Chapter Eight
The next day, Clarity went to the local paper, THe City Dweller, where the article by Atkins was going to be published. The guard in charge of 'press security clearance, access and removal of tabloid content' prevented her from walking inside the press' premises, alledging the press was not open to the public.
"You can't go in, you're not a journalist, tomorrow's paper's printing right now."
"Can I write an article opposing one of the articles regarding Stevenson Garden Products, which is going to be published?"
"Got to talk to the editor, he's at the mayor's office discussing subsidies for the paper."
Disappointed, Clarity went back to work, and bought a copy of the City Dweller the next day. The article on Stevenson read worse than expected. Brock called her into his office to read to her what Atkins had written.
Stevenson Garden Products has been a part of Malibu for the last fifteen years. Starting out as a small gardening store, it has grown to be a company selling everything your garden needs, with sales amounting to several million dollars, and a name well known in the community. In the last year or so, the company has changed, the culture of the company has changed, becoming actively involved in the defense of the so called naked worker, the right, legitimate, according to Stevenson, to work without clothes, on casual Fridays.
This overtly 'naked' agenda is slyfully disguised as clothing optional policy for its workers at Stevenson. From city hall and the neighboring community, and also from our honorable metropolitan police force represented by officer Clifford Packwood and his badge-seeking nephew Avery, we think the community should rethink whether it is sustainable for Stevenson to remain a clothing optional company, and whether the people in human resources at Stevenson, the head in particular, is the appropriate person to establish corporate policies and procedures which then go on to affect the whole community.
I have personally been sent photographs by women, of women, unclothed, that were used with Stevenson office supply copying material. Is this legitimate, or should the photographs have been sent using their personal phone cameras? That is one of the questions remaining and one of the reasons for the litigation taking place regarding this ambiguous topic of clothing optionality in the workplace. The city of Malibu will not be the same when this issue moves towards settlement, my own settlement in particular, regarding these photos.
There is an outdoor shower at Stevenson Garden Products, which has been described as inappropriate by several people in the company, reliable inside sources who understand the meaning of talent and how to tap into it. Where will this idea of exhibiting yourself naked in public go, or stop? With people going into city hall naked to take a shower there? With Malibu judge Cambery carrying out his duties naked, without any clothes? With police officer Packwood doing his round near Stevenson naked? Where would that leave his sense of authority or his rubber billy club? Carrying a rubber billy club without a uniform, is not the same, it's just not the same. We should draw the line somewhere, and dismantling this outdoor shower is a good place to start for the Malibu community. I will personally visit the premises of Stevenson in the following days, to ensure or evaluate whether clothing optional day at work makes sense, or adds anything at all in the community. Atkins Rubens, citizen of Malibu, aspiring political candidate.
"This is not what we talked about on the bench," said Brock.
"I guess he has his own view of endorsement," said Clarity.
Clarity remained in Brock's office nearly all day. The phone kept ringing all the time, to support or ask for additional explanations, complaning, commenting on the article written by Atkins in the Malibu City Dweller, and asking whether what all of it said was true. Even the paper had called, to see whether Stevenson had reconsidered its clothing optional policy or had named a new person as head of human resources. When things could not possibly have gotten worse, Heather walked in, bringing fresh news.
"It's Avery, he says officer Packwood will be downstairs outside the entrance in a few minutes. Packwood is coming with a court order in his hands from Malibu Judge Cambery, which says that the outdoor shower has to be dismantled. Judge Cambery read the article Atkins wrote, and wasn't pleased with it, apparently." Brock sighed, nodding, breathing with relief.
"Good, that's good, yeah, let's do that, let's get rid of this shower, this is the root of all the problems." He glanced over at Clarity.
"Do you want to go downstairs and ensure everything is carried out properly by Packwood?"
"I don't want this shower dismantled," said Clarity.
"It will restore some goodwill after the marketing expense of the shower, Mr. Stevenson has backed your initiative, but I may have to write an unfavorable mention in your report on the employee evaluation sheet." The mother of all documents for a teleoperator.
"Unfavorable?" asked Clarity.
"Maybe not unfavorable, sort of favorable with reservations," added Brock, trying to mitigate the effect of his words. "This will show everyone in the company that you respect its policies, even if you don't agree with them."
Clarity could not believe how manipulative Brock was acting, it reminded her of stock market manipulation, a non-related recurrent issue in the news. Reluctantly, Clarity accepted the decision, and glared at Heather, who held the stare. She took the elevator and walked outside the office building, reaching the West wing of the garden. Cynthia was looking at the shower head, overseeing the various types of sprinkling on the lawn that Flake was arranging by tweaking a shower knob. The water of the shower was coming out of the faucet in spurious spurts, describing half circles and falling on the neighboring lawn.
"There's a problem with the water pressure," said Flake.
Clarity saw Packwood walk towards them, followed by Darrell, the shower installation and dismantling store specialist, who was not displeased about being paid by Malibu City hall to dismantle the shower he had installed a few days earlier, and for which there were several payments still pending. This was like the sale shelling out money again and again. He knew that there might be a new line of business, shower installment and dismantling, with the idea of getting paid twice for the same product. As long as the shower was installed in a spot which was inappropriate, maybe the living room area in a home, or in the front yard area of a home where everyone could watch someone shower, there was a good chance that the customer would decide on dismantling.
"This shower has to go," said Packwood, "it shouldn't be working really," he added.
He began wondering why the shower was working if the water access key of the shower had been deposited in person by him, in a bank of america safety deposit box secretly held on behalf of the Malibu municipality. He showed the judge order to Flake, who called Brock, who gave Flake permission to go ahead with the dismantling operation. Darrell rubbed his hands, walking past Packwood into the shower area.
"All right, let's get to work, this shower can no longer be, I have the perfect customer for it, the home garden of Judge Cambery, just love this new shower recycling business."
Clarity remained speechless, somewhat disempowered, at the sight of seeing the shower being dismantled. All of this was being done while Mr. Stevenson was visiting an outlet a few miles away, bath warehouse & garden pipe, trying to get additional orders and a mandate to become their official, permanent supplier. At the end of the day, before going home, she met with Cynthia and Taimi, in the coffee area, near the teleoperator room.
"We have to do something about this," said Taimi. Cynthia nodded, and Clarity kept thinking, holding several coffee paper cups.
"Let's build a shower inside Stevenson," said Clarity.
Cynthia liked the idea. Packwood could not dispute the legitimacy of a shower inside the building.
"Good idea, it's a bit more money, but it may be worth it, my legitimacy as unofficial general coordinator at Stevenson will be restored," she said. Taimi brought up the issue of the budget and the source of money for the allocation of shower installa
tion costs.
"Marketing expense?" asked Clarity, turning towards Cynthia, knowing her friend would use her own username to access the company's budget and accounting payment system.
"Talent development," said Cynthia, "no has figured out what it means yet, it's a safe account for the shower, and a good shower midday may keep Stevenson employees happy and low sales away."
Clarity hoped the shower would simply keep Packwood, and also Atkins, away, maybe also Brock's employee evaluation report, also far and away.