Replaced!

Tim O' Malley was an average Irish-American, worked hard at his job, was very sociable, and had a loving family. You could say his life was going very well, but little did he know how much would change after Monday.

Monday was one of those days where almost everyone was grumpy and tired; this Monday was no different. As O' Malley walked into the Purex® Factory, he was greeted by his always perky boss. "Good Morning Tim!" she emphatically said. O' Malley mumbled a reply and as he walked by she told him he would have a new co-worker today. As O' Malley replied he hoped his lack of enthusiasm didn't show, the truth was, he hated the "rookies" that from time to time he had to baby sit and make sure they didn't do anything stupid. O' Malley proceeded to his station where his job was to make sure the machines that made the Purex® were working correctly. As he walked to his station he bumped into an unfamiliar face. As O' Malley looked up in surprise he saw an unfamiliar name, Lopez Chica. As they made their introductions O' Malley felt something was wrong with this man, he sounded almost inhuman, as though he didn't care about anything or anyone. It slowly dawned on him that this was the "rookie" he was supposed to "baby sit" and he might as well start. As O' Malley walked him through his duties he sensed a quiet efficiency in everything Chica said, as if words were a precious metal and he had to use as little as possible to get the point across. As O' Malley left Chica alone to his tasks he noticed how precisely Chica was working and was pleased that this man was someone he could trust to do his job well. As 5:30 PM came ever closer Chica approached O' Malley and asked "Are there any jobs I could do overtime?" O' Malley was dumbfounded, no one in his 5 years at the factory had ever asked if they could do overtime, they were forced; all he could manage for a reply was "uh, hold on, I'll find out" and he retreated to his office to think about what work he could give him, and then it struck him... he could have him clean one of the machines. There was this one machine that was long overdue for a cleaning and he had been planning to do it tomorrow, but why go through the trouble when he had a perfectly willing worker here? As he walked out to task Chica with his job he was again amazed how it was only the man's first day on the job.

The next day as O' Malley arrived promptly at 7:00 AM he found that Chica had been there since 5:15 AM. O' Malley knew if Chica kept up that pace he would end up quitting within the week. As O' Malley approached Chica he couldn't help but be freaked out by someone who would stay till 12:00 AM and still do everything as precise and efficient as the machines he worked on daily. The first thing Chica said as O' Malley walked up was "I know what you're going to say. You're gonna tell me that I'm making you look bad and that I should stop doing my job so you can keep yours!" O' Malley replied, "No, I was going to say if you keep up at this pace your gonna burn out and quit... why don't you take a short one hour break?" After the "standoff" of sorts O' Malley retreated to his office to reflect on the current situation, he was trying to think of a way to deal with Chica when he had the brilliant idea to pass the decision on to his boss. During the conference with his boss he told her of his concerns and she listened very carefully bobbing her head as she received this troubling information. O' Malley thought the meeting was going his way until she replied "I think you are simply jealous of him, you're not looking out for his interests your looking out for your own. I think you should take a day off. Don't worry about the machines; I'm sure Chica can handle them while your gone." As he walked out of the factory the normally bright, cheery building symbolizing his 6-figure salary suddenly turned a shade of dark gray in his mind. As O' Malley walked home he pondered what his boss had said, was he scared of Chica or was he just looking out for a co-workers best interests? He liked to think of himself as doing the latter, but he wondered if that was just his hope speaking and not the truth. O' Malley put these thoughts to the back of his mind as he wondered how he should spend the rest of the day.

After enjoying a splendid day with his family, O' Malley arrived at work the next day. He arrived to find his boss, co-workers and police officers in SWAT gear gathered around a man in handcuffs lying on the ground. One of his fellow co-workers whispered, "It's the new guy, Lopez Chica." As Chica lay there O' Malley couldn't help but feel sorry for him, and it was then he realized he had wanted the best for Chica; if he hadn't he wouldn't be feeling bad for him while he laid in cuffs on the ground. As his boss debriefed O' Malley she said, "It seems he escaped from prison and needed some money; he was planning to steal from the factory." O' Malley realized that he acted so perfect because he didn't want to act suspicious by being himself so instead tried to act really good but instead made himself more suspicious. Chica also wanted to be trusted just enough to get a chance to steal from the factory. At the end of the meeting O' Malley did something he knew deep down he would do ever since he left the factory the day prior; he announced to his boss he would be starting a gym, something he'd wanted to do since high school and asked if she would accept his resignation.