Excerpt: The Custodians of Peace & Justice: Night Cleaners of Darkness

My second night on the job was when I met Fred. He owned the company that had just hired me and was paying me a visit on my new job-site. He asked me about my background in "the industry" and seemed satisfied with my experience and background back in Alaska where I grew up. He didn't ask, so I didn't tell him that my experience as a janitor was over two decades ago when I was a teen.
When they hire you, they usually have to do a criminal background check and if that comes back clean in for the past seven years and no flags are raised during your intereview, you're in. That's how I ended up at one of Freds major accounts which, unbeknownst to me, was in major trouble.
"I have to meet with this gal every week on Friday morning so she can tell me all of her complaints," Fred said to me after motioning me to sit down at the kitchen table in the customer's kitchen break area. "The problem is that they moved into this place after being in a real dump and they want to try and make this place like it is brand new, which can't be done by cleaning it!"

"Last week, when I met with her she said, 'Fred. I'm this close to firing you.' But she's said that for the last three weeks."

Oh great. I'm looking for a place to lay low and re-group for the next endeavor and I get put into the boss's hot-seat account.

"Wow! So what's our strategy to keep from getting fired?" I asked.

"Our STRATEGY," Fred said, "Is YOU do what I tell you and I'll worry about the strategy!"

Less than 5 minutes into the conversation and I see why the lady wants to fire this guy. Either he's more arrogant than he looks or dumber than he looks -- or both. But hey, it certainly takes the pressure off of me. So I think, anyway. . . .