Date: Wed, 1 Dec 2004 22:15:12 -0500 (EST) From: "Publishing@TomCup.com" Subject: Airport Voyeur Part 2 by Adam Bricker Chapter 6 - A/Y, AF Copyright 2000-2004 by TomCup.com. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, except in the case of reviews, without written permission from TomCup.com This is a fictional story involving alternative sexual relationships. If this type of material offends you, please do not read any further. This material is intended for mature adult audiences. Names, characters, locations and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. ********************************************************************** What's New at TomCup.com? Airport Voyeur Part 3 By Adam Bricker: Chapter 4 Added 12/01 St. Benedict's School for Troubled Boys By Tom Cup: Chapter 2 Added 12/01* Mentoring Brandon By Bob Andersen: Chapter 13 Added 11/26 * Dirt By Nicholas Nicholby: Chapter 8 Added 11/26 * Picture Gallery Updated: 11/24 * KOABoy By Tom Cup: Chapter 17 Added 11/16 * Words are Not Necessary by Adam Bricker: Chapter 7 Added 11/11 * Picture Gallery Updated: 11/07 * My Cousin by Bob Andersen: Chapter 2 Added 11/06 * Airport Voyeur Part 3 by Adam Bricker: Chapter 4 Added 11/02 * Picture Gallery Updated: 10/29 * Dirt By Nicholas Nicholby: Chapter 7 Added 10/27 * *TomCup.com now offers an Executive Club membership! ** Tom Cup's "Of Our Teenage Years" is scheduled for release in paperback Christmas 2004. Check it out at http://www.tomcup.com! ********************************************************************** Airport Voyeur Part 3 By Adam P. Bricker AdamBrick@tomcup.com Chapter Six Julian and I talked for another couple hours. I hoped this was going to work because I had just raised his hopes. He was excited. It was a change in attitude that really suited him. This was a kid that I could really like. He responded to positive situations in such a way that you just wanted to continue doing good things for him. I found what drew Brian in unwittingly. We were about done with our discussion. It was time to set other things in process. I pulled out my cell phone and dialed Brian's number. "Good afternoon Mr. Bricker. Mr. Butcher is in a meeting, if you'll wait I'll see if he can be interrupted." I waited on hold. "Adam, how are you? How did things go?" he boomed into the phone. "Julian is still sitting here with me. I'd like to have him come down there with me tomorrow and have a meeting with you at about 11 o'clock. Can you fit that in to your schedule?" I wasn't laying out too much for Brian with this, but as important as it was I felt he'd make time for a meeting. "Sure, eleven works. Should I have the lawyer here also?" "No, I think we can work out a solution that will cut the legal fees significantly," I said. "Good then tomorrow at eleven. I'll have Clara clear the schedule and we'll include lunch. Glad you've been able to settle this so fast, Adam." "Brian, don't get the horse before the cart. I haven't settled this yet. That's for the two of you to do, but I think I have enough understanding of what's been happening to help bring you two to an understanding that will be agreeable." "Adam I learned a long time ago to trust you, I'll do that. If you say it will work out then somehow I know it will. I'll see you two tomorrow." I ended the call and called the travel agent. I had her book two tickets for the morning. It's hard to think of handling travel back before we had electronic tickets, when we had to go get the paper ticket from the agent. Oh well, that just shows that I'm not as young as Julian sitting across from me. I closed the phone and put it back in my briefcase. "Do you really think he'll be willing to go along with your idea?" Julian asked while looking at me from under a very wrinkled brow. "Julian, you hurt him. His ego is bruised, but inside Brian is one of the best guys I know. You need to apologize, and he needs to accept it. After that we are going to do what we can to patch this up. You created a very uncomfortable situation and you're going to have to ride this out." "He just didn't understand what was going on," Julian whined. "Well, you're right in that, but not for what you mean, Julian. You had been ignored and denied love so much as you grew up that you were really very vulnerable when you encountered Brian. He's the father that you wish you had. It's not your fault or his, but he gave you the appreciation, recognition and attention that you had been craving. I'm sorry but Brian is not you father, nor is he in love with you. He appreciates you as an employee and I think he will still find you a valuable employee, but we have to deal with your infatuation with him, because it's yours not his. What you have been seeing as his response to you has been a good boss and nothing more. He doesn't hate you but he doesn't love you in the way that you have believed he did." "Then why are we meeting with him? I'm just going to have to go back to being a branch manager and everyone's going to laugh at what I did." "No, Julian, I don't think you're a very good