My alarm went off at its preordained time, six o’clock AM. I kept slamming my fist down on the Snooze button over and over again. I stayed up late last night watching a movie even though I knew damn well that I should go to bed on time, early even.

Since yesterday I was informed by the president of the company‘s executive assistant that he wanted to see me first thing tomorrow morning in his office. His assistant informed me that my boss wanted to talk to me about my future with the company. He told me this with the most sincere smirk on his obnoxious face.

I suppose at some subconscious level I was reluctant to find out just what my future held. I heard rumors on the grapevine that there were going to be drastic cutbacks in both employees and promotions. I have been employed by Nothing But Vegan since I graduated from NC Central University with a Master’s Degree. And I was in the top ten percent of the class. I wholeheartedly believed at that time that I was going to scale the corporate ladder in record time. And I was going to bring about a major change in the way Americans eat.

But more than anything my ultimate goal was to save our planet by educating humanity about the Vegan lifestyle. More and more of the general population is seeking meatless solutions, not only for their health but for the health of the planet. I was convinced of this.

Believe it or not, the lowly pea is likely to become one of the most necessary additions to the veggie burger. When I was first hired, it was I who forecast the billion-dollar market that lies ahead for meatless, vegan foods. And because of my advice, my employer was a multi-millionaire. I just couldn’t comprehend that I might be losing my job, my career, and my future. It seems unfathomable. I looked forward to a glum future.

I managed to drag myself out of bed and into the shower and then put on my best suit and tie. I decided to wear my Hugo Boss slim-fit virgin wool suit. When I looked in my full-length mirror I had to admit I looked amazing. And I was sure this suit alone have a positive effect on my boss. I finished dressing and headed out the door. I tried to keep a positive attitude as I headed to work. I considered all the arguments I could raise for keeping me employed and by the time I arrived at my building I felt confident that my future was assured.

But ultimately my coup d’etat would be the fact that I have been working secretly behind the scenes and found that within our company we had spies. Spies who were committing corporate espionage. And it was happening not at the bottom of the corporate ladder but at the top. None other than Frederick Walton was a member of one of the richest families in America. Apparently, some people can not be rich enough nor do they have scruples or concern for the people around them and how much their behavior will adversely affect the people above them who are scrambling up that same corporate ladder.

I pulled my 2022 Tesla electric car into my parking spot. I loved this car more than anything. I would cry like a baby if anything ever happened to it. I have done everything I could to inform my friends, family, and the general public about doing everything within their power to protect our environment, including the land and the water, and the very air that we breathe. But my Tesla is the one thing I would find almost impossible to give up. I kept telling myself that driving a Tesla is a hundred times better than driving a vehicle that uses fossil fuels. In fact, This assumes that the average gasoline vehicle driven on the road nowadays has a fuel economy of about 20 to 22 miles per gallon and the average driver goes approximately 11,500 miles per year. And every gallon of gas burns about 8,890 grams of CO2.

As I step out of my car, I see several of my fellow employees walking in my direction. It was customary for us to stop and have a brief conversation with one another and then share a coffee or even a light breakfast in the employee’s break room. As I walk toward them they all make a sharp left turn and head toward the side entrance to our building. Not one of them looked my way. I was so shocked I stood there momentarily frozen to the tarmac. I saw this as an affirmation that my fear of losing my job was real. And my sense of betrayal was overwhelming. In fact, I had to stop and take some deep breaths before I could soldier forward. I felt like I was walking closer and closer toward my own demise.

As I move forward I have a sudden impulse to run back to my beloved car and drive as far and as fast as I can someplace else, anyplace else. I stop in my tracks and take several deep breaths. I attempt to move away from my emotional thinking and let my intellect take over.

I can only remember feeling this overwhelmed with fear and anxiety and pain once when I was a child about ten years old. I was playing in my backyard and I decided to climb a large old Oaktree. I climbed as high as I could and I was about to start down the tree when I saw something strange in the limb above my head. So, I climbed a little higher. I heard a weird noise. It seemed like a low-pitched but all-encompassing sound. And then suddenly I felt something was stinging me everywhere from my head to my feet.

And no matter what I did I couldn’t escape from the burning, sharp pain. There was no escape. Even after I managed to get down out of the tree the bees continued their relentless attack upon me from head to toe. It was days before I managed to overcome the fear, and the pain of the over one hundred stings I endured. To this day I still have a fear of stinging insects. Although I try to hide this fear when anyone else is nearby. And that is what I did now. I proceeded forward despite the overwhelming fear of betrayal and loss. I put one foot in front of the other and soldiered forth towards the breakroom. I really needed to fortify myself with the strongest coffee available.

The door to the breakroom was closed which was odd. I pushed it hard and suddenly the force behind the door disappeared and I almost fell on my face. And when I got hold of myself, I pulled myself up and I received the surprise of my life.

 

Everyone in the company was standing at attention at every table in the breakroom. And there was a large staff of waiters and cooks standing in the front of the breakroom as well. Usually, there were only four people working there in the morning. And then suddenly I heard a familiar voice call out my name. It was the head of the company. He was talking into a microphone. And he was saying my name. James Nelson, please step forward to the podium.

I looked around the room and everyone was looking at me and clapping. I walk on rubber legs to the podium. I stared at James Nelson and he put his hand out to me and he shook my hand. He said, “John Carson, I am so proud to announce that you will be heading up our corporate office in Washington from this day forward. Because you have made more progress to promote the vegan lifestyle and promote the green movement than any other man or woman. Congratulations, you deserve this more than any person I know.”

I stood there frozen for a moment. And then everyone stood up and clapped. I felt a tear of happiness and relief slide down my cheek and smile so wide that my cheeks hurt. In that transient moment, I felt that every step I had taken in my life before this moment had led up to this moment.

And then James Nelson said, ” OK everyone let’s eat.” And we did. We all ate Vegan Carrot Waffles and bananas with Oats.

To read more, enter your email address to Subscribe to my Blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.