Connected To Him (ManxMan)

Part 2: Chapter 38

Chapter 38: Promotions and Propositions

Ethan was excited to be out of the office today. He was meeting with a new client, which required him to go to them. His office was fine–high ceilings and spacious cubicles helped it not feel incredibly cramped–but Ethan still felt the gray walls closing in on him every once in a while. It was a relief to get out for a change.

The company he was working with was a butcher's chain with only three branches. When Ethan walked into their main location, the smell of garlic and spices hit him first. He began to smile until the blood the other scents attempted to cover broke through. Ethan imagined cute animated cows looking down on him with disdain. He winced.

"Good morning, what can I get for you, sir?" A man boomed with a grin. He was short and lanky, tattoos littering the parts of his arm that his t-shirt didn't cover. Ethan returned the smile as he walked over, pulling out his business card.

"I'm sure your meats are great but I'm here about your IT system,"

The other man's eyes widened in recognition and his grin spread into a smile. There were about four other people in the shop apart from the three employees behind the glass displays. The man speaking to Ethan went to the front end of the displays and opened a small door, gesturing for Ethan to join him.

"Hey, I'm Body, one of the co-owners," He said, reaching out to shake Ethan's hand. "My partner is at our uptown location so it's just going to be me today."

Ethan shook his hand while trying to dissuade Body's concern.

"That's totally fine. Can you take me to a computer you use so I can check out your current systems?" Ethan asked. His business persona was in full effect, a pleasant but not too large smile plastered on his cheeks.

Body led Ethan to a back area of the shop and into his office. The small space had posters covering the walls but the only furniture to be found was a filing cabinet, two chairs, and the desk with Body's computer on top. Ethan was pleased to see the most recent iMac placed there. Too many times Ethan could barely address a company's IT issues because their equipment was archaic. Luckily, this would not be one of those times.

"Can you tell me a bit about the systems you guys already have?" Ethan as Body walked up to his computer. "Likes, dislikes, what made you come to our company for help, et cetera."

"The programs we use are fine, but they feel like they're made for upstarts or really small businesses," Body explained, sighing through his teeth. "Our company's doing well and growing. The software just isn't keeping up."

Body was asked a few more questions but Ethan stayed aware of the fact that he had a business to run and made things quick. Within a few minutes, Body logged into his computer and then left, giving Ethan free reign to peruse the company's accounting, filing, and logging systems. Looking through all of it was tedious work, but Ethan enjoyed the challenge of finding problems that most could not, arguably more than he liked finding their solutions.

For some, it would have been boring, mind-numbing work but Ethan was in love with it. He lost track of time going through every detail, checking different functions, and when Body re-entered the room an hour and a half later, Ethan was startled. Begrudgingly, he downloaded some information onto his flash drive to work on it back at the office.

He left the back office and headed out towards the front of the store. He found Body with a customer, packing away the sausages they pointed at. Ethan lingered awkwardly behind him, trying not to look weird as he waited for the man to finish up with the client. Luckily, within a few moments, Body passed off the bag to the employee manning the cash register. When he turned back around, he noted Ethan lingering by the doorway between the front and the back rooms. Ethan straightened up, hoping he appeared more confident than he was.