branch manager. In fact, you never were cut out to be a branch manager. You didn't know it but from the performance scoreboards, the financials and the reports I've read you suck as a branch manager." "I thought you liked me. You just said I was a good employee and now you yell at me and tell me I'm no good? What did I just do wrong?" He was sitting up, he had his hand over on his leather jacket and I think if I took an extra breath he'd get up and run out of the restaurant. In fact, what just happened is exactly what I wanted to happen. "Julian, stop! Take a breath and let go of that coat. You're not leaving, and I do like you; but, I just challenged you to see how you handle opposition and confrontation. And you don't like it do you?" I stared him down. He was taking deep breaths and I'm sure under the table he had his fists clenched. "Let me get you straight about a couple things. You need to grow up. And I don't mean that to sound condescending, overbearing or just plain nasty. You're only 25 years old. You are not experienced in many things, you haven't been taught them, you haven't lived them and it not even your fault. Some of this takes time and you have to be patient. You've been over promoted. I don't mean promoted over people that should have been, you've been promoted faster than you should have been. You haven't had a chance to be an employee long enough and to see enough other situations in this world to understand how some things work and others work out. You haven't been taught how to handle rejection or opposition and you need time to learn these and many other things. It's not your fault, but I also can't change some of this. For example I can't change the fact that you're 25. You just have to live with that. I also can't change the fact that you sued Brian." His head was hanging. The bangs on his forehead were shielding his eyes. I was trying to get through to this kid before tomorrow. So some caution was thrown to the wind. I reached over and gently pulled the hair out of his eyes and off to the side. I left my hand holding it there as his face slowly lifted. The dam was holding but I could see the moisture in the corner of each big brown eye. He was holding his breath, waiting to see if he could control his emotions. I let my hand come down and grasp his chin and lift it a little more. "You're going to be okay. But I hope that in what happens in the next turn of the globe I can show you how to go back to being the young man that you are. It's not shameful to be young, or to let others take the lead. You are a great person, Julian. You don't have to be the manager, the leader or the wise one in everything. I don't mean that you can't be better than some people in some things but you don't have to be the best in everything. You just have to be you." I let go of his chin. The tears dropped silently down the outsides of his cheeks. "Julian, I don't want you to be anything but who you are. I don't care if you're a manager or do performance scoreboards better than anyone, I just want you to be you. Julian, look at me," I said as I reached over and held his hand sitting on the table. I squeezed and wrapped my hand around his. "You are a valuable person, a valuable employee for Brian; we just have to deal with a few things. You can work for Brian with out him loving you. That doesn't mean that he'll hate you, but how things work in the business situation are not the same as they are between two people. You have got to find some other activities outside of work. You've poured your whole self into this job and you've neglected yourself. What are you doing tonight?" "Nothing, why?" "Let's go to a movie. It's four thirty and we just finished lunch, it's way too early for dinner and I won't be ready to eat again until about eight. Come with me to the flix." I'm not making a play for this kid. It wouldn't be hard but that's not what he needs right now. I really just wanted to break the behavior of "work, work, work." "Okay, what do you want to see?" "I don't know, we'll see what's playing and make a choice." I threw some bills on the table with the check and got up out of the booth. "Let's drop your car off and we can take mine." "Okay," he said and slid out. He put his leather bomber jacket back on and we left the diner. *** *** *** *** *** *** We went to a movie. I don't remember what it was, I let Julian pick it, some action thing. Afterwards, we had dinner and I dropped him off at his apartment and went back to the hotel. We didn't do anything. I called Marcus and we talked. Gosh, I just wanted to unload on Marcus the tension of the day, but at his age I wasn't sure that he really would understand it all. Instead, I listened to him talk about the new school. His teacher, the kids he played with at recess and what they had for lunch. He was getting into a routine already and it sounded like he was really excited. It was late and it had been an intense day. I think there was progress but I still knew we had a long way to go tomorrow between them both. I guess my mind was wandering