The Boss

I used to rush out of his office before he could ask any questions. I only later realized that he craved for the morning company. I did not know what conversation could I possibly start with an 80 year old. Most elderly people think that you feel sorry for them that is why you start a conversation in the first place. I never knew why I had to go in half an hour before everyone else. I used to sit at my desk and try to concentrate on the day ahead.

The problem was, I had to type all the letters so I was forced to go in there up to 5 times a day, including taking the tea in the morning. He used to be brief, and I used to take notes as fast as I could so that I did not have to ask for anything twice.

He was old, but wise. He taught me new words, well words that were in his personal vocabulary that my spell check on the computer did not recognize. 3 Years ago his P.A went on holiday to Australia and I had to be his right hand for 4 weeks. What I thought was going to be a nightmare turned out to be the best time in my life for anyone I ever worked for. The first day as his P.A I brought some muffins to work and put it on the tray of morning tea. (I was so nervous the night before that I had to turn to baking).The rest I can almost say, is history.

In those 4 weeks I learnt more than the 5 years I was at the company. We laughed and chatted away, and I realized he wasn’t the old monster everyone made him out to be. He told me stories about World War 2, where he was a prisoner. I loved the stories about him skiing in Switzerland with his family when he was younger. He also had a German professor who left him with words to live by:”Nozing iz impozzible.”

He died peacefully on the 18th of January 2009. We all miss him, but it is the legacy that he left behind that we will always cherish.

He was the best Boss I ever had.