🤵 Fake It ’Til Ya Make It 🤵
Mike Kraus
“Paul! Whatcha doin’ home taday?” He’s puttering around his yard as I cut down Hume Avenue. I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen him in jeans and a T-shirt. “Are ya on vacation or somethin’?”
“Oh, hey Luke.” He makes his way to the edge of the property. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him with stubble before. Just assumed Paul had a baby face. “What’s goin’ on?”
“Not much. Just runnin’ some errands.” I hold up a grocery bag full of random junk. “Got da day off?”
“Yeah… was laid off last week. So, have lotsa days off now.” Paul follows with embarrassed laughter.
“Ugh… Sorry ta hear dat, man.” He looks at the grass and kicks a stone toward the street. “Are ya doin’ awright? Need anythin’?”
“I’m good fer now. I have a bit of money saved up ta get me through a coupla months. Whadda ‘bout you? How’s everythin’ goin’?”
“’Bout da same. Still no steady work. Still livin’ at my granpa’s. Still stuck in-between things. But, doin’ fine.” I set the grocery bag down since it seems I’ll be here a while. “Still seein’ Jonathan?”
“Oh yeah,” he cracks a half-smile. “Things are goin’ well with us. Been really supportive ‘nd fun. Jon’s in Pittsburgh fer werk this week though.”
“Good. I like ‘im.” The conversation lulls to a stop as Paul seems preoccupied with concern. “Did they give ya a reason fer bein’ laid off?”
“Some bullshit ‘bout havin’ ta cut costs even though we made record profits ‘nd senior management got huge pay increases ‘nd bonuses. I increased net revenue fer my projects by nearly 60% in three years ‘nd still got cut.”
“Dat sucks. Been there myself though.” I remove tortilla chips from the bag and offer to share. “Were ya da only one cut or were there others?”
“A few of us got da ax.”
“Did they give ya a reason fer their choices?”
“Not really. Gave us da usual line ‘bout how they valued our loyalty ‘nd dat our hard werk made a huge impact on da campany ‘nd yada, yada, yada. I hosted dinner fer those of us laid off ‘nd we thought their decisions were strange.”
“’Strange’, how so?” I could eat bags of tortilla chips forever.
“It may be just sour grapes, but it’s odd who they kept ‘nd who they released. Fer da most part, those laid off were da most experienced, hardest workin’, self-motivated, ‘nd responsible. I mean, one of my co-workers was there 17 years, took home lotsa werk on nights ‘nd weekends, ‘nd loved what she did. These were da types of people now strugglin’ ta file fer unemployment ‘nd fill out job applications.”
“I’m sure they have a rational explanation.”
“Yer probably right. But, I’d like ta know why they kept who they did.”
“Bet that was a hot topic at dinner. Who’d they keep?”
“Again, might be sour grapes. But, most of them are useless. They show up late, leave early, ‘nd take extra long lunches. Most of ’em don’t know how ta use da database, which is used fer almost every aspect of our jobs. ‘Bout all they were good at was callin’ attention ta themselves. Pretendin’ they’re celebrities walkin’ down da red carpet dressed up with da rest of us as adorin’ fans. Dat ‘nd kissin’ ass ‘nd ‘yes men’ ta every stupid idea. I guess ya gotta do somethin’ when ya have da worst sales ‘nd production numbers.”
“Do ya really think it’s ‘sour grapes’?”
“Really?” Paul’s too thoughtful and knows himself too well to be envious. “If we just started ta feel this way ‘bout these people after da layoff, I might say ‘yeah, probably.’ But, I think our feelins are valid. But, I think da world’s changin’ too. Companies no longer appreciate good skills, efficiency, ‘nd competence. It’s all ‘bout the facade now. Even a fake appearance of success is better than true good results.”
“If dat’s true, I’m really in trouble. Do ya really believe dat?”
“Well, I use ta believe in da whole Puritan work ethic and all. But, like everythin’ else, dat seems ta be obsolete. I guess I gotta get an Armani suit ta deceive everyone. Ya know, da whole fake it ’til ya make it nonsense.”
