Now she can be looking for the next one. Maybe not being you or me or in any way associated with us will let Mary approve of him, whoever he is."

He turned to get into the car. He turned around and tossed the ring box to Jeff. "Why don't you grow up a little more and realize you love her and can't live without her? You need her and obviously she loves you and needs you. Have the damned ring resized if necessary and give it to her."

Jeff tried to get him to stop but Mark was done talking. He got into the car and backed out and was soon gone down the street.

When Stacey arrived she found Jeff still standing alone holding the ring box.

Chapter Ten

Mark deliberately did not tell Jeff where he was headed. He had also asked his company to not let anyone not associated with the company know where he was going. He didn't even tell his parents or siblings.

He soon found living accommodations. It was a small apartment, just about the size of his last one. As the new assistant manager he should have a bigger place but he didn't need the space. He arranged for the movers to bring his other belongings and household goods.

His first day of work was enlightening. He met the store manager and the man showed him a letter from the home office. The manager was to keep his title but Mark had a free hand to make changes as he saw fit. There would be a united front from the two but if the manager tried in any way to thwart Mark then the manager, Richard Rickles, would be the first to go.

Mark told Richard that he was sorry that the head office was taking this stance. It was not his intention to undermine the existing leadership, just help it.

He asked Richard to not announce his presence just yet. He wanted to anonymously observe the staff for a few days. He might be able to get a handle on the problems quicker if he was an unknown.

He then went out and came in the front of the store. It was located in a busy mall and in a good central location. The merchandise was the best of the company and the store manikins were dressed appropriately. The population of the city was about two times that of the college town that Mark had come from. It meant a larger potential customer base but also more competition. The reasons for the store's failure had to be found and quickly.

He entered the store and perused the racks. No employee approached to ask if he or she could help. That needed addressed. Customers needed to see that someone was ready and willing to help if necessary.

Then he observed the real problem. A couple of black girls came in and were immediately accosted and encouraged to take their business elsewhere. This happened again and again and not only with black customers. Asian, Muslim, Indian, Jamaican, Hispanic were all treated the same. Mark sent off a text to the home office for someone to come and provide diversity training. He also observed that only white employees were visible at any time.

After a few days of observation at various times that the store was open he had developed a plan of action.

First he had Richard introduce him as the new assistant manager. After the introductions he quickly let the entire staff know what their financial position was. He didn't sugar coat anything. He laid out that the store had been losing money steadily for some time and was slated to be closed unless there was an immediately turn around.

He then went into an analysis of why there were poor sales in this market. He discussed the competition and how they all had to work to compete with other similar stores and even with Wal-Mart and Target, stores that most didn't feel were competitors for the clothing market.

Finally he laid out a plan of action to help guide all employees in their mission to save the store. He challenged them to think about the bottom line at all times. Theft and waste were part of any equation so he addressed those issues also.

As he looked out at the staff he could see that a few agreed with him but others had already shut him down in their minds. They were only there for the paycheck and not much else. Since he had already identified some staff who needed to be let go it didn't surprise him that those were the staff members who were already showing their inability to help the problem.

He had their employment jackets and intended to sit down with each of them this morning. After he spoke his intention to talk to each employee was announced. He also let each one know that he was open to ideas to help increase business. He had found already that employees who were close to the customers had good ideas on how to grow a business.

The morning went fast. He spoke with employees on an alphabetical basis. That way it could not look like he was cutting dead weight first. He hated to let anyone go but this was needed to help make the store more palatable to those whom had been mistreated when trying to buy clothing from his store.

He told each employee that the corporate office was sending additional help. They weren't alone in wanting to keep their jobs. Extra resources would help. The diversity training team was slated to arrive in a few days and money for additional ad campaigns was being approved. The PR and marketing departments were fast tracking new ads. A little of the next season's apparel line was also being shipped.

At the end of the first day he needed eight new employees. Since that left holes in the schedule Mark was going to have to work the sales floor a lot more than anticipated. Since this wasn't a new experience for him, he felt he could do this. He just needed more help.

The next morning he was dressed in his best clothes purchased through the company. Instead of a suit and tie he wanted to project the image of what the store's clothing could look on the average person.

He had a quick team meeting before the doors were unlocked. He stressed service to all potential customers regardless of their race or creed.

