"One backwards forward two steps forward.. no!..three steps forward" Lawrence was courting his steps as he walked. He looked at his wrist-watch, 8:45am. " Whoopsy! Someone's late again" he smiled and continued counting his steps. He was very chill.
Pexel
He arrived at the office at 9:30am. "I took five hundred steps backwards and one thousand five hundred steps forward, '' Lawrence recited as he walked into the office. Today, he decided to do something different out of his regular crazy self. He dyed his hair light green and made a rough bon with the hair, wore his sky blue office shirt and peach colored tie with a brown jogger properly tucked in. He put on a dressing shoe to compliment his outfit.
He looked crazy but no one was surprised because that was the normal him. As he opened the office door, everyone turned to look who was coming in and in split seconds they turned back. " I am supposed to be a sight to behold! Urggh! Whatever!" He walked to his space and sat upside down on his rolling chair.
Lawrence worked as a deputy manager alongside two others. You must be wondering why a crazy person would be in such a position? His craziness actually got him to that position. He started off as a clerk and boom! There he was, deputy manager. He was given a project to work on which was to be submitted today. And he didn't work in it.
Pexel
"All deputy managers in my office now!" That was the manager. Although he was a man in his late fifties he was still very agile and commanding. He was about to retire and as such, he needed a replacement.
" Don't forget your projects!" He thundered.
"Blah!" Lawrence kept rolling on his seat while others hurried to the manager's office. He finished with them and they dispersed.
"Lawrence! My office right now!".
Everyone knew Lawrence for not always adhering to instructions and calls. He grumpily stood up and walked one step backwards and three steps forward to the manager's office.
" I can't see you holding your project, where is it at?"
" I didn't do it. I didn't get the motivation to." Lawrence retorted.
" You didn't get the motivation? What do you take me for? A joke?"
Other employees were getting tensed because they saw the heated argument in the office. In a few minutes, Lawrence was seated and having a good laugh with the manager. How quickly the scenario changed.
He walked out of the manager's office still doing his steps counting thing while the manager was still smiling.
A week passed and Lawrence was still being his regular crazy self, doing very less and earning a hell more.
"Everyone gather around, chop chop!" The acting manager commanded. "May all my deputy managers please step out and stand beside me, uhm except you Lawrence". Everyone started murmuring, they kinda saw it coming. They knew he would be evicted already.
" So all of you know that I've been searching for a replacement and I gave all my deputy managers a simple task to do. All but one did the task. All but Lawrence. Now that's badass! The two deputy managers standing beside me have been very hardworking but Lawrence? He comes into my office and we discuss yesterday's football match. That's badass!.
I don't just want a hardworking replacement, I want a daring one. I want a badass replacement and as such, Lawrence has been appointed new acting manager of the company". Lawrence was preoccupied in his thoughts, he really cared less.
" The rest of you could go back, Lawrence! Lawrence please step forward. Give it up for your new manager" no one clapped apart from the janitor.
Pexel
"Thank you very much sir" he said to the manger emeritus. "Now is that how you treat your new boss? For that, the janitor is now my new deputy manager and the rest of you would be demoted to a level lower. You don't like it? then you could use the door. Anyone? Anytwo? Good! Now give it up for your new manager and deputy manager!" The whole room was set into a thunderous applause. " Now that's what I'm talking about!.
"Things are going to change around here starting from this minute. Y'all have to deal with it." The looks on the employees faces was that of joy obviously but they had no other option but to comply. It was the new normal.