Dave Casler
PO Box 98
Ridgway, Colorado 81432
Young Adult Novels by Dave Casler...
I've been told by publisher after publisher that there's no market for Young Adult novels. I think they're wrong! So I'm putting my novels on-line for you. Forget the publisher! Read to your heart's content--it's free! And, I'd like to hear from you, too! Contact Page.
You're reading About Phillip. Be sure to check out About Dan here.
Phillip is a computer nerd who suddenly discovers a liking for track. Everything would be fine except for his father.
About Series Home
About the About Series
Index to All Chapters
Here are all the chapters, disguised as asterisks. Hover your mouse over an asterisk to see the title of the chapter. Click on the asterisk to go straight to that chapter.
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(About Phillip Home) (Last) (Next)
Lance Gets Bad News
Phillip’s father paused before getting into his car. He looked across the parking lot at the entrance to Maceda Home Furnishings, still open for business as the evening gathered. He scanned the front of the building. No paint peeling off. The neon sign was working. The parking lot was clean. Well, almost clean. He made a mental note to see if the newspapers were still in the corner when he arrived in the morning. He eyed the parking lot again. It was almost time to repave it. It would not do to have the place looking shabby, he thought to himself.
He didn’t know why Bill Banks had asked to meet him, but Bill usually had important things to say. He lowered himself into the driver’s seat of his polished Ford Taurus and pulled into the heavy rush- hour traffic on Pearl Street. Lance had one of the few large storefronts left on Pearl; most businesses that required ample floor space had long moved out to 28th. But he’d successfully sold home furnishings at this location for twenty-five years.
Lance drove east on Pearl. If he paid attention to such things, the setting sun behind him would have revealed tulips just poking their multi-colored heads above the planting beds. Bill’s office was also on Pearl, but a good mile to the east. Lance was not tall—Phillip was a good match for him in height—but unlike Phillip he was sturdily built. "Running is one thing," he’d lecture Phillip, "but a complete workout program is quite another."
He let himself into Bill’s office at 6:30 p.m. Bill’s office was neat and orderly, just the way Lance thought an accountant’s office should be. Bill looked up from his computer and half-smiled in greeting. He rose. Bill was in his mid-thirties and bald. He looked every inch the accountant, down to the dark business suit and red tie. They exchanged cordial handshakes.
"Thanks for seeing me at this late hour," said Lance warmly. "I wanted to go to Phillip’s track meet. You know how important it is for parents to be there for their kids."
"Yep, I was in the marching band at Park many years ago. Good school. How’d he do?"
"Not bad for a first meet. I think he can improve. Anyway, you called this meeting. What’s up?"
Bill’s smile faded completely. "Lance, sit down. We need to go over some numbers."
This wasn’t Bill’s usual fare. Lance put on a stoic face. "Sure," he said, sitting. "What gives? I know we’ve had a couple slow months, but it’ll pick up as we get into spring."
Bill sat nervously and spread out several graphs and charts on the desk that separated him from Lance. He moved a potted fern to give himself more room. He traced the graphs with his pen as he spoke.
"Lance, it’s more complicated than that. This chart shows year-to-year revenue. It’s fairly flat up to five years ago, but it’s been declining since. It’s really dipped in the last six months. This chart shows year-to-year expenses, including inventory and flooring. These numbers are going up at about the rate of inflation. So I’ve combined the two on this chart; it shows year to year gross income. You see the steady decline? I guess I’m saying that it’s not just a seasonal dip, Lance. The hard fact here is that your business is decaying. At an increasing rate."
Lance bit his lip. "Are you sure? We’re making payroll and meeting all our obligations, aren’t we?"
Bill’s chair creaked as he leaned back. He drew a deep breath and let it out in slowly.
"Well, I wanted to talk about that. To answer your question, yes, so far. Now this chart shows your net profit after taxes. It’s going to cross the zero line in three months. Do you know what that means?"
Lance knew it was bad news. "So what do I do?"
Bill twiddled with his tie for several seconds before he answered. "You have two choices. You either get a loan to infuse some new capital, or you have to cut your expenses. A lot. Of course, you could get some cash from more sales or a new line of business. That would do it too." He didn’t look at Lance.
In twenty-five years Lance had never heard news like this. He wasn’t sure how to respond. " What are the chances of a loan?" he asked.
Bill sighed. He leaned back in his creaking chair and studied the ceiling. "Given those charts I just laid in front of you, Lance, no one is going to loan you money. So you need to cut expenses. What can you do?"
"I need to pave the parking lot this summer, Bill. The place’ll start looking bad if I don’t."
"Lance, that’s out of the question," said Bill quietly.
Lance was deflated. He didn’t speak. His mind raced. He watched Bill fiddle with his tie. "What do you suggest?" he finally asked.
"How many employees do you have?"
"Three salesmen strictly on commission, so they get paid only when they make sales. I had four, but one quit last week for greener pastures." Lance’s voice trailed off as the implications of what he said sank in. "Mary comes in ten hours a week as a bookkeeper. And Jimmy Franks. He’s been with me for twelve years. He’s closing up tonight, in fact. He sells mostly, but he also supervises receiving and shipping. We contract all our deliveries."
"Your numbers show you pay Jimmy well."
Lance leaned forward, instantly on the defensive. "He earns it! About five years ago he asked if he could be on a salary instead of commission and I agreed because he was selling well and helped with so many other things."
Bill seemed lost in thought as he spoke. "Would his sales justify his salary today?"
Lance had to think. "I don’t know. Probably not. Business is down right now. It’s those chain furniture stores in Broomfield! They’re affecting our business." He looked defeated. "I keep hoping things will pick up in the next couple months."
"What would happen if you had to let him go?" asked Bill pensively.
Lance exploded. "Bill! He’s got a family! He works hard! He’s…"
Bill leaned forward and held up his hands as though giving up. "Wait, Lance, settle down. I’m exploring alternatives. If he suddenly went to live in, say, California, could you survive without him?"
"Well, I suppose. The other salesmen would have to cover his shifts and I’d have to do the shipping and receiving myself. I guess I’d survive."
"Lance, I can’t tell you how to run your business. I just look at the numbers. And the numbers don’t support Jimmy Franks. If you let him go, you can stave off bankruptcy for a while, maybe a year. It’ll give you time to rethink your business model."