A Taste of Reality

by Kimberla Lawson Roby

  Traffic wasn’t as bad as I’d expected, so I ended up arriving at work just before seven. I sat in my office reviewing everything on today’s agenda, and prepared my application package for Jim. Then I knocked on my supervisor’s door so I could inform her about my interest in another area.

  “Come in, Anise,” Elizabeth Weeks instructed, and beckoned with her hand. “I’m on hold with my bank, but it shouldn’t take too long for me to finish up with them.”

  “No problem,” I told her, and sat down in one of the chairs in front of her desk.

  “Well, can you send me a copy of last month’s statement, because I never received it,” she said when the bank representative returned to the line.

  She paused for a few seconds as she listened to the person she was speaking with and then said, “Thank you for your help, and I look forward to receiving it in the mail.”

  “Good customer service people are obviously very hard to find,” she said as she hung up the phone.

  I laughed, but didn’t comment one way or the other because I remembered being in customer service during college, and while there were some incompetent representatives, there were just as many irate customers who jumped the gun before allowing us to do our jobs. Some callers never even allowed you to hear what their question or complaint was, which made it hard for us to give the best possible service.

  “So what’s going on these days?” Elizabeth asked. “I hear you’re interested in the HR recruiting manager’s position.”

  “Well, I was hoping to have a chance to tell you about it myself, but I see Jim already beat me to it.”

  “He didn’t say much, but he did tell me that you came to his office to discuss your interest in it.”

  “I thought about it all yesterday, and I’ve decided that I am going to apply for it again. I really hoped that I would get it six months ago, but without going into any of that, I feel like I should try for it again.”

  “I don’t see anything wrong with you trying to get promoted, but what I do want is for you to make sure that you want to report to Jim Kyle. I’ve reported to him the whole time I’ve been here, and just between you and me, he’s not the easiest person to work for. He’s a perfectionist, but the worse thing about him is that he hates women. And please don’t think I’m trying to be offensive, but he’s not too fond of any person who’s not the same color as him.”

  I was really shocked to hear Elizabeth confess to me what she knew about Jim. But, I must admit that from the first day I met Elizabeth during my interview and as soon as I was hired and began working for her, it became evident that she didn’t have a racist bone in her body. She saw my credentials for what they were, and it never mattered to her that I was African-American. I appreciated her kindness and how fair she was to me as an individual, and while I hadn’t thought too much about it before today, it was going to be hard leaving her department and going to work for the likes of Jim.

  “I know he’s not the most honorable person in the world, but I can’t let him stop me from going after the job I really want. I’ve always wanted to be a recruiter, and I know I deserve to be promoted into management. I’m not sure how this is all going to work out, but I have to go with what I feel.”

  “I totally understand, and you have my blessings. You are an outstanding employee, so of course I would hate to lose you, but I would never try to stand in your way when it comes to getting ahead.”

  “I really appreciate hearing you say that, and I want to thank you for being one of the best supervisors I have ever had.”

  Elizabeth smiled at me.

  “Well, I guess that’s it, and what I’m going to do now is take the application material over to Jim. I’d told him that I would place them in his in basket, but if he’s in his office, I’m going to give them to him personally.”

  “Good luck,” Elizabeth said.

  “Thanks,” I said, and left her office.

  Jim’s door was closed, so I asked his secretary if he was with someone. She told me no, called him on the phone to let him know I needed to speak to him and then said I could walk right in.

  “So how are things going, Anise?” he said, smiling.

  I didn’t know if he was being sincere or not, but I was going to keep an open mind like David suggested.

  “Everything is fine, but I just wanted to bring you my bidding form and résumé personally.”

  “So you’re going against my advice and applying for that corporate management position, huh?” he asked, but wasn’t smiling the way he’d been at first.

  “Yes,” I responded. “I am applying for it.”

  What I wanted to ask him was why he had such a problem with considering me for a management position. I wanted to make him see that I was more than capable of doing a good job if he gave me a chance.

  But I stood in silence, trying to show him some respect.

  He leaned forward, rested his arms on his desk and said, “Well, it’s like I told you yesterday, this is your choice, but we will still have to offer the job to the most qualified candidate.”

  “I totally understand that, and I would never expect you to give me something I don’t deserve. I know you didn’t think I was the most qualified a few months ago, but I really hope that you and Lyle will take my educational background and work experience into consideration this time,” I said as calmly as possible.

  “I guarantee you, we’ll be considering each applicant in the same manner.” He spoke with slight irritation. “And since we want to start the interview process sometime next week, I’m sure my secretary will be calling you to schedule a time fairly soon.”

  “I really appreciate you considering me,” I said, and left.

  Not twenty minutes after I returned to my office, I received a phone call from Lyle asking me if I had a few moments to meet with him. Which was strange, because it wasn’t often that any person in the company heard from the vice president of operations directly. He would ask his executive assistant to get someone on the phone or summon someone to his office from time to time, but he never made direct contact himself.

