Episode Two: Artistry in Battle
Prologue:
(It has been a trying week. Rolling out new products across markets receptive to our products has been more problematic than expected. The office was awash in activity. Staff was communicating with districts across America and the world shoring up any breaches or cracks in our products being viewed anyway but positive to potential customers. Mother S. Sayer arrives around 10 am expecting an update, not excuses.)
Sarah W. Certainty (1st of 3): Mother Sayer, greetings on a day that holds promise much potential glory for us all.
Mother S. Sayer: Greetings Sarah. Indeed, this Friday holds the promise of many things in and out of our control. Report.
Sarah W. Certainty: Our Asian markets have given our software program that maps each building’s interior with easy to follow routes of escape in case of imminent danger a place of honor in the daily fabric of their lives.
Sarah W. Certainty: Also, the software ties into police and civil authority to make departing any city or area wrought with danger instantly known to all who has a cell phone and our APP.
Mother Sayer: Very well. What of our American rollout?
Sarah W. Certainty: Most of the State’s Governments have agreed to our cost sharing and revenue scale for use of their infrastructure. We are still filtering the rollout down to each and every city and local municipality. Once their officials realize the potential of such a system; then we will negotiate cost and usage rights accordingly.
Mother Sayer: Good Sarah. You are all I’ve foreseen you could be. I want to see you briefly around 3 pm with a final update. (Mother Sayer touches Sarah’s face lovingly and follows her staff into the elevator.)
(As the elevator opens on the 35th floor that houses the administrative wing at the end of the corridor. Mother smiles as she always does because this is the field that is growing before her eyes and that is why her office sits right in the mist of the life blood of her business. Her people are her life!)
Mother Sayer: Wilma. Is the feed up and running yet?
Wilma B. T. M. Will (2nd of 3): Your son is awaiting your call.
Mother Sayer: Good. Activate the feed in 5 minutes. Can you bring me some tea please? Thank you.
(The satellite feed is up and functioning. Mother and Justus are able to speak over a crystal clear HD feed of voice and video.)
Justus I. Order: Mother. It is always a pleasure to see and speak with you.
Mother Sayer: Justus. As I am always uplifted by your success and the success of your team. My faith in you was not misplaced and for that I am especially happy for you.
Justus I. Order: (Justus seems always slightly offended by this peculiar comment from his Mother. He thinks she somehow doubted he had the ability to succeed in life beyond the cover of her wings.) Yes Mother, my division is meeting the numbers you’ve assigned this team.
Mother Sayer: (Mother knew her son would react this way at her less than stellar support for his ability to fulfill his part of her business plan. She waits 10 seconds before she answers his exasperated outburst.) Do you feel I’ve been less than forthcoming in my praise of your efforts Justus?
Justus I. Order: I meant no disrespect Mother.
Mother Sayer: Maybe Justus, I don’t see the reason why I should be turning cartwheels across the floor of my office when I read the reports on your division.
Justus I. Order: What do you mean Mother?
Mother Sayer: Why am I getting reports of disorder in your division? How come people of different races, religions, sexual orientations, etcetera…. Seem to have trouble producing their best work in your division? Tell me why? Before you answer you may want to collect your thoughts?
Justus I. Order: (How does she know all about my division and the troubles going on here? I specifically ordered Caroline and Jacob to not allow this discourse to get back to my Mother. Why did I think that was a task they could keep in house anyway? My Mother has her people all over my division.) Mother, I have critical positions held by people of strong will and unrelenting positions in their thoughts on where the division should focus their efforts.
Mother Sayer: Go on, I want to hear every detail before I give you my opinion.
Justus I. Order: (He knows he can’t sugar-coat his read back of the events that have taken place, so he just lays it all out.) Caroline, Jacob, and Victoria comprise my command staff. Caroline and Victoria are lesbians. Jacob is Bisexual and the instigator of many of the conflicts in the office.
Justus I. Order: I told them to not be combative when it comes to whose ideas we run with to meet the overall goals of your conglomerate Mother. Lately Caroline and Victoria decided to work together on your software to map and coordinate civil service emergency data to the populations in cities all over the world. It was their breakthrough that made the software possible through an APP.
Justus I. Order: Jacob didn’t like the success they rightfully worked to achieve. He started to sow discord around the office that they were sleeping together and that’s why they stumbled across the answers they did to make the software marketable.
Justus I. Order: The moment I heard of the problems I called all three in my office and told Jacob that was not the way we do business here. He needs to apologize and cease these outrageous rumors immediately!
Mother Sayer: Did he?
Justus I. Order: He did for a while. Until I noticed he shunned the projects I assigned them together.
