Chapter 49:  You’re Fired!

                  “Brian, what are you mad at me for?”  Michael asked after he put his full complaint out on the table; and Brian easily concluded it had no legs.

“I’m mad at you because I got a serious business to run, Michael; and I don’t have time for any petty shit!  Nothing you can say will convince me that everyone at that entire subsidiary is out to get you; and I’m certainly not convinced yet that your supervisor Thaddeus and the V.P. Ben are.  Now let’s head back to the Kinnetic Building.  And, I’m going to schedule a conference with you, your supervisor, the V.P. and myself, and get to the bottom of this.  But I’m not firing anyone… unless it’s YOU.”

“Me!  What did I do that you would want to fire me!”

“I certainly hope you did nothing; and I won't have to fire you, Michael.  However, after meeting with Thaddeus and Ben, if I learn differently then…”

"You would take their word over mines, Brian?"

The expression on Brian's face spoke for him and Michael didn't like what it had to say.  "Michael,..."

“Fuck!  I have to piss," Michael cut Brian off.

“Go ahead to the restroom then, Mike Novot!  And, I’ll be waiting for you out here when you get back and we’ll return back to work together.”

Michael slid out of the booth and went pouting all the way to the restroom and he was highly bothered that Brian had resumed calling him ‘Mike Novot’ again.  Brian then got up and walked over to the counter and took one of the stools there and began conversing with Debbie.

“Seemed to be a really heated argument you were having there with Michael,” Debbie commented when Brian sat down and joined her.  “But what else is new, Brian… huh?”

“Well, I tell you one thing that especially new, Debbie.  That is you working here?  Why?”

“Why what, Brian?”

“Why are you working in a place like this, Debbie?”

“This is not all that bad of a place, Brian.  Its hardly anything like those upscale-fancy five and four-star restaurants that are inside the Kinnetic Building but it’s a pretty nice sociable crowd that comes in here.  And, sometimes the tips aren’t that bad.”

“That’s not what I mean, Deb.  Are you working here because Uncle Vic and you need money?   I can give you some money – as much as you need and then some.  I can give you and Uncle Vic all the money you’ll ever want.”

“Oh, that’s so sweet of you, Brian.  But Vic and I are doing okay.  We don’t want to take any of your money.”

“But, Debbie.  You’re my family.  You, Mikey and Uncle Vic were there for me at a time no one else was.  You were more of a mother to me than my real mother ever been.  You looked out for me; I can do the same for you.”

“I won’t take any money from you, Brian.”

“Why not?”

“Because everybody else does, that’s why not.  Seems someone is always wanting Brian Kinney’s money and if Victor and I took it, we wouldn’t be any different than anyone else.”

“That’s different, Debbie.  You’re my family.   What’s mine is yours.  After all that you’ve done for me when I was little, you actually earned it.  I want to do that for you.  I actually owe you.  And, Kinnetic had a really good year; profits are way up… hardly been touched by this global economic mess.  So, please… let me give you some money… let me do that for you.”

“Maybe it’s time I did for myself.  It’s about time my fat lazy ass got up off of the welfare rolls and worked a little bit.  And, I like working here.  And, besides someone once told me that a hard day’s work builds character.”

Brian chuckled then.  “Okay.  Fine.  Enjoy your job, Debbie.  But if ever you need anything, or just feel like you don’t want to work any more, understand that I’m here for you.  The offer always stands, all you have to do it just say the word.”

Debbie then reached out to Brian and held his face in both her hands.  “Thank you for that, you sweet little asshole.  And, I’ll keep that in mind.  But don’t you ever expect me to take you up on it though.  I really don’t want your money, Brian.  And, it just kills me how Michael once took it.  When I learned my son had sued you in court like that I was so disappointed in Michael.  You didn’t deserve what he did to you, Brian.”

“It’s okay, Debbie.  That was a long time ago.  I’ve been since forgiven Michael.”

“Of course you did, Brian.  Because you have such a good heart.  But what Michael did to you still hurts you to this day; I know that.  And, things might never be the same between Michael and you ever again.”

“That’s mainly my fault, Deb.”

“How do you figure, Brian?  You’re not responsible for my son’s actions.”

“It was my dick that caused all the trouble, Deb.  I should have never done it with Michael that first time; and nothing would have ever changed between us.”

“Hey!  Don’t you blame yourself for that… it takes two, you know.  You didn’t force Michael to do it with you.  He could have said no.  And, if I recall correctly you were drunk but he wasn’t.  He kind of took advantage of you.”

“Michael was in love…”

“Shh, hush, Brian.  Here comes Michael now.”

Brian then looked over at the restroom door and saw it opening and he got up from the stool then.  “Mike… ready to get back to Kinnetic?”  He called out to him the moment his body became visible.

“Yeah, I guess,” Michael unenthusiastically replied.

“Later, Deb,” Brian said as Michael and he were about to exit the Liberty Diner.

“Later, sweetie.  Michael, see you later too.”

“Bye, ma.”

*

                  “Oh, really, Jim and Gardner?”  Brian balled those two executives out during the brainstorming meeting in the think tank.  “Lately, when are the two of you ever in agreement of any really good proposals?  You two seem to poke holes into every good suggestion ever made nowadays.  And, the ideas you’ve been putting out on the table lately have been more laughable than they are likely to be profitable.”

“Almost darn out right treason, if you ask me,” Ted mocked.

“Exactly,” Brian seconded Ted’s notion.  Next motion he peeped at the Rolex on his wrist and ordered  “Meeting adjourned, damn it.”

James Stockwell, Gardner Vance and Bob Spector [an active member on the Board of Directors (but non-employee)] all abandoned their seats and left the room, but Brian delayed Kinnetic Publishing’s V.P. Ben Bruckner; but his CFO Ted stayed behind on his own.

