the box ghost's last day on earth
Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or it's characters.
Chapter 6,
"Hey has anyone seen Gloria?" Paul asked and he was basically met by silence. Most of the people ignored him or didn't hear him, but one person shrugged because they were in the middle of a call. But then Paul saw a teenager sitting in a chair but was looking at him. Paul walked over to him and smiled.
"Now, I don't recognize you. Do you work here?" Paul asked and the boy hesitated.
"Well, if my interview goes well then yes I do." He said and Paul smiled.
"Optimistic and honest. Those are some pretty good qualities when searching for a job. What area are you trying to get into?" Paul asked and the teenager shifted.
"Well, advertisement, sir. But the job seems to be more market research with the section on showing ads to different people and collecting data on how well the ads worked." The teenager said and Paul could help but wonder how the business could afford market research if they had to lay people off.
"Well, I don't really handle the hiring anymore, thank god. What's your name kid?" Paul asked and the teenager seemed to relax at the simple question.
"My name is Jake." He said and Paul nodded.
"Alright, Jake, you want to go in that interview in a very confident manor. After all have you ever seen a commercial for something like... ice cream... and the people in the commercial were nervous or scared?" Paul said and Jake thought about this then shook his head.
"You see, people in commercials are confident, calm, and relaxed. Why? Because generally that is the best way to push product. When you are in a boardroom trying to pitch your product to companies, you should have the same attitude as someone in a commercial. Our company sells boxes, which is a pretty universal item in the business world. Each box is like a single piece of paper in the scholastic universe. Now what is going to stop people from picking a box company that is... say... cheaper? It could be the quality of our product or our fast and accurate shipping, but I still believe that the pitch is the heart and soul of the business, and do you know why?" Paul paused.
"Um, because the pitch is what convinces people to buy the product?" Jake guessed and Paul smiled.
"Exactly. Now, personally I am not at my best when I am at a meeting like this. Have you done any advertising before?" Paul asked.
"Mostly studied it, but nothing compared to what you guys must be doing." Jake admitted and Paul chuckled.
"Ok, next?" a man said absentmindedly but froze when he saw Paul.
"Oh... Hello, Mr. Baxter, how are you?" He asked and Jake's eyes widened a little as the sudden realization, of who he was talking to, hit him.
"I am ok. I'm just having a pleasant conversation with this young man, here." Paul said and Jake smiled a little.
"Well, I am very glad to hear that Mr. Baxter, but it would appear that he is next. I'm afraid that I will have to steal him away." the interviewer said and Paul patted Jake's back.
"Ok, good luck in there. By the way have you seen my assistant, Gloria?" Paul asked and Jake shrugged.
"I did see this pretty girl with glasses walk by. But she was on the phone and looked really upset, almost as if she was on the verge of tears. Maybe that was her." Jake said and then he was pulled in for his interview. Paul walked down the hall and knocked on the door to Gloria's office. There was no answer, which was strange because Gloria hated it when people came into her office without her permission, so she always answered, even if it was just vocally.
Where else would Gloria be if she's not in her office? Running after me? No the kid saw her come this way. Maybe that wasn't Gloria, but there isn't much in these hallways. Paul hesitated before he knocked on Gloria's door again. He cracked the door open a little and saw an empty desk in a shaded room.
This place barely looks like an office, or at least one that's being used. Where are the pictures of her family? Her office supplies? Her laptop? Did Gloria suddenly quit and leave? Paul wondered but then he heard a noise from the far end of the room. He saw a door that must have some form of a closet and he walked towards it after he closed the door to Gloria's office. He took a deep breath before he quietly knocked on the thin door.
"Gloria? Are you in there?" Paul asked softly and he heard a nose being blown.
"Y-yes." He heard her voice crack out.
"Why are you in the closet?" He asked.
"So n-no one can... can... s-see me like this." He heard her weep and Paul felt nervous. He has never really been the one to comfort women when they were really upset. Though he does try he tends to make it a tad worse, which suddenly made I'm wonder what his wife saw in him.
"Well... ok... um... ok, how about this... I will just sit here and talk to you and not touch the door, ok?" Paul said as he sat down and leaned against the wall.
"W-well... ok..." Gloria sniffled.
"Ok, well, I would like to know why you are so upset." Paul said and he heard a new wave of tears fall.
Maybe that was too soon? Paul wondered.
"I am getting a divorce." Gloria mumbled after a while.
"What?" Paul said and Gloria blew her nose again.
"That's right. I guess I won't be Gloria Masters anymore. Just plain old Gloria Gilmore." She said and Paul rested his head on the wall ad stared at the ceiling.
"That man must be some kind of stupid, you know that right? You... uh... you are an incredible woman. You're smart and kind and you know what people need, which is incredibly impressive." Paul said and Gloria was silent for a moment.
"That's the problem, Mr. Baxter. He is so smart. His only flaw, really, was that he still had feelings for his college crush. I thought those feelings disappeared after she got married. But honestly I guess I was just fooling myself. And now he is divorcing me, and WHY? So that he can start up a company that basically creates ghost hunting equipment." She said and Paul was confused.
