by P. J. Day
“Jack, you okay?” asked Rebecca.
Rebecca caught me daydreaming. I was staring off onto the Hong Kong skyline. Alan stood behind her, both his hands holding his laptop bag in front of his crotch area. He had a knotted look on his face.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Sorry, I have this tendency to wander off sometimes,” I said.
“Jack, listen,” Alan forcefully said, as he approached me. “Tonight, we look for Ted. We don’t go out on the town. You will not go to bed until we find him. If you find him call me or Rebecca immediately. We all need to have a little chat. This behavior is inexcusable and puts our company in a terrible position, do you understand?”
Rebecca stood right next to Alan, and immediately mimicked his demeanor. “He’s right. We need Ted. Alan and I will look for him. You should, too. We’ll call the police stations around here and you check with hotel security. Let us know if you find him, please.”
I gave both Alan and Rebecca a plastic smile. I put my hands in my pockets and fiddled with the loose change. I guess I was trying to run all the tension that seemed to begin at my shoulders, that these too had somehow gifted me, through the tiny pieces of metal, which danced at the end of my fingertips. “Sure, whatever you say. He’ll turn up. I’ll keep you posted,” I said. They both made an about face and started heading toward the hotel exit.
“Alan?” I asked loudly. He turned around and looked agitated. There was a sudden primal urge to express myself inappropriately, I felt like saying fuck you; I didn’t. “Good luck,” I lightly bellowed, winking with a smirk. He and Rebecca then kept walking side by side, yammering about who knows what.
I took a deep breath and turned my head side to side, trying to eliminate all the tension that had overtaken my entire neck. I realized my attire was too business friendly and I feared I would look too stuffy on our date tonight. I quickly began walking to my room to change my outfit when suddenly, I felt the inside pocket of my jacket vibrating. I grabbed my phone and pulled it out. The caller id said private. I answered.
“Hello?”
“Hello, Jack,” said the voice, in a mild German accent.
“Rald?”
“Alan told me that Ted is missing. Can you tell me what happened?”
I was completely taken by surprise that Rald gave me a call, especially since all of my attempts at communication went unanswered. I felt it was an appropriate time to express some of my grievances.
“Mr. Gerber, I’m at a loss right now. First, you never answered any of my emails, and second, you kept Ted and I in the dark on this whole situation.”
Rald paused for a few seconds before he addressed my current state of dissatisfaction.
“Jack, I’m sorry. I really am.”
“I take immense pride in the work I do for Schnell. In fact, so does Ted, and...”
“...I know,” said Rald, cutting me off mid-sentence. He continued, “Jack, please don’t take it personally. This situation is very sensitive. We are looking at possible EU sanctions on current trade agreements with China...Jack?”
“Yes?”
“Are you handling this call on a bluetooth device?”
“No, why?”
“Look, at this time I can’t talk to you too much about what we think may be happening. I’m sorry I have not responded to your emails. We should have given you a laptop...a loaner. We can’t have sensitive communication on unsecured devices right now. I will talk to you about everything that is going on when you get back, I promise.”
“Fine.”
“In the meantime, please find Ted. We need him. Work closely with Alan and Rebecca.”
“Okay, will do.”
“We are depending on you, Jack. Stay on your toes.”
“Rald, Ted and I are not happy about our treatment.”
Rald responded in a very paternalistic tone, “Jack, please do not take this situation personally. I promise you, we will talk about this when we can. Right now it is not the time to discuss such an extremely sensitive situation.”
I had so many things on my mind that I desperately wanted to express to Rald; however, I did not want to give into Alan’s predisposed idea that Ted and I were possible loose cannons that had the potential of making things worse. I bit my lip, took a deep breath and said, “Goodbye, sir.”
“Keep up the good work,” Rald said as he hung the phone.
I idly stood in the middle of the hotel lobby, staring at my cell phone, reorganizing my thoughts. Should I call Holly and tell her that tonight wouldn’t be a good night? I had to think fast. If I were Ted, where would I be at this very moment? Sightseeing? Jail? On a flight back to L.A.? Dead? The last thought...completely unlikely, I kept telling myself.
I noticed a security guard by the men’s restroom. An older gentleman, around 50 years of age. He had pepper spray on his tool belt, no handgun. His flashlight was almost as long as his entire thigh; he was quite short.
“Excuse me, sir?” I asked.
He stopped where he was going and faced me, he was silent.
“My colleague has been missing since early this morning. He’s not in his room. Can you help me?”
The security guard gave me a worried look. “I’m sorry to hear that,” he said. He pointed to a door next to the front desk. “Speak to my boss. See that door? That is where the head of security works. He knows everyone at Hong Kong P.D. They should help you.”
“Thank you.”
