He wandered into the workshop,
a kind of supreme confidence exuded,
and nothing could phase him.
The customers came and went.
Hal lived in the moment,
revelling in the well-oiled workflows.
It was also clear
he was a subject matter expert —
someone “from the factory”,
a man well connected
with the marque’s mechanistic marvels.
I watched from the sidelines,
benched, as it were,
while I awaited the analysis.
Things were not quite right
with the machine’s computer.
I wanted the diagnosis and prognosis.
People rushed in and out,
but the queue thinned,
and my time arrived.
What was the problem?
One thing I was sure about —
Hal would know.
He, after all,
was well connected
with the factory.
He passed me the readout of the scan.
As expected,
things were not quite right.
I asked Hal about an upgrade.
Was there one coming?
Hal was about to respond
when I saw his eyes
shift to the corner
of the workshop.
An unknown figure —
I had not seen before —
was very clearly indicating
to Hal
that this was not public information.
This was, in fact,
a company secret.
Confidential I.P.
And Hal ought to know better.
After all,
Hal was well connected
with the factory.
But I needed to know.
Today.
Now, really.
Hal looked dismayed.
Deeply conflicted.
Uncomfortable.
He was there to serve his customers —
to give them the very best advice
from his vast knowledge.
But secrets were secrets.
After all,
“he” was the factory,
in the spirit of
“in loco mandatoris“.
I could literally see
the blood drain
from Hal’s face.
It took on
a strange, metallic appearance —
a cold grey blight.
But then
he suddenly brightened.
As if an internal computation
had reached
a satisfactory resolution.
He apologised.
But again,
his eyes provided the clue.
He wanted me to wait
till the other man
had gone.
I took the diagnosis
and wandered away to pay.
The “watcher” disappeared,
and Hal went about his business.
I kept an eye on him too
as I paid the bill.
Hal wandered out
to the customer toilets.
I discretely followed.
We both stood
in the small corridor.
He leant forward.
And I awaited
the prognosis.