back to the days activities. "Adam what do you think? Can I?" Marcus squeaked from the other end of the phone. "Can you what?" I asked. Obviously I'd missed it. Is that like a typical parent? Worrying about their own problems and not listening? I better step back and watch what I'm doing. "Can I take a computer class after school?" he said rather shortly. "You weren't listening were you?" "No little prince I wasn't, I'm sorry." "It's okay, I could tell when you called that you'd had a bad day. Is it any better now? Do you want to talk about it?" His voice was so sweet and he was trying to take care of me. How could someone leave a kid like this on the streets? I wish I was there and could just hug him, wrap my arms around and squeeze until he called for help. How I loved this kid. "Marcus, you're right it was a bad day but you don't have to ask my permission to take the class. Talk to Mr. Hart right there." "No, I want to ask you. I want you to help me make decisions. You're the one that's taking care of me. It's just that you can't be here right now, so I'm staying with Mr. Hart. Is it okay if I take the class? They say it's really cool." "Marcus, you've just made my whole day better. I didn't expect you to want me to help you like that. I figured you just saw this as another hand off from adults taking care of you. Of course, I'll take care of you. And I'd love for you to talk over your day and plans with me. No ones ever wanted to do that with me, that is so special. Would you like me to come back in about two weeks? Maybe I could spend about four days there." "Yeah, that'd be great Adam. Do you know when yet? What do you want to do? Where are we staying?" "Hold it little one! I just made the comment, I don't have plans yet. I'll work it out. Should we stay at the same hotel as the last time? Would that be okay with you?" Yeah, kewl! Wow! Wait till I tell the guys you're coming back! Can you come here to meet them?" "Yes, I can come there. In fact, I'd love to come there. You can show me around this time and maybe we can go out with some of the guys too. Let me work on my schedule, I'll figure it out and we'll have a good time. Right now, I'm tired, I gotta get some sleep. I'll talk to you tomorrow. I love you, little prince." "I love you too, you fox. I can't wait until you come back. Thanks Adam. I love you." "Night," I said as I hung up the phone. I just sat there. He was so cute. He got excited at the simplest things. But I really was going to go back and I was already looking forward to it. I felt like I was floating. Cloud nine was some thousand feet below me, Marcus wanted me to take care of him. He asked me if he could take a computer class. He thought he needed my permission. The impact had me floating. Think about floating in a pool of water, you can float and you don't need to expend any effort. To move forward you just have to kick your feet together -- butterfly kick for those of you that know it. Now consider this feeling in the air. You're supported but you don't see anything around you, you move effortlessly by just kicking your feet, and your arms are spread out catching the air currents and steering you through them. It's just like floating without even a cloud. From a tense stressful day this simple conversation with Marcus had lifted me. He had lifted me! I had shed all those burdens I had been carrying and I was floating into the bedroom. *** *** *** *** *** *** Julian met me on the sidewalk in front of his apartment. It was early morning and a little nippy out this morning. He hopped into the front seat after throwing his small suitcase in the back seat. He smelled of soap and hair conditioner, fresh from a shower and the back of his hair was still damp. In other circumstances I could ravage this kid, but not now, and not him at this time. I put my hormones back in the box and closed the lid. I reached over to his left hand resting on his knee and placed my hand on his and asked, "Are you nervous about today?" He looked over and gulped. "Yeah, I'm scared. I guess I screwed things up royal and I'm not sure how it's all going to turn out. Will it really be okay?" "Julian, you'll be fine. Just be yourself today. Don't worry; I'm trying to work this out for both of you." "Adam I'm really glad you came up here. I think if I let the lawyers do what I started I'd have gotten screwed. Thank you," he said and he put his right hand on mine. I squeezed his hand and pulled it back to put the gear shift into drive. We had an uneventful trip. We talked and I continued to try and reassure him that he'd be fine, but we also talked about some of the learning that I thought he needed. He had really been sheltered at home and being a loner during school he had not learned some of the social skills business people take for granted. This was going to be a project that would not be short term and you couldn't put all of it on a "Performance Scoreboard" like productivity. *** *** *** *** *** *** "Good morning, Adam. Good morning, Julian." Brian extended his hand and shook ours. He was