《Life of Tom》 Life Is Work Another day of work has passed for Tom. He works everyday selling papers and warehousing company documents/files. For some reason, this job never seemed to get dull for Tom. Maybe it has but since he was so enthralled in working, he was too busy to even care. Talk about a devoted employee or perhaps even a workaholic to the extreme. Anyway, Tom continued to work day after day not even considering if there were any other employees let alone any other beings within the workplace or around the area. He just walks straight from the front door straight into his office and head-first into his work. Everyone felt concerned about Tom. He never attempted to socialize with the other co-workers or anyone in general for that matter. Maybe Tom just plainly hates people or perhaps he simply loves wallowing in his lonesome darkness. The cubicle of an outcast is truly an area worthy, or should I say destined for our friend Tom. Stolen novel; please report.We don''t even know if we''re even friends, to begin with. I can hardly say that we know each other let alone even ever meeting at any point in time throughout this life but I''m only a voice-over so why should Tom even care? Maybe deep down within himself, he does care or perhaps I''m wrong. It''s been about at least a year now and Tom still hasn''t even attempted to interact with any of the people around him. It''s not Tom''s fault, but it may be the employer''s own for putting Tom in such a menial position such as this. Toms Surprise One day sales got low and the company began to experience debt. Eventually, the only department making any income was Tom''s. Surprisingly, his sales kept the company afloat and everyone began to get jealous of him. Even though he never bothered any of them, just the mere fact that only he is bringing in finances was rather infuriating. All the other workers began to revolt and were planning to kill Tom within the next few days before the boss gave out a promotion to one lucky employee. Can''t imagine why Tom is about to become yet another innocent lamb put to the slaughter. Sad day for poor Tom but suddenly, a fellow female employee came to his rescue but sadly the poor woman met her deadly fate but it didn¡¯t bother him. Little did he know that this woman was infatuated with him. She always left food baskets and other things right beside his office. There were also scented letters that he never even considered opening but simply left them behind to give the room a feeling of therapy throughout the office. The other workers were right at his door ready to barge in at any moment but Tom was too busy to care. Just as the door broke down, the other workers just could not believe their eyes. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Realization It wasn''t long until the raging co-workers were to get into Tom''s office. The door itself was sturdy, but in no way a contender in putting a stop to the amount of force it was about to experience. What would''ve been minutes ended up as seconds as the door collapsed to the ground hard enough to make anyone jump. All except for Tom it appears. He''s still continuing to type away at his desk as if nothing else in the world mattered. Only disgust befell the eyes of his former co-workers. Where''s the resistance, the fear, or any source of concern about the situation about to take place? It was as if this very event was insignificant from the very beginning. Was Tom actually expecting this to take place? The answer to that question is obviously a negative. For Tom didn''t had a care in the world, sitting at his desk crunching line after line of seemingly randomized integers displayed on the screen in such a fashion that it would drive any normal man to insanity. Everyone flinched back as Tom did something they weren''t quite expecting. Well, least from their perspective depiction of him anyway. The sound of clicking keys finally came to an end and what shocked the angry mob even more was the mere fact that Tom actually stood from his chair. You can tell that he hardly left the poor thing as it bared a permanent imprint of his seated position. Silence and expectation filled throughout the office space as Tom finally turned around to face his aggressors. One would think that this would be the perfect opportunity to paint the cubicle red but Tom wasn''t a man of much violence. That fact alone was enough to feel dread if he ever actually snaps. However, this wasn''t the right time to let loose some steam. No, this was the perfected opportunity to take the very first steps ever taken for a long time and walk right out the office. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Such brazen action taken by such an ordinary office worker. Could you believe it? The act alone was enough to inflict bewilderment to those watching but Tom had other things in mind. Finding a nearby water machine, he filled a cup with water and headed downstairs to the outdoor garden. "Just what was on his mind?", they all thought as one of the employees decided to follow Tom. However, they''d soon realize that a shift was about to take place in the company. Now what it might be is still a mystery. Or maybe I''m withholding such crucial information to be discovered later. I wasn''t much of a spoiled sport and neither is Tom. We''re both bona fide gentlemen of of secrecy with much depths to explore you see. Revelation Not many of the employees ever visited the garden on this floor aside from the maintenance workers and a select few individuals. One of which