European work-life balance
Mr. N invited me to the December sales conference again. I felt more useful than in the previous years because of the project. There was also the office Christmas party, […]
An avuncular mentorship
Mr. N was known in the company as a difficult person. The men suspected Mr. N must be hiding critical information from the HQ for his gain. My impression was […]
New deal
Mr. Hirao kept me busy as he always had me prepare different kinds of data for his analysis. “Get me the revenue data of past five years by region.” “What […]
New wave
I noticed the tide was shifting in the office as more ex-automotive company-men disappeared and more men from the construction industry joined. While the ex-automotive company-men labored at fulfilling orders […]
Biz trip to Europe – part 5
I went into the Frankfurt office the following morning. Though I felt weak, I couldn’t waste my trip that the men back in Japan sneered at as recreational. Mr. N […]
Biz trip to Europe – part 4
I woke up with a start. I had no sense of how long I had been gone, but the bathwater was cold. The moment I got up, I threw up […]
Biz trip to Europe – part 3
The day after we arrived in London, Charlie, the head of the UK office, picked us up in the hotel lobby and drove to the office. We spent the morning […]
Impermanence
Noah and I met up to see a show at the Blue Note sometime in December. It was the last time we’d see each other before he flew to the […]
End of Noah
I didn’t hear from Noah for a long time after that drunken night. When I emailed him, he would reply but never asked me to see him. After a time, […]
Animal in me
Another significant whatever-ship had ended around the same time. Noah had two friends, Jamie and Ned. Jamie was a tall, blond, and blue-eyed investment banker, but his appearance was far […]