by Frank Cereo
Living the American Dream
By
Frank Cereo
Copyright 2015 – Frank Cereo
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage retrieval system without permission, in writing, from the publisher.
All characters in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Chapter 1 – The Normal Workday
Chapter 2 – The World Comes Crashing to a Halt
Chapter 3 – The Revolving Door
Chapter 4 – The Last Straw
Chapter 5 – Making the List
Chapter 6 – The Journey Begins
Chapter 7 – The Second Stop
Chapter 8 – New York, New York
Chapter 9 – High Society Living
Chapter 10 – Richmond Virginia
Chapter 11 – Allison’s Demise
Chapter 12 – On the Road Again
Chapter 13 – Tommy Two Face
Chapter 14 – Florida Georgia Line
Chapter 15 - Houston We have a Problem
Chapter 16 – James Rufess
Chapter 17 – Robbie Colbalt
Chapter 18 – Jeb Throrughgood
Chapter 19 – Steven Waynewright
Chapter 20 – The Train Ride
Chapter 21 – The Baltimore Hero
Chapter 22 – The Journey Home
Chapter 23- The Last Little Indian
Chapter 24 – Becca’s Ordeal
Chapter 25 – The Chase
Chapter 26- The Dream
Chapter 27 – Reality Check
Chapter 1 – The Normal Workday
Today is another normal Monday at work. The date is Monday, March 31st and I am busy working as an Operations Manager in a warehouse environment. The normal day starts at 7am with me going over my calendar and figuring out what needs to be done. At 7:30 I meet with my supervisors and go over the objectives that we need to accomplish. Most days are complex with many different moving pieces. I have two supervisors, one is the lead in operations and the other is in charge of projects. We plan out our day and set our day in motion.
First of all let me tell you a little bit about myself. I am 46 years old and my name is Fred Church and I am happily married for twenty-two years. My wife’s name is Susan and she is a home maker taking care of our three children. I make enough money so she doesn’t have to work. I think taking care of three children, cleaning and cooking is a fulltime job. I have been at this job for six years and walked into a mess. I took this job because I thought the grass was greener on the other side. The job I left was a family owned business that I worked my way up the ranks from hourly into management. I worked there for 16 years and left because I was being treated unfairly. I really thought this job was going to be different and it was for the first five and a half years. I was making almost seventy thousand dollars a year with a twenty percent bonus paid quarterly. Things were good until the company decided to implement another layer of management between the operations manager and general manager. My only competition I have is the other district operations manager and he is a total fuck up. This man never accomplishes anything and he always has an excuse. Well to make a long story short the interview process for this new position took place a year and half ago. It consisted of a short five minute PowerPoint presentation and four interviews with three general managers and one vice president. My PowerPoint presentation focused on leadership. I have to admit I was a little nervous during the presentation but it all went well. I walked out with a smile on my face. The second part was the interview process with the four upper management managers. The first three went really well and I was feeling very confident. That’s until I went into the last interview with my own GM Ricky Certo. I went into the conference room where he was sitting and I took a seat across from him. At first he asked me three questions that pertained to the new job and I answered with the best of my knowledge. Then he asked me a question that almost knocked my socks off.
“Would you like to know what I am going to give you if you don’t get the job?” Ricky asks.
It took me a minute or two to comprehend what was going on. I was in shock not expecting this question.
“Sure I guess?” I answer back questioning him.
“Well, I am going to give you the Chestnut Business unit to manage.” Ricky replies with an awkward facial expression.
“Ricky, I am already managing two facilities now. Isn’t this the job I am interviewing for?” I ask with concern.
“Not exactly, I am trying to set it up where you will be overseeing all the warehouse operations and reporting to the new manager.” Rick replies.
“Wait a minute here, let me ask you one question.” I say.
“Go ahead what is your question?” Ricky asks with a look of concern on his face.
“What does Dan Hearth get if he doesn’t get the new position?” I ask.
This question pushed my boss into a corner and I could see it on his face. He really didn’t want to answer the question because it would implicate this whole interview process was predetermined and that I had no chance of getting this job. I waited patiently as he took a deep breath and started to answer.
“It doesn’t work like that. If he doesn’t get this job I have nowhere to put him.” Ricky responds nervously.
“Are you telling me he already has this job before the interview process is even over?” I plead my case.
“I am not telling you that.” Ricky says.
“Either my ears are deceiving me or that is what just came out of your mouth.” I say in a defensive tone.
“This interview is over unless you have any other questions.” Ricky tells me.
“No, you said quite enough.” I reply as I walked out of the conference room disgusted.
I grabbed my coat and planner and left New Jersey and headed back to upstate New York. I had a three and a half hour ride home to rethink the entire day. I was totally dumbfounded knowing this whole thing was a crock of shit. As I drove home, I knew deep down inside this whole thing would change my world. The next day I went back to work and did my due diligence and by Friday I was informed that Dan got the promotion.
