RED SOX: Believe
FEEDBACK: is appreciated at p.phair@comcast.net
Sunny shook out the top sheet with two firm snaps before letting it settle back on the bed. She pulled it taunt to smooth it before folding the top portion back a few inches. Grabbing the pillows from the chair behind her, she fluffed them then set each in their usual spot at the head of the bed.
A sleek gray cat jumped from the bureau to land dead center on the neatly made up bed. He stretched and extended his claws to kneed a perfect place to sleep. Sunny put her hands on her hips and puffed out an indignant breath. The cat was undisturbed by the woman's emotion.
"You know Ichabod, I didn't make up a fresh bed for you to snooze the day away on."
The cat stopped with a paw in mid air. He looked up at Sunny with what appeared to be a smirk due to his fang overbite.
"I know, I know," Sunny relented under his scrutiny. "Nobody else sleeps with me so why not you. You'd think being a bisexual would increase my chances of finding a soul mate. It doesn't. It just increases the number of rejections I get."
The soft melody of High Hopes interrupted Sunny's bellyaching. She hurried out to the living room in order to find her cell phone. Ichabod turned his attention back to pawing the soft silk sheets.
"Good Morning!" Sunny chirped when she flipped open her phone.
"Good morning Sunshine, I'm sorry to start your day before you even get into the office. This seemed important enough to violate Rule 1," a husky voice said.
"If it's a customer service issue then you've done the right thing, Oran."
He cleared his throat with some measure of relief. "It's customer service alrighty. Digger Braveman called six times this morning. He's desperate for us to help him. Money's no object…,"
"It never is when there's trouble," Sunny observed.
"I hear you. I've emailed you an Agreement form to take with you should you want to go directly to his office this morning. It will save you from coming across town during rush hour just to turn around and drive all the way back to Roxbury." The line was quiet before he added, "That is, if you think we should take the contract."
"I'll go out and talk to him. If he has the same negative attitude as the last time we spoke then I won't sign him up."
"Do you want Enrique to pull his financials again? His liquidity might have tanked even further since we last looked at it."
Sunny nodded as she spoke, "Good idea, Oran. If he's in seven figure negatives then call me immediately. There'll be no pulling his operation back from the brink if things have gotten that dire."
"You've got it. I'll text you the numbers if he's under the cut off." Oran paused, "And, again, I'm sorry to invade your personal time."
"It was worth the call to save me an hour drive time." Sunny grinned while she warned, "But, don't make a habit of it."
"Oh, I won't," the reply was slightly stuttered. "Bye."
"Good bye, Oran. You be sure to have a wonderful and rewarding day."
Sunny snapped her phone shut before heading down a cheery hallway with pictures covering the walls to her home office. The office was sparsely furnished. It was a stark contrast to the rest of her vibrant home. Sunny deliberately chose to keep the space austere so she wouldn't be tempted to spend too much time working at home. She was a firm believer in the principle of work at work and live at home. It was the number one rule of her company; Bright Day Management Services.
Sitting in the straight back, hard wood chair, Sunny reached for the mouse to shake her ancient computer awake. The device croaked to life and the screen flipped a few times, lightening and fading, before flashing a picture. She typed in her access code and pulled up the documents Oran sent to her.
"Directions, contact info, Agreement form," she muttered as she hit the print button for each item. "Oooh, second quarter '08 financials. Six hundred thousand in the red. Bad news. He's got to be at least a mil in the hole by now," she shook her head sadly. "No saving him from that."
Sunny half considered just calling the man to inform him there was nothing she could do to help him. She dismissed the notion as bad for the company's image. Besides, she might be able to assist him in obtaining a liquidator for his real property assets.
"Okay Ichabod, I'm off to work. See you at six pm on the dot."
