May had not been a good month for Thomas Wilson. It had started off well enough, with his job at Taylor/Durant paying well and keeping the bills paid. His promotion to Office Manager in Accounting back in February had helped, as had his daughter's finally moving in with her new husband in January. Joining the country club had increased his social standing, and his wife was quite pleased by the improved status. In fact, the first week of the month had been one of the highlights of his life, with he and his wife being able to live as they had always planned. But then...
It had begun with Marge, his wife, getting into that car accident. Nobody was hurt, but the foolish woman had forgotten to pay the insurance and didn't tell him until it was too late. Paying for the repair bill had depleted their savings, but with their credit cards maxed out, it meant some belt-tightening for awhile. Then the mortgage payment came due, and the country club dues... Well, it was only $5000 more than he had at the time, and he knew it would only take a week or so to pay it back into the company funds.
Everything would still have worked out, if two of his stocks hadn't tanked just then. Another quick dip into the corporate accounts and things were back on track... until the plumbing went bad, and Marge's tooth started acting up, and... well, by the end of the month, he found himself in a $15,000 hole. If only he could somehow manage to cover it all up before the fiscal year audit....
Mr. Wilson's heart skipped a beat when he was called into Mr. Taylor's office. Surely it was just a coincidence... maybe. As he walked into The CEO's office, he had regained his composure and closed the door as he was bid.
"Sit down, Tom," his boss said. "How are things going these days?"
"Well, enough, sir."
"And how's your wife -- Marge, isn't it? How's she doing? I hear she got into a little fender-bender the other day. Was she hurt?"
"No, no, she's fine. Just some damage to the car, is all."
"That's good to hear. Everything else going OK?"
"Yes, sir. Can't complain."
"Good. I like to hear that my employees are doing well. It makes me feel like I've been doing my job well. Speaking of job performance, Jeff Baxter was telling me just last month what a good job you're doing. He said it makes his own job as CFO so much easier, having you managing the accounting office."
Tom blushed. "Thank you, sir, I didn't..."
"...which is why I was so disappointed to hear about the funds that got redirected to your own personal account."
"WHAT? You think I...?"
"No, Tom, I don't think. I know. I've been watching you since that first five grand "went astray" and I know just what you've been doing. Don't bother to try lying to me, or you won't like the consequences. Do I make myself clear?"
"But... but...," Tom stammered. Then he bowed his head and answered "yes, sir" in a small voice.
"Good. That's what I wanted to hear. You see, Tom, I'm not a vindictive man. I have no desire to send you to prison. Jeff was all for calling the cops as soon as he found out, but I assured him we could work this all out. In fact, I'll even loan you the money to cover the whole thing up.
"Of course, you'll have to take a demotion. I can't have someone who we both know is guilty of embezzlement managing Accounting, can I?"
"No, sir, but..."
"But that doesn't solve the whole problem, does it? If you take the demotion, the decrease in income will make it just that much harder to pay all your bills, let alone repay me for the loan. Is that what you were going to say?"
"Yes, sir."
"Then here's an opportunity for you. In addition to your duties in Accounting, I'm going to give you a lateral promotion as my personal assistant. It will mean extra hours at work, but it will also include an additional $1100 a month. That will provide a raise you can point out to your wife, and allow you to repay your loan in about a year and a half."
"Thank you, sir. And... what will my new duties be?"
"Excellent question. What do you think they should be?"
"Whatever you wanted, sir."
"Very perceptive, Tom. Whatever I want, without question or hesitation. No matter what it is, no matter how humiliating or demeaning. After all, anything is better than losing your job, going to prison, and having to explain why to your wife, isn't it?"
"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."
"Now that is a proper attitude. After lunch, you can clear out your desk and move your things into the office next to Jan's, then report to me here."
"Yes, sir. Anything else, sir?"