Back to present day I am currently running all five buildings and reporting to my new manager. Dan has a funny way of managing because he never answers any of my questions and leaves me hanging for days and sometime weeks. There are even times I have to go over his head to get the answer from my GM. I even had a time off request in for a vacation that he would not approve. I was taking my kids to Florida and all the reservations were made. I put the request in at the end of January and the vacation was set for the end of April. I made sure all my supervisors were aware of my vacation. Week after week I would send Dan an email asking if the vacation was approved. Dan would never reply and it would move another week closer. With about a month to go before my vacation I called Dan.
“Dan Hearth, how may I help you?” Dan answered the phone.
“Dan its Fred, have you approved my vacation yet? I already have my vacation plans set and everything is paid for.” I ask.
“I just haven’t gotten around to it yet. Are your supervisors aware of this and do they have any time scheduled during your vacation?” Dan asks.
“No we’re all set. They will be working and reporting directly to you.” I respond.
“Okay, I will sign it and send it over to you in the inter office mail.” Dan replies.
At that point I was happy just knowing that my vacation was approved. Now all I had to do was wait f
or the signed copy to arrive. I would make a copy for myself and hand the original into the HR administrator. What was really awkward about this scenario was my new boss was located at another building. My old boss Ricky was working out of the same building I was located at. Well I waited another week and the vacation request never arrived. I was beginning to get pissed off because this man would never follow through with anything. The man is walking cluster, which only he could get away with. So being the sly dog I am I sent Dan an email but blinded the GM. I asked him to please send me the form because vacation was nearing and I had to make it official. Dan responds by saying he still hadn’t gotten around to signing it. Then Ricky jumped in and responded.
“Dan, just sign the damn thing, this has been going on for three months.” Ricky’s email stated.
I finally get the signed copy of the vacation request but that took the intervention from upper management. What really makes this scenario even sadder is Dan use to run my facility before me and he didn’t have the management skills to succeed. Whatever he touched became a train wreck. When I took over the three building in the Chestnut Business unit they were worse than the two buildings I was managing when I first started. It took me six months to clean the buildings up and put them in order.
Back to today, I made my rounds in house and traveled to the other buildings to make sure we were on schedule to finish up a major project. Upon completion of my visits I drove home. I was at my furthest facility from home so my drive was over two hours. I left at 4:30 in the afternoon and that gets me home at 6:30. When I walk into the house I am totally exhausted. A ten hour work day with a two hour drive at the end of the day. When I get home I sit at the kitchen table all by myself because everyone else has already eaten. I pull the foil off the pork chops, potatoes, and peas. I can hear the children playing in the basement. The wife is in the living room watching the news. I eat my dinner but my appetite is not there. I have come to realize that I’m now dealing with another dead end job. I was overlooked for a promotion that I earned. I tried numerous times to move to another district but Ricky kept me from making that move. I knew he needed me there to run the day to day operation including the project team. Then my wife came into the kitchen and sat down next me.
“So how was work today?” Susan asks.
“Same old bullshit just a different day.” I reply.
“Just stay positive something will break for you.” Susan says.
“Yea maybe you’re right. I just can’t stand being held down.” I reply while I put a fork full of peas in my mouth.
“I’m telling you, your day is coming.” Susan says as she grabs me a beer from the refrigerator.
“We shall see about that. Hey do you know what Dan did today?” I ask.
“No, what did the irresponsible idiot do now.” Susan replies.
“He stopped a shipment because of the cost. This was supposed to be delivered tomorrow. The shit is going to hit the fan tomorrow.” I reply.
“Do you have any proof that he cancelled the shipment?” Susan asks.
“Yes it’s in an email.” I reply.
“Make sure you keep it so they don’t come after you. You know Ricky, he is all business and he will hammer you and hold you responsible.” Susan says.
“I got it covered honey.” I say.
After dinner I relax a little bit and watch some TV. That didn’t last very long as I passed out from sheer exhaustion. At ten o’clock Susan wakes me up and tells me to go to bed. I slowly get up off the couch and walk up the flight of stairs to the bedroom. I walk by the kids rooms and they are sound asleep. I can hear them breathing aloud while they sleep with innocent dreams going through their heads. When I reach my room I strip off by business casual attire and go into the master bath. I look at myself in the mirror and see gray hair infiltrating where brown hair once laid thick and bushy. I can see lines forming under my eyes as middle age stress is helping me age. I grab a couple of aspirin to help me sleep as I look into the mirror.
“You are really looking old there Freddy boy. Hey tomorrow is another day and besides the job pays the bills.” I reply as swallow the aspirin followed by a glass of water.
