Two Retired Middle Managers and a Small Dog
A Greek Drama in One Act by Domestikes
Prologue
Prior to retirement, the man ran a small law office. The woman, his wife, was a social worker. To them, complex bureaucracies were what the ocean is to a fish. His environment was the legal system. Hers was human services.
Both of their professions required them to talk other people into doing things those people did not want to do.
Some people they could boss around. Husband could tell his legal assistants what to do, and they had to do it because he paid them. The wife had people beneath her on the organizational ladder who had to do what she said because they were… beneath her on the organizational ladder.
Other people could order them around. When judges asked the man to do something, he did it. The woman had people above her in the bureaucracy that she needed to keep happy in order to remain happy herself. Both of them manipulated the people above them using the ancient art of obsequity.
The difficult ones were people on the same level as they were. For husband, these were other lawyers, accountants, and mid-level public servants. For wife, they were other social workers. By being able to manage these people, husband and wife were able to buy a house in the suburbs.
