The Curse of the Mondays

It was Monday.  Mondays always started the same and became known as “The Curse of the Mondays” to Adam.  Mondays were the day that everything that could go wrong would go wrong.  Adam was stuck in traffic on his way to his job, in which he was overqualified, under-paid, and under-appreciated.   Coffee covered his new shirt and tie that he recently bought to try to impress his new boss that starts today.  First impressions are very important to Adam, so new clothes and a new attitude was Adam’s plan to win the admiration of his new boss.  One mile from work, smoke begins to rise from under the hood of his car.  He slowly pulls his 1998 Honda Accord to the shoulder of the highway.  Being late to work was not an option today because Adam’s first impression to the new boss was going to garner him the respect and recognition he deserved for his years of service to his company.   Calling AAA was not an option, due to the fact that he cancelled the service to help with the expenses of his newborn baby girl.  He reaches into the passenger seat and grabs his briefcase and slams the car door.  With six minutes until he is late, he begins to sprint the last mile to his office.   8 minutes past 8 o’clock, he stumbles into the front door of his building, covered in sweat and out of breath.  Standing there is his new boss, surrounded by all of Adam’s co-workers.   This man, whom is in control of Adam’s future with the company, cuts his eyes over to Adam with a look that is a mixture of disgust and disappointment.  Adam’s heart sinks.

Robert, which turns out to be the new boss’ name, finishes his speech to all of the employees and everyone quickly returns to their desk to begin working.   Adam plops down in his chair at his cubicle, which is positioned directly besides the bathrooms.  It was the worst cubicle in the office, even the summer interns had better cubicles than Adam.   He finds a stack of paperwork standing over one foot tall sitting on his desk with a sticky note reading in red ink “urgent”,  which was not there when he left at six o’clock on Friday.  He begins the monotonous task of trudging through the pile of paperwork, when Robert steps to the edge of his cubicle.  Robert stands there quietly for a few minutes not saying a word.  He looks over at his new boss who was admiring his framed pictures of his wife and kids. He finally speaks.

“Running a little late this morning?”

Adam is slow to answer but finally manages to say, “Car trouble”.

Robert smiles and chuckles, “It happens to all of us.”

This catches Adam off guard.  He was expecting something more severe, especially after the look Robert gave him but only replies with a smile and a nod.

Robert responds, “Adam, you have worked for this company for quite some time and I am impressed with the things you have accomplished for this company.  I would like to have lunch later this week to discuss your future with this company.”

This is the second time in five minutes the new boss has surprised Adam.  Adam responds, “That would be great.  I have a lot of ideas for this company that I think you would be interested to hear.”

Robert smiles and nods but before he walks away he points the pictures of his family and says, “That is a lovely you have there.”

Adam simply responds, “Thank You”.

This interaction leaves Adam feeling surprised and excited.  After seven years of being under-estimated by the last boss, he might have a chance to prove his true capabilities. The rest of the day is like a whirlwind inside his mind, thinking of all of the possibilities that may now be within reach.   Before he knows it, it is five o’clock.  The cab is waiting for him outside his building to take him home.

As he sticks his key into his door, he stops and takes a deep breath and smiles.  He walks inside and before he sets down his briefcase he hears a tiny voice yell, “Daddy”.  The joyful embrace from his three year old son was one of his favorite parts of the day. He picks up his son and walks into the kitchen, where his wife is feeding their new born daughter.  Leaning over, he kisses his wife on the cheek. 

She asks, “How was the first day with the new boss?”

Adam smiles and responds, “I think things are about to change.”

He looks at his beautiful family, which has been his driving force since he said “I do” over five years ago, and imagines the type of life he wants to give them.  He knows now that it is in reach.

Adam lets out a sigh of relief and he now knows that “The Curse of the Mondays” is over.