I get into bed wearing just my boxers. I pull up the sheet and blanket. I roll over and turn off the lamp on the nightstand. I look up at the ceiling and see the shadows dancing from the TV downstairs. It didn’t take long to fall asleep. Little did I know, this would be the last normal day of my life.
Chapter 2 – The World Comes Crashing to a Halt
On Tuesday morning I went to work like usual. I had my day planned out when Ricky walked into my office. I looked up and he closed the door behind him. I said to myself this isn’t good as he sat down at the table in the rear of my office. I figured this was going to be about the cancelled shipment. I had the email printed out from Dan when I started the conversation.
“What’s going on?” I ask as I turn on my computer.
“Well I have some bad news.” Ricky replies without looking directly at me.
“What did I do?” I respond as I try to figure out what is going on.
“Well your job is being eliminated.” Ricky says while looking down at me sitting at my desk.
“Are you kidding me? You people recruited me and I uplifted my family to take this job. I cleaned up the mess that the last manager left. This is bullshit Ricky and you know it.” I respond with a temper.
“Calm down Freddy. You know me I’m not going to let you go without a fight.” Ricky says as he tries to calm me down.
“How dare you tell me to calm down? This job is my livelihood. I have a mortgage and three children that depend on me. Ricky I have worked hard to get these facilities up to standard. This is even beneath your standards.” I respond.
“I am sorry I had to tell you this but I felt I owed you an early notice.” Ricky says as he gets up from the chair.
“So what’s the plan and how long do I have?” I reply.
“The cuts are going to occur sometime in July. The plan is Dan will be moving back over here and taking over your responsibilities.” Ricky says.
“What, are you kidding me? This man couldn’t run the facility before and you’re bringing him back. I worked hard to clean up the messes this man left behind. So this is how I get rewarded by losing my job to Dan.” I respond in a fit of rage.
“This isn’t about Dan, it’s about you.” Ricky responds with his hand on the door handle.
“You had your chance to get rid of that worthless piece of shit a year and a half ago. Instead you promote him putting my neck out on the chopping block. Well guess what, it worked.” I reply in a defensive tone.
“Like I said this isn’t about Dan it’s about you. Please do me one favor keep this to yourself because I wasn’t supposed to tell you.” Ricky says as he opens the door.
“Can I ask you one question and I expect an honest answer?” I ask.
“What?” Ricky says as he turns back towards me.
“What does that man have over you? He hasn’t accomplished anything in the six years I worked here. He doesn’t even know how to respond to emails and voicemails. The man is incompetent and one word sums him up, worthless.” I say.
Ricky ignores my last question as he walks out the door and back to his office. I sit back down in my chair and take a deep breath to regain my composure. I am so upset I can feel my heart banging inside my chest. This is my worst nightmare coming true and it hurts deep down inside. I try to hold my emotions back. For the next couple of weeks I go to work as it starts to become a challenge. By the end of April Ricky requests that I pack up all my belongings and move to a small office down the hall. I ask him why and he responds that Dan will be moving into my office at the beginning of May. So being the loyal employee I am, I start packing everything into boxes when my supervisors arrive for my morning meeting.
“Good morning, what are you leaving us or quitting?” Jack, the operations supervisor, asks in a joking manner.
Jack
is the operations supervisor and Daryl is the projects supervisor. They both walk into my office and take a seat at the table located at the rear of the office. I tell Jack to close the door and he does.
“What I am about to tell you two doesn’t go beyond the walls of this office. Do you understand?” I say as the door latches.
“What’s going on boss man?” Daryl asks.
“This is hard for me to say to you guys but here it goes. I was informed a few weeks back that my job is being eliminated and by July I’m gone.” I respond.
“What are you kidding me? Where are you going to go and what are you going to do?” Jack asks.
“I don’t know what I am going to do. I haven’t figured that out yet. I have a few applications out for open GM positions. I hope one of them pans out but I’m not counting on it.” I reply.
“Who is replacing you?” Daryl asks.
“That would be Danny boy.” I reply.
“Are you kidding me? That man did nothing but read the newspaper before you were hired. We will have complete anarchy here. Every hourly employee hates him. He treats the entire staff like shit and looks down on everyone.” Jack says in an angered tone.
“You’re preaching to the choir here. It’s beyond my authority. What more can I say.” I reply.
I finish my meeting with the supervisors and send them on their way. It takes me a couple of days to get all my things packed up and moved into the little office. I have people asking me questions and I cannot answer them. That is when I should have realized that my confidential meeting with the supervisors would escape the bounds of my office. I arrive at work at 7am and Ricky is waiting for me. I am always the second person in the office every morning besides Ricky. I can see the look in his eye that he is not happy. I walk into my new cubbyhole office and he follows me inside. He doesn’t say a word as he slams the door behind him after he enters the room.
“I can see that you can’t keep anything quiet. I told you not to tell anyone about the reorganization.” Ricky yells at me.
