~ A day at the workplace ~ EchoMonroe & By Bi Blitz

[By Bi Blitz]

Joseph would continue on with his work for a majority of the day so far. He made some specific calls in private with certain people as he also filled in different forms throughout their day. This was one of those days where Joseph hardly bothered his secretary for anything in particular. The CEO had mostly everything under control and he knew that his old secretary Helen would sometimes complain about boredom, however there wasn't much he could do about it. It was probably going to a slow day for the young man and it was just something he'd learn to deal with himself in some way, shape, or form. Joseph would then receive a call from his vice president, someone whom he only ever met a handful of times. The woman was not someone he enjoyed associating with but she understood his vision and her work was impeccable which was why he trusted her enough to have such a position in the company. She was calling to remind Joseph about the company vacation which had mostly slipped his mind. He would thank her as they discussed where they would take the employees for this year. Last year they had done Hawaii which wasn't the best idea as making sure all the employees made it to the airport on time as well as customs made it difficult to work with. So this year maybe something more local would be in order. The two of them would discuss it further before deciding on a beach and hotel that was at the neighboring city. Local while still sticking to a vacation spot, it was a perfect plan. The Vacation itself was still a ways off but it was good to get enough reservations in early so he would finally send an email to Erik with information detailing the trip. He'd then call the man up "I just sent you an email with details on our upcoming company vacation, I'd like for you to fill out your own form on whether you'll be attending. Then forward the email to all employees within this building" Joseph would end the call before turning back and making another call to a certain person within another company to discuss some more opportunities.

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EchoMonroe

 

[EchoMonroe]

Here we stand or here we fall
History won't care at all
Make the bed, light the light
Lady Mercy won't be home tonight

Erik had been texting his brother when Joseph informed him about the email regarding a company vacation. That was certainly a new concept to him. He hadn't bothered to take a vacation since he left home. His brother would have said it was about time for him to change that. He filled out the form and forwarded the email to everyone else before informing his brother whom responded by sending a series of nonsensical emojis. I swear his six year old daughter texts like more of an adult than him. He'd likely have to pay his neighbor to watch after the cat for a few days while he was gone but that was easy enough. The trouble would come from whether or not he would actually be able to enjoy himself or if he'd simply be upset the entire trip. His ex had tried to take him off for a weekend an it hadn't gone well. They fought almost the whole trip and his mother pestered him every day. His phone buzzed and he glanced at it before rolling his eyes. Speak of the Devil. His mother had texted him saying she'd found the girl she wanted him to marry. He simply reminded her he was still gay.

You don't waste no time at all
Don't hear the bell but you answer the call
It comes to you as to us all
Yeah, we're just waiting for the hammer to fall, yeah

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By Bi Blitz

 

[By Bi Blitz]

As he had just wrapped up the the phone call unsurprisingly enough his computer pinged that he had received a new email. Unsurprisingly he saw that it was Erik's form all filled out, he would quickly go over the information in it before moving it to a folder specifically for company vacations. It was most of the basic stuff, would you be attending? Would you like to bring others outside of the company along? Ect. He knew to be expecting an influx of emails soon so he'd just have to go through each of them on his own time when he was at home. It wasn't a difficult job, just a time consuming one if he let them amass too much. He'd learnt that lesson the hard way early on so he'd make sure to chip away by filing away any emails that were sent to him while on the clock. Meanwhile though for now Joseph would make yet another important call to another individual as it was almost painfully easy to meet an agreement. In fact many were easy to convince as he called one after the other and repeated himself at least several times. These people had no mind for business it seemed. Nonetheless he'd have his own work to attend to as he continued to file away emails in their specific folders. It was almost painful how quickly the day was flying by, Joseph was keeping himself busy and had barely made any contact with Erik. Go figure that right when he found a new secretary that's when all the calls, meeting appointments, and other minor things would dry up. He told the other man that he'd be kept busy and yet the other man was more than likely sitting in his office bored. Then again he was being paid to sit in that office and be bored so he supposed that there was a trade off. Joseph would press down on the button to connect him to Erik "Could you fetch me another coffee before lunch? Same as yesterday" he would request of the other man as he got back to more paperwork that just never seemed to end for the CEO.

