The Right Man for the Job Part 7

Paula had a nice office—girly, but nice. I didn’t really notice last time I was there because I was busy getting reprimanded. But now under kinder circumstances, I could really appreciate the delicate décor: the paisley wallpaper, the soft lighting, the pictures of her adorable pugs that lined the walls and crowded her desk.
I had come there the following morning. She wasn’t exactly pleased to see me, but she didn’t look upset either.
“What’s on your mind, Clarence?” she asked me. She remembered names very well.
I was slumped down in my chair, my arms hanging over the sides. I didn’t feel right being there, and I shuffled my feet on the carpet uneasily. But I also felt like I had no choice; that what I was about to do was a must.
“I’m having some difficulties with the other members of my group,” I told her.
“Oh?”
I proceeded slowly. “It hasn’t always been like this. Just last week, we were getting along just fine. And we still are kind of getting along. But right now, I just don’t think I can… It’s not that I don’t like them. They’re good people. But certain developments have… developed. I don’t want to go into too much detail if that’s possible. Suffice it to say I just don’t think I can work the same way I used to work. Not that I was a spectacular worker to begin with. But you see, it would be really good for both of us, in the name of productivity, if I just… changed groups.”
Paula rested her hand on her cheek, elbow on her desk. “I appreciate your honesty, Mr. Kelso. And don’t worry, I promise not to pry,” she told me. “But I don’t grant group changes left and right, I want you to understand that. That would just be too hectic, and I’ve got plenty more to do than sit here and listen to people whine and complain and bicker about how they’re not getting along with other people in their groups.”
“You’re a busy woman.”
“True. But the good news is you didn’t do those things. You didn’t barge in here and start fussing. You didn’t point fingers. You weren’t disrespectful. You didn’t put on a show. I can tell that you, Mr. Kelso, are genuinely troubled. I can tell just by looking at you. And for that, I’ll grant your request.”
“You will?”
“Yes. Just don’t spread the word. I want you to be the last person that comes in here hoping to embark on some exchange. That’s a bit of a pipedream but please humor me.”
“Of course. I won’t tell anybody. I really appreciate this.”
“Don’t mention it. I’ll let the ladies of your old group know of your departure. And I’ll tell your new group to pick you up outside my office.” She opened one of her desk drawers and pulled out that neon pink clipboard with that sheet of paper attached to it. She looked at it briefly then picked up a walkie-talkie. “Hey, Nancy? Can you swing by the front of my office real quick? I have someone who’ll be joining you.”
I stood around, waiting for Nancy to show up. I was hoping she wasn’t a looker. I might have had to change groups again if she was. I was afraid of all attractive women at this point. I was also hoping not to be seen by Darlene and Eleanor. Otherwise my incognito rendezvous would be discovered, and I didn’t want them to hear about this from me. Luckily, they didn’t ever cross paths with me that day.
I was pretty vague in describing my motives to Paula. Why I really decided to leave was merely to distance myself from them. They had managed to create an emotional turmoil in me that I hadn’t yet experienced. I felt suffocated just being in their presence. So I felt that the best way to get some air was to create some breathing room.
Soon enough, a golf cart came my way. In the passenger seat was a woman I took to be Nancy. She was a blonde and looked to be in her forties. The person driving, however, was a young boy. I couldn’t see him well at first, but when he pulled up in front of me, his identity was unmistakable.
“Towel Boy Troy!” I exclaimed.
“Towel boy no more,” he said proudly. “I got promoted yesterday.”
“Good for you.”
“Thanks for the advice. I owe you one.”
“It was only a matter of time, I’m sure.”
Nancy extended her hand and introduced herself.
Shaking her hand, I said, “You can call me Kelso.” I hopped in back. Just out of habit, I covertly snuck a quick smell of Nancy’s hair. It was less than dazzling. But that was a good thing. I wasn’t looking to get attached.
Troy was at ease behind the wheel. He leaned all the way back against the seat. He drove with one hand, like Darlene. But he didn’t drive fast like her. He was smooth, natural. He appeared to have found his home at Pecho Del Sol.
Nancy was our undeclared, undisputed leader. A veteran of the system, she dictated how things should be. She took charge of the walkie-talkie, and communicated through it using an esoteric jargon that baffled Troy and me. She wasn’t unattractive. I wasn’t attracted to her, of course. But she was a good-looking woman. Not very tall, but not chunky either. She even had some muscle. She could’ve been Darlene’s mother. But she wasn’t. Boy, it would’ve been something if she were though. I could’ve had serious leverage in getting hooked up with Darlene.
But I wasn’t there to think about Darlene. Afresh was the word. I decided to make a concerted effort to become a more diligent worker, partly to get my mind off the girls, and partly to be somewhat of a good role model for Troy. Not that Nancy wasn’t a good role model, she certainly was. But in terms of male bonding, I felt it necessary to come across as fairly respectable now that our exposure to each other was going to increase.
Despite my influx in determination, I was disoriented at first due to the change of schedule. I was doing things I was used to doing at different times. I lost track of the time of day easily. And it didn’t help that Troy and Nancy were noticeably slower at doing the work than my former companions. I didn’t complain though. I was glad to be there.
That first day with my new group I often found myself wondering whether what I had done had been selfish. Eleanor had her reason for staying, that being to stay with Darlene. But Darlene could have made a compelling argument for getting out of dodge. I had pleaded with her to stay, but anyone with a considerable amount of self-respect would likely be persuaded to disregard such a request. Despite these concerns, I assured myself that the decision I made was a good one.
