Tommy Come Lately

A story about an optimistic young man that eventually loses everything as a result of the dissolution of a Fortune 1000 corporation. 401K, IRA, home, and nearly life itself. Standing alone fighting some of the top executives.  It takes twenty years to get there and another twenty years to get from there. It describes power games of executives and survival games of employees. And how both contribute to the downfall.

It is about Yankees and Texans, "Big Dogs" and "peons," corruption and integrity, deception and honesty. It is about certainty and uncertainty and the destructive nature of silence.

I decided to deny, argue, debate, disagree, and challenge everything. If I wasn't going to get recognition when I should have, then I'd give them reason not to. With this written response to my review, my insubordination was now on paper. I was proud that I was the only one to not receive a raise. It told me that they were really angry because they lost their little game. That was the best reward I could have received. I had come to feel that the worst statement of my worthiness would be if they thought I was worthy. Things were becoming seriously nasty.

Corporations and Big Dogs are at fundamental odds. If everyone were working on their careers instead of just working, no work would get done. Corporations need these people to make everyone think that none of this is true. They pay big dollars for precisely the kind of people they don't really want. It is a delicate balance because if there are too few of them the peons might start figuring things out. If there are too many of them the Corporation will go right down the tubes.