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EchoMonroe

 

[EchoMonroe]

Here we stand or here we fall
History won't care at all
Make the bed, light the light
Lady Mercy won't be home tonight

Erik had been arguing with his mother over text when Joseph buzzed him asking for a coffee. Black coffee, nothing in it. He stood from his desk and decided to make a call to his mother while he was away. He caught the eyes of more than one curious employee at him snapping into his phone. His mother was trying to encourage him to quit, come home and get married. He was going through the process of making his boss's coffee when she began her inquisition into his private life, the biggest question of hers was about him still seeing his ex. He'd told her it was over but unsurprisingly she though differently. He continued this back and forth with her his entire way to the break room and back. He sighed heavily into the phone as he approached Joseph's office. "Maman s’il te plait, reste en dehors de mes affaires," he snapped ",Je ne rentre pas, je ne quitte pas mon travail et je ne vais pas me marier. J’ai appelé pour vous dire d’arrêter de m’envoyer des SMS pendant que je suis au travail. Vous savez si vous étiez à moitié comme investi dans votre mariage comme vous étiez dans la vie personnelle de vos enfants peut-être que vous ne seriez pas une personne si misé rable!" He hung up on her before pocketing his cell phone. Why is matricide illegal again? He took a deep breath before walking into Joseph's office and setting the cup of coffee on his desk. "Black, nothing in it," he confirmed ",anything else?"

You don't waste no time at all
Don't hear the bell but you answer the call
It comes to you as to us all
Yeah, we're just waiting for the hammer to fall, yeah

(Translation: Maman s’il te plait, reste en dehors de mes affaires - Mom please stay out of my business

Je ne rentre pas, je ne quitte pas mon travail et je ne vais pas me marier. J’ai appelé pour vous dire d’arrêter de m’envoyer des SMS pendant que je suis au travail. Vous savez si vous étiez à moitié comme investi dans votre mariage comme vous étiez dans la vie personnelle de vos enfants peut-être que vous ne seriez pas une personne si misé rable! - I'm not coming home, I'm not quitting my job and I'm not getting married. I called to tell you to stop texting me while I am at work. You know if you were half as invested into your marriage as you were in your children's personal life maybe you wouldn't be such a miserable person!)

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By Bi Blitz

 

[By Bi Blitz]

As Joseph worked away he was pleased to know that Erik would get on his coffee right away. He would make one final call for today and this one was to a Vice President for another company. This one was much more difficult to deal with and he had some close calls but large dollar signs were more than enough to convince them to see things his way. It was amazing to him what greed could do to people, no. Not amazing, sad was the better word for it in his opinion. Finally Joseph would get back to his paperwork after that final call and grunted in annoyance as he opened his email to see he already had over thirty unread emails all about the upcoming company vacation. So he'd begin to go through each of them, filing them away in each proper folder. Most were of the employee's agreeing and letting him know they would be attending but some would let him know that they wouldn't be attending for various reasons. To those people he'd shoot an email out thanking them for letting him know and that if they change their mind they're free to do so. He'd then detail the paid time off they'd receive for the company vacation. Honestly it was all pocket change to Joseph, happy workers meant a productive and positive atmosphere where they would look forward to coming in to work. It was around this time that Erik entered his office with the black coffee in hand. Joseph looked up and noted the tone and how he was carrying himself "...No, nothing else.." however before Erik could leave Joseph would call out to the other man with a quirk of the eyebrow, his own way of showing concern "Is everything OK? You seem tense" he couldn't help but wonder if people gave him trouble while he was out and about.

