Sphere 5

Chapter 5

December 24th, 1998

Catherine and Lori were enjoying Christmas Eve celebrations at home, I hoped. I wasn’t about to call them when I was on the clock, that would be incredibly unprofessional, and the workload for today was such an absolute mess that I needed every single second I could spare to keep things running. We were a toy company, and it was the national holiday for buying toys. There wouldn’t be a single person who wasn’t collecting overtime this holiday season.

I wished I was spending the holiday with Catherine rather then sitting at the office all day looking over reports, but there wasn’t anything I could do about that. William has resolutely refused to give me Christmas off and I refused to throw away my job. Which lead to the current situation: checking my subordinates work to make sure they actually got the right amount of product in.

Playtime always ordered extra toys anytime there was a holiday. There was always a chance we would manage to run out of toys at one of our shops, and toys that aren’t on the shelves are toys that aren’t being sold, which is money that’s lost. It was practically guaranteed we would run out of toys somewhere during the Christmas season.

With a sigh, I scrawled my signature on another report, verifying that it wasn’t wrong in any major way, and grabbed the next sheet to look over. Sheet was a nice way to put the massive packet of papers in front of me. I had to remind myself why I was here, doing monotonous work like this, and not home with Catherine, sipping hot chocolate in the ugliest Christmas sweaters we could find. It ultimately came down to the money. It always came down to the money. It was why I had bothered coming into work today. The holiday season brought with it enough work that overtime was necessary to get it all done. Playtime was getting back on its feet. It seemed like Playtime was always getting back on its feet when I talked to William. I don’t think this company has ever been on its feet. But that fact effectively ensured there would always be overtime pay, and I needed that to keep Catherine and Lori comfortable.

Still didn’t prevent me from feeling like a shit parent.

I blinked, hard, as I came to a realization. I hadn’t bought anything for Lori. My daughter would be only be getting whatever present Catherine had bought her. Lori didn’t even have one of Playtime’s many products!

The packet of paperwork went by in a complete blur. It was something about how the newest shipment Hero merchandise would arrive late. It was actually a big deal, because that would mean the shelves might be painfully empty in that section of the store. But I didn’t bother worrying about that. I signed where I was supposed to, made sure the numbers matched, and then thrust the packet into some interns hands. Hopefully he would figure it out.

With that settled, I entered the toy store that was our first floor. The first floor was utterly packed with people, to the point where it was hard to move around the store. It wasn’t at the point where you had to shuffle and literally couldn’t walk, but there was maybe a good dozen or so people in it. The store had a tasteful color scheme to it, with rich burgundy walls lined by a golden trim. It was a mixture of colors that was friendly to look at, one that promised fun if our PR people were to be believed. The walls were kept clean of shelves, and posters of heroes like the Triumvirate and Chevalier next to posters of action stars and Hollywood hits. Tables full of toys lined the walls and converged in the center of the room, small decorative Christmas trees interspersed. Garlands hung from the ceiling, and we had even added patches of obviously marked mistletoe just for the sake of it.

It was a store that even brought the slightest of a smile to the face of a 37 year old man like myself.

I frowned, staring at the toys we made. We weren’t a company that catered to newborns really. Anyone from three to twelve was the primary demographic the store pitched for. Furthermore, it was a primarily male demographic that the store was targeted at, primarily because of the amount of figurines and action figures the store held.

I spotted the doll in the corner of the shop.  It was a simple Alexandria doll, one of the cheaply made ones. The doll was practically hiding behind one of the decorative tinfoil Christmas trees. Someone had positioned it so it appeared to be hugging it. The doll was the only one of that brand left, it would suffice for Lori.

A tall, blond girl stepped in front of me, blocking the passageway between the two tables. She stood there, a hand brushing some hair out of her face. She was dressed in a suit, a gold lapel pin on her outfit. The blond had a slight slouch to her, as if the weight of the world had worn her down too many times.

She stood there for several long moments, blocking the path. “Can I help you?”

The twenty-something woman blinked, shuffling back a step. “Y-yeah. It’s just that well, I.. uh..” She cleared her throat, but the hint of nervousness still remained in her voice, “I wasn’t sure where t-to go for my appointment. I’m supposed to meet William Cats...claw?”

I smiled slightly at that, “Catstooth. His office is on the third floor.”

The woman took a hesitant nod, clutching one arm behind her back, “A-alright, thank you.” The woman shuffled back a few steps, eyes scanning over the room

A frown settled over my face, “Hey, could you please move?”

The blond blinked, straightening from her slouch, before slowly settling back down into it. “O-oh, sorry! It was j-just, well... I don’t really know where the third floor is?”

