Always loved, never forgotten – unknown.
When I got to Montreal on Thursday evening and checked into my hotel, a message was waiting for me to meet everybody in the bar at Le Serpent, a classy Italian restaurant.
Bankers were known for drinking and having a nice time regardless of where they were.
It didn’t take too long for me to leave my luggage in my room and grab a cab to the hotel bar where I was supposed to meet with the gang.
When I entered the hotel lobby, a couple of members of the gang came out from the bar and shouted at me –About time you showed up.
I said thanks for not waiting for me at the hotel where we were supposed to meet in the first place. Mike said it was Brian’s idea. Brian said alright I am guilty. I thought you “Calgarians” would appreciate visiting elegant bars in Montreal but obviously I was wrong. I said Brian you also forgot that this “Calgarian” doesn’t even drink. Mike said stop bitching and join the brash group of bankers and enjoy. I said I am with you Mike.
It was nice to see almost everybody in the bar and chat about something or nothing. Bankers generally are an interesting crowd. We all tried not to talk business as we knew that we were going to spend all day tomorrow to hash and rehash everything planned or not.
Around 8:00 PM we decided to take cabs and meet at Dunn’s Famous Restaurant on Metcalfe Street, which used to be Lynda’s and my favorite spot in Montreal. Everybody seemed to enjoy smoked meat.
Around 10:00 PM, after having a nice supper as well as nice company, I excused myself to go to my hotel as I had a report to review and I wanted to give a call to Lynda.
Once I finished talking to Lynda and reviewing only a few pages of the report, I dozed off.
The next day was totally dedicated to the National Clearing reports from each member of the committee, just to keep everybody informed. There were some problems reported and discussed and everybody made necessary notes.
The Bank of Montreal treated us to a lengthy and delicious lunch. I tried not to eat too much but didn’t have the will power to control it. At least I wasn’t drinking like the others, and I was wondering how we were going to continue our discussions in the afternoon.
One of the things we used to do as a practice, before we met for lunch, we used to check out from the hotels and carry our luggage with us.
When I was walking with a friend of mine from Scotiabank, he asked me if everything’s alright with me. I said as soon as I am done here, I am flying to Fredericton to see a friend of ours who’s in the final stage of cancer. He said I am very sorry to hear that, Mir. I said me too.
When I got to Fredericton airport on Friday night, my friend David Niles was waiting for me. I knew David when I was working there for the government. He had moved to Edmonton right after we moved to Calgary. When I used to go to Edmonton to our head office, I used to get to see David as well as his friend Keith over a drink or a meal.
David took me to my hotel and I explained to him why I was there. He was sorry to hear about Margret. Gord used to be the big boss and not too many people had access to Gord’s family, but they knew that I was very close to Gord and Gord had a nice family.
I was really tired and wanted to rest, not knowing what kind of day I would be having tomorrow. I told David that I would take a cab to Gord’s place tomorrow morning and I wanted to thank him for the ride. He said why don’t you call Gord and let him know that you’re here and you will come to his home first thing in the morning.
David said I will give you a ride around 8:00 AM, if it’s okay with you. I said it sounds like a plan, David.
I called Gord as David had suggested and let him know that I would be there around 8:00 AM. Gord said he would have breakfast ready for us.
I didn’t have a very good night but was ready to be picked up. David took me to Gord’s and I said I would meet him downtown for lunch around 11:00 AM in one of the restaurants where we used to have lunch when I was working there.
Everybody was up and waiting for me with a nice breakfast when I got there. The girls seemed to have grown quite a bit. Gord said here comes Uncle Mir, girls. Gord looked tired. There was somebody else in the house who was looking after the girls. Gord introduced me to her and she sounded nice. She appeared to be in charge of the girls as well as the household. She seemed like a pleasant lady.
I talked to the girls and gave them Lynda’s message that if they needed her, she would be there ASAP.
I remember the girls never used to be keen on eating their meals whereas Adam was slightly older than them and had no problem eating anything. Gord used to say why don’t we get Adam to demonstrate how to eat a meal. That may help the girls to start eating.
