The Job that Took My Mind Part 3

My delusion began in February 2008, when I began hearing voices in my head as I was driving to work. Believing that I had acquired the gift of ESP, I was surprised and thrilled to learn that I could communicate via ESP with my boss Mark and his boss John N. As I believed that I was communicating directly with each of them, I also believed that they were each fully aware of the challenges I was facing on a daily basis as I did my best to put the construction claim against the owner together.

As the pressure to perform increased, my stress level increased accordingly. I learned that I was- and always had been-  a mermaid named Pangea.  I communicated via ESP with powerful people, who hung on my every word. The Dalai Lama, Bill and Melinda Gates, and Oprah Winfrey were part of my inner circle, as well as various people I worked with (including Mark and John N.). I talked with fish, dogs, and cats. I began spending money on clothes and plants.

As I sat in John N’s office in mid March 2008, I turned over the $2 million claim to him, which by that time included 15 four inch binders, numerous as-built plans, and an “as-built” project schedule. Receiving my claim, he told me, for the first time, what my new project was, directing me to report for work the following morning at the ice rink. I was shocked that I received no real recognition for my efforts. No thank you, no gift certificate, no nothing for the job I busted my ass for.  Just “Report to a new job tomorrow morning”.

My new job was  managing what is called the Structures Package on a brand new ice hockey rink in a city an hour (in good traffic) from my house (one-way). The installation of the concrete work, including the stadium steps and ice rink floor would be part of my job, as well as installation of the “cat walk”, the bridging system high above the rink that contained the cameras, tv screen, and all of the other electronic gear you see at various arenas. The entire Structures package, I had been told, was valued at $11 million.

Arriving at the new ice rink jobsite the following morning, I learned that Marvin, a man employed by M Construction but supposedly the owner’s representative, made the unilateral decision months before that M Construction’s project superintendent would do double duty, acting as the guy overseeing the entire $55 million project as well as the guy responsible for my $11 million contract. I realized immediately that each job (managing the entire project and managing the Structures package) would require its own superintendent, and that trying to save money by using the same guy for both jobs was a foolish thing to do. The net effect was that the Structures package was given almost no attention by the superintendent because he was involved in the overall picture rather that the minutia. I couldn’t believe it!

I gave my (unasked-for) opinion of that arrangement and requested permission to hire my own crew. I also asked for a copy of the subcontract for my scope of work so that I could understand the nature, scope, and price of my subcontract. Ben refused both requests.

In late March 2008, the President of the entire company, Tom, visited the jobsite and spent 30 seconds talking to me. He immediately joined my entourage of people who talked with me via ESP.  At around that same time frame, I began to realize why Marvin kept the job so short-staffed. It became crystal clear that he was embezzling large sums of money from the company.The best way to get away with it, I realized, was to keep everyone at the jobsite so short-staffed that they couldn’t keep track of what he was doing.  It was a perfect set-up, and explained why he was running the job so short-handed and burning out people right and left. When I explained (via ESP) to Mark, John N., and Tom what Marvin was doing and how he was doing it as well as how to catch him at it, they thanked me (via ESP).  Assuring me they would work behind the scenes to apprehend Marvin, they asked me not to worry about it any more.

Meanwhile, the stress of trying to run a job short-handed continued to eat away at me and the people around me. No matter how hard we all worked- weekends and late into the evenings- it was never enough. I made no secret of my failings, keeping Ben apprised of the fact that I was falling further and further behind. I told him that I had 140 unopened emails. Still he did nothing to reduce my work load.

Realizing that they couldn’t interfere directly in the Kent project, Mark  and John N. told me (via ESP) that they had hatched a plan so I could get the help I needed. They directed me (via ESP) to hold my job hostage by threatening to quit. They said to tell Ben that I had a job offer from a competing company, and that the second I made the threat, Ben would get me the authority I needed to perform my job. I had been begging Ben for my own superintendent and 2 project engineers so I could get on top of the structures package work since I had arrived at the job in the middle of March 2008.

At Mark and John’s direction (via ESP), on Thursday, May 1, 2008, I walked into Ben’s office and shut the door. I explained that although I had another job offer, I wanted to remain there as long as I could have the authority of a true project manager for the Strutures package.

In shock, Ben told me he would check with Marvin, the Construction Executive. I took this as a good sign. Returning to my office half an hour later, Ben told me that he talked with Marvin and that everything was taken care of. Interpreting that statement to mean that I would be getting the authority I needed, I began fielding calls from various co-workers calling to ask if the rumors of my imminent departure were true. I explained they were not true. Thursday afternoon (May 1^st), Ben told me to call John N. to set up my exit interview. Via ESP,  John N. told me the interview was just a formality, and not to worry because he was working behind the scenes on my behalf. At the interview,  the real John asked me to stay on for 2 weeks while he found a replacement. Believing that this was his way of buying time so he could work behind the scenes, I agreed.