Inhumanity

1. Into Darkness-1

I awoke in the sleeping compartment, still not sure of anything that had happened over the past few days. The bumping of the boxcar along the tracks, the sounds of the world racing by as we barreled down the tracks, the darkness that surrounded the car was never-ending. Another sleepless night and all I could wish for was the inevitable rising of the sun. If I could not rest with efficiency, then I would wait for the morning to come. This particular car of the train was reserved for only the wealthiest clients. The mahogany walls with their lavish gold light fixtures seemed to only add to the restlessness of my mind. The bed, if it could be called such, was a very thin mattress outlined in a mahogany shell, the base supported on the floor by seemingly crude bolts. I had supposed that there was no way to hide the fixture, for it was ever important to the stability of the bed. No expense was spared for my travel as I was an honored guest of the rail line’s owner, Mr. Bertram. Mr. Bertram had been an important client of the Northeast Bank, and I had honored him with my efficiency as his personal banker for years. In fact, if I had not taken that deal, I would still be an apprentice, waiting hand and foot on some stuffy man with crude tastes, just wishing to make money and for nothing else.

Years passed and I felt more and more discomfort at the hands of the master banker, Mr. Taveshy. Though he appreciated the help and rightfully needed it, he was a very crude and unpleasant man, never allowing any apprentice the joy of closing a deal or helping a client with an investment deal. All apprentices only filed paperwork and sorted papers on their clients. Every day that passed, I always wondered about any of that time wasted upon monotonous paperwork.

Even though it seemed a waste of time, I still loved the opportunity to meet the new clients. I knew that one day I would get the chance to take on an office of my own and broker deals just as Master Taveshy had done. It was Mr. Taveshy’s misfortune that he stepped out one afternoon to talk to a few attractive patrons when Mr. Bertram walked into the building. He carried himself like a man with the world in the palm of his hand, a man who knew what he wanted and achieved his goals by any means necessary. With his charcoal-black top hat and his fancy gold pocket watch, he was a man to be honored and thanked for the money that he would bring to our bank. I sat casually behind Mr. Taveshy’s desk scripting orders for other clients on the ledger paper. He looked at me with reserve as if he knew that I could not possibly be Master Taveshy. I was but a young man of eighteen years. I had barely begun my career. Mr. Bertram looked around the upper bank offices and noticed that I was the only person there, besides himself, of course. He strolled into the office and gently rapped on the door. I looked at him with a smile, arose, and shook his sturdy hand. “Good day, sir. My name is Mr. Price,” I said. “How may I help you today?”

Mr. Bertram met my smile with a hearty laugh and, with a booming voice, said, “My name is Mr. Bertram. I would like to invest money into your bank.”

“Well, Mr. Bertram, come in and have a seat. Let me grab some fresh ledger paper and I will start a file for you, sir.” I rushed to clear the papers from the desk.

Mr. Bertram just sat there looking perfectly intent to wait. I slid the drawer open, gently removing five fresh sheets of ledger paper. I carefully wrote out Mr. Bertram’s personal information, placing elegant lettering in each space. Each line had to be written carefully to make sure that nothing was left to the imagination. The lines of numbers went on and on as I had to track all that was being written on the ledger. I then started calculating the full amount of interest as well as the full amount of the final investment. I provided Mr. Bertram with only the best information on his investment. I then placed the ledger in a seal with the official bank name. Mr. Bertram waited patiently as I continued to calculate each detail and to write it subsequently on the ledger. Everything had to be tracked and written in its own space.

Once I had written out the ledger and begun calculating each item, Mr. Bertram asked, “Well, son, you seem to have a keen aptitude for this work.”

“Yes, sir,” I said. “The hours are long, but with a keen mind anyone can perform my exact duties.”

Mr. Bertram laughed energetically and pulled a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe his forehead.

I finished the calculation and signed the document. “Mr. Bertram, would you look over the ledger and confirm that it is to your satisfaction?”

He read the ledger in its entirety, only scoffing at one item.

“Is there something wrong, sir?” I asked.

“No, sir, but I do have an issue with the interest.”

“Very well, what is the issue?”

“I was under the impression that the interest would be greater for an amount this large.”

“Oh yes, sir, it is a greater amount,” I stated. “With the current amount of maximum interest that can be accrued, this amount of money would be complimented with a five percent interest.”

“Very well, if that is the maximum interest that can be given, I will take the ledger to be final.”

