7. Nadine Sogman, Personal Trainer

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Library #02
With Nadine, it seems as though what you see is what you get. Her clientele are almost all women and almost all over 45. She visits them at their home, bringing her equipment with her. She puts them through their paces, helps them with various aches and pains, gives them encouragement, and, now and then, a bit of advice. She had wanted to be a social worker but never did very well with formal, classroom education. And it did not help that she married very young and had four children by the time she was 20. About five years ago, she got divorced. She still loves her husband and sees him regularly. But it was a sex thing. Almost simultaneously, they both realized they are gay. As she put it the other day, “He likes boys and I like girls. So, what are you going to do?” These days they both have partners and all of them get along and have dinner together at least once a month. She is pretty open about all this with her relatives and close friends but knows that some of her best customers would be uneasy with it. So, she is circumspect about her personal life, even though she suspects one or two of them know.

6. Ronald “Ronny” Johns, Area Sales Director

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Library #06
Ronny likes to think that he’s a nice guy, a people person. But he really isn’t. He talks about “his turf” and guards it like a shark. He figures that if he looks the other way, someone’s going to take it all away from him. So, he works 10 hours a day and sometimes a lot more, keeps everything to himself, and, if one of his sales people seems to show some ability, he finds a reason to fire them. There’s only exception. That’s Fiona who he thinks of as “my something on the side.” No one is supposed to know but everyone does. And his wife is definitely wise to him. She’s got a big house in a brand-new development, a Mercedes convertible (fuchsia), plenty of evidence and money for the divorce lawyer she’s selected, and plans “to ruin the stupid bastard.” But, in the meantime, she’s content to spend time doing yoga and relaxing at the tanning salon.

5. Brenda “Billie” Burnham, Account Supervisor, Advertising

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Library #05
Brenda is a very special person. Still in her 30s, she runs her advertising agency’s largest account. She loves her job, makes very good money, has a large apartment with river views, has a place in the country, and is miserable. She is lonely. Would love to find someone to share her life with. She married right out of college. It didn’t work out. By the time she finished her MBA, he dumped her. Since then, just a couple of romances that amounted to nothing much. And things have not improved lately. She’s had her eye on a really nice guy. But he is five years younger than her, is her subordinate at the agency – in creative, and happily married with two kids. More times a day than she’d care to admit, she wonders,“Why does this always happen to me? Why do I always go for idiots or men who aren’t even in the realm of possibility?” She hasn’t a clue. Or the time to figure out what to do about it.

4. Norm Finster, Assistant Buyer on vacation

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4.Norm Finster, Assistant Buyer on vacation
Norm has always been a nervous person. He worries that, somehow, he just doesn’t measure up. He is bright enough, although no genius. And he is conscientious at work and at home. He has a good job. He has a wife who loves and appreciates him and a happy and healthy two-year-old daughter. On the surface, everything is great. The trouble is that he feels trapped and failing. His father owns the business. So, Norm’s job is secure. But he senses that, no matter how hard he works, people will never think much of him. He once overheard someone say: “The old man is smart but the kid just ain’t got it.” While he’s been on vacation, he’s thought about leaving and taking a job with another company. And the truth is, he dreads going back to work. It’s ruining his vacation and has his wife wondering.

3. Rita “The Rapper” Genato, Department Store Sales Clerk

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Libra3.Rita “The Rapper” Genato, Department Store Sales Clerkry #03
After two and a half semesters at a local college, Rita dropped out and took a job selling children’s clothing for a national chain store. She left school because she felt it was unfair to pay tuition if she were unsure about why she was there. She is a hard worker and good at sales. She’s been told that, if she sticks with it, she could move up to management in her company. And she loves to dance; “It’s techno-rap or nothing.” Her parents are not pleased with her leaving school. She tells them not to worry, that this is just until she figures out her career plans, But she is terrified that they will find out about what is going on in her personal life. “They would be so ashamed.”

2. John T. Snively, Weekend Runner and Insurance Adjuster

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Library #02
John is a dedicated runner, doing a 5k at least twice a week and, every other week or so, a 10k. He sees it as a good antidote for the stress he feels at work and, as he hesitantly admits, time away from a wife who increasingly seems to disapprove of him. Until recently, his emphasis has been on speed, trying to go his set distance as fast as he can. Lately though, there’s been a change. He’s been stopping to talk to a fellow runner. They sit together on a bench in a park for five or ten minutes before taking off again. He’s just learned that she works in the same building as him. They have agreed to meet for lunch next week.

1. Rod Norblaugh, Assistant Account Manager

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Rod Norblaugh
This is Rod’s first job after finishing his MBA at St. Colamina’s College. He is very nervous all the time although he does his best to put on a very confident, if somewhat overbearing face on everything that he does. Having spent his school years at all-boys schools and St. Colamina’s, a school that promises “monastic living” for his undergraduate and graduate degrees, he is very unsure how to behave with his female supervisor, a woman who appreciates his zeal and competence but is amused by his awkwardness around her and other women in the company. For his part, Rod is troubled by his fantasies about her and a few of these other women.