  As I hurried through the benefits, training and corporate recruiting departments, in that order, I passed Jim’s office and headed down the long hallway that led to the executive offices. Jim was an executive, too, but it made better sense to have his office at the end of HR and not completely in the same area where the other VPs and executives were located. The recruiting area for factory employees was at the exact opposite end of the department, just past my office, so he had access to it as well.

  I felt somewhat uneasy about meeting with Lyle, not because he made me nervous, but because I didn’t want to confront him in a knock-down-drag-out argument. I was tired of explaining myself to the powers that be, and this whole scenario was growing old.

  I walked up to his executive assistant’s desk, but before I could speak she said, “Lyle is expecting you, so please go right in.” She had a beautiful smile and was dressed in the most professional red suit I’d seen in a long while. Which meant she hadn’t purchased it here in Mitchell. It looked more like something you could find in stores on Michigan or State in Chicago or in one of the better malls in the suburbs.

  “Thank you,” I said, smiling. “Your suit is absolutely gorgeous.”

  “Well, thank you,” she said, and I walked into Lyle’s office.

  “Close the door, please,” he said with the same pleasant smile as Jim. I couldn’t tell if his was genuine either, but I knew I’d find out in a matter of seconds.

  I did what he told me and took a seat in front of him. “You wanted to see me?”

  “Yes, I did. Jim called to let me know that you were applying for the corporate recruiting manager’s position, and I wanted to speak to you about it.”

  I listened but didn’t respond. I wasn’t sure what he expected me to say.

  “I know you applied for it six months ago as well, and we ended up giving it to Jason. And now this time, we’re going to be in the s
ame situation of having to review the qualifications of each candidate so that we can make the right decision.”

  I nodded my head in agreement but still didn’t speak.

  “Jim said that he mentioned the benefits manager position and that Frank Colletti might be promoted from his training director position in the very near future. I know you told him that you weren’t interested in either one, but I really wish you would rethink your decision, because we would have no problem with moving you into either one of those slots. I’m not telling you that you might get one or the other, I’m telling you that you would without question. We’d still have to go through the normal posting and bidding process for other internal candidates who might be interested, but those are just technicalities.”

  I wanted to laugh out loud. I couldn’t believe Lyle was sitting here admitting that they decided who they wanted in a certain position before they even knew who was going to apply for it. They did it when they passed me over six months ago, and now they were scheming and trying to figure out a way to give the corporate recruiting job to someone else—not to mention their plan to get me into a position that wasn’t even available.

  I gazed at him waiting for him to continue, but he didn’t.

  So I took the plunge and said, “I’ve already made my position very clear with Jim, and while I appreciate your offer, I’m really not interested in managing the benefits department. And even if I were, Elizabeth has never mentioned one word about wanting to leave Reed Meyers or about applying for another position within the company. And as far as running the training department, I have no interest in that either. What I want is to be a recruiting manager who’s responsible for recruiting salaried professionals and executives. I’ve wanted to do that for a long time.”

  “Well, there are two HR specialists who do quite a bit of recruiting for clerical openings and professional positions, so it’s not like you’ll spend your entire day recruiting employees.”

  “No, but I’ll be supervising everything that those specialists do, and I’ll be completely responsible for all management and executive recruiting.”

  “But you’ve worked in benefits the entire two and a half years you’ve been here. And if I might add, you’ve done a helluva fine job the entire time.”

  “Thank you, but if you’re so happy with my performance, Lyle, then why don’t you think I’m capable of doing the same in recruiting?”

  I was becoming a bit agitated, and I could tell he was surprised at my expression and tone.

  “There’s no need to get upset, Anise. I’m just trying to get you to see my point. I don’t want you thinking that the only way you’re going to move up to management is to apply for the first management position you see posted.”

  I refused to make any further comments because I couldn’t guarantee what I might say next. Whatever it was, though, I didn’t think it would be something Lyle wanted to hear.

  He leaned back into his chair and folded his arms across his chest. “All I’m asking is that you take a couple of days to think about this.”

  “I appreciate you offering to give me more time, but I don’t think I need it. I’ve already given my application to Jim, and I thought that was all I needed to do.”

  “We’re not trying to be the enemy here, Anise. What we want is for you to make the best career choice. We want you to be happy with whatever job you have, and it just seemed like benefits or training might be better departments for you to manage.”

  “I appreciate your concern, but corporate recruiting is really what I want to do,” I said as pleasantly as I could.

  “Then that’s all I needed to know. We’ll be doing interviews next week, and shortly after that we’ll be offering the job to the most qualified person, which just might be you,” he said, smiling.

  I didn’t know why he seemed to be having such a change of heart, but I was happy about it just the same.

  “All I want is to be given a fair chance, Lyle. That’s all. And like I told Jim, I would never expect you to promote me into a position that I’m not qualified for.”