We had a nice breakfast, then Gord took me into the living room and said we ‘ll start around 10:00 AM to the hospital, Mir. They’re always busy in the morning and Margret gets her doctors’ visits before she becomes available for us. He said typically on the weekend the girls go with me more than once but this morning it’s just you and me. He said its funny how she remembered that you were coming on Saturday. He said I told her that you would be here on Saturday and yesterday she asked me if it’s Saturday today. He said she’s waiting for you, Mir.
I said I cannot wait to see her either.
Gord said it is our wedding anniversary today and I need to get some flowers for her before we go to the hospital.
When we got there I had to wait for a few minutes in the hospital before I saw Margret. When I saw her, I was totally shocked as she had shrunk terribly and all I recognized was her smile. Gord said to Margret look at who’s here to see you. She looked around and gave me a nice smile. It made me feel like crying — even now as I am writing about her. She had a beautiful smile that we were used to.
I noticed that the nurse had put the flowers in a vase for Margret.
Margret was so weak that when she said thanks to me, I could hardly hear her. I didn’t see any reason to bother her by continuing to try to say something. I stuck around for a few more minutes and told Gord that I would see him in the afternoon at his house.
I walked to the restaurant. I was early and David wasn’t supposed to be there before 11:00 AM. I asked for coffee and began thinking about the time we spent in Fredericton with Margret and her family. Whenever we were invited to their home for a meal, Margret used to make my favourite dessert. She was a great cook. I was going around and around with the memories that we had and all of sudden somebody said – A penny for your thoughts.
It was David.
I explained to David what I had gone through with Margret just a few minutes before. I told him that I was totally out of words.
We had a nice lunch then David asked me if I would like to visit the place where I used to work? I said of course.
David took me there. I didn’t see anybody who used to work for me but I saw Tony and his gang. Tony and I had an interesting background as we used to work for Gord at Beaver Lumber Company and never got along with each other very well. However, when I came to Fredericton, I used to report to somebody who reported to Tony as I was working in the capacity of a system analyst.
Tony suspected that I was there to take over a management position in Gord’s organization, but I said I am simply here to see Margret. Once he realized that, he apologized to me and said it has been a terrible situation with Margret, Mir. I had coffee with Tony and told David that I will walk to my hotel from there. I also told David that I need to buy some liquor for Gord before I see him in the afternoon. Poor David said he will come and pick me up in the late afternoon.
David dropped me off at Gord’s place with a bottle of Gord’s favourite whiskey. I knocked on the door and Gord opened it. He looked dreadful. I said what’s wrong, Gord? He said just come in the living room, Mir. As soon as I entered, he said Margret passed away right after you left the hospital this morning. I hugged him and said I am so sorry Gord. I asked him how the girls were taking it. He said they were in their bedroom and not doing too bad. I said I don’t know how to express my sorrow, Gord. He said Margret knew that you and Lynda were her friends and in an odd way she was waiting for you to come.
I said unfortunately I am supposed to go back tomorrow morning. If you want me to stay for the funeral service, I can change my flight.
He said that’s not necessary. I am not even sure when the service will be, Mir. Plus you need to get back to your life. I said how about this — if I get Lynda here to look after the girls. He said the girls are okay, Mir. My friend’s taking care of them. Just tell Lynda that Margret always loved her.
He said thanks for my favorite whiskey, and took it in the kitchen. When he came back in the living room, he had two glasses in his hands with whiskey and I couldn’t possibly tell him that I am not drinking anymore.
We both started drinking and he said remember, Mir, when you used to visit us. Margret used to make two rye-and-ginger ales for both of us. I said how can I forget.
He said do you remember having a nice time when we used to get together on special occasions. Especially, when Lynda and Margret used to take turns to cook on Christmas and New Year. The kids used to enjoy that too. I said looks like those days are gone now, Gord.
All of sudden he said – Malcom told me that you have accomplished a lot with the bank. He was wondering if you are still happy working for the bank, Mir? I was surprised with his question but then again Gord knew me better.
I said things started changing as the president of the bank’s retiring. He was the best, if not the only, supporter of all the progress and changes that we made in the last four years, changing the culture of the bank and becoming profitable again.