“Ted, can I do something for you?”  Brian asked Ted since he hadn’t invited him to stay behind.  “Something you need?”

“Yes.  But it can wait until after your meeting with Ben.  I need to meet with you afterwards on something that is rather urgent regarding Michael Novotny.”

“Michael Novotny?  That’s the subject I want to discuss with you, Ben.  However, in that case, Ted, you just as well have a seat and stick around as well.  And, let me get Michael’s supervisor up here too.”  Brian instinctively reached inside his pocket to get his cell phone to call Thaddeus Mitchell. “Fuck!  Can I borrow someone’s cell, please?”

“Take mines,” Ben coughed his up and passed it over to his boss.  “Left yours home, Bri, or something?”

Brian irked out a frustrating sigh.  “Misplaced it somewhere yesterday… can’t seem to find it.”  Brian then called Thaddeus and ordered him upstairs to the meeting and told him to bring Michael with him.

*

“Is what Ted says is true, Michael?”  Brian further interrogated Michael after he was angered enough about what Ben and Thaddeus had to say about Michael’s over all job performance as well as insubordinate attitude.   He had dismissed Ben and Thaddeus already and now it was just the three of them left in the room [Brian, Michael, and Ted].

“Can you blame me, Brian?  That was a nasty and mean note Ted left… not to mention that that in itself was sneaky and rude too,” Michael whined.

“That’s besides the point, Michael.  Ted put that note inside my desk and left it for me… not you.  You opened my drawer without my permission; as well as balling the note up and throwing it in the garbage was destruction of property as well.  You invaded my privacy… on the job, Michael.  And, I’m not just anyone, Michael.  I’m the CEO of this entire outfit.  I’m everyone in this conglomerate’s boss, goddamn it.  What you did is grounds for immediate and permanent dismissal.”

“What is that supposed to mean, Brian?  Are you firing me just like that… no warning or second chance even?”

“I’m sorry, Michael.  But yes I’m firing you.  You give me no other choice.”

“But!  You just told Mr. Bruckner and Mr. Mitchell…”

“Hmm,” Ted mocked, “Now its Mr. Bruckner and Mr. Mitchell.”

“Fuck you, Ted… traitor!”

“Michael!”  Brian reprimanded him.

“Ted shouldn’t have interrupted me,” Michael snapped.  “I was saying you just told those two that you were going to give me a written warning and place me on probation.  But because of Ted you now change your mind about giving me a second chance and instead you’re firing me right on the spot now!  Who the fuck do Ted think he is.  He’s not your best friend or anything, like he seems to think he is.”

“I’m not firing you because of Ted.  I’m firing you because of what you did.”

“He just might be the one who took your phone,” Ted subtlely accused.

“What?”  Brian actually found himself considering that just might be possible.  “Did you, Michael?  Do you have my cell?”

“What?  You asked me that already and I said no!  How could you even think I would lie to you about a thing like that?  You’re actually accusing me of stealing from you, Brian?”

“Why do you think I would do that, Michael?”  Brian scoffed him.  “It wouldn’t be the first time... would it?”

“Huh?  What are you talking about?  I never stole from you before?”  And, Michael kind of wondered if that was an indication that Brian had discovered the keys to Britin missing.

“You sued me once in court for money that had belonged to me and not you.  In a sense you robbed me back then.”

“So did Justin, in that case!  He sued you in court too!  And, you forgave him for it.  In fact, you married HIM again!  Why can’t you forgive me?”

“I never had to forgive Justin.  I was MARRIED to him.  Maybe he had some right to what he took.  You certainly didn’t.  In addition, you cheated on me… Justin never did.”

Ted loudly cleared his throat just then.  He didn’t think those two men wanted to have that part of the conversation with him in the room with them.  “I think I better be going now,” he graciously stood up and gathered his stuff and headed out of the room.

“Yeah run!  Coward!”  Michael snapped at him.

“I suggest you take your own advice and get running too, Michael,” Brian scoffed him.

“Briannnn,” Michael whined.  “Don’t do this to me… to us?  We can get back what we once had before…”

“Past tense, Michael.  Long, long, long time gone.  We can never get that back… especially after you do this to me.”

“What?  All I did was look inside your desk and take out a stupid note!  Was that so bad?”

“It was an extreme invasion of privacy, Michael?”

“But this is me, Brian.  We were best friends, lovers… partners once.  And probably would have even been married one day had the likes of Jusitn hadn't shown up.  There was a time we had no secrets and we shared the same drawers, closet and bed… and everything else.  How is this any different?  And didn’t Ted invade your privacy when he opened the drawer and put the note inside there in the first place!”

“I’m not even going to dignify that comment with an answer, Michael,” Brian then started raising from seat.  “I’m sorry it has to be this way.  It hurts me deeply to do this, but, Michael, you’re fired.”

Brian then left the think tank and left Michael in the room alone.

*

                  “Hey, boss, are you alright?”  Ted stood over his boss and asked when he arrived inside Brian’s office on time for their next scheduled conference together.  He found his boss sitting on the couch in there with his head hung low and appeared to be sniffing (like he was on the verge of crying of something).  “Is it about Michael?”

“Is what about, Michael?’  Brian snapped at him as he leapt from the couch, and he trotted over to his desk and sat down.  “Didn’t I tell you to just stick to my financial affairs, Theodore, and nothing else?  And, besides I was sniffing like that because I’m probably just coming down with a cold or something.”

“Yes, boss.  You just might be.”  Ted agreeably remarked but he thought he kind of knew better though.  He then sat down in front of Brian and they got their next conference underway.