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EchoMonroe

 

[EchoMonroe]

Here we stand or here we fall
History won't care at all
Make the bed, light the light
Lady Mercy won't be home tonight

Erik had been about to walk away when he heard Joseph ask if he was okay. Tense is an understatement. There was part of him that wished to simply say he was fine and brush it off but he knew his current boss was too observant for that to fly. He couldn't help the bitter smile that the question pulled from him. "I just got off the phone with my mother," he said ",it did not go well. She has been insistent on reminding me that this job is beneath me and that I should come back to France and marry the girl she has picked for me. It's moments like this that remind me why I left." And make me wonder if I could get away with murder. He loved his mother and there is lied most of the problem, he wasn't out to hurt her or alienate her from his life but she left him with little choice. Erik was tired of her always having to be in his business. After she had called up his last job trying to get him fired he though she had learned her lesson about leaving him alone. He'd been so furious at the time he wound up saying some pretty hurtful things. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

You don't waste no time at all
Don't hear the bell but you answer the call
It comes to you as to us all
Yeah, we're just waiting for the hammer to fall, yeah

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By Bi Blitz

 

[By Bi Blitz]

Joseph waited patiently for the other man to speak up. It seemed that whatever it was really was bothering him quite noticeably which was a bit concerning. He's listen to the other man explain that he'd just spoken to his Mother which struck the CEO as odd, how could speaking to one's Mother cause such stress? However it all came to light when Erik explained about how she had been getting on his case about the job he was at, as well as other more personal things. It seemed that his Mother was either completely in denial about her son or simply didn't acknowledge her son's preferences. Both were equally bad in his opinion. "I see" he spoke with an air of surprise "It's funny to me though, such a claim is nearly a direct attack on me and my company" there was no heat whatsoever behind his words, more so just an observation. For her to say that the job was beneath him was rather amusing as Joseph considered Erik's position to be the third most important in the entire company. Lord only knows how overworked he was when he had to do it all himself. Finally just as Joseph opened his mouth to speak again an audible growl came from his stomach, which he would quickly try to silence with his coffee. It seemed to be about time for everyone's lunch break but he would make no move to get up "Ahem...why don't you just go relax over lunch" he offered the other man as the CEO got back to work once again, shifting another paper into the completed pile.

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EchoMonroe

 

[EchoMonroe]

Here we stand or here we fall
History won't care at all
Make the bed, light the light
Lady Mercy won't be home tonight

Erik chuckled a bit and shook his head at Joseph's observation. He wasn't wrong exactly. "It's nothing against you or the company," he explained ",it's just her. Nothing it good enough for her children." He truly enjoyed what he did despite his family's insistence that working as a secretary was below his standing. He heard Joseph's stomach growl as he told him to go ahead and take his break. He also noticed Joseph was not planning on doing the same. He didn't eat until super late yesterday either. He shook his head and walked back over to Joseph's desk. He stood next to him and crossed his arms over his chest. He watched Joseph try to simply ply off his hunger with more coffee. "What do you want for lunch," he asked ",I'll pick it up for you." Erik was determined to make the other eat if he had to force feed him. He waited for an answer as he watched the other continue to work. Well no one can say he doesn't do his job.

You don't waste no time at all
Don't hear the bell but you answer the call
It comes to you as to us all
Yeah, we're just waiting for the hammer to fall, yeah

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By Bi Blitz

 

[By Bi Blitz]

Joseph let out a small "Ah" when Erik explained that his Mother thought that nothing was good enough for her kids. It was a nice idea to have such high standards for her kids but then what did she expect them to achieve in their lives? If nothing was good enough then they would never get any real work experience and they'd continue to expect everything to be handed to them. Maybe Joseph was looking too far into it but those kinds of parents were never quite what you'd call "Parent Of The Year". Once everything was said and done Joseph began to go back to work, however instead of hearing the door to the other man's office close he instead felt a presence next to him. Joseph would turn his head to look at Erik whom now had his arms crossed as if he were a disappointed parent. The action would simply draw a blank stare from Joseph as if questioning what the other man was doing. Once he finally spoke the CEO would quirk an eyebrow at the other man with a questioning look on his face. He knew that the other man had seen him skip lunch for the better part of yesterday but Joseph hadn't expected his Secretary to do this of all things. Joseph would simply shake his head "I'm fine" once again as if to argue against him Joseph's stomach let out another audible growl. Since when was his body working against him!? Finally Joseph sighed and relented "Down the road about a block from this building is a southern style food truck, pick me up some fried chicken, mac'n cheese, and collard greens..." he decided to mix up his order from yesterday. Being a regular there Joseph pulled out his wallet and gave Erik more than enough to buy the meal "Just keep the change if there's any left" finally he'd turn back to work, however one final thought reminded him of something else "Ah yes, when you get back we'll need to discuss your Spanish lessons for later" he had told the other man that he would teach him Spanish yesterday at dinner and he would make sure to keep to his word.

