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On Being Agreeable…a short story

 

 

She gently caressed the brass plate as she passed. A soft smile played on her lips as she opened the glass doors into the office. Inside, it was still quiet as her arrival was the first. She turned the lights on full from the nighttime dim and approached her desk. Her eyes glanced at the closed door at the end of the corridor.

Picking up the folders on her desk, she noted the requirements listed neatly on the front of each. Sitting down, she began her day. Within ten minutes, the office would bustle with the arrival of the others.

She, Leslie Reynolds, enjoyed her job although it was temporary. Temporary because she was awaiting the start of the next semester just a few weeks away at the local state university. At that time, she would be a full time student and her part time position here in the chancellor’s office would cease. Leslie enjoyed the excitement of sharing a small part in the chancellor’s nationwide presence. Daily, she would field calls from all over the country for him. Most, she directed to his various assistants, but on occasion, she would put a call through directly to him.

The office had buzzed with even more excitement than usual with the call a few weeks ago from the President. Yes, the President of the United States had called and asked for the chancellor. It turned out that he had made a personal request that the chancellor head an inquiry group to a Central American country. The chancellor’s negotiating skills were on the fast track to becoming legendary.

Leslie looked up as the door opened and the chancellor’s administrative assistant and office manager entered together. They were laughing and nodded a hello to Leslie as they passed her desk. Judy, the office manager, turned back to Leslie. “Les,” she asked, “You will be able to assist on Friday for the meeting of the presidents?” “Oh yes,” Leslie, replied, “I’m looking forward to it.”

Friday, all ten of the state university system presidents would meet in the conference room at the end of the corridor for a quarterly session. It was these meetings that had begun to propel the chancellor to nationwide prominence. Each of the university presidents arrived with an agenda and a slight chip on his or her shoulder. Four of the state universities had prominent successful football teams and those presidents felt, possibly with justification, that their universities contributed to recognition beyond state borders. Squabbling among the system presidents was legendary.

However, the chancellor had managed to not only affect a truce but indeed a cooperative spirit among the presidents that had heretofore only been dreamed about. The university presidents would arrive, some with tight faces and clenched fists, each determined to leave with his or her particular university having its agenda placed in the forefront.

The meetings would usually start somewhat politely but raised voices and even shouts would soon be heard through the thick conference room door at the end of the corridor. At that point, lunch would be served, and the meeting would resume. Some time later, the attendees would emerge, shaking hands and even laughing. As they departed, there would be jesting parting rivalry remarks, but mostly the university presidents appeared to leave as friends. In fact, even the chancellor would remark upon their leaving that they certainly were an agreeable bunch.

The chancellor himself was due in this afternoon from his presidential mission. He had sent daily briefings back to the office. Leslie and another aide had been compiling all the chancellor’s notes awaiting his return. The office knew that this presidential report would take top priority with the chancellor’s arrival.

Friday dawned with an overcast day. Rain was in the forecast and the grayness of the day seemed appropriate for the university system presidents’ meeting. Two of the presidents were engaged in a battle carried in the state newspapers. Three others were uniting to exclude their schools from anticipated budget cuts. It promised to be a meeting to challenge any negotiator’s skills. Well, certainly any negotiator except the chancellor, thought Leslie, as she hurried through her morning to-do list.

Leslie had ordered lunch for the group. It was, as always, from Clint’s Bar-b-q. Clint’s was a local favorite and rumor had it that Clint had been approached about franchising. The food was delicious from Clint’s and his sauce was renown among locals. With the exception of the one university president whose school was local, the others only indulged in Clint’s famous food when at a system meeting such as today.

The food had arrived and had been hauled back into the small kitchen in the office complex. Leslie went into the kitchen to help and was greeted by a small elderly woman with thick glasses. “You the girl that’s gonna help me today?” she inquired. “Yes,” Leslie said with a smile, “I’m sure they’re looking forward to having Clint’s.”

The woman was unfamiliar to Leslie and so she asked her where she normally worked. “I just come for the luncheons,” she answered, “I been retired for a few years and the chancellor asks for me special. I don’t want to disappoint an important man like him. I’m pleased to come in and help him.” As she talked, the woman had opened the bags and containers and was busy filling plates for the presidents. Clint’s famous sauce sat in a plastic jug to the left of all the food spread out. Leslie went to move it and the woman said, “That’s all right. I got it.” And, with that, she reached into an upper cabinet and took out a brown paper bag. To Leslie’s amazement, she pulled out a bottle of vodka.

With eyes wide, Leslie watched as she poured vodka into the sauce. She turned to Leslie with a grin and began ladling the sauce onto the food covering the plates. “Yep,” she spoke, “They sure do love the sauce. I make sure there’s plenty and plenty to go around.” Speechless, Leslie grabbed the two plates she was handed. As they started out the door toward the conference room at the end of the corridor, the woman turned to Leslie with a small grin and said, “Makes them so agreeable, don’t you know.”

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