Prudence Fights Back

12/10/2003

I thought I threw her out the 16th floor window yesterday. Really, I did.

Early this morning she returned with a vengence.

"NSR, can you come down to my office for a minute."

"Sure"

We walk down the hall and he motions for me to close the door.

"We won't be needing your services in our department starting next year."

"Oh, OK."

(thinking to myself, I've just been fired.)

You can stay as a regular commissioned salesperson, and we'll let you keep your office. (Did I ever mention that I left a 1000 sq foot office to come to your 150 sq foot room with a view?)

"You can keep the place for your staff person too. It's yours to lose, if you don't do $X of production for the next year."

(Did I mention to you that my son got into Arizona State and my daughter lives there as well. Oh, and that if he does go there that we are intending to move?)

"We want you to know however, that we want to "Promote" you to the other sales staff, so that they can share cases with you."

(Actually a good deal, since I just finished up a case with the most successful producer on the floor, closing among other things, a million dollar real estate deal.)

"Well, I don't know, I already started another case with producer X, and one with Y and one with Z. There are also 2 others who I've spoken with, that might be enough to keep me busy."

"Yes, but NSR, there are about 100 more people you could work with, including our new office in Minneapolis."

(Doesn't this dumb fuck know that it Minneapolis in the winter sucks more than Detroit?)

"Ok, I'll get back to you about that."

Sometime less than an hour later, once word had gotten around in the office, the second largest producer came to me and asked to schedule time with his largest client, a guy worth something like 60 million. About an hour later, in walks case number 2.

I dunno, but I have this feeling that prudence slipped and fell somewhere in the hall.

The truth is, I've been teetering on the edge of quitting from months now. When I did my cash flow projections and tax stuff the other day, I didn't count on any salary from the office.

In fact, early in October the guy who hired me asked me what I would think if he made slime #2 my boss. I didn't flinch and said I'd have to quit, and go back into what is called "personal production."

Well, he made the asshole my boss, but I didn't quit, mostly because the firm owed me a significant pile of money, and it's being dribbled out through April of next year. I was afraid that if I quit, I'd lose the "dribble."

Today I was assured that I would keep the "dribble."

I worked on my own for 25 of the last 26 years, I suppose I can handle go back to that for a while.

Till I find a place in the sun, that is.

(the blur on the side of the image is a pole that got in the way)