Things picked up immediately. A lone Muslim woman came in with her head covered. Mark was thankful that she didn't have her face covered also. Mark met her at the front of the store and was soon engaging her in a conversation about what her needs and wants were. As expected she wanted something a little daring but still keeping with her religious beliefs. As a team they found some clothing and scarves that would fit the bill.

This set the bar for the other staff members. Helping customers find what they wanted became the norm instead of the unusual. The store had its first profitable day in a couple of years.

Mark was working fifteen to eighteen hours a day, seven days a week. Instead of being tired and worn out it actually energized him. No, it was those hours alone in his apartment that gave him the most stress. When he was exhausted by work he didn't think of his abortion of a relationship with Stacey.

He didn't try to date. It took too much effort to even think about dating or even meeting a new love interest. He would lock up the store after restocking and cleaning, yes they had stopped the cleaning contract for a while to save money, and go find a small meal to eat. He would then have a beer or two before showering and dropping into bed.

He would wake at about seven each morning so he could be at the store by eight. They didn't open until ten, when all the rest of the mall opened, but there was paperwork, interviews, product to receive, and phone calls to make. He was busy right up till opening.

It took four months but the store was improving.

During that time he received two pay raises based on his dedication. His staff also reaped rewards in bonuses. These bonuses had been far and few between in the last few years and so were very appreciated. There were still new employees to train but he had identified current staff that could handle that task. Mark wasn't needed as much on the sales floor but he always tried to stop in and help a customer or two each day. Richard took the hint and also made sure he was available to help out as needed.

The down side to the increased sales and less need for Mark to work was that he had more time to himself. He tried to work out as often as he could to tire him out. His sleep was disturbed most nights when he wasn't exhausted. He would have nightmares of Thad, Mary, Jeff, and Stacey laughing at him and calling him names.

He would wake calling out Stacey's name and then not be able to sleep again. Finally he went to a doctor and got a sleep aid to help him rest. He hated to do so but needed some rest. He would go on long walks but that only left him with lots of time to think about Stacey and what she might be up to by now. Hell, she might already be married to Thad.

Mark would call his parents once a week to catch up on family news. He still hadn't told them where he was located. He didn't really know why as he felt that Stacey had gone back to Thad or was developing a new relationship but something told him to not tell them where he was at yet.

His mother tried to bring up Stacey a couple of times but Mark shut her down immediately. He still felt humiliation at how she had told him no at her birthday party. Finally Mark had to tell her that he would stop calling if she kept trying to talk about Stacey. His mother was very disappointed but agreed to not talk about her.

Mark texted Jeff a couple of times. He had gotten a new phone number after moving. He also let Jeff know that he would cut off contact if Jeff tried to talk about Stacey at any time or if Stacey somehow got hold of Mark's new number. While he told himself that Stacey would not attempt to contact him he couldn't make himself believe it. In his dark moments he could see Stacey getting hold of him just to throw a new relationship in his face.

Now that Mark had time he tried the date game again with little luck. His distrust of a woman's intentions clouded each and every date. The second that a conversation lagged he started to wonder if his date was already moving on to the next male in her life. He seldom had more than two dates with the same woman.

He was drinking more. On his weekends off he would go through a twelve pack while sitting alone in his apartment feeling sorry for himself. It wasn't enough to make him forget but it was enough to make him more morose and keep those feelings of inadequacy going strong. He knew it was self destructive behavior but he didn't care.

After posting six months of continuous profits in the store he was asked to transfer to another poor performing store. He moved again, this time two more states away from his hometown. He repeated his assessment of operations. Here though the staff seemed to want to help customers and he didn't see any racial bias. No, there was something different going on here. It would take more investigation.

The store manager also was openly against him. This was a female, Bridget Cummings. She was middle aged and divorced with a couple of kids in college. First she tried to seduce Mark but he gently refused her advances citing their work relationship. Then she told staff to not listen to Mark's suggestions.

It took a lot of investigating but Mark finally, after a couple of months of searching, found a clue. The cleaning company and the office supply store, both small and locally owned were sending regular invoices to corporate but they were a little out of align with contracted prices. He sent his concerns to corporate for further investigation.

A month later Bridget was summarily fired. It was found that the cleaning company and the office supply store were billing extra and giving Bridget the kickbacks. This revelation didn't fully explain the losses but after Bridget was fired the profits came back to expected levels. She must have also been skimming somewhere else but they were never able to prove that.

A new manager was named as Mark was requested by another store to come in and help improve sales. He was getting a reputation as the man to have around to fix problems.