Over the blond girl’s shoulder, I could see a family nearing the table with the doll. I frowned as a bored looking preteen grabbed the doll, moving it around. The barest hint of a smile crossed her face, and I sighed. I guess Lori wouldn’t be getting an Alexandria doll. “Well, I can guide you to your appointment if you want.”

She held up her hands, shaking her head, “No no, I’m fine! I can just uh, I... Hmm. Uh, yes, can you please guide me?”

I gave a nod, burying my anger at the opportunity to buy Lori a gift that this woman’s had made up. “Sure thing. What’s your name?” I navigated the store, weaving between tables and customers to reach the spiral staircase behind the counter.

“Oh, I.. my name’s Michelle.” I could see Michelle give a nod from the corner of my eye. She trailed behind me a few steps, never moving to stand next to me.

I spun around as we hit the second floor. I knew the layout fairly well, I did work here after all. I could manage to walk backwards all the way to William’s third floor office. Michelle didn’t seem much of a conversationalist, but that was okay. “So, it’s apparent you don’t work here. Mind if I ask what your appointment’s for?” An inexplicable flare of concern rose in me for a brief moment at the idea that Michelle didn’t work here.

The blond gave a nervous smile, “I’m just the uh, representative of a company. We’re just, ah, discussing future b-business ta- plans. Future business plans.” She fidgeted with her jacket, which allowed me to glance at her lapel pin. It was a simple golden circle, with a wide horizontal crescent at the bottom and two dots at the top. “So, I uh.. I never got your name? Right?”

I nearly walked into the wall taking a corner a few steps too early. “Doctor Alan Gramme, nice to meet you Michelle.” I stuck my hand out. After a moment of hesitation, the blond shook it with a weak grip.

“Thanks. So, uh, w-what do you do? As a d-doctor I mean. Like are you a surgeon or a uh.. just a g-general doctor, or what? Sorry if I’m talking too much or anything.”

She was barely talking at all. I gave a shrug and a slightly reassuring smile. “I’m a baboon proctologist, but sometimes when there’s a lack of work I sell my client’s organs on the black market.”

Michelle blinked, “Ah, okay, that sounds interesting.”

Despite her perpetually nervous tone, I could tell the blond most likely didn’t know what proctology was. That or she took an incredibly out there statement with stride. “In all serious, though, I have a degree in business administration, so I’m a not the doctor you want if you need something like surgery.”

Michelle just gave a nod, and the rest of the walk up to the third floor was one that was filled with silence. I had to turn back around when we approached the stairs, it wouldn’t do any good for me to trip and fall on Christmas Eve. Walking backwards was actually something of a workout if you did it for any long period of time.

Eventually, we made it to Belle’s receptionist desk. There was the occasional mistletoe in the office that a few coworkers put in choice locations, and a Christmasy garland strewn about every so often, but the waiting room was on a completely different level. Little paper snow flakes hung from the ceiling and stuck to the walls. White bundles of fluff absolutely covered the floor, leaving set paths for visitors to travel. Said paths were winding around the room, looping around a metallic Christmas tree that was overloaded with ornaments. Tiny Christmas trees and poinsettias were scattered about the room, placed to look like they were poking out of the snow. The ceiling was hard to see with the amount of garlands over it. Soft Christmas music was being played in the background, and I could spot a swath of mistletoe over the door to William’s office.

I let out an over exaggerated sigh, “Belle, I think there’s more snow in here then anywhere else in the country. Did you do this all by yourself?”

The secretary nodded, adjusting her santa hat, “Yup. Ya wouldn’t believe how hard it was to get the snowmen just right.”

I glanced over at the smushed together piles of fluff that had twigs and orange glow sticks poking out of them. “You really went all out this year. The carrots look out of place though.”

Belle shrugged, “Hey, if I’m gonna be stuck here all Christmas, I might as well make the place look like it’s Christmas, you know? We’re a toy company, I had to make it look like Santa’s Workshop somehow, didn’t I? Real carrots just didn’t look right, Mr. Gramme. How’s your mornin been, anyways?”

I yawned, holding a hand up for a moment, “Exhausting. I didn’t get a good night’s sleep and the workload today is absolutely monstrous.”

Belle gave a nod, and the room fell into silence that was only slightly broken by the sound of some Christmas song or another. I glanced at Michelle, who wasn’t making any moves towards the receptionist desk. I sighed, gesturing for Michelle to go ahead. Hesitantly, the blond approached the desk, “Hello, I, uh, I have an a-appointment with Mr. Catsclaw- tooth. Mr. Catstooth. I was hoping I w-wasn’t, uh, wasn’t too late?”

Belle shook her head, pulling on an even cheerier smile somehow, “You’re the representative for Happy Smiles, right?”