“Very good, sir!” I jubilantly said. “Then I shall file this ledger and get your money into the safe downstairs. Please, if you would follow me.” I led Mr. Bertram out of the office and down the stairs to the vault itself. I turned the dial to the correct series of numbers and unlocked the latch. I pushed the latch hard at first to slide it out of its normally permanent position. “Mr. Bertram, would you be so kind as to come to the back of the safe and place your money into a deposit box?”

Mr. Bertram stated, “It would be my pleasure to do so, sir.”

“Thank you,” I replied. I took Mr. Bertram to the back of the vault and opened the deposit box for him. Mr. Bertram then cautiously placed his money into the deposit box. I quickly resealed the deposit box with the key and placed it on the corresponding shelf. “Thank you for your investment, Mr. Bertram,” I said emphatically.

“I am sure that it will be well taken care of, young sir.”

I replied, “Yes, sir, it will be safe with us.” I led Mr. Bertram to the front of the bank and shook his hand strongly. “Have a good day, sir, and safe travels to you.”

Mr. Bertram smiled and said, “Yes, sir! And you do the same!”

When he walked out of the door, Mr. Taveshy approached me, exclaiming, “What have you been up to, apprentice?”

I turned to Mr. Taveshy and said, “I have performed my duties as I should have, sir.”

At this statement, Mr. Taveshy flew into a rage and stomped upstairs, proclaiming, “Never shall an apprentice show me up! I will have your job, young man!” I waited patiently at the bottom of the stairs for Mr. Taveshy to return. When he finally came loping down the stairs with his belongings, he looked at me with hatred in his eyes. “Fools, women and you men pretentious as you in this profession frustrate me to no end! You all think that you can do whatever you like, but I am the master banker here!” With that Mr. Taveshy stormed past me, shoving me out of his way. “I quit!” he exclaimed.

Every soul in the office stared at him as he stormed across the street and into the bar. We all found this to be very humorous. A few days later I was named the master banker of the branch.

The previously mentioned investment led me to a career as a master banker. I did not, however, treat my apprentices any such way as Mr. Taveshy had to my fellow apprentices and me. Mr. Taveshy did, in the most unreasonable way, end his career after that deal was finished. Mr. Bertram liked my style of presentation so much as to completely disregard Mr. Taveshy as the master banker. When Master Taveshy realized that he had not been included in the deal, he objected by attempting to burn the bank to the ground later that day. The result was my being placed as the master banker and he was placed in jail. Though my career has had many accomplishments, I never knew in any capacity that one day I would broker such a deal as the Morrison deal.

A wealthy merchant by the name of Calvin Morrison started the deal by request through one of his many secretaries. This secretary, Mr. Johnston, came to my office to inquire about a deal that could be struck with our bank. The investment would consist of an unusually large sum of money being placed in the exclusive care of the Northeast Bank. When I heard these words, I calmly but swiftly began to write an outline of the conditions of the deal. Upon hearing and subsequently writing the terms of the contract, I had no choice but to accept the terms of the deal. The outline of the investment was to place two million dollars into a deposit account to draw interest over a period of ten years. The interest on this transaction alone would be enough to operate the bank in its entire need.

After some terms were laid out, Mr. Johnston stated, “I do believe, my good man, that we have a deal. Mr. Morrison will be by in a few days to sign and register the transaction in full with a cash sum of two million dollars.”

I had no choice but to say, “Mr. Johnston, I would be honored to receive your employer merrily on that day.”

Mr. Johnston ended on, “Good, Mr. Price, the deal shall be finalized in four days. Thank you for your time, Mr. Price.”

“Likewise, Mr. Johnston,” I replied. With that, Mr. Johnston left the bank and leaped aboard a small coach awaiting his return just beyond the door of the bank. I quickly scurried back to my desk and read the terms once more. I was astonished at the amount that was to be deposited for the bank to have in its vault. It was an enormous amount of money of which I had never previously seen. I could only baffle at how this merchant, Mr. Morrison, had come across this much money. And to that thought, how would he be willing to trust our bank with such a large amount? I quickly signed off on the ledger after calculating a few figures. The deal would be the largest that the Northeast Bank had ever seen. Immediately the paperwork was neatly filed in Mr. Morrison’s personal registration account. After which I quickly collected my coat from its rest on the coat rack and hastily shut the door to my office on the way out. The door slammed with a thud, causing most everyone to look at me with reserve as though I was enraged. I quickly gave them a smile and said, “Good day! I shall see you all tomorrow!” I rushed down the stairs and walked out the door. I had the feeling that could only be found in the company of a good woman—a seeming release of all the recent frustrations that I had faced.