The Work Offer

The Work Offer

     Carros and Monikka kept talking to each other while they continued putting their Personal Belongings away. “You know I’m against doing this – don’t you?”

     “I do. What was I supposed to do though? It’s not like I had a choice in doing this,” said Monikka.

     “Yes, you did. You didn’t have to take this Work Offer.”

     “You’re right. I didn’t. Only I felt that I did.”

     “I still don’t understand why we are doing this. Why do you feel you had to do it? They didn’t threaten you, me or the kids did they?”

     “Not exactly, but in a way they did. At least with me. I felt if I didn’t take this offer I wouldn’t be working at Global anymore.”

     “You should have left Global years ago. They have been treating you like this almost from when you first started there.”

     “It hasn’t been that bad lately – especially the last few years. I’ve gotten a lot more responsibility. I think that’s one of the reasons I did take the Work Offer.”

     “What is the other reason, or is it reasons, you took it? You just said there was, were, at least one other reason.”

     “The main one is because I really wanted this offer. I just didn’t know where is was they were sending me until after I agreed to it.”

     “Where did you think they were sending you?” Carros asked.

     “I’m not exactly sure about that, but I figured it was another part of Zandim. There are a lot of territories on this planet that doesn’t have a Global connection yet. I didn’t realize it would be another planet – or that I would be gone for two to five years.”

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     Red and blue colored lights started flashing all over those Sleeping Quarters. Carros and Monikka sat in chairs at one end of those quarters. They looked at the two monitors on both sides of the entrance. It showed who was on the other side of that entrance.

     Both Carros and Monikka answered those lights at the same time. Carros said, “Come in” while Monikka responded, “Enter.”

     A few seconds later the entrance slid open. Gordin, sixteen, and Paulini, thirteen, entered semi darkness. When they did the room brightened.

     “Did you finish putting away your Personal Belongings?” Monikka asked.

     “Why else would we be here?” Answered Gordin angrily.

     “Don’t talk to us like that,” said Carros. “You’re not too old to be punished.”

     “I’m sorry,” responded Gordin. “I didn’t mean it the way it sounded.”

     “I know why you said it,” said Monikka. “You and Paulini don’t want to be here anymore than Carros does.”

     “We didn’t even get the chance to voice our opinion on whether we should go or not,” said Paulini. “One second we were living our normal lives and the next we were told we were moving – offworld.”

     Gordin and Paulini sat down next to their parents. Paulini sat in the vacant chair by them, but Gordin had to grab a chair first.

     “I had friends that I had to leave behind,” said Gordin. “There was barely enough time for me to say good-bye before we left.”

     “It wasn’t that quick,” replied Monikka. “We told you about this almost nine months ago.”

     “We also discussed this move before your mother agreed to it too,” responded Carros. “You agreed with the move then.”

     “That’s when we all thought we were going to be moving to another territory – not to a different planet.” said Gordin. “If it were another territory I would still have my friends.”

     “So would I,” Paulini added. “I was just starting to get involved when this move came up.”

     Monikka looked at Carros – and smiled. “That’s another reason why I agreed to this move.”

     “Is that the reason you took this Work Offer?” Paulini asked. “It’s because I started getting involved.”

     “No, it isn’t. You know why I took it,” said Monikka. “I took it because I want to set up Global on all the planets in this Sector.”

     “Does that mean Tolloc is the first planet we are going to?” Gordin asked. “Are we going to be planet hopping for the rest of my childhood?”

     “I don’t know what is going to happen after I finish on Tolloc,” answered Monikka. “We might stay on Tolloc, come back to Zandim or we might be moving to another planet.”

     “You never mentioned multiple planets when we were discussing this move,” said Carros. “Why didn’t you mention it? Is it because you knew we wouldn’t agree with this move if you had.”

     “Are you sure I didn’t mention it?” Monikka asked. “I was sure that I did.”

     “No, you didn’t. Is there anything else you failed to tell us this move?” Carros asked.

     “I don’t like the way this conversation is going,” said a mad Monikka. “It’s not too late. We haven’t left Zandim. If you want me to I will turn down this Work Offer – and we can leave this spaceship before it leaves. It’s not too late for me to do that either. Is that what you want me to do? Do You want me to say no to this offer?”

     “That’s what I say you should do,” said Paulini. Carros and Gordin said something similar.

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     Three weeks later the spaceship Monikka and her family were on landed on Tolloc. A Transport was waiting for them when they got there. As it took them to their new Residence, which they made final arraignment with like that transport, they talked.

     “You were with me when I tried to turn down the Work Offer,” said Monikka. “They wouldn’t let me back out of the offer.”

     Monikka looked at three very angry faces. “It was either take this offer I agreed to or death. When I mentioned the threat to me, to us, several weeks ago I didn’t realize Global meant it. I’ve heard of employees being terminated – but I didn’t know they meant that literally.”