Gord said unfortunately that’s always the case, doesn’t matter where. He said Mir, I always thought you were a change agent. It doesn’t matter where you work and what you do to help the overall policies of the companies, you will always be a target for those who cannot stand your capabilities and so hate your guts. I didn’t know what to say.
He said – would you like to come back to Fredericton, Mir. I quickly responded by saying, I think we will be okay Gord but thanks for the offer.
I said actually I am thinking of going into the consulting business, Gord. He took a couple of seconds to look at me, sipping his drink. Then he said it is probably not a bad idea to try out something different. He asked what Lynda thought about that idea.
I said I never discussed this idea with Lynda yet. He said you better start thinking about doing that right away, before you get into serious trouble with your current employer.
There was somebody at the door. my ride David. I apologized to Gord and left.
By the time I got back from Fredericton, it was late and I told Lynda not to bother coming to the airport. I took a cab and when I got home, she was waiting for me with supper. Adam was already in bed and we stayed up talking about the time we spent with Margret and her family. Lynda was totally upset. She wasn’t very happy with Gord. She assumed that the person who was looking after the girls might be Gord’s girlfriend. Lynda asked me if the lady was staying with them but I couldn’t possibly answer that question.
I tried to stay away from commenting on the subject as I had a feeling that Gord and that person were close. It could be the way Gord appreciated the help he was getting from her. I personally didn’t see anything wrong with that, but Lynda wasn’t having it.
When I got back to the office on Monday, I felt as if there was a change in the air. Right away Gerry popped in my office, closed my office door, and asked me how everything went in Montreal. I said everything went just fine in Montreal, but when I went to see our friend, my ex-boss’s wife, in Fredericton, she died. Gerry said he was sorry to hear that. He asked me if I needed some time off. I said no, I was okay.
He said there were some things are happening there. John was going to take over from me. He would act as General Manager, Computer Services. I, along with everybody else, would be reporting to him.
I said what’s going on with you, are they promoting you? He said no. I will continue to report to Ross but with no responsibilities other than strategic planning for the department. He said I may not even have a dedicated secretary anymore. I will have only one person reporting to me with the responsibility to assist me with strategic planning.
He said before you ask any more questions, I need to ask you if it is okay with you to take Barry away from you as I need somebody like him to help me, Mir. However, you can hire somebody to replace Barry.
I said I don’t think I am being given too many choices to start with, Gerry, but if that helps you, please go ahead. He said thank you, Mir.
As soon as Gerry left my office, my secretary came in and said you picked the right week to be away, Mir. Now there’s a meeting at 10:00, John would like to meet with all managers and make some necessary announcements.
I said I will be there but do you know if Gerry’s going to be there? She said she had no idea.
I felt so bad for Gerry because of the way he was being treated, and it was nothing but an indication of what lay ahead for me. Gerry was a better man than me in that he was not taking this too badly, or he was a better actor than I gave him credit for. I felt like I needed to discuss this situation with Lynda soon.
Managers directly reporting to me must have been totally confused as I wasn’t around to brief them about the anticipated changes. I called my secretary and asked her to get all my managers in my office right away so that I could talk to them.
When they came in, I told my secretary I would not be taking any calls and I closed my office door.
I turned around and said to the managers that I was so sorry that I wasn’t there when they needed me most. They said not to worry about that Mir. We are big boys and we can take it.
I explained to them that nothing’s going to happen to them. They were needed every single day from an operational point of view if ATB wanted to stay in the banking business. I said that John’s definitely after me, Gerry, and Tam and he will find any excuse to get rid of us without any hesitation.
Then I briefed them about Gerry’s situation and asked Barry if anybody talked to him about that. He said no but Gerry gave him the impression that I would have a talk with him.
I explained to Barry that under the new organization, Gerry would have one manager reporting to him to help him with so-called strategic planning. Gerry asked me if he could steal Barry for that function.
I told Barry that I had no problem with his getting transferred to help Gerry, but that it should be his decision.