"Why ghost hunting equipment?" He asked and he heard Gloria scoff.
"Because apparently that bimbo that Vlad loves so much is a ghost hunter and he thinks that this company will make her so impressed that she'll have to fall for him. Another reason why he's divorcing me, so that he could marry her as soon as possible." Gloria angrily said and Paul wished to be more helpful.
"You know.., after my dad died, my mother didn't want to leave her room... she only came out around dinner time and she would nibble on whatever we made. Or whatever I made, because Adam was older so he started working with the company and I had just graduated so I could stay home with her. I was dating Franny at the time and she became worried for us. She was obviously worried about mom because she was so depressed and she was worried about me because, as she said 'the life is being sucked out of you'.
Which I still think is an exaggeration because I was just taking care of my mother. I mean sure my life style changed dramatically. I would watch cooking shows to make better tasting food and I would sew mom's ripped clothes and I would only leave the house to go grocery shopping, but I wouldn't say that my life was draining.
Anyways, Franny decided that the best thing for us was to get my mother someone to talk to because she use to be very sociable. Everyday we had people over for dinner, generally old biddies and they would talk to mom and usually gave me tips on things from cleaning a tub, to making French cuisine, to fixing rusted doorknobs. I learned a lot, but that's when I realized that I loved talking to new people and sharing stories with them. And mom got better; she started eating more and dressing up and fixing her make-up. And then one of our visitors said something like 'I make the best angel food cake. I am serious, it will grow the very wings on you. I am actually planning to take one to Ida's house tomorrow. She likes to throw a potluck every month or so because she believes that elderly people can still make some noise. Would you like to go with me?'
This was the first time someone invited mom to something after dad died and I felt blessed when she said that she would go. Once there she started a friendship with a handyman that later became my step-father. So today I will offer you the same advice my wife gave me... well, roughly the same advise... Gloria, you are upset and you will probably be mourning for a while. But sometimes the best thing we can do for ourselves is to share in human contact, preferably in the form of friendship. And later, when you're ready, your handyman will be there for you." Paul said quietly, but he knew that Gloria heard him.
"That's very touching, Mr. Baxter." She said and Paul couldn't help but smile a little.
"Well, I'm glad you think so, Gloria. But you see, life is messy and crazy and most times unfair, but at least it's life. The human race is complicated and they can never agree on the same things and there will always be fights and wars, but... death is universal. Everything, at one point or another, will die and that is something that's kind of... humbling... at least to me... It reminds me of this quote I tell my son when he has a bad day; and that's 'Everything will be alright in the end. If it is not alright, then it is not the end.'" Paul said and Gloria cracked the door open slightly.
"You're a good man, Paul. Thank you." he said and Paul smiled.
"You're welcome, Gloria. But can you do me a favor?" He asked and Gloria nodded.
"Can you clean yourself up, and go home? You are good at your job, but you need to be at home today." Paul said and Gloria looked surprised.
"Oh, sir, I don't think I can do that." She paused to sniffle.
"There are things that need to be filed, and, and, and, the shipment from yesterday will get here tonight, and- Your Meeting! What are you doing here?" She asked and Paul chuckled.
"The meeting started at 9:30." He said and Gloria stared at him.
"Are you teasing me so that I'll get riled up?" She asked and Paul shrugged.
"No, but I may have blown it anyways, so don't get crazy." He said.
"9:30, 9:30? But Adam asked to remind you about the meeting at 10. Eric, that manager from downstairs was standing right next to me when Adam told me." Gloria said and Paul scoffed.
"Figures, I can never understand why he has to do things behind my back and... wait... what did you say about the shipment from yesterday?" Paul asked.
"Oh, that? Yeah they will be back late tonight, so I usually let them in so that they can park the trucks." Gloria said and Paul remembered his brother's phone call.
"I thought they got a flat and were gonna be late." Paul said and Gloria scrunched her face a little.
"Well, Henry called me about half an hour ago and told me that they should be back by eleven or midnight. So if their tire broke after that then no one told me." She said and Paul shook his head.
"First, he reorders that machine we couldn't afford, then he lies about the time of the meeting and now he lies about the shipment?" Paul thought out loud.
"Who?" Gloria asked.
"Adam. I think something's going on with him." Paul said and Gloria finally pushed the door completely open and crawled out of the closet.
"Damn, it feels like a sauna in there." Paul said when he felt the heat hit his arm.
"There isn't much ventilation in there." Gloria said and Paul smiled.
"Take the rest of the day off, Gloria. I'll get a night guard to let the boys in tonight." Paul said kindly.
"Thank you, Mr. Baxter. But what are you going to do about Adam?" She asked and Paul shrugged.
"I'm not sure. I guess I'll confront him tomorrow. Who was beside you when Adam told you message?" Paul asked.
"That was the manager, Eric, from downstairs." She said and Paul nodded a little.
"Huh, I never thought of Eric as a handyman." He said and they both laughed.