Injustice

Hearing the receptionist, Nora, talk about Noah caused Laila to chuckle and just when she finished laughing about one thing, Nora would tell Laila something else that got her laugh muscles to grow excited. Laila felt that Nora's description of Noah's behaviour was spot on. Everything she said sounded just like Noah and there wasn't a single doubt in her mind that Noah had done those exact things in the exact way that she was describing them. Hearing about Noah's excitement for their little dinner-date, made her own excitement grow even more. Right now she couldn't wait to see Noah again and her eyes became glued to the little display that showed which floor they were currently at.

With each floor that they passed in the spacious elevator and each soft elevator ping Laila heard, she knew she was getting closer to where Noah was. In her mind, she could see the seconds count down till the moment she would see Noah again since parting with him this morning. As Laila continued listening to Nora speak about Noah, the elevator finally stopped at the highest floor of the tall building Noah had housed his company in. This was where all the high-level executives had their office, including Noah himself. When she stepped out, still assisted by Nora, Laila looked around at what she saw and Nora noticed her shift in attention. So, instead of continuing the stories about her boss, she told Laila more about the way they operated at the company.

While Laila looked at the people immersed in their work, Nora told her, "This is the executives floor and the people you see at work over here are the best of their department. They are rewarded by being allowed to work in the direct presence of the highest people inside the company. They get special benefits and they can grow their skills even better and faster working with other skilled people. If they perform well enough, they can get transferred to branch offices to higher positions or get promoted internally. In order to create equal opportunities, we have one group of five people that change every week up here as well. Those five people are those that the managers or assistant-managers of the different departments recommend. They can be people with potential or people who could benefit from seeing how the best of the best work. Those two to the left are the two people who have been given a chance to stay up here as part of this team. They are on a trial run so to speak after being selected by the higher-ups during the monthly blind submissions."

Laila felt really impressed by hearing how Noah had organized his company. His personality was shining through everything she heard just now. To Laila it showed that Noah had taken all the lessons from his own work life and what he had seen with his father's job, and had used them to create a company that didn't make the same mistakes or had the same unfairness.

Laila remembered how Noah's father had been skipped multiple times for promotions he deserved and was eventually even let go after working for that company for over twenty years. He was already disliked a bit by his manager because he wouldn't come to all the after work social events, since he had a family he much rather returned to. But although this caused him to not be first in line when it came to bonusses and promotions, he did get a few just for doing his job well.

When the manager was replaced by someone from a branch office, after getting promoted himself, things got worse. This person turned out to be an even more horrible person who played by his own set of rules and disliked anyone who didn't want to play by them. He would take credit for your idea's, push his own work on the better people on the team and if you complained, he would threaten you with overtime or keeping you from getting a promotion or bonus.

Noah's father wasn't one to create trouble and didn't mind many things as long as he enjoyed his work but he would not stand for injustice. After a while of Noah's father not backing down, despite any threats, the manager decided to let him be and focused on the other people that did his bidding. It wasn't until his father defended and backed one of the female employees that accused the manager of inappropriate behaviour towards her, that Noah's father became fully disliked by his manager and he became his sole target. Less than a year after that moment, the manager had found a way to get Noah's father fired, crushing his spirit in the process.

Having witnessed first hand, what kind of effect this kind of manager had on someone as strong as his father, must have had its effect on Noah himself as well. Seeing what kind of injustice power can cause when it is in the hands of the wrong people, must have made him want to create ways to level the playing field. Hearing Nora's story just now, convinced Laila that he had succeeded in doing so and that he was a good employer aside from being a good husband.

After the long elevator ride, the walk past the workstations and offices of other high-level executives, Nora stopped and gestured to the door of the largest and farthest office as she said "Here we are Mrs. Stephens, Mr. Stephen's office." Laila took the food, that she had helped her carry up here, from Nora's hands before she thanked her and said her goodbye. Having finally reached Noah's office and being separated from him by only the door that was in front of her, Laila's already excited heart began beating even faster and her smile became as wide and bright as could be. With a calm hand Laila knocked on the door and immediately after, she heard Noah's exited steps come towards the door before he opened it with an equally bright smile!