Michelle nodded.

The words hit me like a sack of bricks. I didn’t hear the rest of the conversation, I didn’t need to. Belle was from Happy Smiles. Belle was going to be buying out the company. An indescribable feeling of intense displeasure, no make that anger, rose up in me. I could feel it bubbling within me, wanting to break free. If the company was bought out, there was a decent chance I would be replaced. If I was replaced I would be out of a job, and then Catherine and Lori would suffer. I glared at Michelle as she walked into the office.

She had played me for a fool. I had seen the pin she wore. I hadn’t made the connection, hadn’t realized that the pin resembled a smiley face and that Happy Smiles was visiting now. William had said they would visit in January, not late December.

I noticed Belle looking at me, an eyebrow raised. I shook my head, “Tell me when Michelle gets back. I have stuff I need to do.”

I briskly walked out of the room, making my way to my desk. This could not stand. I was in a battle for the very soul of this company and I was woefully unprepared. I needed every last bit of information I could get about the Happy Smiles corporation.

An hour later, I had what I could find. The computer had been quite helpful. Happy Smiles was a company that had been made a little over a year ago. It has started off small, but had promptly proceeded to try to monopolize the toy market as legally as possible. For a small company, it seemed to have a lot of money, considering it has already assimilated two rival competitors. There was a chance it was a shell company of some sort, one that was being privately backed by another company, but it was equally likely that it was just a bunch of rich assholes. The search hadn’t been incredibly enlightening, there wasn’t much in the way of illicit information about the company that I could look up. It didn’t have a single scandal to its name.

My phone buzzed. Michelle was out of her meeting. I sped down the halls. I didn’t have a plan. I needed a plan, but I couldn’t think of one. Passive aggression. I would go with that.

Michelle was waiting in the waiting room, a hand brushing some hair from her face. I gave her a polite, if tight lipped, smile. I tried to keep the venom from my tone. “Well, did you enjoy your meeting? Was it at all productive?”

Michelle gave a slow, hesitant nod. “Y-yeah, everything went, uh, smoothly. I’ll have to, um, make a later appointment to finish up business.”

“Do you mind if I walk you out? Wouldn’t want you to get lost and wander off. What kind of.. business?” A hint of venom laced my tone as I walked Michelle out of the office.

The blond shrank back a hint, “I, uh, well, it’s um. It’s c-corporate business. I’m just, well I’m not a-allowed to disclose that information just yet. It’s, well, it’s private, y-you see?”

A sadistic smile grew on my face, “Ah, so you’re sleeping with him, okay. I guess that’s one way to make a business deal, isn’t it?”

Michelle stopped, and I spun to continue walking backwards. A wide eyed expression of shock spread across her face, her mouth slightly agape. She blinked hard, stammering, “Wh- what?! Huh? N-no no no, wh-what, why would.. why w-would you think I, erm, I.. why would you even think that?”

A wave of satisfaction flowed through me. She was a stammering mess. It’s what she deserved for working towards my unemployment. I usually kept my tone light, my words inoffensive and humorous. Michelle would get none of that. “Ah, but you aren’t denying it, are you? Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me. I would never spread rumors of your proclivities around, that would be just as unprofessional as ruining a person’s life for your own gain.”

Michelle sped up, moving faster down the hall. I kept her pace, I wasn’t about to let her past me. “B-but, but, but I didn’t! I w-would, erm, never do that. W-why would y-you even suggest that?”

This avenue of attack was mostly used up, I had perhaps one more insult before I would have to switch. The second floor was rapidly approaching, I’d have to say more. “We could all hear you, you weren’t exactly quiet. Also, I’ve been meaning to ask, do you have a speech impediment? I can’t help but notice that you stutter a lot. I know a good speech therapist. She normally works with children, but I think she could help you.”

Michelle started to stammer out a reply, before cutting herself off. She must have been too embarrassed about the stammer. Michelle huffed, and then rest of the walk down to the first floor was filled with an uncomfortable silence that I relished. The blond made her way towards the door, rushing out in in a hurry. The door nearly hit someone, she had flung it open with such speed. She was out the door, which swung closed a moment later.

I felt a rush of satisfaction at the the way she reacted. It was grim, dark satisfaction, but it was one that was filled with a certain amount of relief. Rationally, I knew I hadn’t done much to dissuade Michelle from buying out Playtime, but a part deep inside of me felt like I had won. I liked that part. I was a winner. It hadn’t been a clean win, but I had come away as the victor. Rationally, I knew my situation hadn’t changed, but irrationally, I felt a surge of pride at the idea that by verbally tearing apart the blond bitch that I had somehow protected my family.

That satisfactory glow I had achieved lasted with me the whole entire day.