Chapter 5 - Samuel’s Condition
The diner had red vinyl booths, a cracked black-and-white floor and coffee Victor would later describe as a personal insult.
Samuel liked the place.
That alone made Victor suspicious.
“You actually drink this?”
Samuel looked into his cup.
“I’ve had worse.”
“Where?”
“Your office.”
Victor stared.
Samuel smiled.
That helped.
Not much.
The waitress came over.
“Coffee?”
Victor nodded.
“Black.”
Samuel said, “He’ll want fresh.”
Victor looked at him.
The waitress laughed.
“We made it ten minutes ago.”
Victor sighed.
“I’ll survive.”
She walked away.
Samuel leaned back.
Victor got straight to it.
“Come back.”
Samuel lifted one eyebrow.
“You drove across Chicago to repeat yourself?”
“Yes.”
“Efficient.”
“Sam.”
Samuel’s expression became serious.
Victor continued.
“Second driver. Fixed schedule. Better pay.”
“You keep leading with money.”
“I’m a businessman.”
“You’re predictable.”
Victor almost smiled.
“What do you want?”
Samuel looked out the window.
A city bus pulled away from the curb.
People crossed the street under a hard blue winter sky.
“My day ends.”
Victor waited.
Samuel looked back.
“That’s the condition.”
“At what time?”
“Depends on the week.”
Victor frowned.
Samuel continued.
“We set the schedule beforehand. If I’m eight to six, I’m done at six.”
“What if something runs late?”
“Another driver.”
“That easy?”
“Yes.”
“What if I need you specifically?”
Samuel took a drink.
“Need or prefer?”
Victor stared.
Samuel waited.
Victor finally said, “Fine.”
Samuel nodded.
“If there’s a real emergency, call.”
“Define real.”
Samuel smiled.
“If you have to ask, it probably isn’t.”
Victor leaned back.
“You’ve become annoying.”
“I had free time.”
The waitress placed Victor’s coffee down.
He tried it.
Samuel watched his face.
Victor set the cup aside.
“That is terrible.”
“I told you.”
“You still drink it.”
“Character building.”
Victor shook his head.
Samuel continued.
“If Lucy has an appointment, I tell you.”
“Obviously.”
Samuel stared.
Victor understood.
“Right.”
Samuel nodded.
“No hiding it.”
“Agreed.”
“If Rachel needs help, I tell you.”
“Agreed.”
“If you need night coverage, schedule night coverage.”
“Agreed.”
Samuel studied him.
“You’re agreeing too quickly.”
“I’m trying something new.”
“What?”
“Listening.”
Samuel almost laughed.
Victor continued.
“What else?”
Samuel rubbed one thumb along the rim of his cup.
“You don’t use my family as proof I’m loyal.”
Victor frowned.
“What does that mean?”
“It means if Lucy needs me and I leave, I don’t want to hear about every favor you’ve done for me.”
“I wouldn’t.”
Samuel gave him a look.
Victor corrected himself.
“I’ll try not to.”
“Better.”
Samuel continued.
“And I don’t use you either.”
Victor raised an eyebrow.
“How?”
Samuel looked down.
“I was wrong.”
Victor said nothing.
“I changed your routes.”
“Yes.”
Samuel looked up.
“Don’t enjoy this.”
“I’m not.”
“You look like you are.”
Victor smiled faintly.
Samuel continued.
“I should’ve told you.”
“Yes.”
Samuel sighed.
“You really aren’t good at helping.”
“You wanted honesty.”
“Fair.”
Victor leaned forward.
Samuel continued.
“I decided you wouldn’t understand before giving you the chance.”
Victor nodded.
“You had reasons.”
“Reasons aren’t permission.”
Victor was quiet.
Samuel looked toward the window.
“I kept telling myself I was protecting the job.”
“You were scared.”
Samuel’s jaw tightened.
“Yes.”
The word cost him something.
Victor could tell.
Samuel continued.
