Dick Ep.6

Richard's face went blank; all the cool, calm demeanor he usually exuded was sucked out of him in that moment. The man in the blues suit's eyes felt like they were peering into Richard's soul, his facial expression had an intensity to it and Richard knew that he meant business. In that moment of pause Richard really didn't know what to feel, he was confused, pissed off, and intrigued about this whole ordeal but what he wasn't was scared. For some odd reason that feeling of doom was still not present, he wondered why out of all times his instincts had warned him of some nearby threat that this time they would go silent, how could that be? As Richard cleared his throat to offer an explanation to the man in the blue suit he heard someone’s voice in the distance, it was a females voice that sounded very familiar. Richard turned in his chair and then back to the man in the blue "did you hear that?" he asked, the man in the blue suits face was stoic and offered no response. The woman's voice continued to get louder and louder, Richard could not quite make out what she was saying but it had gotten to the point where he knew the man in the blue suit had to be hearing the same thing he was. "You don't hear that woman, you don't hear her hollering,” he asked, "You don't hear her?" Richard sprung out of his seat in a panic, was he having a nervous breakdown he thought, Richard began to pace the room; it felt as if the voice he heard was now coming out of the walls. Feeling as though the whole room was caving in Richard hollered out "You have to hear her, you don't hear her, you don't..." Suddenly Richard sat up with a gasp. His eyes opened quickly and as he looked around he saw the faces of his female friends that he invited out for the celebratory happy hour. Their eyes looked panicked. Lisa put her hand on his shoulder and asked if he was ok? Bewildered as to what had just happened and what was now going on Richard replied, "ummm, I think so" laughter filled the car as all the girls fell out at his response. Candace who was in the front seat said "Richard do you need us to take you home, we thought you were supposed to be a party animal?'' everyone, including the Lyft driver was laughing at this point. Lisa, who still had her hand on Richard's shoulder managed to speak in spite of the tears rolling down her face "you passed out silly, we're on our way to Red Lounge". Richard could do nothing but smile; the whole encounter with man in the blue suit was all a drunken dream. He had met up with his friends as planned and went a little too hard with the sake bombs at Sushi Rock. As he joined in the laughter all he could think of was how real that dream felt, shaking his head he said "hey, first round is on me when we get to Red Lounge" the girls let out a big cheer as the Lyft driver cranked up the music and the celebration continued.

Dick Ep.5

"We need to talk..." Richard quietly repeated as he let the elevator doors close "and how the fuck does he know my name?" Richard thought while watching the man walk into his office. Richard was baffled at what had just transpired, this man just shows up in the elevator, looking like a million bucks and somehow knows my name and clearly where my office is. It just didn't make sense, was it the head of HR? Was it a corporate headhunter that had the balls to come all the way into the office just to woo Richard to another company? "Not dressed like that,” Richard thought. As he walked slowly back to his office Richard was full of all kinds of emotions but what surprisingly wasn't there was that feeling of doom he had been dealing with for the majority of the day. For some reason Richard felt more intrigue than anything else, he was almost excited at the thought of what was to come next. Everything was a big game to Richard; he rarely gave dyer situations the level of respect most would feel they deserve. For Richard he always knew that somehow, someway things were going to be all right and he had the power to win any exchange. Richard was the walking affirmation of a store of self help books, it might sound unreasonable to most but he took great pride in the fact that he made himself what he was today and no one could ever take that away from him. As Richard entered his office he could do nothing but chuckle at the site of the man sitting at his desk, in his chair "this motherfucker here' Richard thought as he hung his coat and satchel. Pulling out a seat Richard himself had never sat in he prepared himself for whatever was next to come, seeing as how eventful the morning had been he couldn't wait to find out what new twist this day was going to take. The man in the blue suit pulled closer to the desk, crossed his arms, leaned in and said "So Richard, how’s your day going?" Richard answered with a smirk on his face "outstanding, and yours?’ The man leaned back in the chair as to gather his breath before he delivered his rebuttal "Richard, do you know who I am?" Richard couldn't control his mind from racing through every feasible scenario that could have brought this man to his office but he answered quickly "absolutely not". The man smirked, as he knew he was in full control of the situation and was taking great pleasure with the cat and mouse game he had initiated. What could have only been seconds felt like an eternity, Richard was growing impatient with this pseudo quid pro quo, he wanted answers and he wanted them now. "Hey look man" Richard blurted out as he leaned towards the desk "you're holding up my day with all this where's Waldo crap" Richards signature certified smart-ass lingo was now on full display. "Are you going to tell me what this is all about or should I just..." Richard paused as the man casually logged into his desktop computer. "What the fuck" Richard whispered out loud even though he meant for it to be kept as a thought. The man in blue suit wasted no time as he went straight to Richard's locked files, entered another passcode and pulled up a document labeled R.N.O. breaking his silence the man turned from the screen, looked Richard straight in the eyes and said "looks like we found Waldo".

