AUGUST 29, 2018

Life is Sweet

“Life is Sweet” is my entry for the 79th episode of the Word Count Podcast, and it’s based on the following image. The picture prompt is tied to a novelette just released by Todd Keisling called The Smile Factory. He has also written a story for this month’s show.

My story inspiration

I haven’t worked in a setting like this but have worked with people who managed them. Whether they are large call centres or smaller office maze ways, these open concept cubicles define the way most businesses operate.

A place like this can suck the life out of someone, especially after working in it for many years. My story attempts to bring some levity to life in the office.

You can also listen to me reading the story on episode 79 of R.B. Wood’s podcast.

Hope you enjoy,

eden

+++

The sweet taste brought a smile to her face. It reminded Gladys of her last place of work, a sea of sharp left and right turns from one cubicle to the next. Each workstation contained barely enough room to squeeze in a chair and computer tower. It was no one’s dream job, but she had wanted to prove something to herself, and she did.

Gladys was one of many in that maze under yellowy florescent lights—not quite a sweatshop, but close to it. She sat in Pod “M,” an area encompassing twenty workers and one supervisor. An alphabet soup of similar pods surrounded hers, and when she stood up in her cubicle, the tops of the heads of coworkers met her eyes for as far as she could see.

Gladys was a good worker, and people liked her. She liked people too; it was the main reason for coming out of retirement. She wanted to stay connected to the outside world. Unlike others her age, Gladys was tech savvy and never wanted to stop learning. She endeared herself to coworkers with a large bowl of candies she set on the corner of her desk.

People would drop by to take a candy or two on their way to the washroom or after their lunch. She kept that candy bowl filled, sometimes spending $50 a week or more on sweets. When she made a little extra commission from an exceptional month of sales, she bought the really expensive stuff. Gladys was generous and thoughtful that way. It made her happy just to see others smile, and candies were such a small thing to make life in the workplace a bit less depressing.

Everyone was so nice to her … everyone that is, except for Dave.

Selling air duct cleaning services by cold calling customers was not easy, but for some reason, Gladys excelled at it. On any given day, she could manage at least ten solid leads. Last April, she scored 68 leads in one week, resulting in seven sales—a company record! That month, she bought the extra large chocolate bonbons filled with caramel. You could tell they were premium candies because they came wrapped in gold foil. At a buck a piece, she knew they were pricey, but the look of joy on her coworkers’ faces was worth it.

She learned a lot about people from giving out candy. There were those like her, the kind-hearted ones who replenished her candy bowl from time to time. Others just came to say “hello” and ask how she was. She knew they wanted the candy, but at least they were polite.

And then there was Dave.

Each time she had a lead, she had to call him to her cubicle. His job as supervisor was to confirm with the customer on the phone that they indeed wanted an appointment for air-duct cleaning. Once he verified her call and hung up the phone, he grabbed candy from her bowl, not one or two pieces like everyone else. No, Dave took a fistful, and he chose the biggest and most expensive candies. On his way back to his desk, he’d already be unwrapping them and popping them in his mouth.

Dave was a miserable, fat man, and no amount of her candies could sweeten him.

When Gladys was called in for her performance review after a year on the job, she entered the conference room with a smile but some trepidation. As the best performing salesperson from Pods “A” to “V,” she shouldn’t have been nervous, but Dave was responsible for her evaluation. He was neither generous nor kind, but she hoped he would at least be fair.

When she sat down across from him, he leaned forward and pushed a sheet of paper toward her. “Gladys, you were doing very well up until a month ago. Your sales have really dropped.”

Her back immediately stiffened with the lack of niceties. “It’s—it’s summertime,” she stammered. “No one is thinking about cleaning air ducts. Still, I managed to get sales. ”

“Regardless,” Dave said, “this downturn could be indicative of your upcoming performance. The past months may have been beginner’s luck.” He flipped over the paper between them. “I can only give you a satisfactory rating. You will get a forty-dollar bonus.”

Gladys’s smile wilted as she tried to compose herself. Forty dollars would not even buy a week’s worth of the premium chocolates she knew he liked so much, the ones he took from her without ever offering a thank you in return. It would’ve been less insulting if he gave her nothing.

+++

Gladys savoured the last of the candy in her mouth. Most residents here had dentures or no teeth at all. Regular food was a chore for them, let alone something as sticky as caramel.

Luckily for her, she had always paid attention to her teeth, especially since she liked candy. But she never liked it as much as Dave did, that was obvious. He had the nerve to continue taking from her candy bowl even after he gave her a poor rating. Why did Dave have to be such a horrible, mean person?

It took several months, but Dave eventually succumbed. She just made sure to have the large gold-foil candies when he came by to vet her leads. Without any hesitation, he took a handful of them each time. These large chocolates with their caramel-filled centres masked the poison well. Coumadin, the brand name of a blood thinner, is also known by its generic name—Warfarin. Gladys knew it by its more common name—rat poison. She just loved the Internet for keeping her informed!

After Dave died of an apparent heart attack, she was content to retire for good. They even threw her a big party at work! In the end, she was just happy to share her sweetness with those who deserved it.