* * *
Sunny steered her Prius over the crumbling tar parking lot. She hoped her tires would be able to withstand the dangerously unstable surface. Calling Mr. Braveman now seemed like it would have been the better choice. She parked next to the rickety stairs leading into a dilapidated trailer. It appeared to be the base of the operation as it was the center structure surrounded by greasy, broken, hulking machinery. A handwritten sign over the trailer's door indicated Sunny was, at least, in the right place; WRECKERS.
"Hey there! You with the toy car. Move that friggin' thing or I'll flatten it for ya," a foul looking man approached Sunny when she exited her vehicle.
"Exscuse me?" Sunny was taken aback by his language and mannerism.
"I said…,"
"Buttman, leave her alone. She's looking for me," a rotund man who was sweating profusely emerged from the trailer to interrupt the workman. "Ms. Day? You don't look nothing like on TV. I mean your tape…,"
"It's a DVD, Digger! Don't be an idiot!" A hacking female voice shouted from inside the trailer.
"Buttman, get you ass back to work. And, leave the matchbox car alone. It belongs to the girl," Digger growled and wiped his forehead with his sleeve. "I’m sorry for all the chaos, ma'am. I got that tape of yours' months ago and I watch it every night. Great ideas. Important ideas. We started usin' 'em here too. But, it is a slow slog to get everybody up to where I'm at."
"Shocking! I never would have guessed anybody would be lagging behind you in your operation."
Sunny was horrified the man believed he was implementing her copyrighted business techniques. She quickly thought about offering a refund if he promised not to tell people he ever saw her taped seminar.
"Please Ms. Day, come into the office and meet the wife. We'll get you a cup of joe while we hash out an arrangement."
"Mr. Braveman, I'm sorry but I wasn't really planning on a meeting with you today. In fact, I have a vital call I must take in just a few minutes. I drove by to tell you…,"
Sunny's phone began to vibrate on her hip. She shrugged and pointed to the object before she snatched it free of its clip. Under ordinary circumstances, Sunny would never take a call when speaking with a client. But, this was not ordinary by any stretch of the imagination and she was not planning on doing business with Mr. Braveman's Wreckers.
The big man in the trailer's door way nodded his understanding of her need to take the call. He used the lull to try to clear his throat of a wad of phlegm. He snorted and hacked as he struggled to bring it up.
Sunny was happy to have the distraction of a text message. She would read it and tell Mr. Braveman she had to hurry along. Of course, she'd say she regretted not being able to do business before she climbed into her car. All of it would be very civil.
"1.3 mil liquid, 4 mil gross profits, 1st Q '09."
Sunny read the words. Then she re-read the words. It was not possible for such a turn around in under a year. Oran had to have meant Wreckers was in the red for one point three million dollars. Or, perhaps, he wasn't using US funds for the calculations.
"I, um, I need to make a quick call. Is that okay with you, Mr. Braveman?"
"Of course, Ms. Day, no problem at all. I'm just busting at the seams you came by to see me what with your busy schedule and all."
Sunny was connected with Oran's phone before Braveman finished his sentence. "That was red, correct?"
"No, ma'am, it is cash in the bank and no outstanding loans on any of his equipment. I doubled checked with the bank."
"Not possible."
"I know. But, it's true. Talk with Walt Floyd. Wreckers is booked solid for the next year. They've got every major demo job in the city."
"How?" Sunny was stunned with the change in Braveman's fortune.
Oran took a deep breath, "I don't know how he's doing it but he is coming in on time or early and under budget with every job! And, Walt said the work is pristine. Not as much as a shattered window in an adjacent building."
"Keep checking. Be absolutely sure of all the facts. I'll be in the office at ten on the button."
Sunny snapped her phone shut. She was completely confused. A company on the brink of collapse came to her for help and she refused to work with them. Less than a year later, the same company was rising like a phoenix from the ash heap and contacted her again.
"Maybe he wants to rub my nose in my arrogance," Sunny considered. "Might as well find out for certain seeing as I'm here." She called up to the man wiping his nose with a grimy gray handkerchief, "My meeting's been cancelled. I could use that cup of joe, my friend."
