Not Just Another WACC Story Too

There is no outright sex in this story. It was written as a sequel to Just another WACC story. Hopefully it will stand alone also, too, as well. You should know my story style by now; if you hate my way of writing, please do not bother to comment. Rudeness will get you a visit to the round file.

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I left the Baltimore office and transferred to San Diego as the Assistant Manager. I knew many of the people there from my previous visits, so it was not difficult to get into the routine of the office.

I mostly went to work, and back to the condo I was living in. I made a few visits to the beach on weekends; but only when the weather was really nice. I met some of my neighbors when coming or going. Most were nice but other than "Hello. How are you?" There was no real interaction.

I still missed Marie terribly; but the pain faded into the background as time went on. At least I no longer cried for her.

We interact with a number of local companies in the course of business. One of our contacts was a young lady by the name of Maria; she was shy, until she got to know you. Even then she was not the most outgoing of persons. I had 5 meetings with her over the first 7 or 8 months; she knew her company's products and could present them along with the best of salespersons. However, when she was done with business she got quiet and seemed lost for words.

Our 6th meeting was in the early afternoon. I had been in another meeting until the time came to meet with Maria. As she entered my office I rose to greet her; I asked if she had been to lunch yet.

"No." she replied softly.

"I normally would have eaten by now. I was stuck in a meeting and just got out. There is a wonderful place just around the corner, I will cover the cost and you can show me what you have new in your lines as we eat."

She looked like she wanted to run.

"If you don't want to that is OK. It's only business."

She nodded to accept the offer and gave a small smile.

As we left I told Peggy at the receptionist desk that I could be reached on my cell phone if anything came up.

She responded "Thank you."

As we rode down in the elevator I asked "Have ever eaten at the restaurant we are going to. Before she had a chance to answer I told her "I understand their raspberry ice tea is wonderful."

"I rarely eat out, my day is rather busy. Normally I have another appointment soon after you, but she is out of town and they cancelled it." She replied.

We only had a 5 minute wait for a table, as we waited I spoke to her "Feel free to order anything you would like. I really like a dish here that they call Hollywood Chicken."

She ordered a Chef's Salad and the raspberry tea. I just had my usual. We talked and she presented the new items she thought we might have a need for.

I caught site of a catalog as she was pulling out the brochures she wanted me to see. "Is that catalog of your entire line?"

"Yes, it is we should have sent you one about 9 months ago."

"Someone else must have it, or it got thrown away. Can you get me another one?"

She gave me one of the two she had and promised to put me on the mailing list when the new ones came out. "Of course you will also get a lot of other mailings too. There will be various specials and featured items throughout the year. Is that OK?"

We talked for about 3 hours about our needs, her product lines and life in general. As we got up to leave I shook her hand and said "Thank you for being such a wonderful lunch companion. I have not had such a good time since I transferred here."

She had a smile on her face and thanked me for lunch and "...being so nice."

I walked her to her car, held the door open for her and shook her hand again. Maybe it was my imagination; I thought she held on for just a little longer than was customary.

The earlier meeting that lasted way too long was about how we could improve the work place. The moral was pretty good and the facilities were better than most offices when I arrived here. We, the management, wanted to make it so the workers would want to come to work because they felt good about it.

There is nothing worse than waking up and the first thought you have is "OH, GOD! Not this again."

Most of us have had a job where you felt that way. Maybe you had too much seniority, vacation or whatever; so you felt you could not afford to leave. That makes it even harder.

The first thing we did was to start an information campaign; both incoming and outgoing from us to them. We sent out a questionnaire asking for ideas to improve the work place. Then we asked for ideas that would improve the work flow. I was asked to present that one.

