Loxuru
Graf von Kreuzigung
GERTIE’S CHRISTMAS EVE
Christmas Eve. Five p.m. Gertie Stevens’ company office.
“Hello, Gertie!”
"Agnes!? Good afternoon! What brings you here?”
“The same occasion as every year, Gertie! I come to invite you to our Christmas Diner. Tomorrow at two o’clock. My home!”
“That’s very kind of you, Agnes, but you know well, what I think about it! Christmas does not appeal to me any more since long. I am too rational to be fooled by that kind of fake glamour. And I have stuff to do here!”
“Even tomorrow? Come on Gertie, don’t be so dismissive. Christmas is a moment to put away the daily stress and the duties. A time of reconciliation. People share wishes for peace. Children love it.”
“Too commercial for me!”
“Hear our harsh businesswoman talking : ‘too commercial’!”
“Well it is! That’s my opinion! I’m sorry if my opinion offends!”
“Where is Velma? I had liked to wish her a Happy Christmas too.”
“Velma has a day off! That is why I am so busy! I have to fix it on my own here!“
“You let her go, on this, as you always say, busiest week of the year!?”
“She insisted! Her child had a little fever. She lets me down this time of the year! But what could I do!?”
“Come on, Gertie! You showed your heart!”
“I had no choice! She is no helping hand when her mind is on that baby. And it is not the first time it happens! I have to find a solution for that!”
“A solution!? What do you mean?”
“Velma has been absent too much the last months!”
“You do not intend to…?”
“I consider it, yes! She did not meet her targets for this year!”
“Gertie! As a shareholder of this company of yours, I want to know about this! Did she make losses?”
“No, she made profits.”
“Less than last year?”
“No, more!”
“But…?”
“She fell short of her ten percent increase target.”
“How much short?”
“Just! Short!”
“Christ, Gertie! Velma had a baby this year! Take that into consideration!”
“And she is absent too much! Because of that baby!”
“That is why you want to fire her!?”
“Agnes! I said : I am considering it! I want hundred percent of commitment! No! Two hundred percent!”
“Don’t be so cold! Velma is committed to the company, and experienced and trustworthy . It will be very difficult to replace her!”
“I am not a charity, Agnes! And if you had not left me down so many years ago, I would not have to hire an expensive employee!”
“Gertie, I wanted children, and I could not combine it with this way of life here! But I did not let you down! I kept my money in the business! And I keep investing a considerable part of my profit into it!”
“So that you can put me under pressure anytime when it suits you!”
“Right, Gertie! Sometimes your conscience needs a second opinion! And I insist you keep Velma!”
“It’s a harsh capitalist society we live in, Agnes. Only the strong survive! I cannot permit a weakness.”
“Capitalist! Gertie! Don’t you exaggerate!? "
“I told you many times already, Agnes, every big company has once started with the risk investment of one penny. Often the owner’s last penny!”
“And once upon a time, from these millions of first penny’s, at the end only Rockefeller, Carnegie and Pierpont Morgan were left over. They had snatched away all these millions of penny’s, and the profits of them, and they had put them into their pockets . That’s capitalism! So, don’t start another ‘greed is good’ speech will you, Gertie? “
“The only reason I wouldn’t do so, is that otherwise, you will start yourself yet another sermon that I will burn in hell later, with a chain on my feet, dragging all my material assets in massive lead!”
“Life itself holds worse things, than burning in hell after death, Gertie…”.
“Good! I know what to expect : this evening, three ghosts will visit me, one from the past, one from the present and one for the future, and they will confront me with my terrible greed, my selfishness, my ruthlessness and my evilness etcetera, etcetera, and they will scare me to hell about my afterlife if I should not repent immediately…!”
“Gertie, please, I did not come here to discuss such things. Not this time of the year! I only wanted to bring my invitation for tomorrow. You don’t have to confirm it now. Come as you wish! Two o’clock! You are always welcome. There will always be a place at our table for you!”
“I have arranged my Christmas already! And I urgently will have to look for a gift! You know how bad I am in that!?”
“Your presence will be a gift to me! But if you need to buy something, then hurry up! Many shops close at six, or even at five!”
“What? That soon!?”
“It is Christmas Eve, Gertie! People want to go home, to their family.”
“These employees….”
“The shop owners too, Gertie! There are other values in life than money! So, I have to go now! And reconsider Velma!”
“But…!”
“Christmas truce, Gertie! Do nothing about it! We will talk about it after New Year’s Day! Promised!?”
Gertie hesitated.
“All right! I will wait!”
“Thanks Gertie. I wish you already a Merry Christmas!”
“Thanks! The same for you!”
Agnes left the office and Gertie kept on working. Paperwork for the end of the year. It was kind of Agnes to invite her, but she did not particularly look forward to accept the invitation. Too much chit-chat about kids. Gertie had planned ‘her own’ Christmas eve. A bag of salted peanuts, a salmon salad, toasts, some pâté, salted cookies, olives and a bottle of French sparkling wine. No Champagne. Just ‘methode traditionelle’ from the Loire region. Cheaper for a comparable quality. Gertie figured there would be at least something on TV on Christmas evening, considering she could receive two hundred channels. She only had to purchase a few things and some food for Christmas Day itself.
Gertie had something else to do now. Whatever Agnes would be thinking of it, Gertie considered that, sometimes, one has to do unpleasant things. She opened a new Word document, in the format of a registered letter with the company heading. What was Velma’s private address again?
