Saturday Scribes July 12

Communication


I heard Sabrina knocking at the front door. I was expecting her to come around ten. We hadn’t talked in a while, and I suggested she drop by for a tea and a chat. When I opened the door, I noticed it right away. She was looking sad. You see, I’m intuitive by nature. I get hunches about people. So I knew that something was seriously wrong with Sabrina.

“Come on in.” I grabbed Sabrina’s coat, and hung it up right away. “Thanks for coming.” I hoped she wouldn’t notice what a mess the house was. I got her a tea right away. I know what type she likes. Green tea. Always green tea. It was already sitting on the stove for her. I liked being prepared.

“How’s work?” I drank a sip of the green tea. It was perfectly brewed. My cupboard was full of green tea, so it was lucky that it was Sabrina’s favourite.

“Work’s fine. I’m heading up a new project.”

“I can sympathize. I’ve been in charge of a few projects. Not heavy ones, mind you. Not too much responsibility. Lots of work though, these projects are. I remember working on one project. Boy, that was hard. I think I worked 24/7 for weeks. No breaks. It was crazy. But things get crazy like that sometimes.”

“I’m enjoying the project.”

“You say that now. But just wait! There was another project I worked on. My team was so bad. They wouldn’t work together. They were terrible listeners. Every time I had an idea, they didn’t care. They wouldn’t listen to me. Doesn’t that drive you crazy when people don’t listen to you?”

“Yes....”

“Oh God. It was so crazy. There was one guy on my team, Graham. Can you believe this. He always showed up in his denim jeans. We’re at an important business meeting, mind you, and we’re trying to impress the clients, and he shows up in blue jeans. God. What an idiot. And he talked all the time. Wouldn’t stop. Our clients went nuts. You know how I use my intuition. Well, I could tell they were pissed off about Graham. I’m a good negotiator. So I did my best. But we lost the contract. I had to have a good talk with Graham after that.”

“What were his blueprints like?”

“They were fine. Those impressed the client. He did some amazing designs. But that’s not the point. He lacked style. He lacked finesse. You know, in business, it’s people that matter. You have to learn how to deal with people. You follow the rules, you talk the talk, and you dress the part.”

“But his designs were good?” Sabrina hadn’t touched her tea. I wondered why. Maybe it was too hot. She’d drink some when it cooled off a bit.

“I told you they were fine. But that’s not the point. It’s the universal laws of business. You look after the people. The product has to be good, of course, but there are other things that are just as important.” I took a few more sips of tea. I don’t know what it is about green tea, but it always tastes great.

“And how’s Jupiter doing?” I always remember to ask about Sabrina’s dog. You see. I know how to handle people. Asking about their dog. It will put the smile on anyone’s face.

But apparently I asked the wrong question. Sabrina stood up. I could tell there were tears in her eyes (I’m extremely perceptive. I can see these things way ahead of time).

“Are you okay.”

But Sabrina was not okay. “What’s up?” I was following her out of the room. Strangely, she’d left the tea totally untouched.

“I have to go.” Sabrina grabbed her jacket and practically fled out of the house. God, what was her problem.

Of course, a few days later I found out what was wrong. Jupiter had died. Her dog was gone. Sabrina was fixated on that dog. I can imagine the heartbreak she must have been going through. Poor thing. No wonder she didn’t drink her tea. I knew the dog was sick a few weeks ago, but nobody told me that the thing was dead!