  “I’m glad you feel that way,” he said. “And I hope you know that the only reason I asked you to come see me was because I wanted to be sure that you wanted this job for the right reasons. At first, I thought you were just looking to be promoted to any management position, but now I realize that your interests really do lie with recruiting.”

  “I really appreciate hearing that.”

  “Thanks for coming, and we’ll be in touch,” he said.

  I turned and walked out of his office feeling somewhat better than I thought I would. I still couldn’t be sure of what was going to happen, but I was hoping for the best.

  I prayed that Jim would have a change of heart the same as Lyle had.

  CHAPTER 5

  DAVID HAD CALLED MY OFFICE to say he wouldn’t be home until late, so Lorna and I made last-minute dinner plans and decided to meet at Antonio’s after work. Normally, advance reservations were required, especially on a Thursday night, but fortunately Lorna knew the owner’s wife, and we were seated as soon as we arrived.

  I loved this restaurant—the atmosphere and the food. The entryway’s focal point was a mesmerizing waterfall surrounded by beautiful multicolored stone. The marble flooring was something I wished David and I had chosen for our own foyer at home. It was the one place residents always chose whenever they wanted to impress someone visiting Mitchell. They specialized in Italian food, but they also served the best steaks in town.

  We scanned our menus by candlelight, and I decided on the rib eye. Lorna had vowed to give up red meat two months ago, so she ordered meatless baked lasagna instead. Now we were eating fresh tossed salad covered with ranch dressing.

  “So Lyle turned soft on you, huh?” Lorna asked, slightly chuckling.

  “I wouldn’t say that, but I really think he understood where I was coming from.”

  “Maybe. But I still wouldn’t let my guard all the way down, because both Jim and Lyle have been known to say one thing and then do another. Especially Jim.”

  “I realize that, but I’m trying my best to stay positive.”

  “But what if you don’t get the job? What if they give it to someone who isn’t more qualified than you all over again?”

  “Then we’re going to have a problem, because I do know what my rights are. And if they force me to, I’ll do everything in my power to exercise them legally.”

  “Good for you, because I have a strange feeling that you’re going to have to.”

  “I hear what you’re saying, and even though I know you don’t think Lyle and Jim are on the up-and-up, I still have to stay hopeful. I mean, it’s not that I’m trying to dismiss what you’ve been telling me, but if I don’t stay open to all possibilities, I’m going to worry myself crazy.”

  “I understand, but I just want you to be aware of how they tend to operate, Anise. I feel bad about you having to deal with this crap all over again, but you’ve got to be prepared for what we both know might happen with this.”

  “Yeah, but I guess I’d like to know who they could possibly give it to besides me. Because I know they wouldn’t have the audacity to hire someone outside the company.”

  “Maybe not, but I heard from Jim’s secretary that Kelli Jacobson is one of the people who applied for it.”

  “What!” I said, louder than I should have. The couple sitting at the next table glanced over at me, and I felt somewhat embarrassed.

  “Yep. She did. And another gal over in public relations submitted a bidding form yesterday.”

  “How can they even consider Kelli when she started out as an HR assistant doing strictly clerical work? And even though she’s an HR specialist for corporate benefits, she’s only been doing that for one year.”

  “I know, but if I had to guess, I’d say the job is as good as hers if she wants it.”

  “But how? I know she’s been with the company for four years, but two of those years were clerical. And e
ven though she spent her third year working as an HR coordinator, she worked more closely with training and special events than she did anything else.”

  Lorna raised her eyebrows and said, “But do you really think any of that is going to mean a damn thing when it comes to Jim and Lyle’s final decision? They’ll find a way to justify giving it to her no matter what. I’ve seen them do it too many other times, and you saw it firsthand when they gave that job to Jason over you.”

  “But why in the world would they do that? And how can they just keep getting away with it?”

  “They won’t after this. Not after you sue their bigoted asses.”

  I took a sip of ice water from the long-stemmed crystal goblet and sat it back down on the table. I was outraged. I knew both Jim and Lyle had made it pretty clear that they would have to promote the most qualified candidate, but deep down I wanted to believe that person was me. It had to be if we were talking about educational background and previous work experience. But hearing Lorna tell me that Kelli Jacobson was in the running placed me just a bit on edge.

  “And wait a minute,” I said. “What college or university did she graduate from?”

  “Well, I know she has a one-year secretarial certificate from Mitchell Community College, but I think that’s it.”

  I laughed like a confused madwoman. But nothing was the slightest bit funny.

  “I know,” Lorna continued. “But the thing with Kelli is that she’s kissed mega ass since the first day she started working at Reed Meyers. She agrees with any and every thing Jim has to say, and I’ve seen her do it with Elizabeth, too. Hell, Elizabeth is the person that you and she both report to, but you’d swear she reports directly to Jim with as much time as she spends smiling in his face.”