The Longest Wait

Two  people are standing by a solitary tree near a factory gate and soon are joined by two other men, one of whom asks: 

“What are doing out here in the freezing cold?

“We are waiting for the Chairman who has the key to the building but he has not yet arrived.”

“ Why don't you find the janitor and ask him to use the master key to open the door?”, enquires the newcomer who, being the Head of Forward Planning, knows a thing or two about contingencies.

“We can all do the waiting in a warm room”, he adds.

#

In the boardroom of Go Dotcom Corporation, four men sit around a highly polished mahogany table:the Company Secretary, the Chief Accountant, the Sales Director and the Head of Forward Planning. They are waiting to conduct the Annual General Meeting that had been scheduled to start at 9.00 a.m. but it's running late because the Chairman has not yet arrived.

“I hope he'll be here soon; these new shoes are killing me”, the Sales Director grumbles.

“How vain of you, Estragon, to buy a pair of leather shoes one size too small.”, says  Vladimir, the Company Secretary.

“Not to mention extravagant”, the Chief accountant interjects, “I must remember not to give you too large a bonus next time.”

While they chat to pass the time, the door to the boardroom opens and closes.

“Oh, here he is at last”, they all exclaim. But it's not the Chairman; it's the office boy.

He approaches Vladimir and whispers something to his ear and gets ready to depart but he's called back.

“Garçon!”

“Oui, Monsieur.”

“ Tell Monsieur Godot that you have seen me.”

Once he's departed Estragon asks: “ What did the boy say, Didi?”

“ That the Chairman is going to be late, Gogo.”

“I wonder if he comes at all”, speculates the Chief Accountant. “ He has missed all the AGMs we have attended. In fact, I don't think we ever met him.”

“It's all in the lap of the gods”, remarks Vladimir.

#

The office boy returns and announces that the Chairman will be unable to come after all.

The Head of Forward Planning is silent.

“What's the matter, Lucky, has the cat cut your tongue? You haven't said a word.”

“Do we have a quorum?”, he enquires.

“Not for the AGM”, he's told, “but we could have an emergency meeting and try to dislodge him as a chairman.”

“Do you think it's wise?”, asks the Chief Accountant. “He's also the owner of the business. It could mean economic suicide for us.”

There follows a unanimous chorus of consenting voices: “We don't mind waiting!”

© Luigi Pagano 2023