typical jock. At his size, height that is, but you're right that chest was imposing also; he just exuded strength and confidence. I think Julian was intimidated this morning. Brian was wearing a yellow shirt with a solid red tie, black slacks and very nice loafers. I knew Brian, this was a power combination. He wanted the upper hand in these talks, he'd dressed for it, whether he consciously did that or not, he still had dressed for it. We entered the conference room right next to his office. Brian took a seat at the end of the table. Julian took one, two down on Brian's right side and I sat on the left side of Brian. If it wouldn't have been intruding on Brian's position I would have taken the end seat so I had both of them across from each other. Posturing was already happening. "Thanks for having the coffee ready Brian. Now I'd like to get down to business." I looked at both of them. Brian was being very cool, Julian was shaking inside. He felt he'd lost. I couldn't wave a magic wand and solve his problem. "Julian, why don't you start. We've already talked about this, what do you want to say?" "I . . . Brian, I . . . I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I didn't know what to do. I'm sorry." His hair was in his eyes again and he was talking to the table. "Brian, I've spent some time talking to Julian. He really didn't want to hurt you from what we've discussed, but he thought you were going to fire him and he was lonely and thought you were throwing him away. Many things should not have happened, but they did. What you thought was happening and what Julian thought was happening were different. Julian over reacted and didn't know how to come to you for help. He screwed up and he'll have to live with some of the ramifications that come from what he did." Brian was still sitting there coolly. He hadn't been asked to comment or to give his input yet, and in this negotiation he wasn't going to enter until he had to. "Julian is not a branch manager. In fact, from reading the scoreboards and reports he's not even close to a branch manager. You found that out a few months ago and that's when you started sending managers up there to patch the problems. That's what the essence of your emails and memos comes down to. I'm going to tell you what happened, and I'm going to tell you some things that Julian has already heard me say and some that he may not have heard; but I'm going to tell it as I see it. It's going to be blunt and direct. I'm not trying to save people's feeling here. I want the situation clear so that we can work out a solution." Julian was watching me wide eyed and it looked like he was expecting to be betrayed right then. This was not meant to be a firing squad. I wanted what I had expected as a hypothesis to be clear to both of them. I'd tested this with Julian and found I wasn't far from dead on with my expectations. "Julian is a nice kid, no slight on his age. He's a nice kid. Everyone here liked him and when he got recognized for productivity improvements he responded by doing more. When he was recognized for picking up the performance scoreboards he did more. And the cycle started. You and the other managers started feeding him recognition, rewards and appreciation. It's something he had seldom had and he latched on to it, like a dying man on to a raft. You saw performance, he saw love. You promoted him and he did everything he could to deserve what you gave him. He also had a group of managers around here to discuss ideas with and who supported him, including you. In fact, especially you. When you promoted him to branch manager in Appleton you actually tore him away from that entire support system that had helped him be as good as he was. He's a kid that's just been over promoted. He's also a good kid, but he needs more time to develop some of the people and social skill! s that are needed to run a branch out there. He got lost in this business." Brian was not a cool as he had been, and Julian had quit looking like he needed his last cigarette. But I wasn't done. I'd only described the business situation. Now we had to talk about the personal relationship, I was going to be a blunt here as I had been already. Some feelings were going to be bruised. "Brian, you are a very friendly person. You open your arms and wrap them around people when you're friendly and want them to know that you support them and are their friend. That's not bad or wrong nor should you change it. But, you have not really been attentive to how other people respond to that. What happened for Julian is he began to feel that you loved him because you were very open with your affections." He started to say something and interrupt. "No, let me finish. I'm not worried about you showing your affections. You just have to look around you and watch the reactions of people more. You opened yourself up to some of this situation. But what you didn't know was how little affection Julian had gotten at home and how he was feeling. When he showed up early for bar-b-que and did set up and clean up and stayed