*All characters in this series are older than 18 years old*
Koffman Construction was a small construction company located in western Georgia, near the Alabama and Florida state lines. Two weeks ago, I was accepted for a dual IT and purchasing coordinator position after a brief zoom interview with the owner, Mr. Scott Koffman. Mr. Koffman acquired the company from his uncle who started the company after returning from Vietnam back in 1969. Unlike traditional construction companies, Koffman Construction was a specialized company that worked on pipes and structural works for places that included, but were not limited to, power plants, water treatment plants, chemical factories, and paper mills. I picked up and moved from my meager apartment that my college roommate and I shared outside of Houston and relocated to southeastern Georgia. It was not my ideal job that I looked for after college, but it was something. After spending 6 years in the Marine Corps, getting out and spending 2 years earning my degree in Information Technology with a minor in Business Administration, I was grateful to get anything.
Six months after graduation, I was starting to wonder if I was going to get hired on anywhere. So, when I got a video call from the HR department about a position, I was excited about the prospect. What I did not expect was a video call with Mr. Koffman himself. After a 30-minute interview where hardly anything in regard to the position was discussed, much to my surprise, he asked me about my time in the Marine Corps, some moral and ethical questions, and then offered me the job at the end of the interview. Additionally, he offered me an hourly wage twice my asking wages, with the option to go salary after 90 days with the company. It was a rare opportunity that was too good to pass up.
Week and a half later I moved my meager things into a small, 1bed/1bad apartment. It's not the worst place I've ever lived, especially after 6 years in the Marines. The apartment's redeeming qualities that stood out were a large sliding glass door window that really illuminated the small apartment in the mornings, and overhead beams across the ceiling that allow me to hang a hammock near the sliding glass door. The hammock was quite comfortable and doubled as my couch and bed for the moment.
My first week at Koffman Construction was uneventful. I met Mr. Koffman in person, shook his hand, and he introduced me to my immediate supervisor, Russ Leeman. Russ was an older gentleman, maybe late 50's or early 60's, but he had a great sense of humor and turned out to be a really, cool boss. My first duties were to go through all the required readings and training videos that the company required for all new hires. You know they type, sexual assault awareness, cyber security, company rules and policies, the kind of dry and tasteless videos and reading material that puts you to sleep half of the time and makes you want to gouge your eyes out the other half of the time. I had plenty of these trainings in the Marines, so I just embraced the suck and powered through it. Friday Russ showed me the company procurement system and allowed me to handle a few orders to make sure I was squared away with the program before cutting me loose.
Monday came, and I walked in with a chest full of promise and motivation. I parked in the parking garage in the area designated for our company employees. A short elevator ride from the parking garage took me up to the hallway that led to the Koffman office spaces. I greeted the receptionist, a gentle looking lady in her mid-40's with a warm smile named Candice. I clocked in and worked my way to the break room for a cup of coffee, and that is when I met her. As I turned the corner to enter the break room, I almost collided with a girl I had not yet seen in the office. We both stopped suddenly, and her cup of coffee splashed onto her white blouse.
"I'm so sorry! I didn't see you!" I exclaim in surprise as I see her face turn red.
"That's because you're a fucking idiot who needs to watch where he is going!" she ranted and looked me up and down. "I guess I'll have to talk to HR and have them stop hiring people who fit the description of 'big, dumb, and stupid'."
I opened my mouth to say something, but then thought better of it.
"Calm down, it's your first real week, keep your cool Marine," I told myself as she huffed away, glaring at me as she walked by.
By now people were poking their heads around corners and out of doorways to see what happened, which left me standing in the hallway looking and feeling like an idiot. Quickly, I ducked into the break room and grabbed my mug off the cabinet shelf. I do not know what it is, but there is something about the smell of that first cup of coffee in the morning that just relaxes me. The hot medium roast filled my mug, and I savored the smell of the brew. A splash of cream, and a dash of sugar and I was good to go. Russ came in as I finished prepping my coffee.
"Heard you ran into Amanda," Russ said with and exasperated tone. I looked at him with an eyebrow raised in a perplexed expression that indicated I had no idea who he was talking about.
"The girl you almost made spill coffee on herself. That is Amanda... Amanda Koffman. Scott's only daughter. She has been responsible for more than a handful of people being let go," Scott spoke as he looked at me with a concerned glare.
"Be careful and respectful to her, or you might find yourself on that list."
"It was an honest accident," I explained. "Seriously, I didn't see her at all, and I will apologize for the trouble next time I see her." Russ nodded in approval and we proceeded towards our shared office.
It was half an hour from quitting time when Russ tapped me on the shoulder and handed me a note. 'IT Request in room 347, employee experiencing connection difficulty and requesting immediate assistance'. I looked at the time and sighed, grabbed my jacket, and proceeded out the door. I walked down the hallway until I reached the room that had 347 on the plastic sign outside the door. I couldn't peer inside due to the door and windows being frosted over with some kind of texturing.
"This is Dalus with the IT Department," I call out as I knocked on the glass of the door.
"Enter!" a voice called from inside the office.
I open the door and step into the office.
"Fuck my life, it's her," I say to myself as she looks up from her desk at me.