“I’m fifty-seven. I have a mortgage. Rachel has one income. Lucy has appointments. Insurance matters.”
Victor looked at his coffee.
Samuel’s voice softened.
“I couldn’t afford to become less useful.”
Victor thought about Peter repeating those exact words.
He said, “I should’ve known.”
“How?”
Victor looked at him.
“You worked for me eighteen years.”
Samuel nodded.
Victor continued.
“I should’ve known your granddaughter’s name.”
Samuel’s expression changed.
Not much.
Enough.
Victor looked away.
“I knew what coffee you drink.”
“Bad coffee.”
“I knew your knee hurt.”
“Still does.”
“I knew you hated taking Lake Shore Drive after Cubs games.”
“Everybody should.”
Victor almost smiled.
“But I didn’t know Lucy.”
Samuel said nothing.
Victor continued.
“That’s on me.”
Samuel looked down.
“It’s on both of us.”
A long silence passed.
Then Samuel asked, “Daniel?”
Victor’s expression hardened.
“Off operations.”
“Temporary?”
“I don’t know.”
Samuel nodded.
“What are you going to do?”
Victor stared at him.
“Why?”
“Because you’re angry.”
“Yes.”
“You’re worst when you’re embarrassed.”
Victor’s eyes narrowed.
Samuel smiled faintly.
“Eighteen years.”
Victor looked away.
“I’m restructuring approvals.”
Samuel waited.
“Three-person review for major projects. Daniel gets input. So does Peter. I keep final authority.”
“That sounds healthier.”
“Don’t say healthier.”
“Why?”
“It sounds like therapy.”
Samuel laughed.
Victor continued.
“Daniel was wrong.”
“Yes.”
“But he was right about one thing.”
Samuel waited.
“I don’t listen well when I think I already know the answer.”
Samuel stared at him.
Victor frowned.
“What?”
“I’m trying to enjoy the moment.”
Victor shook his head.
“Are you coming back?”
Samuel looked at the table.
Then at Victor.
“When?”
“Monday.”
Samuel considered.
“Eight.”
Victor nodded.
“Six.”
Samuel held his gaze.
Victor understood.
“Eight to six.”
Samuel extended his hand.
Victor looked at it.
Then shook.
The handshake did not erase anything.
That mattered.
No dramatic forgiveness.
No promise that everything would return to normal.
Normal had failed them.
Monday morning, Victor stepped out of his townhouse at 7:57.
The black sedan waited at the curb.
Samuel stood beside it.
Same dark suit.
Same black gloves.
Same calm face.
Victor stopped.
For a second, neither spoke.
Samuel opened the rear door.
“Morning.”
Victor got in.
“Morning.”
They drove south.
The silence felt familiar.
Not identical.
Ten minutes later, Samuel approached an intersection.
“Usual route?”
Victor looked up.
Samuel was asking.
Such a small thing.
Victor nodded.
“Unless you need Ashland.”
Samuel’s eyes met his in the mirror.
A beat.
Then a slight smile.
“Not today.”
They continued straight.
At 5:52 that evening, Samuel pulled up outside Victor’s townhouse.
Victor gathered his coat.
Samuel glanced at the clock.
Victor noticed.
“Six.”
Samuel nodded.
“Six.”
Victor stepped out.
Samuel started to close the door.
Victor stopped him.
“What?”
Victor looked at the dashboard clock.
5:54.
“You’re allowed to leave early.”
Samuel’s mouth twitched.
“Don’t get reckless.”
Victor laughed.
Samuel drove away.
Victor watched the sedan disappear.
For the first time in years, Samuel leaving did not feel like the end of Victor’s day.
It was simply the end of Samuel’s.
That distinction should have been obvious.
It had taken eighteen years.
Yet one problem remained.
Daniel had accepted his removal from operations too quietly.
Three days later, he walked into Victor’s office carrying a folder.
May you like
And this time, there were no manipulated schedules between them.
Only the truth.
