The moment my internship at the bank ended, I was fired.
All because the bank had no open positions this year, and one intern who'd just gotten his own notice to leave came storming into the president's office.
He claimed I was taking up a position to line my own pockets, that every month I made off with $5,000 in gift cards the procurement team had set aside for clients.
I couldn't even be bothered to look up at him. "I have a deposit here, which makes me a client too. Those gifts were always partly mine."
He looked me up and down and sneered, "You? A client? You've got a few thousand bucks saved and you've got the nerve to grab two $5,000 gift cards every month? You think this bank is your personal ATM?"
Watching him swagger and rant while the president sat there in silence, I rose with a smile.
I packed up my things and walked out, neat and clean.
If he wanted this job that badly, then he could have it.
He'd just gotten one thing wrong. The bank wasn't my ATM.
Of the $23 million in deposits the bank handled every year, $20 million of it was mine.
I was the one who was this bank's ATM.
——
I clocked out right on time, the bank's $50,000 in gift cards for the month tucked into my pants pocket.
That was when the president's office erupted.
The coworkers who loved a good show all crowded over.
I had no interest in the gossip. I'd round up my buddies, go out and enjoy ourselves, and blow through the fifty grand.
I'd barely stood up when I heard my name in the middle of Harvey Matthews's shouting.
"From what I know, Samuel Butler got into this bank without even taking an exam. He just sits at his desk all day doing nothing, collecting a paycheck for free, and that's the least of it!"
"In just the three months I've been interning, I've seen him go to procurement to pick up gift cards every single month. What gives a guy like him the right to take up a spot at this bank?"
I pushed through the press of gawking coworkers, walked into the office, pulled out a chair, and sat down.
I watched him lose his mind, calm and quiet.
Harvey was flushed to the ears, his hands clawing all over me, frantic to dig up his proof.
He quickly felt the stiff edge of the gift cards.
His mouth twisted into a grin as he yanked them out and slapped them on the desk.
"President, didn't I tell you? Here's the proof!"
"Look at him. Ten grand a month in salary, late every day and gone early, doesn't work a teller window, doesn't chase any business, just holes up in his own private office drinking coffee and playing on his phone."
"And so greedy on top of it. Gift cards, all kinds of presents, he's been stuffing them into his pockets one by one!"
I'd heard enough. I pinched a gift card between my fingertips.
"These gift cards were given to me by the bank. I have a deposit here, which makes me a client too. They were mine to begin with."
Harvey burst out laughing like he'd heard the funniest joke, raking his eyes over me.
"You? A client? Take a look at how much you're worth! You save a few thousand bucks and think you're some high-end customer."
"The way I see it, you're using that pretty-boy face to get cozy with Moira Lambert in procurement, treating the bank like your own cash machine!"
At the bank, I'd always kept a low profile.
Same as any regular employee, showing up every day in my uniform with my badge on.
Apart from President Frances Fox and Moira Lambert, who handled procurement and client relations, no one knew how much I had on deposit at the bank.
By now there was a rustle of whispers at the doorway, and it wasn't hard to notice the strange new looks my coworkers were giving me.
"No wonder Moira's always so warm with him, running over to his office every couple of days. Turns out she's been using the bank's money to keep her pretty boy happy."
"The bank even set him up with his own private office. So it became his little love nest."
"Ten grand a month plus the year-end bonus still isn't enough for him? I'd be lighting candles and saying my prayers. He's got the nerve to take the gifts meant for key clients. There's no way that doesn't add up to a million a year!"
