Working in an editorial company can sometimes be a heavyweight.
My name is James and I have been working in Workman's publishing enterprise for over a year now. And the journey to where I am now was not easy.
Mr man the founder of the company, never seem to like me from the first day I set my foot on his property. He would glare at me with his eyes that screamed death upon my soul while giving me instructions like the dickens. As if his words could possibly affect what I do or think.
He would always tell me how important it was that I make my deadlines and keep my deadlines and do whatever he said. And that if there was ever a problem, he didn't mind finding someone else who could take my place.
He would scream at me until I felt myself shrink to a tiny human and then I'd leave his office in tears.
But as much as I hated him, he was one of those people that were really good at what they do.
If you looked at the numbers they made every single month, there was nothing wrong with them. They are just way too perfect for their own good.
And when you look at Mr man himself, the reason why his name was so bad was because he was a total asshat.
A very big, very ugly asshat.
"Sir, we've received a new contract."
Said a voice that seemed familiar to me but couldn't quite place. The man who had spoken walked over to stand next to my desk.
I blinked twice, trying to see if this wasn't some kind of weird dream.
The guy in front of me had dark brown hair that stuck up at odd angles. His face looked older than me, around 23 years old. His nose was crooked and slightly swollen. It gave off the impression that he often sneezed loudly. And his eyes...his eyes were a very pale blue color. They weren't nearly as bright as a normal person's, which was probably due to them being closed for most of the time.
His lips also looked like they were permanently turned downwards at times.
In short, he looked as scary as hell, almost as much as the boss of the company he worked in.
I stood looking at the Boss, Mr. Man who was now done scolding me for the fifth time in a row that day.
"oh, thank you", he said looking at look at the intruder, while giving him a welcoming smile.
"James, this is Harry. He is new here. and if you don't get serious with your job. He'll be your replacement".
Mr. man said as he finally left my desk along with the new guy, who was dressed exactly like him.
Ever since that open threat by Mr. Man, I was on full alert. And my mind was totally overtaken by worry.
Nothing escaped my attention, there were zero mistakes on my report. My lateness seized, my writing was pure Gold, and eventually, the boss gave me a promotion.
But before he did, he made a final remark that stuck with me ever since. He looked at me with his gaze of power and said.
" All you needed was a little competition to get you in the right mindset".
That was the closest thing to a compliment he had ever said to me. And I keep it close to my heart, to remind myself of what I can achieve by working hard.