over at your house; you gave him more attention than you understood. In the mean time, Julian may or may not have decided about his sexuality but I think he's wrestling with it and you were the object of the affection he felt. When you first promoted him to branch manager he saw the recognition of the promotion; but as things got rougher and he was on his own, he began to feel that you had sent him away and abandoned him out there. Your trip up there finally looked like the cavalry had arrived and that maybe you still loved him. He over-read the situation for! sure; but he didn't know that at the time. He over reacted, and started some serious actions that will impact both of you for a while." I stopped and looked at both of them. "Okay, Julian honestly, is there anything I said that is wrong?" He exhaled and looked at me. He shook his head left and right. If I know the kid a little by this point; I think I just said some things he'd felt but never said aloud. And I think he was afraid to open his mouth or do more than shake his head fearing he might say more than he could handle. Opening his mouth could also open the floodgates of panic. "Brian, he's messed it up, but is there anything I said that didn't happen here in the company regarding Julian? Or that you might have unknowingly done that would give him the impressions he got?" This could be the real test. His ego was bigger than mine and Julian's together. "Well, you're right we did promote him pretty fast; but I never did anything different with Julian than I have ever done with any other employee. I wasn't trying anything, interested in him in that way or anything like that!" The statement was strong and a little confused. He was protecting turf. "Brian, I'm not saying anything was intentional. Julian's not even saying that. Most of this was on Julian's side, in how he took it. He's a kid and he made a big mistake in this." "Well, of course, I know that." Little baby steps. I was getting there. This wasn't going to be easy, but I was getting acceptance and slowly we might get this done. *** *** *** *** *** *** "Brian, we've talked considerably about what has happened. We've laid out the problems and the feelings; but there's still the resolution to this situation. This is your company, what do you think would be a good resolution?" As I said it was his company. It was going to be, and really needed to be his solution. Julian was an employee and although he might have some input, could still go back to his law suit, he really was not the person that could or would make the decisions. I also felt that Brian understood enough of the ramifications about what this decision would bring. "You ask the gold plated sixty-four million dollar question don't you? I thought that's what I paid you to answer." Honestly, he would answer it; he was stalling while he thought about the answer. I would have done the same thing in this situation. "We've got maybe four options: first we could send Julian back to Appleton as the manager; second, we move Julian back here and find a position for him; third, we give him a severance package that would be acceptable, or fourth, we look for something more creative for him to do. I see problems with each of them." I said, "Well let me make the points on the board over there and let's look at each one." I got up and went over to the conference room board and wrote each point on it. "What is the problem with the first point?" I asked. "Well Julian can't do that job. He's tried and obviously he can't manage that location." "Julian, how do you feel about that?" I asked looking at this kid who was shrinking in his chair. "You've been up there, you did try it. Is it something you can't do?" "Adam, I think you explained my situation up there pretty well before. I need the support of people like I had here before. I don't want to go back there. I could barely drag myself out of bed each morning to go into work. I knew I wasn't doing well, I just didn't know how to get out of it. Everyone expected me to do so well and I let them all down." "Okay then we scratch of option one," and I drew an "X" through it. "So Julian, how do you feel about Brian's second idea?" It was Brian's option, but I wanted Brian to see how Julian felt also. Julian raised his hand to his face and pushed his bangs out of his eyes for a second. They fell down across his forehead again. The hair was straight and at that age there wasn't much he could do to make it look good. As I looked at him sitting there thinking about this option I saw terror cross his face followed by a longing to return where he had been happy. A roller coaster of emotions and then I saw resolution arrive and he didn't like the realization. His chest rose with a breath and then settled as he began to speak. "I can't come back here. Not now, people would be afraid to work with me. They would always be looking over my shoulder wondering how I was going to react to them. I screwed that up. I'm toast in this company. I guess I should just leave, it's my fault and I'm going to be the