Pieces of You (15 page)

“What we ate between our community lunches was not for delicate stomachs, just as those debates were not for untrained minds. I could only rarely join in.”

“Oh my God, Steve, I feel sick just thinking of you like that. Why didn’t you go to your family for help? It couldn’t have been more humiliating than eating discarded food!”

“It wasn’t even the shame that held me back. I wasn’t ready to change
,
and my family would have made me feel like I had failed them; or maybe I couldn’t yet admit that I
had
failed them. The benefits were having no responsibilities to anyone except myself and making decisions that wouldn’t harm anyone else. If it weren’t for the drinking and the depression
,
it would have been a rather wholesome period.” Steve paused
to finish his coffee
before continuing.

“As it was, it was instructive and even enjoyable at times, in ways I find hard to describe. One thing I learned was that we are not so different from one another, even when the ragged and unshaven are compared to the debonair and stylish. We’re all just trying to survive and it helps the cause when we locate one or two others who accept us as we are.

“
Amazingly, I did find one of them. Jason was among the little band of riff-raff who hung out at one of the parks where they’d be left alone by city crews. He reminded me of you a little; well, no, maybe Jason was closer to the Fisher King’s insane professor.”

Mark swallowed hard before responding.

“Hmm, I thought we were trying to rebuild our friendship but now you’re insinuating that I fall into the category of nutty professor.”

“Nutty, yes, professor, no; well, actually, it should be the other way around.

“
You are one of the brightest guys I know. I remember when we were being pressured to make a contemptible choice. You were the only one looking for a rational way to support or deny Jim’s proposal
. D
erivatives would have made the risk manageable if it hadn’t been for the monstrous greed of the bank’s officers.”

“Steve, you’re placing all the blame on senior management. You can stop protecting me. We both know I created this nightmare. I’m the one who made it seem reasonable when we all knew that kind of growth was insane.”

“I
‘
m just as guilty, Mark. If I had disagreed with your derivatives theory
,
it might have ended that discussion. Denise’s concerns almost did. Even after the bank was closed and we lost contact, I took the path of least resistance. I might still be living in self-inflicted poverty if I hadn’t been jolted back to reality.”

Steve resettled himself in the chair, warming his hands near the fire while studying his
empty
coffee cup. On the opposite side of a fishing scene was the verse:

‘There’s great delight in simple pleasures,

The reflection of dawn over sparkling water

The hide-and-seek of fisherman and fish.‘

“Mark, I didn’t know you fished.”

“I don’t. That cup was part of a set given to me by my office assistant. What jolted you back to reality, Steve?”
             

“My buddy, Jason, was murdered. His death at the hands of some of
our motley
group was my wake-up call. The night before it happened, he entertained us with stories about taxidermy, his career for over twenty years. He told us the reason he gave it up was that animal carcasses starting crying out to him, threatening him with the same end if he prepared one more animal to hang in a man cave.

“
The next morning I found him. No one would admit to doing it, even when the police questioned each of us to the point of harassment. At the police station, I called my sister and begged her to come and get me.”

As Steve paused and looked up, he saw Mark’s wife standing in the doorway.

“Peg! Hello! It’s been too long. When do I get to meet your son?”

“I hope Mark made you feel welcome, Steve! I was feeding Martin when you showed up. You can peek in on him when he wakes up.  I have to admit I’ve been eavesdropping while nursing him. Do you mind?”

“Of course not! Sit down with us and I’ll try to keep it brief so I can get acquainted with the little guy.”

Peg brought in more coffee and a plate of cheese and crackers before taking the seat next to her husband.

Steve continued.

“My sister, Elise, was at the police station within forty-five minutes and since I was not a suspect, she took the prodigal brother home. Her warm reception was one of the grander moments of my life—she even ‘killed the fattened calf’ to welcome me back
.
B
ut you’re probably wondering how this story leads to my reason for being here. It’s coming. “

As he spoke, Steve had been putting some cheese on a cracker. After swallowing a couple of mouthfuls
,
he continued.

“Jason’s funeral was the next day. Among the group that met in the same church where Jason and I had often eaten free meals were his sister and brother-in-law. This couple, the only family he had left, had been immortalized in Jason’s storytelling. No, they weren’t characters in the taxidermy stories but the protagonists in his parables of good people overcoming evil forces. I had no idea they were real people until his funeral.

“
After returning from the cemetery, we sat around a table at the church sharing what Jason had meant to us.

“
An unexpected bonding occurred in those couple of hours. I felt comfortable enough to reveal a little of my past, something I hadn’t done with anyone but poor Jason in the last several years.

“
When I told
Jason’s
brother-in-law, Harry, about my banking experience
,
he nearly fell off his chair. Turns out he’s a Human Resources manager for the United Bank of European Crossroads (UBEC).

As astonishing as it must seem to you and it still is to me, two years on, I applied and got a job with UBEC.”

Mark cut in. “I’ve heard of that one. It’s a major international bank. Wow! Yours certainly is a riches-to-rags-to-riches story.”

