Trouble And Money #06

Peace O' The Sea Trailer Park - Rye, New Hampshire

I’m working on an Immersion Case. A company has hired me to get to know my new co-workers and find a single piece of information. The information that the uppers want me to see is whether one specific employee is very close to another.

I’m uncomfortable with this assignment for several reasons. Why would a company care about a relationship between two employees that is not extramarital?

From what I can see, we have two people who drink beer, go out for coffee, and walk on the beach together. I’m glad they found each other. Shouldn’t we all have something like that?

So why would the company care?

I was given the assignment and told over the phone, “We are considering one of the individuals for a promotion, and we want to ensure that they are following company protocols regarding worker fraternization.”

The two people I am looking at are not managers. They are as low in the trenches as I am.

We all sit in cubicles, look at screens, and make decisions about incoming data. Taveon does not manage anything other than himself.

Workplace romance happens. Work is a great place to meet someone and extend a relationship after work at a bar, a coffeehouse, or your place or mine.

Everyone knows the age-old advice about mixing pleasure with work. We have all heard it. “Don’t do that!” But we all ignore the dangers. That heightens everything, making it more fun.

Taveon and Clarissa work at the same company; both are single and work in different departments.

Who is Clarissa?

Beverley, Massachusetts — Wilson Teller Solutions

It’s Monday morning, and I am beginning my second week at Wilson Teller Solutions.

Taveon and I sat in the break room closest to our department, discussing sports, dogs, and military service.

He’s okay for a Navy man and has a great sense of humor.

We discussed the workplace, and I told him I would submit my notice today. He looked a little sad and asked, “Why?” “You just got here.” “I finally met someone else with a DD214 (military discharge paper), and you are leaving me?”

I told him, “I had my eye on a woman in the company, and I don’t want it to get messy.”

He laughed and said, “Man, they don’t care about that.” “I hope you are not talking about Clarissa on the third floor because she and I are tight.”

“No, honest, it’s not her.” I internalize what he just told me. Usually, I would start thinking about the report I am going to send the client, but something inside me keeps saying, “Don’t do it.” That’s the tagline of some other sneaker brand.

“I’ll think some more,” I said.

I have much to think about and am uneasy about turning Taveon in. Even by company standards, he’s not doing anything wrong.

I cannot sell my weekend guest short. Aside from cooking excellent pot roast, Tammy made my toes curl. Those eleven things go a long way with me.

One thing I am not uneasy about is Tammy.

My date with the “little burglar” lasted the whole weekend. We came up for air a couple of times to eat, drink, laugh, and take Gator to the beach. I like her.

She’s educated at the University of Rhode Island, good-looking, funny, and well-adjusted. I already mentioned the delicious pot roast. She works in Boston and lives about 20 Miles from me.

What’s not to like?

Trouble And Money is published Monday through Friday. It is a free serial fiction detective story with characters you will love. Read the adventures of Conrad Grange as he solves cases and contends with a harsh world.