VELOCITY - DEE JACOB [71]
Amy blinked as she realized that he was in earnest.
“Murph, are you sure? Is this what you want?”
“No, it is not what I want. I am just a few years away from retirement, and I always thought I would retire from Hi-T.”
“Do you intend to leave the company?”
“I would prefer not to. If there is anything else, any other position where I could be useful …”
Amy pressed her lips together and thought for a moment.
“Why don’t you take some time off,” Amy then said to him. “Take a few days, whatever. Let me talk this over with Human Resources. Right now, I don’t know what, if anything, we can offer. If there is a position or if we could create one for you, it might involve a move down and less money. But if we can come up with something, would you be interested?”
“I certainly will give it fair consideration,” said Murphy, brightening a bit, clearly relieved that some other position might be an option. “And I do thank you. I’ll appreciate anything you can do.”
“Well, I appreciate your being forthright,” said Amy. “By the way, is there anyone you would recommend as your replacement at Oakton?”
“Jayro Pepps,” said Murphy without hesitation. “He is a believer in LSS, and as far as plant operations, he knows as much as I do – almost. And if he ever invites you over for barbeque, be there.”
Reactions to Murphy Maguire’s decision to leave Oakton were varied and not all were what Amy had expected. When Amy spoke to Wayne Reese later that morning, he at first expressed surprise.
“I didn’t think he would just up and quit,” said Wayne.
“We’re trying to work it out so that he doesn’t have to leave the company,” said Amy. “But I’m not sure if we can find him anything that’s mutually acceptable.”
“Well, it’s too bad in a way … but I think it’s really for the best,” said Wayne. “You know, we’re trying to make big changes, and if he can’t wholeheartedly embrace what we’re trying to accomplish, then it’s a good thing for everyone that he’s stepping aside. And I respect him for that. Maguire is actually a very smart guy – just stubborn and set in his ways. I hope he lands on his feet.”
“You’re sure you don’t want to talk to him and get him to reconsider?” asked Amy.
Wayne hesitated.
“No, I’m sure he made the right call,” Wayne said.
But when Amy mentioned the matter to Garth Quincy, Garth’s reaction was quite different.
“Murph is quitting? Oh, man. That sucks big time.”
“Why? Were you friends?” asked Amy.
“No, I hardly know the guy. It’s just that Murph was, I’ve always thought, one of the best people in this company.”
“Now, wait a minute!” said Amy. “Just yesterday you were saying that if Oakton doesn’t get its act together, it could bring the whole company down. Now Murphy quits and you’re upset. Why the change of heart?”
“I never said Murph was the problem! What I said was that since Winner took over, Oakton hasn’t been the same! I didn’t mean that it was Murphy’s fault. Over the years, in my opinion, he’s been dependable. It’s just that in the last few, especially this past year, things have been slipping. If that’s because of him, then I’m glad he’s out. If not … well, I hope you get somebody good in there.”
“Mom, I need my baseball uniform.”
“Ben, you’ve got two of them. Where are they?”
“They’re in the laundry.”
“Both of them?”
“Yeah, and it’s Michelle’s week.”
Amy sighed. It was Saturday and she was at the kitchen table working on her laptop, reading the latest figures on shipments, which were showing no improvement.
“Did you ask your sister nicely to wash at least one of them right away?”
“Yeah, and she told me, too bad, she’s washing delicates.”
Amy got to her feet and started for the basement stairs.
“You know,” she said to Ben over her shoulder, “I bought you the second uniform so we wouldn’t have this problem.”
“But the coach is teaching me to slide! They get dirty real quick!”
Michelle was pairing socks when her mother came down the basement stairs.
“Ben has a game two hours from now,” Amy stated. “He needs a clean uniform.”
“Well, I can only do one