Under My Boss's Control

Sam sat down on the bench, exhausted after his outburst.

“Sorry man, this whole thing… It just upset me. You know how I am about germs. This is my worst nightmare!” Sam said.

“I know. Remember when that waiter brought you the sandwich and you found a hair on the plate? I thought you were going to throw up, or punch the waiter, or both.” I laughed, trying to lighten the mood.

“It is so strange to see this happen. It’s worldwide. People are dying.”

“C’mon, I saw some reports. Some countries are dealing with it well. I heard South Korea is already initiating measures that are very effective,” I said, trying to give him some hope. “Lots of people in Asia wear masks every flu season.”

“Oh, God, I don’t have a mask!” said Sam. “Where do we get them?”

“At a drug store or a hospital, I would imagine,” I said, buttoning my shirt. “But look, you’re healthy, you’re in good shape — These things, they tend to hurt old people and people in ill health. I mean, did you know that something like thirty thousand people die of the flu every year?”

“I didn’t know that. Is that true?”

“Yeah. This could be one of those things,” I said. “I mean, they have to get more data about it first, though. Once our scientists start looking into things, we’ll get some real answers, I think.”

Sam took a deep breath. He was finally calming down. If he was this upset, I could only imagine what it would do to the rest of the staff once they were told. Perhaps they had already heard. They were constantly on the Internet for our clients all day; a big story like that would be hard to miss.

“C’mon, we’ll go back onto the floor, call a big meeting, and hash all this out,” I said confidently. “People can have Zoom meetings or Facetime. Between that and email, it should be a no-brainer. If we have to let people go, we’ll strip down to a skeleton crew until our numbers go back up. We’ve been having such a killer month, though, so I don’t think we’ll have to do that.”

“Sorry for being so frazzled,” said Sam, laughing nervously. “It’s just so… It’s weird.”

“Yeah, buddy, I hear ya,” I said, patting him on the back as we left. “But you and me? We can handle weird, right?”

Chapter Four

Dixie

I was working at my desk when I heard a commotion over my ear buds. All I could hear was Drake, but people were talking to each other and looking concerned. Some people were gathering around a PC and watching a newscast on YouTube. Several people were looking at their phones.

Mr. Lamb rushed through the hallway, along with some of the other partners in the firm. That was strange. I mean, breaking news was one thing, but breaking news and an emergency at the firm? Seemed like too big of a coincidence.

“Hey, Layla,” I said, calling across the room to a coworker. “What’s going on?”

“I’m not sure,” she said. “Something about a virus. They want us all in the conference room for a meeting.”

The entire staff jammed into the conference room. It wasn’t meant to hold that many people, and the crowd spilled out into the hallway. Mr. Lamb took charge, confident and assuring. In that moment, I thought he looked very presidential.

“Everyone,” he said. “Please, keep down the chatter; I know people in the hall are having trouble hearing. We have a crisis on our hands. The new virus has come to the U.S.. If you’ve been following the news, you already know the governor just ordered a business shutdown and a shelter-in-place order to go into effect. We’re shutting down the building, but please make sure you bring your work home. Sam?”

“IT will be emailing everyone instructions about installing software so you can work from any laptop or PC. If you use a work laptop or tablet, make sure you take that home as well. It’s unknown how long this will last,” said Sam.

“It’s important that we don’t panic,” Mr. Lamb said. “You don’t have to run screaming from the building or anything. Just take your time. We won’t close for a few hours. Management will most likely finish out the day. But please do prepare to work from home for the foreseeable future. Any questions?”

“Does anyone know anything about this virus? Is there new information?” asked Layla.

“My understanding is that it’s very contagious, so it’s important to keep washing your hands and not to touch your face. There’s some conflicting information about wearing a mask, but the state is going to require social distancing. That means staying six feet apart at all times,” said Mr. Lamb.

“Is anyone in the office out sick?” asked Peter, who sounded a little panicky.

“No one that I’m aware of,” said Sam, trying to remember. “Frank is out, but I think that has more to do with his daughter’s wedding.”