one to suffer." His chest was slightly heaving, like he had just finished balling. He looked like he'd just realized he had no friends and this one person, Brian that he had thought loved him, never had. He was facing a world of people that had no one who loved him. "You just sit there and think about any other options. Option two was not the only other choice. Yes, we all agree that going back to Appleton is not going to work, but I listed four options; not two. Consider those other options on the board. Are you going to give up without considering those?" Brian said. In fact he was rather pointed and adamant about it. He stood up and came to the board. I held out the marker to him, and I want and sat down. I could feel something starting to happen. Brian had just gone from reserved to active; from cool to committed and involved. "What did you think of this third option? We could give you a severance package of a year's earnings and help you find another job. How would you feel about that?" Brian was jotting point on the board under the third option. He turned and looked at Julian. "I . . . I . . . I don't know. I've never worked anywhere else. All I know how to do is what I've done here. What could I do? I don't know. I probably should just leave. I'm sorry Brian. You've been the best boss I ever had, or ever could have had. . . . I'm sorry I screwed this up, I really am." He started to get out of his seat and Brian came over to the table and leaned across; Julian eased back into the chair, not sure what was going to happen. "You sit in that chair! I expect more out of you than that. You are not going to give up on this. My employees do not give up on solutions. We are a team and we will work this out. There is a solution here. We are capable of finding it if we work together. I've taught you better than that, and I will not let you give up." "How did you get to be good at creating Performance Scoreboards? You analyzed the problems, you identified the actions, you determined the measurable outcomes; well what can we do here? Do you really want to leave? Really?!" "No, I never wanted to leave. I still don't," but his voice was scared, weak and quiet. "Then fight for this, damn it. If you're the employee that I think you are you have some ideas and you can make the changes we need to make this work. So what do you want to do? Tell me how you can make this company a better place for everyone!" He was getting his coach's attitude and voice. The years of football were coming out and he was doing the half-time speech. This is why Brian was the owner and leader of this company. Julian's eyes were twinkling. His cheeks were glowing; there was light coming from his face. His shoulders had risen and he was sitting up and leaning into Brian. He was rising to the challenge, he saw that he wasn't being thrown out with the garbage; push off the end of the gang-plank. "You've built a good company Brian. I thought I was helping, but in the last year I've learned that I was really just enjoying the benefits of what you'd already instilled in this company. What I found in Appleton was a branch that has not learned your philosophy since you bought them and took it over. But I'm not the person to lead them right now. Right now, I'm a liability for you Brian. Adam has shown me that I need to learn a lot more before I can really be an effective manager. I'm sorry, I was stupid to sue you. I'd really like to stay but I don't deserve this from you." "I'm not talking about what you deserve! I'm talking about what you can contribute. I've told you before that is what I ask from my employees. Whether you're playing offense or defense I want to see contribution! Now, what are you going to contribute to this company, because you're not leaving?" He was just about shouting as he finished. I could see the blood had come into his face and he was excited. He was awesome to watch when this sort of thing happened. There was a charisma and energy that came out of him at times. We would talk about this later, but right now I was just observing the miracle. "I think that branch and maybe some of the others need more training, and ways to learn the way people around this location handle projects and problems. They need to hear the type of speech you just gave me. They need to hear more from you. You're really dynamic when you talk to them, they just don't hear you often enough. I don't know how I can do that, but that's what I think should happen." Slowly Julian was coming back. They were talking. Actually they had almost put the suit behind them, they were forging new direction and they were on the same team again. "Okay, what do you need to put that plan together? I want a training plan for each branch in what you just talked about. I also want to know your training plan for yourself. You've got a new department and you report to me directly. When can you move back here? When can you have that plan?" "Wow! Brian, you really mean that? You'd take me back?" "I never fired you! You were away for a few days without pay, but you're