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EchoMonroe

 

[EchoMonroe]

Here we stand or here we fall
History won't care at all
Make the bed, light the light
Lady Mercy won't be home tonight

Erik smiled as he accepted the cash handed to him. He felt a bit victorious that Joseph conceded to getting food. I'm gonna have to keep an eye on that. He told his boss he would be back as he made his way out of the office and to the food truck. He figured since he was already at the food truck there was little point in going else where and ordered for himself as well. The service was thankfully quick so he didn't have to be stuck waiting long. He was pretty impatient when he stuck waiting for anything. He grabbed the bag of food and made his way back to the office. Out of habit he kept his eyes on the ground as he made his way back to Joseph's office. He greeted the man with a smile as he walked over and placed his lunch on the edge of his desk. "So Spanish lessons," he asked. He had no real social life to speak of at the moment so he figured he'd likely be working them around Joseph's schedule. He took a sip of the large styrofoam cup of sweet tea he had in his hand. He waited for Joseph to bring up the particulars of him coming over to learn a new language.

You don't waste no time at all
Don't hear the bell but you answer the call
It comes to you as to us all
Yeah, we're just waiting for the hammer to fall, yeah

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By Bi Blitz

 

[By Bi Blitz]

Joseph figured that there would be little point in arguing with his secretary over this matter. While he did acknowledge that it wasn't a good thing for him to skip meals he also felt that time spent doing anything else was unproductive for him. Still though, at the very least Joseph wouldn't have to leave the office to get his food so there was at least that one positive for him at least. So while Erik was out getting the food the CEO would remain in his office hard at work, pausing to make a call to another one of his company's primary distributors "Yes, I am aware that it will cost extra to market in that city and area but I don't care what the cost is, make it happen!" just as Erik returned Joseph was just finishing up a heated debate with the person on the other line "Last time I checked, I'm the one paying you. Don't question me again or else I'll find someone to replace you. Goodbye" with that he hung up before the other person could get another word in. With that Joseph would sigh a little bit in frustration, even now you'd think that the people he worked with would have some faith in Joseph's decisions. The man never made a move without calculating every possible risk there was for his decisions and it would only serve to frustrate him when they questioned him. Thankfully the smell of food would distract him from any further thoughts of work as he offered a nod to his personal Secretary "Thank you Erik" he would quickly grab the bag of food placed at the edge of the table and motioned for the other man to sit down and eat with him. Might as well so they could discuss things more comfortably while the two of them ate their lunches. Joseph would proceed to take the contents out and and look up at Erik from his seat "So I believe it would be most beneficial if you would come to my home to start the lessons" he began as he quickly used his plastic fork and knife to cut off a piece of chicken "Stop by at around six or so, that way I have time to get my old learning material out and organized" he would then eat a bite for a moment before looking up at Erik "Also I'll be tending to dinner around an hour after you arriv so if you wish to join me then that would be fine" Joseph tended to eat dinner a bit later into day than some other people so it only stood to reason that he invite the other man to join him if he so desired. He remembered the couple times Helen and her family had joined him for dinner, it was the most he'd ever socialized with other people and even then it was a while since that happened "Besides that however I'd like to know what you remember and what Spanish if any that you do know, that way we can at least skip some sections of possible and keep things simple" the CEO remembered how Erik commented on being a terrible student which was why he was looking to keep things as easy for the other man as possible.