Mother Sayer: So, he was embarrassed at his behavior or what?
Justus I. Order: No. He just felt ashamed at loosing his composure about who gets the credit for the team’s contribution to the company.
Mother Sayer: (She understands the disappointment of Jacob and knows it is a character trait of the young. She doesn’t like it and wishes she didn’t have to waste time addressing the issue, but she knows it is the cost of doing business. The business is her people and she must stabilize and uplift their minds out of many disappointments.) I want Jacob on this call in 10 minutes. Do you understand? Bring him here now!
Justus I. Order: (Justus sends his friend Carl down the hall to escort Jacob to his office). Mother wishes to speak with you Jacob. (Justus sees Jacob’s brightness darken as he reactivates the audio and video of the conference call with Mother.)
Justus I. Order: I am back Mother. I have Jacob here with me as well.
Mother Sayer: Jacob, have a seat. Why are you letting your breakup with Tasha affect you work?
Jacob: (Jacob is stunned that Mother Sayer knows about his break up with Tasha. He tries to compose himself and answer her without trembling or anger.) Mother Sayer, my apologies. I am not distraught over my breakup with Tasha. It was a relationship that wasn’t going anywhere.
Mother Sayer: So you two were engaged in a sexual tryst?
Jacob: Yes Mother, that is all it was. I am completely sorry for causing problems here at work. I promise you it will not happen again.
Mother Sayer: (She stares at Jacob for 45 seconds to see if his body language gives off any clues to his future behavior. Mother knows that she cannot tolerate stupidity of any kind. All her life she has walked with Women and Men who possessed the power to destroy the world if they so desired.) I will not have this conversation with you again Jacob. Do you understand me?
Jacob: Yes Mother Sayer.
Mother Sayer: Jacob. When my son hired you. I knew your energy and ambition swayed him to not pass over you and I agreed. Your contribution to this organization has been invaluable. Don’t let your leisure activities transcend the barrier between the two constructs of your life.
Mother Sayer: Go back to work Jacob. I hope this send off portends great things coming when your name is spoken again.
Mother Sayer: Justus. Implement protocol 3 on his actions at work for 6 months.
Justus I. Order: Protocol 3 for 6 months. Understood Mother, it will be done immediately.
Mother Sayer: Justus. I want to share more of the code with you that has guided my life and enhanced my success.
Justus I. Order: I thank you and I am eager to hear your blessings upon me.
Mother Sayer: Very well. I’ve worked with people that don’t have time for stupidity or frivolous behavior that doesn’t have a connection to solving problems. Every effort must be toward a goal. Every action exerts energy full of purpose and direction. Nothing is done without a goal attached.
Mother Sayer: You know why I share my code with you and why a code is critical to life and success?
Justus I. Order: As much as I know, a code silences many calls to exert energy toward worthless endeavors.
Mother Sayer: (I am truly impressed with my son’s answer. He has certainly grown and added to his understanding of life as he has been away from his Mother.) Good Justus.
Mother Sayer: You know what a routine (code) does. It settles your thoughts. It allows you to focus your energy. It then serves as the transit point to direct your energy to produce a powerful blow when you are ready to release (act) your plans toward a worthy endeavor.
Mother Sayer: Even setting up your home in an order that makes it known to you, so when you come back to that home you know where your silverware, cups, towels, coffee, food, anything your need. You just go right to where it suppose to be.
Mother Sayer: A routine (code) says time and eliminates the tendency to descend into stupidity of behavior. The world where great decisions are made are not tolerant of stupidity.
Mother Sayer: Justus, my son, you are educated because you understood that your education didn’t help me it helped you! Powerful people of means and class are not engaged by ignorance because its’ curriculum is unaccepted when transferred to any institution (business) that matters.
Mother Sayer: (In other words.) Ignorance is not accredited and the people who keep piling up semester hours can never get in the door of higher institutions with them.
Justus I. Order: Understood Mother. You never fail to deliver with the written or spoken word as it always nourishes my life.
Mother Sayer: (Justus has truly grown since he has been assigned a division far away from his Mother.) I’m glad.
Mother Sayer: Give your team my best and thank Caroline and Victoria for me as well as I appreciate their contributions to helping you succeed. Oh and Jacob too.
Justus I. Order: I will Mother.
Mother Sayer: Goodbye Justus and fare thee well.
Justus I. Order: Goodbye Mother, I love you.
Epilogue:
(The software rollout made it through the first week and it looks like the APP is a player on the world stage. THE ARC, INC. is well on its’ way to being a formidable company. Mother Sayer is pleased and excited that her children are monuments in their own fields. She takes a long sip of her tea. This tea is very good. I must buy more of it on the way home.)