Player Haters by Carl Weber Read Free Book Online Page A

previous week’s sales figures for my department. It turned out that leaving work early on Friday hadn’t been the good idea I’d thought. First of all, I would’ve missed that whole stupid fight with Diane if I’d kept my behind at work. And secondly, I could’ve gotten the sales reports that are issued every Friday afternoon. I needed those reports so I could know who to chew out during my sales meeting later this morning. So instead of sleeping until seven, I got up at five and dragged my ass into the office to read the reports before the meeting. I’d been going at it, taking notes for over two hours when I heard a knock on my office door.
    “Come in,” I shouted.
    I never looked up from my reports. I figured it was just my secretary Marge letting me know that she was at her desk if I needed her.
    “Wil, you got a minute?” I took off my reading glasses and looked up from my reports. It was Jeanie Brown, the assistant director of human resources. The only black person working on the executive floor, other than a couple of secretaries.
    “Hey, Jeanie? What’s up?” I smiled.
    Jeanie and I were friendly, but I still didn’t like it when any of the big honchos from upstairs popped up at my door unannounced. It usually meant that someone was gonna lose their job. The last time Jeanie showed up at my door unexpectedly she arrived with pink slips and laid off ten percent of my staff. So I was pretty concerned when she didn’t smile back at me.
    “Wil, I’ve got a little bad news.” Jeanie’s cocoa brown lips curled into a frown.
    I sat back in my chair, nonchalantly wiping away the sweat that was beginning to form on my brow. I gestured for Jeanie to have a seat and when she declined, I braced myself for the worst. I was no longer worried about her laying off some of my staff. I was concerned about being fired myself. Not that it should come as a shock if it happened. My department had missed our sales quota the last two months. Not by much, but we still missed and as the sales manager, the black sales manager I might add, that meant my head was the one that was gonna roll. The funny thing is, I’d been expecting bad news all weekend. I just never expected it would be losing my job.
    “Okay…what kind of bad news, Jeanie?” I was trying to keep it together, not let my emotions get involved. It wasn’t easy. I had a family to take care of.
    “Well, Wil, I really don’t know how to tell you this. Especially since I know how much you hate change, but…”
    I stopped her because she was beating around the bush and that annoyed me. It was bad enough that the boys upstairs sent the lone sister to do their dirty work instead of coming to see me face to face like they do when a white manager is fired.
    “Just spit it out, Jeanie. I’m a man. I can take it.”
    “Okay. Marge fell in the parking lot on Friday and broke her arm. It looks like she’s gonna be out five to six weeks minimum. So I—”
    “Hold up,” I interrupted. “That’s the bad news you had to tell me?”
    “Yeah, what’d you think I came down here to do, fire you?” She let out a laugh but stopped it abruptly when I didn’t join in.
    “That’s exactly what I thought.” I gave her a serious look. “Jesus Christ, Jeanie, you know my department’s sales are down. You scared the shit outta me.”
    “I’m sorry, Wil. But you don’t have anything to worry about. The way things are going, your department’s doing better than everyone else.” She gave me an encouraging smile. “Have you seen the figures on Jonathan Goldsmith’s department? If anyone needs to get fired, it’s him. If you know what I’m saying.”
    We both laughed, because Jonathan Goldsmith was one of the executive vice president’s sons and we both knew he would never be fired. Transferred maybe, but never fired.
    “I’m not here to fire you. I’m just here to give you the bad news about Marge.”
    Her words finally sunk in, and I realized how important