Mark leaned toward Steve as he spoke and the admiration in his expression told Steve it had been worth the anguish of recounting his past.

“Okay, Steve, but I still need to hear why I should believe UBEC is any different
from
the bank that almost destroyed us.”

“Fair enough; instead of using adjectives that only give my opinion, let me tell you another story. This one’s about Rick. He’s the only boss I
ever
had who would let me define the strategies to achieve corporate goals
.
Rick also
shares useful, sometimes even restricted, information when I ask. Can you imagine ole Jim doing that for us?”

“Hardly!” Mark grimaced. “Power was his survival mechanism.”

Steve nodded and carried on.

“Well, after I had been there five or six months and one of the first loans I had made was already two months late, I was distraught. Envisioning another failure, I decided to be proactive instead of waiting for the call.

“
When Rick and I sat done at the little round table in his office, he immediately brought up the past-due list
, saying,
‘I know you’re worried about this, Steve.
I could hear distress in the message you left on my answering machine.’

“
I remember that his tone revealed empathy when I expected anger
. Rick
added: ‘Late payments do raise red flags about lending decisions but I know from years of experience that some things are out of our clients’ control. I doubt very much that you were remiss in your analysis
.
Y
ou wouldn’t have advanced to senior loan officer at First National if you weren’t capable
,
but we do need to discover the cause of this past due.’

While Steve paused to
let Peg fill his
coffee
cup
, Mark commented.

“That’s quite a generous statement coming from a manager. How did you respond?”

“I wanted to assure Rick that I hadn’t cut any corners in my decision making
,
but I didn’t know what I could say that would prove it. As I struggled with my defense, Rick surprised me
again by asking me to put the process I had used in making the loan decision in writing.

“
He suggested we meet again the following day and go over the process and documentation together. Nervous is a tame word for my feelings before the second meeting; I thought he’d have the HR manager with him.”

Mark interjected. “That reminds me of Denise. Have you heard from her? Sorry, Steve. I am listening. What happened next?”

“Relief and regard are the words that come to mind as I recall that second meeting.

“
When Rick finished analyzing my procedure, he looked at me and said: ‘You did well. I would have reached the same conclusion.’

“
Can you imagine those words in response to what appeared to be a loan loss! Rick assured me my job was safe. Then he gave me some tips on connecting with my client, which I followed.

“
I’m pretty sure it was our relationship that gave my client the motivation to make good on the loan in spite of major losses that year. That’s the best I can do to describe the UBEC difference; any questions?”

“Yes, Steve, where is that job description?”

Steve beamed
and
turned to
address his response to
Peg.

“Would you be greatly opposed to moving to a place where about two
thirds of the area is covered with forests, lakes and mountains? Where the temperature reaches the high 60s in the winter and where public health stats are among the most positive in the world?”

He paused just long enough to let these details sink in.

“The city I’m thinking of is consistently ranked in the world’s top ten cities.”

“Is that fact or opinion?” Peg asked, smiling.

“Fact, at least according to World Records; the
ir
rating for quality of life is based on abundance of public transportation, excellence of education system and generous mix of culture and recreation.”

“Did you say you’re a banker or the public relations specialist for a
foreign
Convention and Visitors Bureau, Steve?” Peg said as she grinned at him playfully.

“Of course, it’s also one of the most expensive cities in the world
…
but you won’t have to worry about that. If Mark accepts the terms I am authorized to offer, you’ll be able to afford living there.”

Peg chose this moment to ask the key question.

“How far away is this paradise you’ve sketched for us, Steve?”

“Well, it’s about halfway around the world.”

Peg’s playfulness had vanished, replaced by something a little harder to read. Seeing her back stiffen, Steve was pretty sure he had to make a compelling case in the next few minutes or lose her interest.

“Just over three thousand seven hundred miles as the crow flies; certainly that’s a long way from home but living in Geneva, Switzerland
,
is a dream of people all over the world. After two years, I still wonder at my own good fortune!”

“But you went there alone, Steve. It’s harder to move a family, especially when we know so little about the place,” Mark said carefully.

“Lifestyles and living conditions between Switzerland and the U.S. are incomparable. Geneva benefits from being smaller than most cities in its class. It’s like taking advantage of the culture of New York City without the crime and crowding.”

“Without the crime? In the twenty-first century?” Peg probed. “Even in this town the crime rate is escalating!”

“Some believe Geneva is so safe because Swiss men and women are taught to handle weapons from an early age, primarily for military service, yet Switzerland doesn’t have a full-time army.”

Mark remembered
that he’d read that
somewhere.
“
Isn’t military training required each year until the men are middle-aged?   Even up to fifty years old?”

“You’re right and they’re required to store their military rifles in their homes
.
S
eems like it’d be suicidal to break into a house with that amount of protection. Also, think about the scenic views of the countryside surrounding Geneva. Little boys love to explore the hills and you wouldn’t have to fear for Martin’s safety.”

“Okay, okay, you’re quite convincing. You may stop now,” Mark said, holding up his left hand like a traffic director. Mark looked at Peg and she nodded in response to his implicit question. Peg then took over.