Inevitably, Troy and Nancy were curious about the circumstances of my transfer to their neck of the woods.
“I bet it was what’s-her-face that drove you out, wasn’t it?” Troy offered.
“Darlene? She was… part of it,” I conceded. I wasn’t interested in divulging all of this to them, so I kept my answers short.
“So there were girls involved?” Nancy inquired.
“Yes.”
“Were there conflicts of interest?” she asked.
“I would say there were multiple conflicts of interest.”
“Oh my.”
“You know what you should’ve done?”
“What, Troy?”
“You should’ve knocked ‘em around a little. You know, with the back of your hand. Not hard, just enough to put ‘em in their place. Then they would’ve done exactly what you said.”
Nancy chided him, “Don’t you know stuff like that doesn’t fly nowadays? We’re not Puritan settlers, Troy. If he did that he’d wind up eating out of a big, steaming can of whupass. And there’s nothing tasty about that.”
“I could’ve helped you take ‘em on,” he persisted. He wasn’t big on feminism. “I could’ve even asked Enrique to make an appearance on your behalf. He’s got some real guns, Kelso. Guns.”
“You mean like muscles?” I asked him.
“He’s got those too.”
“Were you… harassed? Sexually?” Nancy questioned.
“No.”
“Did you sexually harass them?” Troy queried.
“No.”
“You should have,” he said. I was beginning to see that Troy and Nancy were somewhat of an odd couple. It seemed evident that Nancy found Troy’s ideals deplorable, but she did her best to ignore him. She seemed more interested in proving to him through actions that women were respectable, and thereby molding him into a more open-minded citizen. Troy just seemed interested in golf carts and male dominance. Darlene and Eleanor were a bit of an odd couple as well now that I thought about it. Not that either of these pairs were actually “couples”.
“They’re my friends,” I assured them. “Things just got complicated. That’s all. That’s it. It was just supposed to be a highly coveted summer job. I thought when I came to a place like this that things were going to be pretty easy. And I kept telling myself that up until the point I realized I was lying to myself. And maybe this is easy for some people. But for me, and I consider myself one of the most easy-going as they come, things just got complicated. I don’t know what else to tell you.”
Nancy seemed to see through my remarks. She inched closer to me. “Was it matters of the heart? Is that what did it?”
I didn’t want to answer her at first. I wanted to deny her and never again speak of those girls. But there was no point in doing that. She already knew the answer.
“Yeah, Nancy. That’s what did it.”

In the following days, I did the work, but did not whistle while I did so. I can’t whistle anyways, but the point was I was down in the proverbial dumps.
I think it did help some to be amongst different people. But it wasn’t like I forgot why I had wound up with them in the first place. To make matters worse, I started to see Darlene and Eleanor roll past in Caravantastic from time to time. Nancy, Troy, and I were always working on something whenever this occurred. I would find the nearest hiding place and Troy would start chasing them down the cart paths on foot, waving his fist and calling them dirty names. It seemed like they were maybe interested in talking with me. But the interest wasn’t mutual.
I wouldn’t say that my work suffered. On the contrary, I was still trying to do an exemplary job. But I started doing the work with added intensity. I wanted to direct all my attention and energy into making this mega-resort look clean as a mega-whistle. I absolutely went to town on anything filthy. If I were cleaning surfaces with a cloth, I’d practically lubricate the place with elbow grease. If I were sweeping the floor, I’d attack it with the broom like I had a serious bone to pick. If I were delivering some boxes to somewhere like the fisherman’s club, I’d bring them in according to size, starting with the smallest and moving up to the biggest. Troy thought I was crazy and Nancy had to pull me aside to calm me down sometimes.
But my other co-workers just saw dedication. They would notice me from afar and marvel at my reckless approach.
“Brilliant!” they’d gasp.
Word spread to the extent that I won Employee of the Month. I didn’t know there even was an Employee of the Month Award until Paula notified me one morning that I had been chosen. They even had a little ceremony one morning before work in the room where we had watched the training video the very first day.
“…For his unbridled devotion to making Pecho Del Sol run like a well-oiled machine, fellow employees have selected Clarence Kelso as Employee of the Month,” Paula announced. There was applause. Paula beckoned me to the front where she was standing. “Did you have anything you’d like to say, Clarence?”
I looked across the room. Troy and Nancy were close to the front. I saw Darlene and Eleanor too. But they were toward the back. Bobby Bartender was standing next to Darlene. I had plenty I wanted to say to my former group mates. But this was not the forum. Nor was I ready to confront them. As for the award, I couldn’t have cared less.
“Thanks…” I began. “Um… I don’t think I really deserve this. But thanks anyways. I would like to say one thing, I guess. I don’t think we should take so much stock in individual achievement. No man or woman or child is an island. Well, I guess we could be islands if we so desired, but people want to live on a big group of islands, like Indonesia or something, not just some singular Podunk isle with nothing going on.” My audience stared blankly back at me. “What I’m attempting to say is that togetherness is important. When we lose sight of that, nothing’s really worthwhile. You shouldn’t be celebrating me by setting me apart. You should be celebrating all of us by bringing us closer together. I’m not sure how to do that, but I think it should be done.” The room was quiet, save for some sparse coughing. “Well, uh… um… I’m going to get to work now.” I made to exit but some guy with a camera halted me. I tried to smile. He took the shot. A few days later, that picture was framed and put up in the hotel lobby. There was a little placard next to it that read: Clarence Kelso – Employee of the Month. I looked tired and forlorn.