Chapter 5 - Deanna

I walk into the company Monday morning with a smile on my face. 

The receptionist in the lobby looks up as I walk through the entrance.  She smiles and chimes, “Good morning, Deanna.  Did you have a pleasant weekend?”

My smile widens as I stop momentarily in front of her desk.  “Good morning.  Yes, it was very relaxing.  How about you?”

She nods.  “Yes.  My husband and I took the kids to the park.  They had so much fun that they didn’t want to go home.”

A pain tugs at my heart, but I don’t let my smile falter as I nod.  “Good.  Well, I better get going to my office.”

I turn and head towards the elevator, while the receptionist calls out, “I hope you have a good day.”

Once I’m on the right floor and out of the elevator, I turn towards the break room instead of my office.

A good cup of herbal tea is just what I need to start the day off on the right foot. 

As I approach the break room, laughter spills from the room.  However, moments later, my feet stop and my smile fades as voices flowing into the hallway. 

“I don’t even know why Deanna even bothers coming to work.  She gets everything handed to her.”

Another lady chuckles and adds, “I bet her frequent appointments lately have something to do with how she got the latest deal.  I heard from a friend of mine that the new partner never does business with companies unless there is something in it for the managers, if you know what I mean.”

With each venomous word spoken, bile rises up my throat and my blood boils.  However, I will not reduce myself down to their level. 

I quietly take a deep breath, but nearly choke on the next few words. 

A third woman chimes, “I left work a little early last Friday, and I saw her coming out of the flower shop down the road with two white roses.  You can bet those were for her follow-up appointment with the managers from that company.”

I would give anything right now to be able to leave this spot, but for some reason, my feet are glued to the floor. 

How could they even think like that?  Granted, this isn’t the first time things like this have happened.  But do they not see all the additional hours I put in on these projects or the fact that I’m often here before they arrive and I’m here long after they go home? 

Why am I even asking that question?  I already know the answer.  No, they don’t.  They only thing they see what they want to see and nothing else. 

As I continue to stand there frozen with my mouth slightly open, Nathan walks up next to me and softly asks, “Deanna, are you okay?  You look kind of pale.”

His question is soon answered, but not by me.  Instead, the voices from the break room, once again, flow out into the hallway. 

“Who is it going to be this week for Deanna?  Do we have another big company coming and wanting to do business with us and after only one meeting with her, they will agree to a contract?  Come on.  We all know that she is offering something more than a contract to them, if you know what I mean.”

Loud laughter follows right afterwards. 

Nathan says nothing as he glances towards the break room and then back at me.  His jaw ticks as his anger swirls in his eyes. 

Before I can say anything, he turns around and marches into the break room.  The laughter abruptly stops. 

With an edge to his voice, he barks, “What the heck is going on in here?  Are you all wanting to get fired for talking down about an executive of the company?  Are you all crazy?”

He pauses for a moment.  “I’ll have you know that I’ve worked with her on many projects.  She can work circles around all of you combined.  Not only that, but she is also the main reason why this company is still running.  Before she came, the company was having problems.  Serious problems.  She has worked her tail off over these past few years to save her friend’s family business. 

What does she get in return?  From people like you, it appears she gets mocked and becomes the butt of many condescending remarks.  If any of you have the brains and knowledge to keep this company working smoothly and get it growing like she does, step forward.  However, I already know the answer.  You can’t compare to her.  Not in brains.  And not in looks either.

Now, everyone, go back to work, and if I hear anyone talking like this again, I will write you up on the spot.  Now, go!”

Not wanting to see their faces, I abruptly turn and head back to my office. 

Maybe an herbal tea isn’t what I need this morning. 

Once inside the safety of my office, I collapse into my chair. 

When will those women stop?

I turn towards my computer as Nathan steps into my office with a cup in his hand.  “Would you like a nice warm cup of herbal tea?  That was what you were going to get earlier, right?”

A smile instantly blooms on my face as I nod and look over at him.  “Thank you.  That is exactly what I’m needing right now.  I could also use a chocolate bar too, but I’ll have to wait for that until I go out for lunch.”

Nathan grins and steps forward.  He places the warm cup of tea on my desk before he steps back.  “Anything for you.”

I tilt my head slightly, but I let the thought go. 

I slide the cup of tea closer to me.  “So, any big news from over the weekend that I should know about?”

He shrugs his shoulders.  “Nothing new.”

I lift the cup of tea to my mouth and lightly blow on it before I take a sip.  With the cup still in front of me, I glance across the top of it at him.  “I thought you kept talking about a big fish out looking for new partners.  Is the big fish still looking?  Not that I would have the time for another proposal, but I’m curious.”

Once again, he shrugs his shoulders.  “I don’t really know.  Since you said that we aren’t prepared for something like that, I didn’t follow up with that lead.”

Lead.  He really needs to call it what it really is. 

I shake my head.  “I’m still not interested in anything like that yet, but I’m curious about what the gossip is saying on the matter.  You know that buried deep within the gossip, often lies some truth.  You just have to distinguish the difference between the truth and the gossip.”

He smiles and sits down in the chair in front of my desk.  “Well, that can be true.  In this case, I’m not sure how much truth there is.  What I’m hearing is that the big fish’s glass vendor tried to edge up the prices of the product for some reason.  The word on the street is that they were getting greedy.  So, the big fish is hunting for another company to use for an upcoming project.”

I nod my head and then blow on my tea again.  “Do you have a name for this big fish or are you going to continue to use an animal reference?”

His hearty chuckle fills the room.  “Yes.  I have the company’s name.  It is WW Enterprises.”