Dick Ep.4

With the mornings business taken care of in such spectacular fashion Richard deemed it pointless to spend any more time in the office, there was nothing that was going to happen for the rest of the day that could possibly match the success of the Hitachi meeting. So feeling very confident about his executive decision to cancel the rest of the day he gathered his things and made a b-line to the elevator; it was time to celebrate. After a few quick passing conversations with the powers that be about how well the meeting went and some additional kind words to Sharon after he reminded her to keep his Friday afternoon schedule light he finally reached elevator. Richard knew exactly where he wanted to go first to get the party started and grabbed his phone to see if he could convince a few of his lady friends to take a long lunch and meet him at Sushi Rock, a nice little restaurant with good sushi and killer drink specials. Busy grinning at his phone while reading the responses to his requests the elevator doors opened and suddenly that feeling of doom he had earlier in the day returned. The excitement of the meeting and the drama with Sharon had made him forget all about how his day started, he still didn't know why he felt the way he felt this morning. As Richard looked up from his phone he was startled once again by what he saw standing in the elevator but this time it was by a face that he had never seen before. A man seemingly in his mid fifties was standing patiently at the back of the elevator; he wore a well-put together, blue three-piece suit and some cherry brown Tom Ford wingtips. His hair was salt and pepper with dark roots and silver streaks that ended in a close taper at the back of his neck. The man's paisley tie was offset with a deep ox blood pocket square and he smelled of Versace cologne. On the man's wrist was a timepiece Richard had only seen on Instagram or in GQ magazine; it was Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Quartz with a diamond bezel. To say Richard was a little taken aback would be and understatement, he had dealt with CEO's of major companies from all over the world but never had he seen a man put together with such detail and luxury. The man in the elevator exuded success and Richard had to find out who he was and what he was doing at his office. "Sir, may I help you?" Richard blurted out and instantly felt like he was an employee at the Gap or some other retail store. The man hearing Richards question took a deep breath and said "I don't know, maybe...” For some reason his response sent chills up Richard's spine, it wasn't what he said that was so jarring it was the way in which he said it and the look on his face when they made eye contact. The man had a look of what could best be described as royal impatience with the entire situation even though Richard had only said few words. Without breaking eye contact the man walked to the front of the elevator and brushed Richard as he passed. Richard was stuck. With a confused face and mind racing with questions about the brief but deeply jarring encounter he turned around to see what the hell had just happened. The man in the blue suit was now calmly and confidently walking down the hall way in the direction of Richards office, "what the hell is going on" thought Richard as he pressed the elevator button to prevent the doors from closing. Richard spoke up again "Sir! Can I help?" he said sternly as he was also getting a little frustrated with the peculiar nature of the whole encounter. The man, now walking like he was on a stroll in the park with his hand folded behind his back answered without breaking stride, "Richard we need to talk."