being Tom. Now, you''re probably wondering how is this the case when he hasn''t been shown to leave the office? Well, little did most knew, there were only a set of events that had Tom tending to the garden. Remember that woman who gave her life for our titular fellow? Those very flowers were the product from that very garden. She had spied on our Tom from a distance for the longest time, eventually catching the man on one of his breaks tending to the garden. It was then that she discovered another side of Tom that no-one else had ever seen. What was once an everyday joe of an office worker with little to no social life had turned into a green thumb with a caring side to them. Of course, the one spying on Tom right now had no idea of this; so the shock of seeing him out here was surely a surprise to behold. Who would''ve thought that there was more to this man than what was originally portrayed. Tom came out here with or purpose, or maybe there was just something that he wanted to do. Maybe it was all part of his routine but after tending to the garden, he arranged himself a bouquet of flowers and walked right back out into the hallway. Thankfully the spy had enough time to get out of view but foolishly so. Not that they were a subject of Tom''s importance at the moment. What was to come from the next event really shook everyone to the very core. Bouquet in hand, Tom walked over to the deceased woman, rests the flowers next to her corpse and prayed for a moment. Who would believe that Tom cared about anything other than work?! Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. The workers couldn''t believe this act of selflessness. Some were even questioning their very reality but in truth, it was them that drove the company down to the state that it''s in now. Constant slacking off, failing to make deadlines and don''t even get me started on the amount of employee parties that took place in the span of merely a week alone. Tom had to work his poor humanity away just to keep the company afloat while everyone was having the time of their lives celebrating what little youth they still had left. None of them wanted to blame themselves for having fun on the job, but you can imagine the blood pressure of the person in charge if it weren''t for Tom putting in all that extra effort. You can almost say that he soloed the company''s quotas on his shoulders. Like that one Greek legend where a Titan was punished for attempting to rise against the gods. Poetic in a corporative, dystopian kind of way. Enough delegation. It appears that a voice on the intercom has something to say about the events that transpired. "All of you have done QUITE enough for one business day. Get BACK to your offices or so help me that none of you will ever see the light of day beyond this building for as long as you live!! Tom, I''d like to meet you in my office to discuss a private matter... Immediately." Well you heard the boss. If I were you, it''s best to get a move on lickety-split before things get really intense. Best of luck to you my faithful companion. I knew thee well. The Interview Everything was put to a stop once the announcement from the boss came from the intercom. No one expected for the big cheese of the company to make an entrance but thankfully, the timing couldn''t be any better. All the others could do now is let Tom go with nothing but hostile glares and unsettled muttering under their breaths. "Lucky man you turned out to be today Tom. So how about you head on over and see what your employer has to say." Only a sigh escaped Tom as he made his way to the top floor. The Boss likes to keep a distance from themselves and the employees. You can already imagine why it came to no surprise that they had to seclude themselves to such an extent. It was quite a walk; so thank heavens the elevators were still working. It would''ve done a number on our corporate crusader here. Well, enough about me making the best of a potentially life-changing situation. Our hero''s about to walk through the door any moment now. Within seconds, Tom stood by the door, hesitating to open it. It has been long since he ever met the Boss of his place of work. The last time he''s ever interacted with them was during his first day on the job. Albeit, it was rather brief considering the hectic sounds of copying machines and ringing phone lines taking place during that time. Nervousness racked his mind but he had to face his demons head on. It wouldn''t have been wise to keep his superior waiting; so the knob was turned, unlocking the doorway into the office. The light coming from the open window made Tom hold a hand over his head as he tried to step inside. It was then that a familiar voice called out to him. "Greetings Tom. I know it''s been a while but it''s been quite a day for you hasn''t it? I apologize for the lighting, but I like to have my office space on the brighter side of things. Please, take a seat so that we can discuss the reason why I called you in." A feminine voice that was all too familiar to Tom. He recognized the woman as his Boss. He never really bothered to remember her name but in actuality, he wasn''t one for recognition. The office was his workspace, the angry mob below were just co-workers and now the person before him only known as the Boss. Tom wasn''t much of a communicator either, which was a common occurrence within the company. His superior was well aware of that but still did what she could to strike up a conversation with our silent protagonist. Once the seat was taken, she