Monica rode to work the following Monday with Rose, but didn't speak very much along the way.
As their automobile approached the entrance to Liberty Avenue, Rose asked, "Are you alright, Monica?"
"Yes, I am okay, I was just thinking about the work I have to complete today."
"I thought you might still be mad at me from the other night."
"No, Rose. You were correct in that I should not have acted the way I did in expecting Bob not to look for someone else. After all, I didn't treat him right by not telling him about the damage to my body when I should have."
"I am sorry, Monica, for hurting you and I don't know how to take care of the problem I have created with you. I only hope we can still be very good friends."
"We are and we will be, Rose, don't worry about our argument Friday night, because I have almost forgotten about the incident."
"I promise to forget, if you will, Monica."
"Good, then we shall not bring up the problem again, agreed?"
Rose smiled. "Agreed." She pulled her car to the curb to allow Monica to depart. "Need any help, friend?" asked Rose.
"No, friend, I can make it myself," laughed Monica. "See you later on in the day."
Monica removed her wheelchair from the car and slid into the seat. She pushed the auto door and waved to Rose. Rose rapped the horn gently and pulled away from the curb.
Soon after Monica settled into her office, Jim came in and said, "How are you this fine morning, Monica?"
"Fair to middlin'," she responded.
"I suppose you mean not too hot, huh?"
"You might say that, Jim."
"Well then, I will put it another way, how are you doing along the lines of getting the job done for personnel?"
"I have looked up the file fields and have determined that most of them are on the master and possibly are not being updated. I don't know if there were instructions issued to tell users of the system how to enter the requested data."
"I will be able to determine that by the write-up located in personnel," said Jim. "Then I will let you know. In fact, I will go down and do that right now. See you later."
He turned and left.
Monica stared at the blue binder in her bookcase and started to think again about her problem, which she encountered on Friday. She wasn't going to let Rose and Bob get away with hurting her the way they did.
"What right did they have to disgrace me by having sex right in front of my eyes," she said softly.
She opened a manual with the personnel data flowcharted on the first page. Her eyes trained on the rings in the center of her binder. "Bob was mine before Rose ever came along and he said he would marry me even while I was in the hospital. Why did he break his word? How can I know what they are doing behind my back? They think they can get away with that and not worry about me, I will fix the two of them."
"Monica, are you here?" asked Jim, upon walking into her office once more. She didn't look at Jim.
"Monica, are you okay?"
"Oh, I am sorry, Jim, I was all wrapped up in reading this manual."
"The book in personnel doesn't contain any instructions on the use of the fields we are looking for, per se, but they are noted on the layout file. I have made copies of the data I found for you and now that we have these, you can determine the best method to handle the problem which personnel has bestowed on us. Let me give these to you, Monica, and you can work on this and let me know on Friday exactly how we are going to solve our dilemma."
"I will do exactly that, Jim, and when you ask for the facts on Friday, I will have them for you so I can get on with the project and my career here at Quagmeyer."
"Good girl, Monica. See you later."
Monica returned to gazing at the rings in the binder and the thoughts which held her attention before Jim returned and startled her. She had been obsessed with the manner in which she found out about Rose and her Bob. Now all she could do was to think of a way to hurt them both. She didn't accomplish much of her work and other than writing some notes on a tablet, one could not say she was worth her salt for her work output.
Throughout the rest of the week, Monica did accomplish very little of the systems function given to her by Jim. When Friday morning came, she knew the answers for which Jim would be looking, she would not have.
"How will Jim react whenever he finds I have not done my job?" she asked herself.
Monica entered her office on Friday morning and was surprised to find Jim already sitting down at her desk. "Hi, Jim, how are you doing this fine morning?"
"Just fine, Monica, and you?"
"Not as good as I should be, in more ways that one."
"I figured that you would have all the answers we were looking for, Monica, since it is Friday, I thought we could get over the desired additions to the system early and maybe knock off before quitting time rolls around. Do you have all the data and the manner in which we will try to take care of the problems for personnel?"
"I have these notes," she said upon going to her desk and removing a manila folder from the center drawer. "Here, Jim." Jim reached for the folder and opened it. He sifted through the sheets.
"These notes don't really tell me too much, Monica, especially about how to enter the required information and how processing will occur. Did you have problems with this stuff?" he asked, his eyes meeting hers.
"No, not much,"
"Why, this is a half, a quarter of the work which I expected from you? Did you have enough time to complete the job? Were you sick?"
"No, Jim, I just didn't feel like doing the job you wanted me to do."
"You didn't feel like doing the job? What the hell kind of game do you think we are playing around here, Monica!" he shouted. "I don't think it is a game."
"Why do you believe we hired you, Monica? Surely you do not for one minute, think I am going to permit you to get away with this?"
"Unless you come up with a real terrific reason you didn't accomplish our objective, Monica, I have no other choice except to inform Harry about your work. Tell me there is a problem so I will not have to do that, Monica. Let me hear you say there is a good and logical reason why you didn't fulfill the goal?"
"There is a predicament which you couldn't begin to understand or accept, Jim, and one which I cannot tell you about. The problem is mine and mine alone. If I let you down, I am sorry, but if you give me another chance, I will finish the work assigned."
"Harry will have to be informed about this, Monica, since you leave me with no alternative. If you will not tell me why you haven't been able to finish the tasks assigned to you, perhaps you will be able to tell him."
"If you must tell Harry, then I guess that is the thing to do, Jim. I can't disclose why I have not done what I was supposed to, by today. Even if you tell Harry, I will not, I cannot, explain my lack of output."
"Okay, Monica, I am sorry, but I hope we can still get things worked out for you, since you do have some apparent talent in this field of data processing."
"I guess Harry will call me when he wants to talk."