I began to walk toward the door when out of nowhere I heard a flutter in my right ear. I stopped and turned my head to what I thought was the source of the slight buzz. I stared directly at the cafe in the lobby. “Psst...” I heard it again. I carefully stared at each person’s face that was in the general area of the cafe. Probably around 18 faces. None of them looking at me, except one. Sunglasses, a red beret, a leather jacket, and a familiar pair of slacks with liquor-stained spots was being worn by, what my instincts perceived to be, the culprit. I quickly made my way to the cafe. As I approached the the table where the costumed misterioso sat, I took a quick glance at my surroundings, making sure no one was giving me an inquisitive eye or two. I sat down at the table, leaned in, and quietly asked, “Ted?”
“Shh...keep it down, man,” he said, motioning his right hand at me.
“What the fuck are you pulling, dude?”
Ted sighed and shook his head. He then leaned in a couple of inches from my face. I could see the reflection of everyone walking behind us in the lobby on his sunglasses. He opened his lips and hesitated a little before saying a word. Probably predicting an unpleasant reaction from me after saying what he was going to say.
“I’m not doing this anymore, I’m quitting,” said Ted, he took a sip from his latte, his hand slightly trembling.
I was about to scream, but I caught myself. “No, you’re not.”
“It’s too late. I already booked a flight. I’m leaving tomorrow night. I’m sorry,” he said, sincerely apologetic.
I sat back in my chair, crossed my arms, and gave Ted a stern look. I shook my head from left to right like an angry mother who’d just found out her teenaged son had knocked up the trashiest girl on the block.
“I am taking a job with my cousin’s kayaking company up in Carmel. He’s going to make me a partner,” he said.
“So, you’re going to take a pay cut...for what? Why?”
Ted pointed to his blueberry muffin whose top was completely grazed off.
“You want some?”
“No...no...,” I said, stuttering. “Why are you leaving, Ted? I don’t get you. You have a job many guys your age would kill for.”
Ted leaned in closer again, his left arm partly smashing the muffin.
“I don’t want to keep contributing to the downfall of America,” he said, in a whisper.
“Wait a minute.” I slightly chuckled. “Since when you are you so altruistic about your position in life? This is unlike you, man.”
“I know...I know. I’m not going to lie, part of me wants
to take it easy. You know me, I like to fuck around a lot, take the easy road. I’m afraid I’m done, this is it. No turning back.”
“Are you sure about this? I just got off the phone with Rald. He assured me your job isn’t in jeopardy. Your job will never be in jeopardy, despite your goof-ups. You’re an asset, Ted.”
Ted grabbed the copy of the USA Today that he had resting on his lap. He opened it up and pointed to an article on the bottom left-hand corner of the page. “See that there?”
The article read, 40,000 manufacturing plants have moved from the U.S. to China since 2003.
“Yeah, so what? This is no secret,” I said. “How does this relate to us?”
“Not only is our manufacturing base long gone, but because corporate espionage is so rampant over here, and there is absolutely no copyright control whatsoever, our R&D and everyone else whose making a quick buck over here is going to disappear, too.”
“Okay...and?”
“Can’t you see, Jack? They don’t care. Schnell probably doesn’t care. You think once they uncover the truth behind this mess, Schnell will pack up and leave China?”
“Probably not,” I said, giving another quick glance around our surroundings. This conversation had me a bit paranoid.
“No one is. No one cares anymore. It’s all about the money. There is no such thing as a long-term outlook anymore. As long as they continue to make money in the now or for the next quarter, borders, national pride, fairness, democracy, art, innovation and humanity, mean nothing.”
“I know, it sucks. But it’s the world we live in.”
Ted slammed his cup on the table. “These companies...who is benefiting from these overseas arrangements? You and me, because we’re employed. So, just a few...a few people are making millions at the expense of a country’s identity. I’m risking my freedom being here, and so are you; for who...or what?”
I sat completely still. I didn’t really know how to react to Ted’s sudden change in persona. Part of me knew that this day would come. Ted was too much of a free spirit to be locked down by the rigors and rules of a huge corporation; however, I had no idea it would ever be on these terms. He always seemed, for a lack of a better word, apolitical.
“Fine. I can’t stop you. You are your own man. You want to leave me to fend for myself? What do I tell Alan and Rebecca...they’re looking for you, you know? We thought something terrible might have happened to you.”
Ted was about to say something when suddenly, he leaned back in his chair. He raised an eyebrow, carefully staring at the lower half of my face. “What happened to your lip? It’s kinda swollen.”
“I had this weird dream. I was chasing this kid and then I tripped and bit my lip. I woke up and there was blood inside my lip. I must have bitten it in my sleep. The whole thing felt so real.”
Ted didn’t dwell too long on my explanation. As usual, the conversation boomeranged back to him in an instant. “Tell them I left for Los Angeles early this afternoon.”
“You want me to tell them, what?”
“Tell Alan and Rebecca I had an emergency or something. I don’t know... tell them the police found a dead guy in my back yard and I had to leave immediately for questioning.”
I let out a loud laugh. A few of the patrons reared their heads at our table. Ted squirmed in his seat. “Hey, you’re drawing too much attention our way. Calm down,” he said.
“Sorry, but that ain’t gonna fly. You’re really quitting, right?”
Ted paused and didn’t look completely comfortable when I asked him if he really was resigning.
“Yes, I’m done.”