"Management knows the general directions for each job you do, what we do not know is the little details that you need to do in order to get the job done. No one knows you job better than you do. We are not asking for the small stuff to be explained. We want your ideas to make your job easier and more productive. We want to grow the business and prove we are the best office this company has to offer. We want to become the best in the world. We are not looking for ways to cut staff; we want to increase the size of our office at a sustainable growth rate so we will need to hire more and more people. As more people are hired then more of you can be advanced to more senior positions than you are now. With seniority and more responsibility you can increase your take home pay and live better lives. I started here about 15 years ago as a programmer; as I took on more responsibility I was eventually promoted to the position I have today. Every one of you deserves that same opportunity to make your lives better. Those who do not want to make their lives better can stand up and leave now."

I paused, nobody stood or left.

"Everybody who wants to improve their standing in life please stand." The entire office stood and applauded.

"There will be cash bonuses from $50 to $250 for ideas that will improve accuracy, productivity, accountability and most importantly morale. There is nothing wrong with the way things are right now; but I know we can do a lot better. This box, on the table to my left, will be posted on the wall in the lunch room, put all of your ideas in it. I will personally empty it last thing Friday evening before I go home. I will personally review all the comments and forward them to the rest of the committee with my recommendations for implementation. It is now 3:30; we close at 5, I have spoken to some of you and asked you to stay until we close. Those persons can arrive 90 minutes late on Monday, the rest of you are free to leave. I look forward to hearing what you have to say. Have a wonderful and safe weekend."

The looks on their faces were interesting. I saw happiness, confusion, relief and a myriad of other expressions. A few people stayed to talk with us and their friends about what this means. Anyone who tried to tell me their idea was told it needed to be in writing so none of their details were forgotten. I also cautioned some people to be sure they did not share their ideas as they were really good; if someone else submitted the idea after hearing them speak about it we would need to split the bonus.

A few workers thought, when we held the meeting on short notice, that there would be bad news, like layoffs or pay cuts.

The next week I had a phone call from Maria asking if I had any questions about the offerings in the catalog she had given me. We talked for about 15 minutes about various items of interest. As we ended the conversation she, again, thanked me for a wonderful time at lunch.

I was feeling brave and asked if there was any reason that we could not have dinner together one evening. She sputtered a little and finally said she would love to.

I asked about the next Thursday evening. We agreed to meet at a small place she knew near the harbor, at about 7. We would both drive there as she had an earlier chore to complete and might run a few minutes late.

I was seated and waiting when Maria walked into the restaurant at 7:05, I rose to greet her and we sat down to look over the menu. "Anything you want is fine by me." I told her.

After we ordered I told her a little about my self; school, my degree in computers, how I started with the company and worked up to where I am now.

She was almost finished with her degree in management; she needed a course in public speaking and a computer course to finish her course of study. She had started in the warehouse and did phone sales so well her boss asked if she would like to take on a list of customers doing outside sales. After some bartering she accepted the opportunity, with the understanding that she could go back to her previous job if she did not feel it was a good fit. Her boss trained her personally and escorted her around on her first round of calls to introduce her. She has been doing it for the last 5 years.

After dinner we went for a walk along the harbor; we watched the ships coming in and out. We commented on how the harbor was full of so many forms of life. As we walked slowly along I noticed we were holding hands. I don't recall when it started, but it felt good. The next time we stopped to look around she shivered; I put my arm around her shoulder and held her closer. She smiled and tilted her head onto my shoulder.

We walked back to our cars. I did not want the evening to end. As we walked I asked if we could see each other again; she nodded yes. As she got into her car she held onto my hand until she had to let go. Maria started her car and watched as I walked to mine and started it. I followed her out of the parking lot and watched as she turned off to another road to go home.

I had requested that she call me and let me know she was home safely. Just as I pulled into my parking space she called and said she was "...inside and thank you for a wonderful time."

I responded "It was the best time I have had in almost forever. Thank you for seeing me tonight."

We both hung up. I had trouble getting her off my mind. Finally I fell asleep and dreamed of pleasant things. "How long had it been since I had a good dream?" I wondered when I woke up the next morning.

