Marion Ekholm - Just Like Em

Roger placed his elbow on the table and braced his chin in his hand. Maybe Em was right. He’d never paid much attention to his sister until Em arrived on the scene. “Well, she never soaped my car.”

A smile turned up the corners of Em’s mouth. Her cheek threatened to dimple. “You deserved that.”

He leaned across the table. “Thanks to you and those little stunts, Karen nearly broke up with me. She had a driving test on one of the days you soaped the windows, and we couldn’t get it all off in time. She missed her appointment.” He leaned back. “And I don’t appreciate that self-satisfied smirk. You really created havoc with my love life.”

“I was fourteen at the time. How old is Samantha?” Roger squinted at the ramada across the sun-drenched pool.

“She’ll be fourteen in October, but she’s been acting like someone in her twenties for the past year.”

“And she could easily pass for eighteen.” Em rose and took their empty glasses. “Looks like you’ve got your hands full.” She beamed a smile on him warmer than the Arizona sun. “Want some more tea?”

He watched her walk away—the swing of her hips, the swish of that golden hair. Em had grown up into a very interesting woman. A very interesting woman, indeed.

CHAPTER FOUR

“THANKS FOR HELPING, Mom,” Em said as Doris finished washing the dishes. Roger and the twins had stayed for lunch, a macaroni-and-cheese creation of her mother’s that Sammy couldn’t get enough of. Everyone else seemed to enjoy it, as well. The kitchen was small, with dark cabinets and barely enough room for the two to work. Em wiped the last plate and planted a kiss on her mother’s cheek, a small thanks for all that she had done.

“Once I finish up here, I’ll go back to my room and read,” Doris said. “You go entertain Roger.”

“I don’t know.” Em glanced through the kitchen doorway. “He’s engrossed in some business he has to complete for tomorrow.”

Doris placed a wet hand on her shoulder and pushed. “Go on. I remember when nothing could keep you from bugging him.”

Em stayed put. “Was I that bad?” All those juvenile high jinks she had performed in an attempt to gain his attention. A tremble shook her head and shoulders. If only she could wash away her misguided antics.

Doris flipped back a strand of hair and sighed. “As I recall, you thought he walked on water.”

“Well, I know better now.” Another push from her mother sent her into the dining room. She had no desire to join the boys in the living room and watch another rerun of Star Wars, the video they had chosen. Samantha hadn’t returned from having lunch with a girlfriend, so Em couldn’t talk with her.

Despite the relatively pleasant time she and Roger had shared today, Em felt ill at ease. Maybe it was that ridiculous shirt he was wearing. It belonged on a bonfire. She had changed into white shorts and a red T-shirt, but obviously Roger hadn’t bothered to bring anything extra.

“Can I get you something? More iced tea? A beer?”

Roger looked up from where he sat at the dining-room table and smiled. Except for one slightly protruding eyetooth, he had a perfect smile, one that made her feel all warm and cozy inside. “No thanks. Pull up a chair, unless you’d rather join the kids.”

“I’d prefer adult company, if I’m not disturbing you.”

Roger tilted his chair back and stretched his arms over his head. His Hawaiian shirt momentarily pulled tight across his chest before he dropped his hands back to the table. “Actually you might be able to give me some insight. I’m working on transfering work from my department at Metro to another office in Seattle. It means several people will be losing their jobs unless they can move to Seattle. I’d like some input from someone who’s been there. Your mother mentioned you’ve been laid off before.”

“Twice.”

“Two times? That’s got to be hell!”

“More like an endless roller-coaster ride.” Em pulled out the wooden chair and sat next to him so she wouldn’t be forced to look at that shirt.

“Tell me about it. The company’s providing us with an agency that deals with outplacements, but I’m interested in hearing firsthand what actually helped to get you back to full employment.”

He moved his arm, so that the short hairs tickled hers, and Em shifted slightly to avoid the contact. It was too disconcerting and she was trying to keep her mind focused on their discussion.

“The first time was the worst. About twenty of us were walked out of the building like criminals the day we received our notice. They gave us one month’s severance and a printed list of possible employers we could find on the internet.” She folded her hands on the table in front of her.

“And the second time?”

“Not so bad. I had learned there’s no such thing as job security. Besides, this company made the transition bearable.” She needed to do something with her hands. Em reached for a pen and inadvertently touched Roger’s arm again. She pulled her hands into her lap.

“They expected everything to take two years to transfer,” she continued, “and they did what they could to keep our morale up so we’d stick around. Anyone who stayed through the entire process would receive a large bonus package.”

The space between Roger and her was decreasing, because Roger kept leaning toward her as though he wanted to catch everything she had to say. Em considered moving her chair a little farther away, but decided she liked the idea that he found her interesting.

“How did they keep you there?” Roger picked up a yellow legal pad and began making hen scratches.

“They offered training we’d need to make ourselves more saleable in the work world and gave us counseling as well as help in writing résumés and... Am I going too fast for you?” Roger stopped writing and looked up.

“No. This is great information. Go on.”

“How are you going to read that?”

Roger dropped his pencil and propped his head on his hand again. “It takes a while, but I manage.”

“Wait a minute.” Em got up and returned after a moment with a laptop computer. At least this would keep her hands occupied. “I’ll put it all down in a readable form. What else do you want to know?”

“What they did to make life bearable. Stuff like that.”

Em typed as she talked. “They gave us unexpected breaks that cost them very little....”

“That’s good,” Roger said, straightening and pointing to the computer. “Put that down.”

“Like one day they gave us the afternoon off to watch a video, a comedy, and they provided popcorn and pop.”

“Didn’t that cut down on production?”

Em typed in his question then added her answer. “No. Production improved. Most of us were glad to have some relief from the pressure that was always present.” She was really getting into this, enjoying their exchange.

“What else?”

“Well...” She closed her eyes a moment to picture the scene. “They used incentives.”

“To keep production at its peak?”

Em chuckled as she typed. “No, to keep us coming in every day. People who had collected sick time began to get ill Wednesday and recover by the next Tuesday. The company needed reliable workers, so everyone who didn’t miss a day during the week got a little prize.”

Roger placed his hands over his face and mumbled, “Oh, boy. Here it comes.” He brushed his hands through his hair before sitting back. “What’s it going to cost?”

“What’s the cost of four or five days of pay for just one person out sick, not even counting the production cost or the strain on the other employees who have to fill in?”

Roger whistled softly before Em added, “We received prizes of tickets for movies or lunch passes. In a month of perfect attendance, we might get items equal to an hour and a half of our pay. No big deal for them, but a fun thing for us.”