“Ha! I guess a fake economy requires phony people ta run it, right?” How can I be out of chips already? “Got anythin’ lined up fer a job?”
“Nothin’ much. A friend of mine said I could help him sell phone accessories part-time ’til I find somethin’ better. I’m hoping ta get somethin’ before my mortgage ‘nd student loans are due. Hate ta put dat on da credit card.”
“I’ll keep my eyes peeled fer ya. Are ya busy now? Wanna hang out or somethin’?”
“Nah. Got no money. Plus, I should finish up some stuff ‘round da house. But, come over this weekend ‘nd we can watch da game.” We wrap up our conversation. Paul zig-zags aimlessly on his lawn. For my friends and family, losing a job is the first step toward moving away.
To read more, please visit: Intro: 🏡 History of Walnut House 🏡: https://readmedium.com/c01d241376bf 1) — 🚶 Ramblin’ Man 🚶♂️: https://readmedium.com/e7e0ea6355ff 2) — 👁Just Don’t See It 👁: https://readmedium.com/c93db0285d52 3) 🍸 Awakening 🍸: https://readmedium.com/b72e7dcbd17c 4) 🎸 Gazed In Wide Wonder 🎸: https://readmedium.com/626ce857b1cd 5) 💊 Tattered 💊: https://readmedium.com/a0422087f4e0 6) 🏭 Warehouse 🏭: https://readmedium.com/31bb79506dee 7) 🍹Little Taste of Grandpa’s Cough Syrup 🍹: https://readmedium.com/135499bc53d8 8) 🍳🥓☕ Breakfast With Anabelle ☕🥓🍳: https://readmedium.com/0839cce6bc47 9) 👾 What Lurks In the Basement 👾: https://readmedium.com/e8e7525f9bcc 10) 🌙 Night Time Is the Right Time 🌙: https://readmedium.com/6f6bbaef1e8e 11) 🖼 Refuge From An Indifferent World 🖼: https://readmedium.com/8ef888cb076c 12) ☠ Skull & Crossbones Memory ☠: https://readmedium.com/3f18f90ac784 13) 💚☕🚚 An Enchanting Evening At the Golden Ticket 🚚☕💚: https://readmedium.com/2f8284be509f 14) 🌭 Gotta Have Some Fun Before Ya Go 🌭: https://readmedium.com/2ca6412ca654 15) ✋ Handsy Hubert 🤚: https://readmedium.com/d7151e07870b 17) 🐴📦 Funny Little Box 📦🐴: https://readmedium.com/ea4b2fb0002d 18) 🍕 Tommy’s Pizza, Can I Help Ya? 🍕: https://readmedium.com/4ea3d996da9c 19) 🍺 Dusty’s Saloon 🍺: https://readmedium.com/09d9328ba48f 20) 💣 Does It Matter? 💣: https://readmedium.com/71218e31b858 21) 🥀 Hospice 🥀:https://readmedium.com/c7e330448393 22) 📢 ESTATE SALE! Today 10am-3pm 📢: https://readmedium.com/864c65a8c544
Mike Kraus was born on the industrial shoreline of Muskegon, Michigan. After earning his Fine Arts Degree from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, he attended Grand Valley State University for his graduate degree. From there, he gained varied experiences from the Chicago Architecture Center, Art Institute of Chicago, Hauenstein Center For Presidential Studies, Lollypop Farm Humane Society, and the Lurie Children’s Foundation. And every place he worked, he had his sketchbook with him and found ways to be actively creative. In 2014, Kraus became a full-time artist by establishing Mike Kraus Art. Since then, he has sold thousands of paintings that are displayed in nearly every state and dozens of countries. Currently, Kraus lives in Rochester, New York with his beautiful wife and goofy dog.
For more information, please visit: Store: http://MikeKrausArt.etsy.com Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/BrightscapesArt/ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MikeKrausArt Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/MikeKraus/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/mikekrausart LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mkraus