still an employee here. Can you accept that?" "Yeah, Brian, gee, thanks! And, Brian, about what I said in the hotel room and the suit; I'm really sorry. Really sorry." "Yeah, I understand. And Julian, about that, you understand that I like you, but just don't LOVE YOU, right?" "Yeah, and, well, I guess all I can say is THANKS!" "Good, now let's have lunch. And Julian, you're staying at the house tonight, okay?" "Sure! Swell! Oh, and can I include Adam in my training?" "I think Adam should answer that. Adam?" Brian looked over and Julian did too; but Brian had that glint in his eye that told me it's what he wanted. "I'd be honored to be included in whatever you're doing. Brian became more than a client a long time ago. Spending time with friends is never a chore. I look forward to it." *** *** *** *** *** *** We went to lunch. Upon arriving back at the office, we let Julian go use the conference room to begin working out his ideas and forming a plan. Brian and I went to his office. "Okay, guy, what changed in that conference room?" I asked as we sat down. "I saw a great kid, which was a valuable employee crumbling. I saw him taking all the blame, and you were right I had not been observing the effect I had on people like Julian. I saw the cost to this company if allowed this to immobilize us like I had let it do. I was tired of being a victim and I saw a positive solution that would cost everyone less money, and save this company all the investment we had made in this employee over the last five years. We were treating him like he had a communicable disease. Screw that, I like him. I don't want to screw him, but I still like him, and I'm going to make this work." "Bravo! You were something to watch in there. All of a sudden something clicked, gelled or whatever and you took charge of what has been a messy situation for many companies and you turned it around. I enjoyed watching you. You brought that kid back. He had finally realized what a fucked up life he was going to have and you put a stop to it. You did the proverbial silk purse out of a sow's ear. That kid will be so dedicated to you after this that you may have to build on a room to your house." "Adam, he's going to need a lot of help. He's going to need training himself and it's not all rosy out there yet. But, I refuse to lay down and take it. I built this company and I'm going to see it succeed. That kid still has a lot to give to us and I want his contribution. You will help with this won't you, like you said?" "I'll not only help, I want to be part of it. The hard part of Julian's training is going to be the subtle part. He was ignored and abandoned in his own home. He has been deprived of basic social skills because his parents were busy with his brother and sister. He needs someone to just live with him at times." "You mean like staying at our house?" "No, you're the wrong person to do all of this right now. And I don't mean a roommate. He needs the equivalent of a father to tell him when he does things right that he's good. You've done that before, but he also needs someone to tell him that when he does it bad, he's still loved but needs to learn from what mistakes he made. He needs some basic tender loving care. It's not going to come from sending him to community college or some sales training course for a week. We need to think about who can do that." "Well, it sounds like you have that all worked out. Why not you?" "Brian, I don't live here. Half the time I'm on the road. I can't do that." "Of course you can, when you're traveling he could travel with you. When you're back in the office for a week or so he could stay with you. Oh, I'm not talking this full time, just a week here and there. Take him traveling and just teach him the things you just explained. You've already spent a lot of time with him and you really seem to understand him. I'll pay for your time. This is contract work. Give me a proposal and I'll sign it. Say `Yes'." "Well, I guess there's a possibility. I'll have to think about it. But, I guess I could figure out how to work it into my plans. It would certainly be different. Maybe..." "Okay, that's great. Now let's go tell Julian." "I didn't say I would do it yet, Brian," I protested. "But you will," he gleamed. He walked over to the adjoining door and opened it. "Julian, Adam's going to work with you on your training program. Some weeks you'll actually travel with him to his clients. Sound good to you?" "Yeah, great!" ********************************************************************** Send comments to: adambrick@tomcup.com To support this and other stories by the author, join at http://www.tomcup.com. If you like this story, check out Tom Cup's "Calvin: A Coming of Age Story." Available at Barnes and Nobles Bookstores, Amazon.com, your local independent bookseller, or get a copy from Tom Cup.com. Tom Cup's "Of Our Teenage Years" is scheduled for publication and release in paperback Christmas 2004. Check it out at http://www.tomcup.com! ****************************************************************