If you missed previous segments of the CMEslinger saga, you can read them here:
And now, our latest segment:
Part 7 (Derek)
With a long sigh, Marge removed her clear-framed reading glasses and carelessly tossed them onto a stack of receipts.
“Well boys, everything seems in order here. I think we’re just about all set to get this thing started.”
The CMEslinger and the man in black simultaneously said “good” and rose from the seats they had taken while waiting for Marge to finish her review.
“Sit back down,” Marge scolded. “I’m not through with you two, yet.”
Chagrined, the two rivals sat back down on opposite ends of the only couch in Room 242.
“Phinneas organized this competition to end your fighting, but he still has one last lesson for you. Do either of you remember his favorite saying?” Marge asked with a blank face.
“You idiots went to school for half your life and you still don’t know nothin’?” guessed the CMEslinger.
“No, not that saying. The other one.”
“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. Mentor a man who knows how to fish and you will never have to fish again,” replied the man in black.
“Correct. You both know how important mentorship was to Phinneas and how honored he was to receive the Maitland Memorial Mentorship Award back in 2021. He was proud to mentor you both and you repaid him by breaking his heart.”
The CMEslinger and the man in black both stared down at their feet with grim expressions. A sly grin began to creep across Marge’s face.
“This competition is not only about your skills as a CME professional, but it is also about your effectiveness as a mentor. This is Phinneas’s final lesson.” Marge motioned to the hotel room door, as if excusing them from her presence.
Puzzled, the two men hesitantly stood up and walked over to the door. Reaching it first, the man in black grabbed the door knob and tried to turn it. It wouldn’t budge. He rattled it a few times and then tried turning it with two hands, but it still wouldn’t move.
Shouldering him out of the way, the CMEslinger gripped the knob but Marge interrupted him.
“Don’t bother. Maintenance reversed the door knob and I had my assistant Leon lock it from the outside. He’ll scan his keycard and unlock it when I give him the code word. Until then, no one is going anywhere.”
“What’s going on?” asked the confused CMEslinger.
“Yeah,” agreed the man in black. “Give him the code word. The symposia doors open in five minutes. We have to get to our rooms!”
Smiling broadly now, Marge slowly shook her head.
“You are staying here with me. And so is he. This competition is now in the hands of your staff. A good mentor will have a staff that is prepared to take over in his or her absence. Just as Phinneas mentored and trained you to take over for him, he wanted to make sure you were doing the same. A mentor never stops mentoring.”
The man in black stared at her in disbelief and then slowly reached for his phone in his front pocket.
“Once again, I urge you not to bother,” Marge said pleasantly. “I’ve disabled the wifi in the room and had everyone on your staff block your number. You won’t be able to communicate with them.”
“So, what are we supposed to do now?” asked the CMEslinger. “Just stand here and do nothing?”
“At 7 o’clock sharp, Leon will visit each symposium and count the number of attendees. He will then return to Room 242, knock twice, pause, then knock twice again. I will state the code word and he will unlock the door. He will then reveal the winner of the competition.”
“And until then?” asked a very annoyed man in black.
“We wait,” replied Marge, her smile broadening even more.
CMEPALOOZA 