Wednesday evening drink became a ritual and the group soon increased to ten. We were employed by different companies, companies that were for the most part listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. For me it was an opportunity to interact with representatives from across racial barriers and at the same time get to know a little about the competitive business sectors in which each member worked. In addition it gave me a window through which I could examine and begin to understand the extent of the social divide created by the existing abhorrent apartheid laws. We talked sport, business, world news and politics. Politics was a topic only briefly discussed. We were a mixed bunch from very divergent backgrounds and I was certainly not going to encourage in depth, potentially explosive political debate. However, it was not always my call to decide which way the conversation moved so discussions periodically became heated. We lived and worked in a political environment forced upon us by the fanatical and unjust views of the white South African Nationalist Government of the day.
In early spring I bumped into Jeremy an old school chum of mine. We had been team mates on both the rugby and cricket fields but serious rivals in the classroom. The end result was a loyal and firm friendship extending well into our adult years. Although a superb athlete he had been a rather anaemic looking chap. The transformation in the man was astonishing.
“Hi Charles, how you doing?”
“Jeremy, great to see you! I see you have converted to a multi health regime. Wow, you have bulked up incredibly and look remarkably healthy, bodybuilder stuff. Give me the recipe please providing, of course, it is not steroids!”
“Ha Ha, it certainly is not and thank you. I have started a small gym nearby and must set an example. It has been a fairly gradual process, nothing dramatic, but I am very much more alert and generally healthier since we last met. I am at the stage now where, in order to go forward, I must consider professional competitive events or change my life direction completely. If you come across any interesting career prospects I am your man!”
“If anything worthwhile comes up I will let you know but, tell me, is this a result of pure exercise or is there something else in the equation?”
“Charlie, here is my card. Call in sometime and if you are interested I will draw up a programme for you. You will need to go on a special nutritional diet so no more alcohol my friend!”
The next day after work I was at the gym, officially on my “ New Me” programme! It was hard work but the satisfaction of feeling brighter and lighter propelled me into a more vigorous exercise workout and a strict eating schedule. It was addictive.
I missed the next few regular Wednesday evening social get-togethers. Jackson came into my office. “Charlie we have missed you. What is up? Why no see?”
“Hello, I apologise but I will be there next week.”
The following Wednesday found me greeting my drinking partners. I ordered a lime and soda.
“What the hell is wrong with you,” Marlon blurted out, his bile green eyes narrowing , flashing rays of vitriolic violence. He quickly regained his composure but the damage had been done. Violence and hatred were not part of my DNA and were to be avoided in others at all cost.
“Gentleman I am on a new regime. I have started a serious exercise programme and am following a healthy eating plan made up for me by Jeremy, a friend of mine. You should all consider it. He has a very well equipped gym, some really good machinery there.”
“I give you another two weeks!” Marlon retorted with a hint of irritation and left it at that. I stayed twenty minutes and was gone.
I did not join them for the next two weeks. It was my intention to slowly extricate myself from a sometimes unpleasant and unacceptable situation. Marlon phoned me a few weeks later.
“Hello Charlie, how you doing? We have missed you and with the colder weather have moved into a private room within the club so no excuses for not appearing .”
“My apologies but I am at the gym every evening. Going there is like an addiction and I seriously enjoy it. I promise to come and say hi soon.”
“Very well, just make sure you do not leave it too long,” he said rather too earnestly and rang off.
The following Wednesday morning I was summoned by Hetherington into his office.
“Charlie, sit down my boy. I have asked you here to give you some good news. The Executive Committee has decided you are the man to head our Steel Companies within the Industrial Division. You have proven yourself to be an excellent industrialist and when I put your name forward for the position it was immediately approved. You have an excellent reputation within the group and it seems a glittering career lies ahead, well done.”
“Thank you sir, I appreciate your comments and accept with great pleasure. I am absolutely delighted and honoured and will put my everything into the steel sector’s future growth and prosperity.”
“Well said, let me show you your new office.”
My new department’s offices were familiar to me but I was more than pleased when he showed me my predecessor’s redesigned and redecorated corner unit. It was indeed magnificent with a sweeping vista of the famous gold mine dumps created by the mining process during the early gold mining frenzy. Recently steps had been taken to grass the huge mounds but with a new reclamation process in place, gold particles previously considered too small to be financially viable were being mined.
“They have done a splendid job don’t you think?” Hetherington said.
“Very much so Sir.”
Under my breath I muttered, “ It is amazing!” I felt I was definitely moving up the Corporate Ladder…. what a pleasure. The hard work was paying dividends quicker than I had hoped.
I did not go to the Wednesday social nor to the gym choosing to head straight home to tell Rachel.
“Very nice darling, shall we open a bottle of champagne to celebrate?”
“That is a great thought but no alcohol for me my love.”
“Well I have had an exhausting day made worse by two bad hands at bridge so let’s have an early night,” she said and that was the end of it. There was no further or future acknowledgment of my somewhat meteoric rise ever again.
That night I crept into my little Sophie’s room and held my darling daughter in my arms.
“It is all for you my little treasure. Sleep well my little one. I love you, good night.”
She was the light of my life. I worked and achieved all for her.
The weeks went quickly and it soon became obvious my Wednesday drink pals would have to do without me. I called Jackson and asked him to convey my apologies and explain my work load.
“Charlie, we are good friends and I urge you to come this evening.”
I winced and then confidently said,“ It is not possible this evening but I promise to attend next week and personally explain my predicament.”
“You had better do that,” came the terse and abrupt reply.
My new responsibilities rapidly revealed some disturbing elements within the sector, the most alarming being what seemed to be orchestrated labour unrest at ground level. I detected