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EchoMonroe

 

[EchoMonroe]

Here we stand or here we fall
History won't care at all
Make the bed, light the light
Lady Mercy won't be home tonight

Erik didn't bring up he'd caught the end of whatever argument was happening on the phone. It seemed best if he let the subject drop. To him Joseph looked worn out and frustrated with whatever the situation had been. He dropped himself down into a seat and began to dig into his own lunch. He listened as Joseph gave him the time to be there and said he could join hm for dinner if he wished. When he brought up how much Spanish Erik remembered he had to think. "I can say hello," he said with a shrug ",I don't remember too much if I'm being honest." He hadn't learned much the first go around and what he had learned didn't stick. It had frustrated him to no end that he'd struggled so with the language, still did if he was being honest with himself. He hated not being good at something. "I'm gonna need your address though if I'm going to be driving to your place," he brought up. That was another point of this he'd likely be doomed to over analyze. Logically he knew it wasn't that unrealistic for an employee and their employer to spend some amount time together outside of work. He knew however he'd likely find himself over analyzing as he tended to do.

You don't waste no time at all
Don't hear the bell but you answer the call
It comes to you as to us all
Yeah, we're just waiting for the hammer to fall, yeah

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By Bi Blitz

 

[By Bi Blitz]

Joseph paused for a moment in his meal when the other man admitted that he could only remember how to say a basic hello. OK so they would be working from the ground up it seemed, not that it was a problem mind you. It just meant that Joseph would have to dig deep and get all his own learning material out for the other man. He thought on where the books he used were before remembering how he shoved them to the highest corner of one of his bookshelves. He would then look up from a bite of his mac'n cheese when the other man reminded the CEO that he needed to give the other man his address. With that Joseph would put his fork down and tore a chunk out of the corner of some outdated form that was going into recycling and quickly jotted down his address down before reading over and handing it to the other man "My home address, I'll be sure to leave my garage open so you can park in there" his current garage was a four car garage and he currently had three with an unused space so it wouldn't matter at all. Finally Joseph would dive back into his collard greens before swallowing a bite of his food "Adios" he said looking directly at the other man "Adiots is Goodbye in Spanish" Joseph would explain, figuring he'd get the most basic of basics out of the way first and foremost. He'd then take another bite of his chicken before looking over at the other man and sipping his coffee "Will you be alright driving to my home?"

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EchoMonroe

 

[EchoMonroe]

Here we stand or here we fall
History won't care at all
Make the bed, light the light
Lady Mercy won't be home tonight

Erik glanced at the address and nodded his head. He poked a bit at his food before actually taking a bite. He was hoping this go around went smoother than the first. He still wasn't entirely sure how he hadn't lost a friend after the way he'd blown up in the end, it hadn't been pretty. He glanced up at Joseph when he explained audios meant goodbye and nodded again. He was aware he hadn't actually said much but he hadn't felt the need until Joseph asked if he would be alright driving to his home. He paused his prodding of his meal to answer. "I should be able to make it there fine," he responded ",my car is acting a bit funny but I can just take my motorcycle." That had been another hot topic amongst his friends and family. They'd all said he had a death wish when he bought the motorcycle, some had even tried to get him to return it. He didn't, still refused to get rid of it for situations such as these. It was rather convenient to have a secondary means of transportation that he actually enjoyed using. He took another bite of his food before glancing back at his boss.

You don't waste no time at all
Don't hear the bell but you answer the call
It comes to you as to us all
Yeah, we're just waiting for the hammer to fall, yeah

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By Bi Blitz

 

[By Bi Blitz]

Joseph would take another sip of his coffee and glanced up at the other man and nodded his head a little bit when the other said he should be able to make it there fine. Of course Joseph was taken by surprise when the other man stated that he could just take his motorcycle instead of his car. Well that was unexpected "A motorcycle? Interesting..." if the CEO were being honest he never would have pegged Erik as a motorcycle kind of guy. But then he supposed that he didn't really know the other man too well and only really was going off of how he knew him at work and their previous conversation at dinner "You certainly are full of surprises" he stated in a tone that held the slightest bit of amusement in it. He'd finish up his mac'n cheese before looking up at the other man "If you would though, call of message me when you leave so I'll have a rough time frame of when to begin getting things set up" he requested before taking one more of of his coffee as he take more of the collard greens.

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EchoMonroe