Dick Ep.3

Sharon's soliloquy was finally coming to an end and Richards mind regained focus on the task at hand, the Hitachi account meeting was in less than an hour and he was feeling a little less than prepared. After assuring Sharon that though her time here was brief she proved to be a valuable asset and wishing her the best on her new life in Dallas, Richard walked down the hallway from his office to the executive boardroom. He wanted to make sure that everything was perfect for the meeting, he had been overseeing this account for six months now and with the visit of the Hitachi's notoriously temperamental CEO looming things needed to be flawless. Richard knew that beyond facts and figures the way to win over the big wigs was with the thoughtful details of the room. Presenting expensive gifts with deeper meanings always proved to be a winning play when meeting with the upper echelon from foreign countries. A simple Blue Label bottle of Johnnie Walker and an engraved glass went a long way towards smoothing over any concerns one may have about the business at hand. Richard had spent time taking notes on how to excel at the nuances of high level business meeting while he worked his way up the ranks. He had seen multimillion-dollar deals be made or fall through because of the slightest gesture or misstep. This level of corporate canoodling was all a big game and Richard considered himself the MVP.


Though meeting with Sharon was over and he was now fully prepared for the Hitachi meeting Richard still felt off, that feeling of doom that he experienced in the elevator had lingered even after Ms. Chicken Little's grand proclamation. What is it? He wondered as he finished uploading the two hour presentation of sales statistics and projections that was sure to wow the Hitachi group and ease any trepidation they may have as the marketing campaign moved into its final stretch. By noon the big meeting had come to a close; Richard had preformed wondrously and as he ushered Mr. Higashihara and his partners to the elevator he felt a huge sense of relief. Not only was the Hitachi deal moving forward, Mr. Higashihara approved an additional marketing campaign for their new automotive systems branch. The new deal would need to be finalized and Mr. Higashihara insisted this meeting take place in Tokyo as he would take great pleasure in showing Richard all of the best his city had to offer. After a few handshakes and awkward bows the most important part of the week had come to a close and as the elevator doors shut Richard returned to his office with that signature, devilish grin on his face. He knew all too well the type of shenanigans those CEO types like to get into when they host outsiders at their home cities and Richard was all for it. These types of perks are what he loved most about his job; he reveled in those moments where the lines between risk and want were the blurriest. What Richard knew and what most didn't want to admit is with enough money you can get away with just about anything but with power you can absolutely have it all. A life without the two just seemed pointless to him, each painfully boring day followed by another. He was not interested in that sort of life at all; he much preferred excitement to security; "risk it all on every play" was his mantra "and let the chips fall where they may".

Dick Ep.2

Richard wasn't surprised by the news, his intuition had never lead him astray so he knew once he felt that feeling in the elevator this day was going to get just a little more interesting. As Sharon nervously fumbled over her words in an attempt to properly dress the issue so that it would be a softer blow Richard finally shouted "Enough, Sharon what is the problem?” Sharon fell silent, she had never heard Richard speak to her or anyone else in such a tone. Richard, realizing the force behind his words put his hand on Sharon's shoulder in an attempt to comfort her and gently repeated the statement, "Sharon what is the problem?” Now nearing Richard's office he took off his jacket and hung it neatly on the hook, Sharon walked in right behind him and sat down in an effort to compose herself and her thoughts. Richard placed his satchel on the desk, sat in his chair and offered Sharon the question for what he sincerely hoped was the last time; "Sharon, what is the problem?” As Sharon looked up he noticed that her eyes had begun to well up with tears, she was noticeably shaken by the news she had to report. She began to sniffle and as she grabbed a tissue off of his desk he could see her hand trembling. Richard's mind began to file through a million scenarios of what the problem could be. Just like when he was a kid he began to play back all of the things that he did that no one had ever found out about, was it the happy hour rendezvous with the receptionist? He knew that would come back to haunt him, she's married and her husband probably found out. All Richard could think about was how utterly wrong and totally exhilarating it was for them to have sex in the bathroom of The Diner when they decided to get a late night meal after a night of tequila shots. Or maybe someone had found out about the doctored up expense report from his trip to Vegas last year? He knew it was a major risk to expense an extra night and upgrade to the presidential suite at the Hard Rock but when you're operating in a cloud of cocaine and lust there isn't any reason to believe that your love for Mizz Kandi isn't real. As Sharon finally got herself together Richard had thought of at least five other missteps that probably was the reason for his immediate termination and probable criminal charges being filed. At this point he was already over the whole situation and just starred at Sharon with a dumb look of impatience on his face.  Sharon cleared her throat and spoke up "Richard... I have to resign". "Are you fucking kidding me?" he blurted out before he could convince his lips not to say what his mind was thinking. "Is that it?" the follow up question that stung Sharon even more than the first. He could see her reaction and hurriedly went into damage control mode. "No Sharon, I meant, you can't be leaving now, not with all that we have going on right now, I need you". Sharon's demeanor changed as she now felt Richard deemed her important and with a face full of pride she explained that her resignation was due to her husband getting offered a position in Dallas and they would be moving at the end of the month. As she went on about how great it was to work there and how she thought he was such a great boss all Richard could think of was "I can't believe she had me shook like that lol I gotta get my shit together'.