(to be continued)
Christmas Eve. Five p.m. Gertie Stevens’ company office.
“Hello, Gertie!”
"Agnes!? Good afternoon! What brings you here?”
“The same occasion as every year, Gertie! I come to invite you to our Christmas Diner. Tomorrow at two o’clock. My home!”
“That’s very kind of you, Agnes, but you know well, what I think about it! Christmas does not appeal to me any more since long. I am too rational to be fooled by that kind of fake glamour. And I have stuff to do here!”
“Even tomorrow? Come on Gertie, don’t be so dismissive. Christmas is a moment to put away the daily stress and the duties. A time of reconciliation. People share wishes for peace. Children love it.”
“Too commercial for me!”
“Hear our harsh businesswoman talking : ‘too commercial’!”
“Well it is! That’s my opinion! I’m sorry if my opinion offends!”
“Where is Velma? I had liked to wish her a Happy Christmas too.”
“Velma has a day off! That is why I am so busy! I have to fix it on my own here!“
“You let her go, on this, as you always say, busiest week of the year!?”
“She insisted! Her child had a little fever. She lets me down this time of the year! But what could I do!?”
“Come on, Gertie! You showed your heart!”
“I had no choice! She is no helping hand when her mind is on that baby. And it is not the first time it happens! I have to find a solution for that!”
“A solution!? What do you mean?”
“Velma has been absent too much the last months!”
“You do not intend to…?”
“I consider it, yes! She did not meet her targets for this year!”
“Gertie! As a shareholder of this company of yours, I want to know about this! Did she make losses?”
“No, she made profits.”
“Less than last year?”
“No, more!”
“But…?”
“She fell short of her ten percent increase target.”
“How much short?”
“Just! Short!”
“Christ, Gertie! Velma had a baby this year! Take that into consideration!”
“And she is absent too much! Because of that baby!”
“That is why you want to fire her!?”
“Agnes! I said : I am considering it! I want hundred percent of commitment! No! Two hundred percent!”
“Don’t be so cold! Velma is committed to the company, and experienced and trustworthy . It will be very difficult to replace her!”
“I am not a charity, Agnes! And if you had not left me down so many years ago, I would not have to hire an expensive employee!”
“Gertie, I wanted children, and I could not combine it with this way of life here! But I did not let you down! I kept my money in the business! And I keep investing a considerable part of my profit into it!”
“So that you can put me under pressure anytime when it suits you!”
“Right, Gertie! Sometimes your conscience needs a second opinion! And I insist you keep Velma!”
“It’s a harsh capitalist society we live in, Agnes. Only the strong survive! I cannot permit a weakness.”
“Capitalist! Gertie! Don’t you exaggerate!? "
“I told you many times already, Agnes, every big company has once started with the risk investment of one penny. Often the owner’s last penny!”
“And once upon a time, from these millions of first penny’s, at the end only Rockefeller, Carnegie and Pierpont Morgan were left over. They had snatched away all these millions of penny’s, and the profits of them, and they had put them into their pockets . That’s capitalism! So, don’t start another ‘greed is good’ speech will you, Gertie? “
“The only reason I wouldn’t do so, is that otherwise, you will start yourself yet another sermon that I will burn in hell later, with a chain on my feet, dragging all my material assets in massive lead!”
“Life itself holds worse things, than burning in hell after death, Gertie…”.
“Good! I know what to expect : this evening, three ghosts will visit me, one from the past, one from the present and one for the future, and they will confront me with my terrible greed, my selfishness, my ruthlessness and my evilness etcetera, etcetera, and they will scare me to hell about my afterlife if I should not repent immediately…!”
“Gertie, please, I did not come here to discuss such things. Not this time of the year! I only wanted to bring my invitation for tomorrow. You don’t have to confirm it now. Come as you wish! Two o’clock! You are always welcome. There will always be a place at our table for you!”
“I have arranged my Christmas already! And I urgently will have to look for a gift! You know how bad I am in that!?”
“Your presence will be a gift to me! But if you need to buy something, then hurry up! Many shops close at six, or even at five!”
“What? That soon!?”
“It is Christmas Eve, Gertie! People want to go home, to their family.”
“These employees….”
“The shop owners too, Gertie! There are other values in life than money! So, I have to go now! And reconsider Velma!”
“But…!”
“Christmas truce, Gertie! Do nothing about it! We will talk about it after New Year’s Day! Promised!?”
Gertie hesitated.
“All right! I will wait!”
“Thanks Gertie. I wish you already a Merry Christmas!”
“Thanks! The same for you!”
Agnes left the office and Gertie kept on working. Paperwork for the end of the year. It was kind of Agnes to invite her, but she did not particularly look forward to accept the invitation. Too much chit-chat about kids. Gertie had planned ‘her own’ Christmas eve. A bag of salted peanuts, a salmon salad, toasts, some pâté, salted cookies, olives and a bottle of French sparkling wine. No Champagne. Just ‘methode traditionelle’ from the Loire region. Cheaper for a comparable quality. Gertie figured there would be at least something on TV on Christmas evening, considering she could receive two hundred channels. She only had to purchase a few things and some food for Christmas Day itself.
Gertie had something else to do now. Whatever Agnes would be thinking of it, Gertie considered that, sometimes, one has to do unpleasant things. She opened a new Word document, in the format of a registered letter with the company heading. What was Velma’s private address again?
(to be continued)