After a month of her meeting me for our dates she told me she had a standing date each Tuesday and Friday at 5; my heart skipped a beat. Then she told me it was to see her Grandmother. She noticed the changing looks as she told me; listening, then sad, then very happy. She apologized for the way she presented it to me. I gave her a hug.

She told me how her Grandmother was asking why she had to leave early so often. Now she wants to meet me. The next Friday I walked in with Maria to see her. We were instant friends.

The time passed quickly and we realized it was 9:30; we had missed our reservation for dinner. Maria suggested we go for pizza. We took my car. As I got up to leave Grandmother motioned for me to come close, she leaned over and kissed my cheek. She whispered in my ear "I like you. You are good for Maria. You treat her well; if you ever hurt her I will kick your ass."

I laughed and told her "If I ever hurt her I will allow you to do just that."

We became a regular thing; dating 2 or 3 times a week.

The next semester she took the computer course. I helped her with the parts she had trouble understanding. She aced a course she had been afraid to take. The next semester she took the Public speaking course. She practiced all her speeches on me; she did well, I rarely had to mention any changes.

Just before Thanksgiving that year we went to dinner at the little place near the harbor, where we had our first date. Then we went for another walk.

As we walked that evening I asked Maria to marry me.

She jumped into my arms and asked "What took you so long? YES! YES! A thousand times YES! The next day we went to the jewelers and chose her engagement ring and our wedding rings.

We drove over to Grandmother's and rang the bell. Normally we just knocked and walked in; but we were expected those times. This was a surprise visit. Grandmother was glad to see us and asked why we were making an unscheduled visit. (Not that she was complaining)

Maria simply reached out and held her hand. Grandmother saw the flash of silver as she reached out. She looked at the ring and said "I wondered how long it would take. I knew from the first time we met you were right for each other. Remember what I told you."

"Yes Grandmother, I will always remember. Thank you."

She kissed me on the cheek; I looked to see tears slowly running down her cheeks.

The changes we put into effect in the office proved to have the desired result. Morale improved, work was completed faster and more accurately and the business grew by over 75 percent. The most popular change was doing away with sick leave.

"WHAT are you talking about?" I can hear you scream it; no one wants to give up a benefit like that.

In the place of sick leave we instituted a program we called Well Time. There are 52 weeks in a year, 2 days per weekend. That leaves about 261 working days and holidays per year. We had 10 sick days per year allowed for each person. SO, every 26 work days we awarded 1 Well Day.

There had to be perfect attendance for those 26 days. You could use 1 Well Day every quarter of the year for an unscheduled day off, and still have perfect attendance. The Well Days could accumulate, be used for additional scheduled vacation, or be cashed in at anytime the employee needed a little extra cash. We also had what was referred to as a Catastrophic Fund; to join the employee had to donate 2 days per year. If there was a serious illness or injury the members could draw up to 60 days from the fund at no cost to them. Any days left over in December were added to the next summer picnic fund or to buy something to make the employees lives better in the office. (Like an additional coffeemaker or microwave or even a larger TV for the break/lunch room.)

Everybody thought they won, no matter how things went. Many of our improvements were adopted at the other offices of our company. Soon we broke into the top 100 places to work in the US.

Maria and I spent a lot of time talking over our past lives before we married in June. She had a steady boyfriend in high school. They were to be married when he got out of the Marines; the last week he was in Iraq he was killed by an IED. She was devastated for years. When we met and started dating she finally realized she could continue to live and love again. They had petted and made out but she insisted that she was going to be a virgin on her wedding day. Her Mother and her mother's mother were killed in a small plane crash when she was 5. Her father was career Navy and was out of town most of the time due to his duty stations. The Grandmother I knew was her father's mother. Maria was raised by her.

I told her about being 4 weeks away from being married and coming home to find my fiancée in bed with 30 or so guys and a few girls. I explained how we tried to make things work out but I had problems with intimacy with her after that.