Dick Ep.1

It was a day no different than any other. He woke up at the same time as usual to the familiar sounds of the city; an orchestra of sirens, car horns, and the familiar sound of the Thursday trash pickup that signified the week was almost over. As he gathered his thoughts he managed to win the battle of procrastination by fighting his way out of his oh so comfortable bed. An awesome newly purchased comforter had him sleeping like a baby these past couple of nights and just yesterday he had lost that battle and ended up being 15 minutes late to work. Making his way to the bathroom to preform his morning routine he shuffled around like a man twice his age, years of playing sports rewarded him with knees and ankles that didn't quite work properly until they were warmed up and had a good cracking. Today was a big day at the office, a very important client had flown in from Japan to check on the progress of their highly anticipated international Ad campaign so he wanted to make sure he got to work early. Most days a polo and some slacks were more than acceptable office attire but today was definitely a suit type day. So as he shaved his head he mentally put together what jacket and pant combination he was going to adorn for such an important occasion  The morning was going completely to plan; now freshly shaved and dressed he made his was downstairs to prepare a quick protein shake for the 20-minute walk to work. Spring had just hit and he was ecstatic about being able to get in some extra cardio during his morning commute. Taking a taxi for such a short distance gets old quick and paying the exorbitant fairs gets old even quicker. Protein shake made, satchel on, keys in hand and he was out the door. "Man I'm making great time,” he thought as he hopped off the last step of his stoop and began the walk to work. It was a beautiful morning in the city, one of those mornings where the warm breeze kisses your skin and immediately puts you in a great mood. The trees lining the sidewalk had just begun to sprout the first few buds of the season. Birds could be heard chirping away on the branches and little squirrels were busy scurrying up and down the trunks. Spring was definitely here and the city was alive. After making a left onto K St. and then a right on 13th he was about 5 minutes away. The new album by Nipsey Hussle had just dropped the night before so he had his headphones on full blast as he bobbed his head to what was turning out to be a classic. Reaching work in record time he gave a head nod to security as he swiped his badge and winked at the receptionist with a devilish grin on his face. Three days ago she joined him for happy hour at Marvin's and things got a little less than professional. Hoping on the elevator he began to mentally prepare for the day, it was a short ride to the 11th floor but he always liked to use this time to get his mind prepared for the morning’s agenda. Just as he was reaching his floor he felt a weird feeling come over him, it damn near made what little hair he had on the back of his neck stand up. He always had been a person that could sense when something were off or wrong.  As the elevator doors opened he was startled by an abrupt greeting from Sharon, his new office assistant, "Richard I am so glad that you are here, we have a huge problem!"