deaf.
“Wouldn’t it be unethical?” Jack asked again.
“Huh?”
“Unethical, Sir.”
“What’s that word? Don’t use that word around here.”
“Okay,” Jack replied, forcing a smile.
“It’d be good reporting, is what it’d be,” Mac replied, picking up his phone. “Now get out there and start impressing me by filing some copy for the next edition. I’ve got some calls to make, so don’t bother me until it’s knocking-off time. I want five good, meaty stories on my desk by the time you leave, understood?”
“Five?” Jack replied, shocked by the scale of the challenge he was facing.
“Five,” Mac said firmly. “Now move. You don’t have time to stand in my office looking gormless and lost, not if you want to have any kind of career in the newspaper business.” He looked down at his paperwork for a moment, before glancing back at Jack as the new hire headed to the door. “Your wife,” he called after him. “Is her name Jane?”
Jack turned back to him. “Yes, it is. Do you know her?”
“I’ve seen her about,” Mac replied, getting back to work. “This is one hell of a small town.”
***
“He’s a little…” Jack paused for a moment, trying to think of the right word to describe his new boss. “Old-fashioned,” he continued finally. “I think that’s all it is. He’s, like, in his fifties at least. I think he doesn’t really understand the modern world, and he’s struggling to stay afloat.”
“Snap,” Jane muttered, taking a bite of her sandwich as she and her husband sat in the middle of the town square, under the shade of the old birch tree. It had become a tradition for them to meet for lunch, and one that was much easier now they worked almost next door to one another. “My boss is quite a character too. Sometimes I think Alex is actually…” She paused, and then she smiled. “I shouldn’t say stuff like that. He’s a good man. Different, but good.”
“Mac wants me to squeeze you for information,” Jack replied.
“Squeeze me?”
“You know, get you to let things slip so I can put them in the paper.”
“Fat chance.”
“That’s what I told him.”
“I’d get fired,” she continued, “and then where would we be?” She took another bite. “Are you sure your mother doesn’t mind picking the kids up from school later? I feel like we’ve placed such a burden on her.”
“It’s fine. She likes helping out, and she’s glad that we’re both pursuing our careers.”
“But the kids -”
“Will be fine at my mother’s for an hour after school each day,” he added. “Stop worrying.” He paused for a moment. “So is there any scoop you could pass on to me?”
“Seriously?”
“I need to impress Mac. I know it’s wrong, but just on my first day, if you could -”
“Nope,” she said firmly, shaking her head.
“Damn it,” he replied with a smile, “why did I marry someone who has such strong morals?”
“You made a big mistake there,” she told him. “Shoulda found some dumb little thing who doesn’t give a rat’s ass.” Leaning over, she kissed the side of his face, lingering for a moment to breathe in the smell of his aftershave. She wanted to kiss him again immediately, but she knew she shouldn’t get carried away so she pulled back. “You’ll do just fine. Before you know it, Mac’ll be out and you’ll be the Herald’s new editor.”
“Hah,” he replied, “that’ll be the day.”
“I mean it,” she continued. “You’re the future of that newspaper, everyone knows it. Mac’s so set in his ways, it’s unreal. I’m not being ageist, I just think his time has passed.”
“True,” Jack said with a smile. “He asked me today whether I thought the paper needed a website, and where we’d buy one. Not that he actually used the word website, of course. He called it a computer page.” He quickly launched into a half-decent impression of Mac: “Hey, kid, where do we get one of them computer pages
“Wouldn’t it be unethical?” Jack asked again.
“Huh?”
“Unethical, Sir.”
“What’s that word? Don’t use that word around here.”
“Okay,” Jack replied, forcing a smile.
“It’d be good reporting, is what it’d be,” Mac replied, picking up his phone. “Now get out there and start impressing me by filing some copy for the next edition. I’ve got some calls to make, so don’t bother me until it’s knocking-off time. I want five good, meaty stories on my desk by the time you leave, understood?”
“Five?” Jack replied, shocked by the scale of the challenge he was facing.
“Five,” Mac said firmly. “Now move. You don’t have time to stand in my office looking gormless and lost, not if you want to have any kind of career in the newspaper business.” He looked down at his paperwork for a moment, before glancing back at Jack as the new hire headed to the door. “Your wife,” he called after him. “Is her name Jane?”
Jack turned back to him. “Yes, it is. Do you know her?”
“I’ve seen her about,” Mac replied, getting back to work. “This is one hell of a small town.”
***
“He’s a little…” Jack paused for a moment, trying to think of the right word to describe his new boss. “Old-fashioned,” he continued finally. “I think that’s all it is. He’s, like, in his fifties at least. I think he doesn’t really understand the modern world, and he’s struggling to stay afloat.”
“Snap,” Jane muttered, taking a bite of her sandwich as she and her husband sat in the middle of the town square, under the shade of the old birch tree. It had become a tradition for them to meet for lunch, and one that was much easier now they worked almost next door to one another. “My boss is quite a character too. Sometimes I think Alex is actually…” She paused, and then she smiled. “I shouldn’t say stuff like that. He’s a good man. Different, but good.”
“Mac wants me to squeeze you for information,” Jack replied.
“Squeeze me?”
“You know, get you to let things slip so I can put them in the paper.”
“Fat chance.”
“That’s what I told him.”
“I’d get fired,” she continued, “and then where would we be?” She took another bite. “Are you sure your mother doesn’t mind picking the kids up from school later? I feel like we’ve placed such a burden on her.”
“It’s fine. She likes helping out, and she’s glad that we’re both pursuing our careers.”
“But the kids -”
“Will be fine at my mother’s for an hour after school each day,” he added. “Stop worrying.” He paused for a moment. “So is there any scoop you could pass on to me?”
“Seriously?”
“I need to impress Mac. I know it’s wrong, but just on my first day, if you could -”
“Nope,” she said firmly, shaking her head.
“Damn it,” he replied with a smile, “why did I marry someone who has such strong morals?”
“You made a big mistake there,” she told him. “Shoulda found some dumb little thing who doesn’t give a rat’s ass.” Leaning over, she kissed the side of his face, lingering for a moment to breathe in the smell of his aftershave. She wanted to kiss him again immediately, but she knew she shouldn’t get carried away so she pulled back. “You’ll do just fine. Before you know it, Mac’ll be out and you’ll be the Herald’s new editor.”
“Hah,” he replied, “that’ll be the day.”
“I mean it,” she continued. “You’re the future of that newspaper, everyone knows it. Mac’s so set in his ways, it’s unreal. I’m not being ageist, I just think his time has passed.”
“True,” Jack said with a smile. “He asked me today whether I thought the paper needed a website, and where we’d buy one. Not that he actually used the word website, of course. He called it a computer page.” He quickly launched into a half-decent impression of Mac: “Hey, kid, where do we get one of them computer pages
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