The heavy man beamed and waved her inside.
Sunny thought she might actually vomit. The dark interior of the trailer was a mixed blessing. It hid the debris and dirt but, she imagined, it hid the bugs as well. The chair she was sitting on rocked if she shifted in the least. And, the smell of the place was something she doubted she'd ever forget.
"Rotting chicken, I think," the thought ran through her head unbidden.
"So, I've been trying out the stuff you said in your tape…,"
"It's a DVD, you old fool," the woman chain smoking at the desk behind Sunny interjected.
"…right, DVD. I don't know how to use the GD thing but the grand kids help me out. Good kids. Hate this business so I have to look for new blood. I did what you said and it worked great."
"What did I say?" Sunny racked her brain trying to figure out what in her seminar applied to this particular situation.
"Find raw talent and develop it!" Digger said proudly. "I found a gal who's a cracker jack at demolition. There ain't a building she can't drop and she knows where every brink is gonna fall. The girl's some kind of savant."
Sunny was finally clear on the secret of Braveman's success. He found a talented explosive expert. There is nothing amazing about recruiting skilled labor. Sunny began to quickly lose interest in the project.
"Well, I'm glad it has all worked out so well for you. My program has help hundreds of companies just like your's…,"
The ringing phone was answered by the chain smoker. "Hello, Wreckers, if you can build it up then we can knock it down. What do you want?"
Digger pumped up his chest proudly, "See, I got the office staff using the skits like you said to answer the phone."
"No, no, I didn't say skits. I said scripts. You know, prepared messages which provide vital contact information as well as state the mission of your organization." Sunny was irritated but the complete bastardization of her program. "Knock it down is not a mission statement and what do you want is not proper phone etiquette!"
"Oh, I know we have a ways to go to be at your level but you should have heard what she used to say."
Sunny wanted to scream but she refused to lose her patience with this ignoramus. "If you have my DVD and my book and you're implementing the techniques then why did you call my office?"
Digger's face grew somber. "My savant demo girl is a problem. She don't have no people skills. She scares the customers and some of the crew guys too. But, she's so great at what she does that I can't just toss her away. I need you to work with her Ms. Day. I just know you can turn her around. The kid is an absolute genius with dynamite but she can't say good morning without fuckin' it up something aweful."
"Mr. Braveman…,"
"Please, call me Digger," the man gushed.
"Mr. Braveman," Sunny continued, "I do not do employee grooming. My company provides support for businesses which want to provide the very best in services to their customers. Impeccable Quality is the gold standard we strive to achieve. Having seen a small portion of your current operation, I do not believe I will be able to assist you in achieving our gold standard."
"He'd settle for a bronze," the woman at the desk behind her coughed out the remark.
Digger frowned a little. "I'm disappointed in you, Ms. Day. Your tape goes on and on about how anybody willing to put the effort into being the best can be the best. Me and my crew, we are on our way to being the best damn demo guys in the state. Hell, we have potential to be the best in New England. But, we can only do that with Animal pushing the plunger."
"Animal?"
Digger scrubbed his face before explaining. "It's a rough business. We all got nicknames which make us sound like tough guys. My demo girl goes by Animal. Nothing more to it than a nickname."
The woman manning the phone laughed before being reduced to a hacking coughing fit.
"Animal is just a little rough around the edges. You should meet her. You'd understand what I'm talking about." The big man grinned, "I know, you can come out to the job we're doing tomorrow to meet her. It'll be swell having you see her in action. I'll pick you up and drop you home after. Door to door service, little lady."
Sunny was ready to decline the invitation when Digger continued.
"I'll pay your regular fee and all your expenses, of course. And, for a bonus, I'll give you five percent of all our jobs for the next two years if you can straighten out my demo girl."
Sunny's eyes flashed with excitement. "You talking gross or net?"
"Gross, ma'am."
"What time will you pick me up tomorrow?"
"Four am, little lady!"