Maria commented that she noticed when we danced that there was no equipment problem.

Maria knew both my parents were teachers. She had met them on several occasions; they loved each other.

The day before our wedding Maria told me her father was going to be delayed by a day due to bad weather wherever he was flying out of. My father stood in for him at the rehearsal.

The day of our wedding was bright and clear. There was a light breeze off of the bay.

I noticed a lot of military uniforms in the congregation as I took my place at the front of the church. As nervous as I was I did not pay much attention; 29 years in the Navy he must have made a lot of friends.

As the wedding march started I turned to see my bride walking down the aisle on her father's arm. He was in his dress uniform; "WOW! There must be a hundred medals on his chest. There is a lot of gold all over that uniform too."

Half of the way up the aisle I realized he was a 3 Star Admiral. I bet I looked a sight. I recovered quickly. As they arrived in front of me I was looking at Maria; she was the most stunning woman I had ever seen.

Dad spoke, "So, you are the man who has stolen my daughter's heart. I have heard a lot about you from Maria and my mother. Welcome to the family, son." We shook hands and he turned Maria's hand over to me.

Before I realized it the ceremony was over and I was kissing my wife for the first time.

"WOW!"

The reception flew by even faster and soon we were in the car on the way to our honeymoon. I won't comment except to say, she was a virgin, the equipment worked fine and we had the time of our lives.

It was 6 months later when she came to me and said "We need to talk."

My thought was "OH! LORD! What did I do?"

She sat next to me on the sofa, held my hand in hers and made me the happiest man in the world. I was going to be a DADDY!

We had the perfect life. Our daughter, Lilly, was our pride and joy. She was smart, pretty and everyone loved her. In school she was always the top of the class.

I found Maria's Dad to be a wonderful man. He had never married after the death of his wife; he missed her every day and spoke of her often and with love.

Maria was promoted to sales manager when her mentor retired. I was promoted to office manager around the same time.

Grandmother had retired many years before, she was starting to have some physical limitations now; but her mind was sharp and bright.

Then one morning in the middle of September my world came falling in around me. Maria had just dropped Lilly off for school and was heading to work when a truck lost its breaks. It hit her car in the side and she died almost instantly. The driver was devastated.

The doctors told me that she never had a moment of pain.

The second hardest thing I ever had to do was to tell Grandmother that Maria was gone. She asked to be allowed to tell The Admiral. We talked for a few minutes and as I turned to leave Grandmother said "She loved you with all her heart. I am so glad she had the time to know you."

We kissed each other on the cheeks as tears flowed like rain.

Now it was time for the hardest thing I ever had to do. How was I going to tell Lilly about her Mommy? When I got to her school and asked to pick her up they called to the nurse's office and asked for her to be brought down. She ran to me, climbed into my lap and hugged me as hard as she could.

"I felt her as she died. It was 9:23; I know she felt no pain. She just went to sleep. I miss her."

We hugged forever, and then left the school and went back to see Grandmother.

Lilly told her how she knew; they held each other and then invited me to join them.

15 months later Grandmother breathed her last as Lilly and I held her hands. The Admiral arrived 5 minutes before she moved on. They hugged and kissed for a few minutes; Grandmother asked that he go do a short errand. She looked at us and said "He will not want to be here for this." Then she closed her eyes and was gone.

The Admiral did not take it well. He cried for a long time. Then he got on his knees said a prayer and stood up. We left the room together; Lilly was holding each of us by the hand.

When we got outside Lilly stopped and pointed to the sky. "Grandmother says do not cry, she is happy to be with Mommy and Grandpa now."

There was little to hold us in San Diego now. The Admiral was off at sea again, we had friends but we spent little time with them. The company offered me a job at the corporate headquarters in Atlanta. I asked for a week to think it over.

When Lilly came home from school she hugged me and said "You were offered a new job today; weren't you?"

I told her "Yes."