“Yes,” he said with exasperation. “I know who you are talking about. Barbara, between you and me, they both are excellent employees but there has in fact been some tension over the years. I was afraid this would happen. They are both vocationally competitive, especially with one another. I will talk to—”
“No, that’s not the problem. Being competitive and takin’ digs at one another sometimes comes with the territory especially when there are quotas and bonuses involved. I haven’t gotten to the worst of it. You see, Mr. Jones, that man, his rival I guess you could say, somehow found out about the relationship my son is having with this woman and made a veiled threat to tattle tale like some little bitch if my son got the job offer and he doesn’t.”
The man’s eyes grew big and his mouth dropped. She wasn’t certain if it was due to her choice of words or the news itself.
“I can assure you that though we’d prefer for Aiden and all of our employees to not date one another and definitely not the clients, from my recollection, that’s not against company rules… it is a suggestion. Aiden would not be fired for this; he wouldn’t even be disciplined but yes, it’s not an ideal situation. I am disappointed in this information, Barbara.” The man took a deep breath and shook his head, then closed his computer. “Thank you for coming forward. I can’t imagine the stress Aiden has been under and for this to be going on is regrettable, to say the least. Can I let you in on something?” he stated with a smile.
“Yeah.”
“Your son already got the job. We’re just waiting on some signatures and to present him with the new salary offer, should he accept it of course. This information you’ve provided doesn’t change that, but it does require me to have a meeting with both of them and get this resolved. I think it was wonderful that you care enough about Aiden to let me know of this situation, not to rat him out but to let me know that he has this hanging over his head and that he’s been dealing with quite a bit behind closed doors. I am disappointed that Aiden didn’t trust me enough to tell me about him and the client dating, nor about Mark’s trying to intimidate him, but I’m grateful that I know what’s going on now.”
She nodded and stood from her seat, clutching her purse to her stomach.
“Mr. Jones, when you have nothing to lose, you’ll do just about anything. I have already lost Aiden. I could see it in his eyes today. He doesn’t want to have anything else to do with me.” She wiped a tear off her face. “I hope we can mend our relationship too, just like you said, but I deserve what he’s serving me I guess. I definitely brought it on myself. He was always a good kid, always wanting to help people.”
“I believe you, I can see that… one of the many reasons why he deserves the promotion. You should see the reviews from his clients. Always glowing. Aiden goes the extra mile and even checks up on his clients long after he is required to.”
“When his brother would be upset, he’d say stuff to help cheer him up. See, Aiden never wants anyone to be sad, especially the people he loves. The alcohol makes me happy.” She sighed. “I’m not going to lie. But the alcohol became my enemy because it’s killing my relationships. The people I love are turning their back on me. I only got two people in this world… my boys. Aiden threw in the towel. He could no longer sit idly by and watch me self-destruct. Mind you, I am realizing all of this as I tell you, right this very second.” She swiped at the corner of her eye. “Fact of the matter is, I want to do better, but I can’t seem to manage.”
“Barbara, I am not an alcoholic so I can’t pretend to know what you’re going through, but we all have our frailties and faults. No one is perfect. It seems to me that you will need to make some tough choices so that you can prove to your sons you are willing to change.” The man’s gaze softened with kindness.
He’s got a good heart, but he don’t understand it’s not that easy…
“Even sitting here and talking to you, my mind keeps wandering off, thinking about the wine I better get as soon as I leave from here. My nerves are a wreck right now. We are who we are, you know?” She shrugged. “I’m glad that you already chose him for the promotion, but as soon as the company at large knows about his upgrade, that man is going to try and tear my boy apart, drag him through the mud, and Aiden’s already been through too damn much… mainly on account of me. I might drink myself into the grave, but before I leave this planet I want Aiden and Perry to know that I do love them, and I always did, and I always will. Please promise me you’ll not use this against him, but for his own good. I took a big risk by doing this. The last thing I want to do is make things worse for him.”
“I’m sure you do love your children, Barbara. Look, I will speak to Aiden first thing Monday morning. I assure you that we don’t accept certain conduct here, and blackmailing is one of them,” the man stated sternly.
Happy that he believed her and would take the necessary action, she extended her hand. He shook it firmly. She turned to walk away, then paused. “Mr. Jones, thank you for listening to me. Thanks for hearing my voice… I understand now how important it is to be heard…”
“What other tournament have you roped me into without my permission?” Aiden questioned as Tim handed him six hundred dollars in cash. They sat inside Starbucks enjoying some Saturday morning coffees and shooting the shit.
“Nothing yet, but I’ve got my eye on a Pitfall tournament down the pike.”
Aiden sighed and jammed the cash in his pocket.
“I’m being treated like some hooker on Craigslist! You just rent me out. How’d you like for me to rent you out, huh?”
“To whom? I’m no good at that. Well, not as good as you.”
“1-800-RENT-A-FUCKER. I’m sure someone wants ya around.” Tim grimaced and rolled his eyes, causing Aiden to chuckle. “Hey, I need to tell you something.”
“Yeah, what?”
“I think uh… I think I’m going to propose to Addison.” Hot coffee, mixed with the bastard’s saliva, sprayed across the table.
“You’re going to do what?!” Tim’s eyes grew larger than life.
“You heard me, and clean this shit up.” He tossed the guy his napkin. “I’m gonna ask her to marry me.”
“And that’s it? Your mind is made up just like that?” The man snapped his fingers. Aiden took a sip of his coffee and set it back down, giving the question a few seconds of thought.
“Pretty much. This is what I want. I wanna take this to the next level. So, what do you think?”
“Honestly? It seems a little fast, but I also know you don’t really have a history of making rushed decisions when it comes to your love life, so you must’ve thought this through.”