A Frank Entrepeneur

"Sorry it's against company policy to allow coworkers to date."

"Well, I'll leave the company in that case."

"You don't need to do that, before you two became close we had already planned reorganization of Jane's division, and unfortunately she was one of the people we had to let go."

"That's bullshit. You're firing her because you want me to keep working. "

"These plans were already made before any knowledge of your relationship. I'm very sorry to break it to you this way, but we couldn't release the information until the reorganization was finalized."

"If she goes, I quit."

"Where will you go? Come on, Frank, be reasonable."

"It doesn't matter. I'll go anywhere. I'll be flipping your burgers at McDonalds, so you better watch out."

"Is that a threat, Frank? Am I to take you seriously?"

"That one across the street, right there. Personal revenge, just for you. I see you go there for lunch. Just imagine me, behind the counter and you won't even see me but I'll make sure you'll know it was me. It was all fun and games until I spit into your burger.



So Frank left after they fired Jane. And every day after that he would purchase his boss's regular order at McDonald's. He hired a Ugandan lass to deliver the food to his office. Frank did not spit in any of the burgers, but always left a smiley face origami inside the bag with happy stickers covering the outside. Revenge by kindness, he thought of it. That'll really fuck his mind up with paranoia.

There was a lot of confusion the first time Enid made her delivery, but her difficulty with English had accustomed her to dealing with confusion. After many failed attempts, she was escorted out of the building and returned to her employer attempting somehow to convey the unfortunate news.

But Enid's employer was not dismayed to see her return with the delivery. He was amused. Enid was made aware that now she could eat the sandwich and that she was not to blame.

Through a haphazard exchange of pointing and mimicry, Enid discovered that this man she attempted to deliver to was her employer's boss. Enid was surprised to learn that in this country, the employees paid for their boss's lunch and that the boss was too busy even to eat it! Fearing that Frank might start implying her to spend her salary to feed him, Enid quickly dropped the discussion.

seeking to find out if this boss truly was a very busy man, one day Enid waited patiently outside after making her delivery to watch the boss man at his office. All he ever did was talk with other people.

This could make sense, surmised Enid, since he is the boss. He must tell other people what work to do so he has no time to do the work himself.

I must go observe the workers to appreciate the amount of work he has responsibility over. But the same phenomenon happened with the workers!

The workers gathered in larger numbers and changed pictures on a bright screen while talking. Only one talked while the others waited and then sometimes a few others talked, but mostly they just listened or looked away from each other or at their variously shaped devices while they nodded.

How are they able to do work, puzzled Enid, if all they ever do is make drawings and talk about the work that has already been done?

Each worker carried a device at all times. It must be some kind of work assignment tool or tracker, thought Enid. They were colored differently and some had distinctive designs, probably to indicate higher rank or seniority.

But occasionally a worker would laugh after looking at her tracker, then pretend not to have pulled her tracker out. A little while later, she would trade laughs with another worker who also pulled out her tracker. This was confusing to Enid. Why would their labors be so amusing and some workers so humble not to show anybody?

And as everyone left at the end of the day, they all pulled their trackers out on their way home and communicated directly into them. This must be a terribly busy place, thought Enid, that the workers must report their days work before leaving and in addition each worker took his tracker home to continue working!

Enid was glad her job did not require her to work from home, or carry a work assignment tracker with her at all times, or have to buy her boss a lunch he did not eat every day. She was grateful to be one of the fortunate in a land of great opportunity.