"After I speak with him, Monica, and knowing how he thinks, I would say your deduction is true. In fact, as soon as I get through explaining to him about this, you can bet that your telephone will ring and he will be on the other end requesting an audience with you. I do hope you see your way clear to help yourself by telling him your problem."
"You better get going, Jim, since we do not have all day."
Jim left Monica's office and walked slowly to the elevator. He looked down at the folder that he was clutching with his right hand. He wondered why Monica was acting in the manner she had displayed to him.
"Wonder what or who is bothering her?" he said aloud as he shuffled along the carpet. "You wonder what?" asked Peggy Orin, as she approached him from the opposite direction. Jim raised his head and smiled at her.
"I was just thinking aloud, Peggy, sorry. Of course, I didn't think anyone would hear me talking to myself."
"As long as you don't answer yourself, Jim, I believe the saying goes, that you have no problem."
"You might say the problem is mine, Peggy, however, the difficulty is with another individual, but the affect reaches not only me but several others, possibly even you."
"Me?"
"Yes, you."
"Well, who is the problem, Jim?" asked Miss Orin, throwing her head back, her face changing to a puzzled look.
"I can't tell you who the individual is at this time, Peggy, but as soon as I have a discussion with Harry, then you will know how we will proceed to deal with the obstacle, if in fact there is an obstacle."
"Let me know if I can be of help, Jim? I would be glad to speak with the person, in an effort to help you and Harry."
"Okay, thanks, Peggy, I will get back with you as soon as I talk with Harry," Jim said as he began walking away from her.
Peggy watched Jim disappear into the elevator behind the sliding doors. She put her hands on her hips, shook her head, then turned around and continued on her way.
Jim approached Harry's office and stopped in front of his secretary. "I would like to see Harry, Mary. Is he in?"
"Yes, Jim, he is talking with someone on the phone right now, but I am sure he can speak with you just as soon as he finishes."
"How are things going around here, Mary?"
"We have been pretty busy since Harry has been working on a new five year data processing plan. He has been talking with just about every executive in the company. The phone has been ringing off the hook most of the time for the past few weeks. At the end of next month, there is to be a meeting here to discuss the ways in which the company will grow and the needs for data processing. You are in luck, Jim, because your name is on the invitation list."
"When will I receive the invite?"
"Probably next week, since I am typing the letter now for distribution early next week."
"I will be looking for it."
"Harry is through," she said, as his light went out on her telephone. She picked up the red receiver and buzzed Harry. "Jim is here to see you. Okay, I will send him in. You heard, Jim."
"Thanks, Mary."
"Who the heck are you trying to impress with all that paperwork?" asked Jim, upon sighting the various sheets covering his desk.
"I knew you would be checking on me, Jim, so in order for me to look good, I grabbed some old letters and memos and planted them." Jim laughed.
"What is up, Jim?"
"I am afraid we may have a little problem with the new girl hired a little while back."
"Monica?" asked Harry.
Jim nodded.
"Is it a personal or technical matter?" questioned Harry.
"Let me start from the beginning so you know the whole story, Harry. Soon after she started working here, I put her on the personnel department job. Monica was or seemed enthusiastic about the work and was taking the frog by the legs, up until the end of this week. Today was the target date for giving me the results of her systems work for the week. She gave me some skimpy notes, which are in this folder that I am carrying. Her response to my question about completing the task was that she didn't feel like doing it."
"Why should she say that, whenever we gave her the opportunity to come into the department to show us her talent and that a handicap doesn't make a difference."
"I tried to find out the answer to the question you just asked, Harry, but she would not discuss the reason why she didn't do the work assigned."
"We both agree, I hope, that Monica does have the ability for data processing work," said Harry. "I agree," added Jim.
"Then, her problem has to be personal and probably just crept up over the past week. Do you think it would do me any good to speak with her at this point, Jim?"
"It might, she may discuss with you, since you are a little farther up the ladder, why she didn't do what she was expected to."
"Does she realize she may be throwing her new career into jeopardy, even before she really has an opportunity to establish some work experience."
"I didn't get into that with her, Harry, mostly because I was very surprised to find out what we are discussing now. Monica is the first person that I have trained who really let me down. Whenever she informed me that she didn't feel like doing what was required, my attitude changed from conciliatory to non-acceptance."
"Okay, Jim, I will have a little discussion with Monica to see if she will tell me about her behavior. Depending on the outcome of the meeting, we will determine our next step or steps."
"I guess there is no time like the present to talk to Monica, Jim. If you will hold for a few minutes, I will have Mary ring her and ask her to meet with us right now."
Just then Harry's phone rang. He waited for his secretary to answer the call and tell him who was on the line. His phone buzzed.
"Harry, Mr. Marks is on the line and wants to know if you can come over and speak to him about the D.P. meeting which is to be held next month? Do you want to speak to him, I have told him you have someone in your office."
"Put him on, Mary," said Harry.
"Paul, how the hell are you doing on a fine day like today?"
"I am okay, Harry, how about yourself?"
"Pretty good, thanks. What can I do for you?"
"If you have some time, Harry, I would like to discuss some of the details with you about the planned meeting for next month along the lines of what is expected from the people invited. Since it is almost lunch time, I thought we could have lunch and then go over some of the things I have in mind."
"Okay, Paul, we should get any questions you have out of the way before my secretary completes the final typing for the letter which is going to be sent to the participants."
"Good, Harry, I will see you in about ten minutes."
"Right, Paul."
Harry hung up the telephone.
"We will have to let the discussion with Monica wait until Monday morning, Jim, because I have a feeling I will be tied up the rest of the afternoon."
"I will tell her you will speak with her on Monday," said Jim as he got up from his seat. "See you Monday," said Harry.