AUTUMN... now the changes (Part 143g)

AUTUMN... now the changes (Part 143g)

I have no notes as to what transpired over the weekend at home. I was either way too busy or nothing really happened. On Monday morning Bret manned the door to let the employees in. I definitely remember him taking a lot of ribbing about being the “new” Hank.The bank had received word from Hank’s family about the arrangements and they were anything but convenient for the staff. The funeral parlor was in a town not all that convenient for the majority of the employees who had expressed an interest in putting in an appearance. The date and time of the funeral itself was about as inconvenient as could’ve been chosen... Wednesday at 3pm which was the date and time for the full Board meeting.

Between Bret and I the important things got done during the morning. Trish had made contact with the one applicant we had on file that might fit Hank’s position. I made contact with him and he agreed to come in around 1pm. I could tell the guy was from the city as soon as he spoke. He didn’t live all that far from the bank though which I felt was a good thing. Have you ever gotten an idea about what someone might look like just from speaking over the phone? As soon as I saw this burly guy sauntering across the lobby floor I knew it was him. He announced himself as “Mike, the guy who can do anything!” My first reaction was to get the interview over as quickly as possible and start looking to run an ad in the newspapers. But I didn’t... and I still don’t know why.

His claim was a bit far fetched but after talking with him I realized he had some skills that could be utilized under the title he would have... messenger/custodian. Because Hank had been with the bank for so long he’d been allowed to customize his position to fit what he liked to do and when he wanted to do it. It had been somewhat of a problem for me to accept but Mike was an opportunity to make some changes. Aside form the city ‘accent’, he seemed like a nice guy. He still had his commercial drivers permit which, if the bank grew like I’d overheard some of the trustees expected, it might come in handy. I ended up telling him that after I checked some of his references I’d get back to him. I remember him  leaving the platform area and telling Trish that he’d see her again in a few days. He certainly didn’t lack for confidence.

Another thing on my mind was to find out how the situation with Laura, Joanie and the panties had worked out. One thing I didn’t want was to say anything when they were together. It was somewhat frustrating seeing the two of them walk out together for lunch and then return together. Laura hadn’t been working at her desk all morning so I knew I’d have to wait to find out.

I’d desperately wanted to talk with Hobie about the branch layout to find out why no changes were to be allowed. Hobie had certain habits which sort of telegraphed how he was feeling. If he lit up his pipe right at 3pm it was a good sign. I saw that but had to figure out a way to bring up the branch without upsetting him. I decided that Mike might be a good segue to accomplish it. Hobie been in a meeting upstairs when Mike was at my desk so I told him about my impression of him. I told him of his truck driving experience and how I thought it might come in handy with the branch or branches as we moved forward. He nodded in agreement but didn’t say anything. Being careful in my phrasing, I casually asked why there were to be no changes in the plans. I was hoping that Hobie wouldn’t explode and he didn’t. I remember him leaning forward and, with the pipe still between his lips, whispering something like “it’s internal politics” and then leaning back. I didn’t say a word but just sat there. I don’t know if he expected me to continue but I didn’t. So... he leaned forward again and went on to explain that the architect was the son in law of one of the Trustees and the consensus had been to accept the plans as submitted so there wouldn’t be a whole lot of discord among the board members. Supposedly, he had done the work at a very reasonable cost. I just sat there not wanting to believe what I was hearing. But Hobie wasn’t done. It had taken way longer than expected for him to complete the plans and to have any hope of opening the branch around July 1st, they had to be put out to bid before the end of the month. To me, it was ridiculous. To me the Trustees were supposedly chosen to be the protectors of the depositors money and to make wise decisions. It was hard for me to grasp that what with what Hobie had just told me.

There was one positive thing that transpired that afternoon... the telephone company called to say they’d be installing two data packs by the end of the week. I immediately called Albie at the processing center. He, in turn, said he’d make arrangements for the two teller machines to be delivered the following week. Then, after testing to make sure everything was working he’d arranged for Gracie, the lady who gave me my training, to come out and spend a few days working with our tellers. He said the whole thing was working out to our benefit because our tellers would have a longer time to acclimate themselves to the new machines. Another ‘plus’ was they’d have Gracie, their best trainer to teach them. I sat there listening to him and all the while thinking about the panties I’d gotten from her basement. I couldn’t help but wonder if she noticed they were missing and, if she did, had she put it together with my having stayed at her house. I was happy she was coming, yet concerned. Time would tell.

I’d called upstairs to check with Moira a couple of times but she was working with Bette, her boss, on the financial report for the Trustee’s meeting on Wednesday. I was mildly concerned that some of the employees might think something was up between the two of us if I continued to go upstairs to her work area especially with the recent attention I’d given her. I knew that more often than not she would use the back stairs when leaving for the day. At around 5pm I found an excuse to go talk with Jaz, the girl who assisted Laurie with the daily posting of depositor accounts, so I could pass a note to Moira. In the note I told her that I could catch up with her at the diner located at the traffic circle if she wanted. If it was a "yes" I put in the note to just slip it under the windshield wiper and I’d be there by 5:15pm, give or take a few minutes. As she walked past I managed to give it to her in an inconspicuous manner. Now, all I had to was see how she responded.

To be continued...