Author’s Note: This is a continuation of the story about Joseph looking for his orb of purpose. It’s an epilogue and the outcome of the orb Joseph chose. Catch up by reading Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, & Part 4.
20 Years Later
Joseph called his first employee into his office. It was time for year-end reviews, and he was delighted to give them his honest feedback. Each of them had performed above and beyond his expectations and he was excited to give them areas to improve in for the next year. His team was small and efficient. Everyone was looking to go above and beyond for the company when they needed to. He made sure that the company went above and beyond for them when it came to compensation and benefits.
It meant he made less, that was the burden of being a self starter, but he did far better than most. He was able to afford just about anything he wanted within reason. Best of all he was his own boss which meant he could wear whatever he wanted to work. On days like today that was a polo and shorts, just like he wore as a kid visiting his grandma.
He called each of his employees into his office and gave them their review. A lot of them asked for more details about what they could improve on. That’s always a good sign he thought. He explained what their bonuses would be and what kind of raise they could expect to see next year they were all happy with those numbers. Each of them seemed to leave his office more content than they entered. That was how he gauged his success.
He wasn’t successful every time, especially in the beginning. Sometimes hard conversations had to be had. However, for the most part, his employees seemed genuinely happy with him, and as he hoped his feedback to each of them made clear, he was thrilled by their performance.
His employee Gordon left Joseph’s private office. He was the last review for the day. Joseph picked up the phone and called Clarissa, his wife.
“Hey, how’s everything going?” She asked.
“Great, I just finished reviews, and it went well.”
“No one threw anything at you or argued with you about your criticisms,” she asked, and he could hear the mocking smile through her voice.
“Of course not. I don’t know why I was worried about it. It happens once, and I’m always afraid of it happening again. But right now I’ve got the best team I could imagine. I have to keep them happy, so they don’t disappear.”
“They make your job easier, so I’m all for it.” There was a brief pause on the line then Clarissa brought up a new subject, “Hey, I talked to your mom today. They’ve been looking at where they want to move, and she told me about a place that she liked. I looked into it, and it’s a bit on the pricey side.”
The couple discussed numbers. He had agreed months ago to help his parents move out the aged house they had been in his whole life. His business was going well and getting them around people their age would be good for their health. And it was the least he could do for all the things his parents did for him growing up.
By the end of the couple’s conversation, Joseph had proved that it was in the budget saying, “I’ll tell them to get on the list. They need some community in their life.”
“Okay, they’ll be thrilled, but your dad will be slow to accept it.”
“Mom can help him with that,” Joseph replied.
“Are you headed home soon?”
“Yeah, I’m leaving the office right now.”
“Good because Alice is picking out her purpose this afternoon and she wants you to be there.”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
Alice walked through the door following the shopkeeper with the balloon-shaped nose. She looked at the room full of shelved colorful and shining orbs. There were countless aisles in both directions.
“Help yourself,” the shopkeeper said to her as he left her with her parents.
“Alice, one thing.” He dad called out.
“What is it, dad?” She was eager to get started looking at orbs.
He squatted down in front of her and then picked her up, so she was at his eye level he let out a long oof of exertion.
“Dad I’m too big for you to pick me up like this,” she said behind a smile. She always enjoyed being picked up by him. She saw her mom nod behind him in agreement.
“I just wanted to give you some advice. You don’t have to listen to it, but I’d be a bad father if I didn’t give you unsolicited advice.”
“Yeah yeah, you’re going to tell me what you and mom always tell me. Be generous to others and try to make them as happy as you.” It was a line that she had heard from both her parents multiple times.
“You took the words right out of my mouth. But I want to tell you that for today, and every day from here on I want you to aim high and look for an orb where you don’t have to wear a suit, those are the best ones.”
After that, he hugged her tight and put her back on the ground. With a small piece of paper and a pencil, she darted off looking at the shelves full of orbs. Each one was a brighter color than the last. There were pinks, purples, blues, greens, and a dozen more.
She picked up an orb with a dark green light that shone through a cloud of smoke. The ball felt cool in her hands as she stared into her first option.
Author’s Note: Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this you might also enjoy my Meet AALFO series. It’s about a computer who can predict the future but starts acting up when his usual lab technician disappears.