“So, you’re okay with leaving me behind?”
“Jack, listen, I’m a nervous wreck. I haven’t slept in three days. I can’t do this. I am a liability. Believe me, you are better off without me right now.”
“Fine. I’ll tell Alan and Rebecca that you quit, got cold feet, and you are returning home. Simple as that.”
“Crap! What about all my shit in my room; it just doesn’t fly, does it?”
Ted and I paused for half a minute or so, thinking of a better excuse than one of a man being overwhelmed by corporate pressure. Although technically true to some degree, I had to come up with something that would keep Alan and Rebecca from suspecting that Ted was still in Hong Kong for another 24 hours.
“Tell them I went to Singapore. Tell them I went to visit Psytech out there. They are larger than Guangzhou. They would understand,” he said.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, tell them that we were about to lose the account and I left in a hurry. Just convince them that I would try to make it back to join you guys again.”
“Sounds plausible. That should buy us some time.”
“Good, now give me the key to your room. They’ll never suspect I’m there. Don’t let either of them into the room, okay?”
I handed my spare key to Ted, again checking the surrounding area for funny looks or familiar faces. With Ted now officially out of the picture, I was confident that I could take control of my account again through sheer charm and business savvy, despite not being completely fluent in the client’s native tongue.
“I’ll go to the room first. If you need to go to your room tonight, just wait a few minutes,” said Ted.
“I’ll see you up there in around 15 minutes. I need to make a couple of phone calls,” I said.
Ted slowly got up from the table and scouted the immediate area before heading up to my hotel room. I decided to call Alan so I could let him know that Ted was currently on a flight to Singapore. I rubbed the smudges off of my smartphone. For some reason or another the oils that secrete at the end of my fingertips are a little thicker than what mortals exude. They tend to cake up my phone when dry. Gross, I know. To this day, I can’t find a solution. I scratched the last remaining piece of dry oil with my nail and dialed Alan’s number.
“Alan, it’s me, Jack.” I paused, took a deep breath and exhaled. “I found Ted.”
“Where is he?” Alan asked.
“He is on a flight to Singapore as we speak.”
“What?”
“He is on his way to handle the Psytech account. They are extremely upset and are threatening to drop us. Unfortunately, they are Ted’s largest account and our territories third-largest client.”
“Did you authorize Ted to do this?”
“Nope. Proactive thing, I guess.”
“Is he coming back?”
“He said he would try to make it back as soon as he’s done, maybe in around 48 hours. I really don’t know.”
I could hear Alan giving Rebecca a recap of our conversation in the background. Rebecca then gave Alan directives on what to ask me next.
“How certain are you that Ted is going to make it back within the next 48 hours?” asked Alan.
“Again, I’m not sure. This is a big account. I know it’s important what we’re doing here, but I can’t let an account like Psytech slip away.”
Alan’s voice was getting more and more agitated with each ensuing answer.
“Did you know anything about this beforehand?”
“I knew there were some issues with Psytech, but nothing major until Ted called me right before boarding the plane.”
“You better be telling me the truth, Jack. I hope you didn’t have all this planned and purposely kept this information from us.”
“Why does it matter, Alan? You’re just a engineer. These are not your accounts, they’re mine,” I said, finally snapping.
“Oh, I see. Okay then, it’s your account if it makes you feel better, Jack. You’re right. I’m just an engineer, as you say. We’ll do this without Ted. It’s no big deal,” Alan said, in a patronizing tone.
“I didn’t want to say anything to you earlier. I mean, you’re just a technician. A good one...but these are still my accounts. I don’t know what Rald may have told you, but I am pretty sure he didn’t tell you that all of a sudden, I was your subordinate. The plan will be ok
ay if I lead.”
Alan paused. There was an awkward silence on the phone. Then I heard Rebecca murmuring something, but it wasn’t distinguishable. Alan then continued, “We’ll just see you tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. Be ready, no more surprises, please.”
“Nothing out of the ordinary from here on out. We have a pretty good team, as is. I’ll see you tomorrow. Tell Rebecca I said good night.” I quickly hung up the phone. I didn’t want to risk further power struggles. I already said my piece and that should be good enough, going forward.
I knew from here on out my relationship with Alan and Rebecca was going to be rocky. However, there was no way I was going to back down and let some bossy know-it-all coup my livelihood. I had to reassert myself and reestablish corporate hierarchy. I’d play along but I would never surrender, under any circumstances, my role as head of these accounts.
In the meantime, I thought I bought Ted some time to get his act together so he could sneak out of Hong Kong and ride off into the sunset. Also, there were pressing matters at hand. I needed to call Holly, and set up a date. Maybe a little dancing tonight? We’d see what the night had in store. I needed to be a good boy.
Chapter Four
I closed my eyelids and I felt tears running down my cheek, eventually settling at the edge of my upper lip. They tasted somewhat sweet, unlike the tears of mortals, salty and crude. I had just taken a picture of myself. I didn’t want to look tired, beat-down, and worn when I presented myself in front of Holly, so I decided to take a few pictures of myself.
