“Will you come with me, Ben, when I tell her?” Orville was finally confiding in his business partner about his secret vasectomy, having no one else to turn to. “You could tell her you approve? Or at least think it’s reasonable?”
It was early in the morning, and only the two of them were present amidst the walkers, beds, portable toilets, oxygen tanks and orthopedic boots in the modest display room. The sun was coming in at a slant through the plate-glass window, doubling the merchandise in the form of convoluted shadows on the shiny tile floor.
Ben, who (like Orville’s brother Ted but not for the same reasons) had never been married and never planned to be, looked pained. “You got yourself into this, Orrie. I don’t know Edwina well enough to take sides.”
“I was thinking that you would be a neutral observer,” Orville said hopefully. Ben was not convinced. “We have something else to talk about right now,” he replied, easing himself into the desk chair at the one desk in the back of the room.
Orville knew that yes, they did have something else to talk about. His promise to Mrs. Johnson, upon being revealed at close of business the day before, had immediately tangled with Ben’s obsessively frugal attitude. Though they hadn’t discussed it for more than a minute, Orville had felt Ben’s entire being churning in irritation as he watched him leave the premises, all 300 pounds of him moving in a fiercely syncopated rhythm as he walked away.
Orville had once admired that frugal attitude, knowing from whence it sprang. Neither of them wanted another business failure. But business was GOOD, and had been trending upward ever since they began here. The pandemic had only increased their sales, though they’d had to be careful. More of Ayana Johnson could only bring more good luck, Orville thought, but that was not entirely rational, and he knew it.
“Ayana is overworked as it is, and puts in an extra couple of hours every week— hours for which she is not paid,” Orville began. “If she had more time, she could, for one thing, catch up on the backlog. We’re weeks behind on filing claims.”
“I did not know that,” Ben said without any particular expression. Then, his eyes widening: “Ayana?!”
“That is her name, you might recall.” Orville quickly realized that he was talking back, acting up, sassing Ben somehow. He usually just agreed; now he was risking smooth relations with his best friend and business partner.
“Ayana has not kept up-to-date with the latest tactics,” Ben said, squinting. “There are ways to increase…” Suddenly Ben’s energy seemed to dissipate. Had he realized he was wrong?
Orville leaned forward, knowing what Ben had been about to say. “We are already billing over cost, Ben. We are already making a reasonable profit. We have saved money BECAUSE of Ayana Johnson. Her being here full-time will help us, not hurt us. Her ideas and input have not been limited to accounting and billing, you know! You can’t possibly resent that. It’s to be appreciated!”
Ben did not respond. He seemed to be staring at Orville without seeing him. Then he murmured, “A lot of simply un… un…manage me this, Orrie, are you?” He was speaking out of one side of his mouth.
“He’s having a stroke,” was all that Orville could say, as Ayana Johnson walked in the door.
— Macoff
It was early in the morning, and only the two of them were present amidst the walkers, beds, portable toilets, oxygen tanks and orthopedic boots in the modest display room. The sun was coming in at a slant through the plate-glass window, doubling the merchandise in the form of convoluted shadows on the shiny tile floor.
Ben, who (like Orville’s brother Ted but not for the same reasons) had never been married and never planned to be, looked pained. “You got yourself into this, Orrie. I don’t know Edwina well enough to take sides.”
“I was thinking that you would be a neutral observer,” Orville said hopefully. Ben was not convinced. “We have something else to talk about right now,” he replied, easing himself into the desk chair at the one desk in the back of the room.
Orville knew that yes, they did have something else to talk about. His promise to Mrs. Johnson, upon being revealed at close of business the day before, had immediately tangled with Ben’s obsessively frugal attitude. Though they hadn’t discussed it for more than a minute, Orville had felt Ben’s entire being churning in irritation as he watched him leave the premises, all 300 pounds of him moving in a fiercely syncopated rhythm as he walked away.
Orville had once admired that frugal attitude, knowing from whence it sprang. Neither of them wanted another business failure. But business was GOOD, and had been trending upward ever since they began here. The pandemic had only increased their sales, though they’d had to be careful. More of Ayana Johnson could only bring more good luck, Orville thought, but that was not entirely rational, and he knew it.
“Ayana is overworked as it is, and puts in an extra couple of hours every week— hours for which she is not paid,” Orville began. “If she had more time, she could, for one thing, catch up on the backlog. We’re weeks behind on filing claims.”
“I did not know that,” Ben said without any particular expression. Then, his eyes widening: “Ayana?!”
“That is her name, you might recall.” Orville quickly realized that he was talking back, acting up, sassing Ben somehow. He usually just agreed; now he was risking smooth relations with his best friend and business partner.
“Ayana has not kept up-to-date with the latest tactics,” Ben said, squinting. “There are ways to increase…” Suddenly Ben’s energy seemed to dissipate. Had he realized he was wrong?
Orville leaned forward, knowing what Ben had been about to say. “We are already billing over cost, Ben. We are already making a reasonable profit. We have saved money BECAUSE of Ayana Johnson. Her being here full-time will help us, not hurt us. Her ideas and input have not been limited to accounting and billing, you know! You can’t possibly resent that. It’s to be appreciated!”
Ben did not respond. He seemed to be staring at Orville without seeing him. Then he murmured, “A lot of simply un… un…manage me this, Orrie, are you?” He was speaking out of one side of his mouth.
“He’s having a stroke,” was all that Orville could say, as Ayana Johnson walked in the door.
— Macoff
oh crap! could things get more convoluted? welcome to life, I guess. more drama than I want to endure! yikes. so: are you saying that he's having a stroke because he's in a bigger body? Is that why you mentioned his weight?
ReplyDeleteI want people to jump to that conclusion. The doctor will say otherwise in the episode after next.
DeleteI think Ben saw Ayana coming through the door and deliberately derailed what he had been going to say. This story gets more layers ...
DeleteI love your improvisational interaction with the prompts. A call and response that holds even as the story deepens. Wonderful stuff.
ReplyDelete