GIVE THE DEVIL HER DUE : Chapter 2
VP Henry Tarbuck closed the file folder
then shifted his bulk to place it on a nearby table.
His expensive chair started to groan in protest then
as if remembering how much it cost, only murmured quietly.
“We must be careful that this hearing gives
all the appearances of being completely fair, especially
after the disaster in Lyle’s office.”
Jonathan leaned forward and deposited
his now empty cup on the stand beside him. “Yes,
I heard about Lyle bungling that one. First he
yelled at her so loudly that the secretaries in the
outer office left in embarrassment and then was stupid
enough to tell her in front of witnesses that the
hearing panel was only a formality and that she would
be terminated anyway.”
The vp shrugged, obviously irritated.
“Admittedly, he pushed too hard. It came
as a shock to him that she would refuse his demand
that she resign. He lost his cool and tried
to bully her into it. He’s new to this,
taking over as he did such a relatively short time
ago from Jimbo.”
“Well it does appear that he
had problems with her. I do see that she appears
to have a propensity for causing discomfort, but other
women, and men too for that matter, have been troublesome.
Why the excessive anger toward her?”
“First off, Jonathan, the anger
is not excessive, it is justified,” Henry retorted
testily. “Yes, we’ve had critics,
annoying critics, but when we offered them some redress,
they were grateful. She, on the other hand,
considered every concession we made as ’a day
late and a dollar short’ utterly
maddening! And what really frosts everyone’s
ass is that she is just as recalcitrant when she argues
on behalf of someone else. Who the hell is she
to care if someone feels unfairly treated by us?”
“Well, of course I’m still
using the only frame of reference that I have which
is her personnel file and from what I can see she was
as much ’sinned against as sinner’.”
“That might have some validity
up to the point where she openly and publicly challenged
the president of this university,” retorted Henry
waving the file he was holding in Jonathan’s
face for emphasis, “but not anymore.”
“You mean she picked on The Pope, Henry?”