Barry said I appreciate that Mir. I said, now I am talking to you as a friend not as your boss. You should get together with Gerry to discuss the situation, keeping in mind that they may eliminate Gerry’s new position altogether as soon as they find an excuse.
I said John has called a meeting at 10:00 this morning and you are invited to attend. My suggestion to you is that you just listen to him. Don’t try to be logical or critical. We all know that he’s a jerk but have some patience and be professional.
They asked me if I had any plans for dealing with the situation as Tam and I seemed to be in a direct line for firing.
I said right now I don’t have any plan as I was totally consumed with some personal matters when I was away. I was shocked with the news when I walked in this morning. I said I must be so dumb as I thought this might take another month or two, but they must have been planning this for a while. They appeared to be desperate.
I said I know you are aware of the situation but don’t lose your cool, please. Pretend as if you are just finding out everything from John. Keep in mind that John knows that he cannot try to be cocky with you as you’re the ones who are running the show in terms of the banking operations. Chris said but we cannot continue to manage without your leadership and direction, Mir. I said I appreciate that but the reality is that when I was training you guys to be totally empowered; I knew it would backfire on me. However, I am not sorry. I am proud of each of you in this room and I believe that I did the right thing.
As soon as I was done with my managers, my secretary brought me a fresh cup of coffee and said you need this before you face the music. I was totally fond of my secretary as she always looked after my interest.
I went to the meeting and spent 45 minutes listening to nothing but all kinds of stupid lies. At the end of the meeting John said, can I speak to you, Mir, for a few minutes.
I said, of course, but can you give me 15 minutes. I have to look into some operational priorities and make a call to Roy. He said I will come to your office in 30 minutes.
I came back to my office and made a call to Roy just to touch base about the computer operations while I was gone. Roy briefed me and said he heard rumors about the changes. I said to him why don’t we meet for lunch tomorrow at our favourite place and I will talk to you. He said okay.
I asked my secretary to come in and talk to me. She came in and closed the door and told me everything that went on when I was away.
I told her not to worry about her job as I was planning to look into everything, and she was at the top of my list. I also told her that even if they got rid of me, they would have to replace me with somebody. As far as I was concerned she was the most knowledgeable resource in my department to help the newcomer.
I was not sure if she believed me, but she appeared to be a little more like herself.
John showed up soon and closed my office door.
He said it’s too bad that things started happening while you were away. I never called when I was away simply because I didn’t want my managers to feel as if I didn’t have enough confidence in them to manage their areas of responsibility.
He said in any case. I am sorry that Gerry had to go through this but believe me this is not my doing. I hope he understands that. I didn’t like to say anything as I knew very well that he was lying to me again.
I said how can I help you, John.
He said I understand that in a couple of weeks you’re scheduled to make a presentation to the Bank of Canada as a part of the National Clearing Committee.
I said that can be cancelled or I can send Ken to do it for me. Furthermore I said I don’t know if you know that I am not attending those committee meetings anymore. Ken’s officially our representative as I think that he’s quite capable of handling those responsibilities. I had gone with Ken to those meetings for a couple of times just to introduce him to the folks but everything is under control.
He said I spoke to Ken and he’s very comfortable with those meetings. He also mentioned that it’s critical for us to send you for the kind of presentation you’re expected to deliver. Ken doesn’t mind going with you but he doesn’t think he can handle the situation by himself.
I said this is your decision, John. Whatever you decide, I am prepared to do. He said perhaps you should go, Mir.
He said I also wanted to have a word about your relationship with Roy. Is he cooperating with us? All our computer operations are still with the government and I understand that he never used to be cooperative? I said Roy’s doing just fine. He will continue to cooperate regardless whether or not I am here, John.
John said what kind of talk is that, Mir. I said I am just being honest. He said I am sorry Mir. If my presence here in Calgary gives you the impression that I am here to get rid of you or anybody, you’re mistaken. I said I hope you’re right.
As soon as John left my office, my secretary came in and said Gerry would like to have lunch with you. I totally understood Gerry’s frustration. He wanted to know what kind of BS John was feeding me. I said tell him to meet me at our favourite restaurant in 30 minutes.