spoke. "Honestly Tom... You were really going to just let them behave like that towards you? You''re lucky that I caught you all at that exact moment. Heavens know how much messier that situation would''ve been if I hadn''t intervened. However, I''m quite impressed at how well you handled the situation. If it were anyone else, I probably would''ve been down a few employees or so. Not that it would''ve been a bad thing but the risk of losing such a valuable employee such as you would''ve been problematic. You''re pretty much the bread and butter of this business after all. My most sincerest of thanks goes out toward you for that alone." Stolen story; please report. It''s true that Tom kept the company afloat for all these years. For all that has happened today, it was a comforting thing to hear that his work was still appreciated. He exhaled a sigh of relief and nodded as the Boss continued to speak. "Sometimes I wonder if it was still worth keeping this place running. With all the moral ethics out there, it kind of makes it difficult to call it quits. It''s just stressful Tom. If I shut the place down, it''s more likely that those same individuals would seek vengeance. Keeping them on however is still bad for business, but you can see why replacements are difficult to come by." It was clear that the whole predicament was taking a toll on the woman. Even if he was just a regular office worker, Tom still knew what it was like to be a person despite his lack thereof. He stood up and went over to the coffee maker to heat up some water. Taking a provided mug, he added some herbal leaves and one spoon of sugar to brew her some tea. After presenting the cup to his Boss, she called him over. "I''ve a few things I''d like to say to you personally Tom. Hope you don''t mind the close distance between us." Proposition "It''s been a long time since you''ve worked for this company Tom. I''m honestly amazed that you''ve made it up to this point without things ending up the way they are now. About that co-worker of yours... I know you didn''t know her much, but there''s a few things you should know about." She pulled a file from the desk and handed it to Tom, clearly disturbed by the predicament. "I''ll let you look into those on your spare time but the issue lies in what she''s left behind. A teenaged daughter of whom still has a ways to go to be on her own two feet. With no family, you can imagine why being a highschooler isn''t the best position when you''ve just lost your only means of support. Much as the issue can be passed on to the authorities specialized in this kind of thing, I feel that it would only make things worse. I''m down one employee and the is down a parental figure. You can probably see why I''m telling you all this information." She handed him an envelope that seems to bear an official government stamp. This could only mean one thing... Tom looked at the envelope with a sense of worry and dread as his boss pats him on the back, causing him to flinch out of whatever spell he was under. "C''mon. It ain''t all that bad. I think you would make a great ''Father''. It''s the least you can do for what has transpired. You''re my only competent worker and I don''t want to lose you just to please the slackers down there. If I''m to be honest between you and me, we''re the only ones with a solid head on our shoulders to keep the place running. I know it sounds selfish of me to put this on you in order to save my own skin, but... It wasn''t an easy choice for me to make Tom. You don''t have to worry about the others since I have a compromise you may very well like." Tom was a little confused, gulping under his breath of what possible ways this situation could get any worse. Just when he was content enough to continue his menial existence as an office worker. It was just too much for the poor fellow to process but the situation has already made itself alarmingly clear. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. There wasn''t much choice in the situation for Tom. It was either lose the only job he ever had for the sake of personal safety at the cost of inadvertently damaging the future of a child or having to face the more dire consequences of feigning ignorance over the matter. As hard as it may seem to admit, he nodded his head and waited to hear the worst possible news he could imagine. "It''s going to take a while before I can find a suitable replacement; so we''ll share the workload until further notice. For your sake, it''s best that you come and go from the facility alongside me. You''ll be working on the same floor as me; so don''t worry too much. Unless you want to share my office space until you feel safe enough to work on this floor without concern." The statement alone was almost enough to put our protagonist six feet under. How could his employer say something as brazen as that with a straight face?! Nonetheless, it''s true that he couldn''t just ignore the issue any longer. After a pause, he looked at the envelope and nodded his head in agreement. "I''m not forcing you to do this Tom but I assure you it wasn''t as easy as I''d wanted. After work, we''ll go over to the house and explain the news to the girl. I know it''s rough but, this was the best possible deal I could arrange where we all don''t lose anything more than we already have. You have me sincerest thanks Tom." With that said, the two shook hands and our knight in shining armor here actually got a hug from his Boss. I can tell there are big things ahead in your future Tom. Just you wait and see.