Tuesday morning, I rushed around getting dressed like always, making sure to remember my laptop this time, and was out the door by seven. The cab ride took about twenty-five minutes, leaving me a solid half hour to get settled and organized before any of my employees – god, it felt weird saying that – showed up for work. Typically, this time was spent going over figures from the day before, tracking changes made to our project management database so I was always up to date, and finishing my coffee to hide the fact that I hadn’t been getting much sleep.
By 7:45, most of the workers had already arrived and were getting organized as well. It was quiet around the office until around nine when everyone was wide awake and productive. By then, my team was all the way live and doing one hell of a job of making it look like I actually knew what I was doing here.
While I went cross-eyed staring at a fax I’d just received from one of our suppliers, my phone buzzed on the desk.
“Yeah,” I answered distractedly.
“Good morning. How are things?” my father asked.
I tried to decipher the document in my hands again before giving up. With a sigh, I replied, “Uh – fine. Can’t complain.”
He sounded pleased. “Good. I received the report you faxed me this morning. The numbers are right on target. Excellent work.”
I hesitated, still not used to this newfound…humanity my father had discovered awhile back. “Thank you,” was my only reply.
“How’re you getting settled into the loft? I know there wasn’t really time to do much between the move and your first day in your new position, but I’m sure you had time over the weekend to put a few things in order, no?”
I sighed again, picturing the five empty smoothie cups that I left on the kitchen counter. Did that count as decorating?
“Un, no. Not really. I mostly just relaxed.”
“Ah, I see.” There was a pause while I heard my father’s wheels turning. “Have you gotten out at all? Taken in the city?”
“No, the furthest I’ve ventured is the grocery store, and that was…interesting.” I recalled the crowd I had to fight through just to get a gallon of milk, two boxes of Cap’n Crunch, and some beef jerky.
He seemed amused by my tone. “Well….give it time. I’m sure you’ll get your bearings soon.”
“Hope so.”
Another pause.
“Seen any familiar faces yet?” he asked.
The question caught me off guard, and the first and only face that flashed in my head was Sam’s. “Uh…like who?”
“Well, there’s Jim Conrad. We did that deal with him last June and Dean Owens works near the new facility. I told them both that you’re in town now. It’s only a matter of time before they show up to welcome you, I’m sure.”
Oh…well that made sense.
“No, I haven’t seen either of them. I’ll be on the lookout, though.”
My father continued to linger on the phone like he wanted to continue the conversation, but the awkward pauses were a clear sign that’d he’d run out of topics.
“I’ve got a meeting to conduct in a few. So…I’d better get prepped,” I announced.
“Of course. I’ll check in on you in a few days then.”
“Sounds good,” I replied, feeling a bit shocked by how natural the conversation felt despite the lulls in actual dialogue. Dare I say the distance between my father and I might actually do us some good.
*****
By lunch, I was knee-deep in paperwork, my eyes burned from staring at the computer screen, and I had to remind myself that, in time, things would run more smoothly. The plan was to eventually have less on my plate once I sorted out what responsibilities I could trust to delegate to my employees. I figured I’d start to make those decisions within the next month or so.
When six o’clock came, I was more than ready to get out of there. Grabbing my suit jacket, I closed my laptop and hurried down to catch a cab, wondering what I’d eat for dinner. With no other prospects, I settled on a bowl of cereal just like I’d had the night before. The plan was to get home, get out of this suit, and then veg out for a while.