The Reorg
By Gregory Michelson
Chapter 4
* * *Cassie followed Tom to his office, looking around. The women were walking back and forth, just like normal.
Just like…
Normal…
Except there were differences. Normally she didn’t notice the fact that the men were in the minority. But now she did, because…
Where they went, there was like a little pool of… deference.
Women stopped their gossiping, and just looked at the men as they walked through, holding their blue reorg books. One clerk dropped her pink manual as a man walked by and there was an audible gasp from her two companions. Blushing, she dropped to her knees, heedless of the show she was giving the man who glanced over at her and smiled, before she pulled the book off the ground and dusted it off, before turning and walking—almost running—for her office.
Stupid girl. It’s just a book. Besides, Cassie wasn’t about to drop her reorg manual.
Because she had pulled it to her chest, both hands holding it in a deathgrip.
When they got to Tom’s office, he opened the door and gestured for her to go in.
Cassie almost commented. After all, she wasn’t some woman who needed a man to hold her door, and—
I MUST BE WILLING TO ACCEPT NEW IDEAS… Cassie stared at the open door for a moment, a lifetimes attitudes warring with the words in the reorg manual.
But it was right. She should accept new ideas.
Nodding, Cassie walked into Tom’s office, the sound of the door closing behind her loud, as tom walked past her, heading behind his desk.
The sound outside was muffled, the cityscape behind Tom’s desk less impressive than the one Cassie had.
Sort of sad… Didn’t Tom deserve a better place to do his work?
But Cassie shook her head and sat down, making certain that the reorg manual was safely in her hands.
Tom casually put his manual down on the desk, where it fell open. Cassie couldn’t keep from looking at it.
It wasn’t wrong, now was it? Nobody had told her she couldn’t look at the man’s manual.
Tom followed her gaze and grinned. “Yeah, if you want, take a look.” He turned the manual around so it wasn’t upside down from her perspective.
Cassie looked down and then…
There was almost a physical sense of revulsion as she looked a the words. There were no pictures, and the font was a strong, powerful font, something unyeilding, something that didn’t ask, but commanded.
What the fuck, it’s just a font… But when she tried to look at it, her eyes just didn’t want to rest on the letters. They were such a strong, powerful…
“Remember, it is important that you understand your vital role in managing the office ladies…” the one sentence stood out and then Cassie had to stop looking at the book.
It wasn’t for her. Her’s was the comforting pink book. Involuntarily, she looked down at it, the soothing color easy on her eyes.
Wait a minute. Managing the office ladies…
Tom wasn’t her manager. He was her peer, if anything he had less time in the office than she did and that meant that… He wouldn’t be managing her, no matter what that book said.
That was….
If I find myself not being open to new ideas, I’ll pause and think.
That had been in the manual. The very first chapter, and Cassie had nearly forgotten it.
I will accept new ideas from the men during the reorg.
A good office lady always accepts input and listens to it and takes it seriously.
Cassie bit her lip, trying to fight off the sense of shame at how she’d just falling into old habits. Habits that might fuck up her chance to stay employed during the reorg. Of course Tom had a vital role in managing things.
Her thoughts had passed in a flash, but she looked up at Tom, looming over her even though he was sitting back in his own chair, perfectly at ease, and smiled.
“So, what do you need?”
“This reorg.. You know that not everyone is going to be able to stay in their current position.”
Cassie bit her lip. She’d been worried about that, but if they’d told Tom first…
“Uh, yeah, that’s right!” she said. “But we need to land on our feet and be willing to accept new ideas.” She looked up at Tom and realized how strong his blue eyes were.
She had a hard time meeting them. After all, everyone agreed that meeting someone’s eyes was a challenge…
And they were just two coworkers. No reason to challenge him. No reason to be… defiant.
“Good!” he said. “The first thing I’d like to do is share records about our workers. Well, actually, I don’t want to give you too much work, so just send over all your files about the girls who work in your office.”
Girls? Girls? But on the other hand, Cassie didn’t have any guys working under her. So… “I can do that. I’ll send over my la—girls’ information to you. What about your own girls?”
“Oh, I’ll be handling them just fine,” he said. “See, the thing is, with the job market, I think we should do our best to keep everyone employed, even if there may have to be some pay and position cuts. After all, even if you’re working under someone, there’s no reason to leave, is there?”
Cassie shuddered, her worries about unemployment coming back to the fore. “No, there’s absolutely no reason to leave.”
“Excellent.” Tom nodded. “So since we’re going to be working together, any other concerns, Cassie?”
Cassie felt a thrill at the way he addressed her. It was so friendly… so strong. “No, none at all, Sir.”
“Fine. Well, I have work to do, so why don’t you get back to your office. No gossiping!” He chuckled. “After all, we have to set an example.”
“No Sir, no gossiping.” But as Cassie was leaving, she paused. “Um… one question, if you don’t mind?”
“What is it, Cassie.”
“Are you reading your reorg manual one chapter at a time?”
“Of course,” Tom said. “That’s the best way to do it. You’re not… reading ahead are you?”
“No!” Cassie burst out. “Of course not! I was just wondering if the… you know, the men had a different procedure.”
“Well, you don’t need to worry about that.”
“Of course not, Sir.” With that, Cassie scuttled out into the hallway.
There were no people hanging around gossiping. The doors were closed and Cassie caught a glimpse of a secretary heading back to one of the offices, holding some copies she’d made for her boss. She didn’t say anything to Cassie and Cassie didn’t say anything to her. It was time to get to work.
She headed to her office and then had a sudden, delightful thought.
She’d work hard all day, but tonight… Tonight was time to read the next chapter in her reorg manual.
And that put a contented smile on her face.
* * *