一个不缺
2005-04-29马朝虎
马朝虎
早上一上班,办公室里的电话就“丁零零”地响了起来,主任巡视了一下他手下的全体成员,嘀咕道:“怎么这么早就有电话?”然后有些不情愿地提起话筒:“喂,是哪位?是你呀,什么事家里不能说吗?今天是我的五十岁生日。你要好好庆祝一下,我看就免了吧,有什么值得庆祝的。好好,听你的……”放下电话,主任抱怨一声:“我那口子真是多事。”随后带上文件包出去了。
办公室里的十几口人谁也没吱声,静得连一根针掉在地上都听得见。过了五分钟左右,办公室里才恢复往日的常态,喝茶的喝茶、抽烟的抽烟、看报的看报……我刚进这个科室不久,对这里的有些“规矩”不了解,便向一同事请教:“主任今天五十岁生日,我们大家要不要凑个份子?”
同事心不在焉地说:“凑什么份子呀,主任过生日与我们何干?”另一同事附和道:“对呀,人家庆祝生日,一家人在一起吃顿团圆饭,咱们去多碍事呀!”
话音刚落,众同事异口同声道:“不错,主任的这个五十诞辰看来还是不参加的为好,如果主任真的想‘与民同乐,我想他会招呼大家的。”
听大家这么一说,我就不把主任生日这件事放在心上了。可一下班回到家里,心里又不塌实起来。因为单位里马上要进行机构改革,在科室里我资历最浅,又没有什么过硬的后台,何不趁领导庆祝生日的机会拉拉关系?于是我打定主意,晚上无论如何也要备上一份不太难看的礼物去给主任祝寿。别人去不去就管不了那么多了,当一回小人又怎样?
夜幕初降,当我拎着一大包礼品敲开主任家大门时,我一眼发现办公里的同事一个不缺地坐在客厅里聊天、抽烟、喝茶,桌子上堆满了各式各样的礼品。我吓出了一身的冷汗。
主任走过来亲切地拍拍我的肩膀说:“办公室的同志们一个不缺都到齐了,现在我宣布开宴。”
那天晚上,我喝得烂醉如泥。
Everyone Is present
When we started working in the office that morning, the telephone rung. The manager quickly glanced around at every-one in the room,muttering,“Who calls so early?”He re-luctantly picked up the receiver and said,“Who is this?Oh,it's you. What's the important thing you must tell me right now?You say today is my fiftieth birthday and you are going to give a lavish dinner to celebrate it?No, I don't think it necessary for us to prepare a celebration. Well,yes,do if you insist… ”Putting down the receiver,he grumbled,“My wife is always meddling.”With this word, he went out with his briefcase.
A dozen of office workers remained mute. The room was so quiet that even the sound of a needle falling on the ground could be heard. Five minutes elapsed before everyone started smoking,drinking tea and reading newspapers as they usually did… As a newly assigned worker still not knowing some of the “Practices”implemented in the office,I asked a col-league if we should club together to buy the manager some birthday presents.
Absent-mindedly he said,“Why take the trouble to do that. Celebrating the manager's birthday is an affair of his household,not ours.”“You are right,”another worker chimed in,“It would be very troublesome to visit him when all his family members are happily a dinner around the table in celebration of his brithday!”
As soon as he said that,other colleagues said in chorus, “That sound correct. We'd better not go and congratulate him on his brithday. The manager will tell us if he wants us to celebrate his birthday with him.”
Their words set my mind at rest. But after work when I came back home,I felt worried again.I knew the internal structure of our organization would soon be reformed and I might be laid off because I was newcomer workiong in the lowest position and I have no connection with any high-level official who could help me in the company. I thought to my-self why I did not take the opportunity to establish close per-sonal ties with my direct superior. I made up my mind to vis-it the manager with some expensive presents and congratulate him on his birthday. It was no concern of mine whether oth-ers would go or not. It would'd harm me to do something a mean person did just once.
When evening came,carrying a large packet of pre-sents, I knocked the door of the manager's house. When the door opened,I saw every colleague of mine sitting in the lounge,talking,smoking or drinking tea around the table, on which a large variety of handsome presents were placed.I was so scared that I was wet with sweat.
The manager came to me and friendly patted me on the shoulder.He said,“Since everyone is present, I announce the dinner begins.”
That night I was dead drunk.