A Leopard Can’t Change Its Spots, Episode 1

By Russell Korn

The department’s electronic public forum was known as ‘The Line’. Here lay an opportunity for disgruntled employees to anonymously air their frustrations and grievances or make a plea as to where to go, how to do or who to tell. Most of the submissions were answered by the powers that be within several days of being lodged. However there was one particular entry that had lain dormant for many weeks. Unlike the majority, this proposal focused totally on the positive. The subject matter was ‘Innovation and Creativity’ and it came with a mysterious accompanying tag - ‘Regards - The Chameleon’. The regular followers of ‘The Line’ were abuzz with anticipation as they waited for the reply. Behind the scenes, though, there was movement aplenty. This Chameleon was known only to the chosen few. One of such was his divisional director, who The Chameleon referred to as Sahib. Sahib was a Rhodes Scholar and someone who challenged authority in an anarchist-type of way. He had been The Chameleon’s mentor for a number of decades.

The Chameleon’s proactive attitude often found him embroiled in controversy; being summoned to the ‘headmaster’s office’ was part and parcel of that experience. However, Sahib was two levels above ‘the headmaster’. The sudden request for an impromptu meeting to do the ‘Please Explain’ came as a surprise, even to the highly intuitive Chameleon. The subject matter was yet to be made known to The Chameleon but as Sahib closed the doors to the conference room The Chameleon guessed it wasn’t a catering issue.

Sahib explained that ‘The Line’ was an anonymous forum, so he had been anonymously instructed by an anonymous source to anonymously approach the anonymous writer who identified himself as The Chameleon. During the next half hour his mentor spoke at length while The Chameleon barely said a word. In all the years that he had known him, The Chameleon had never seen Sahib cry, not even at his son’s funeral. So it came as a shock when a tearful Sahib voiced his perspective on The Chameleon’s ‘priest-like’ nature and the heart he had for people. Departmental policy, however, dictated that certain procedures had to be followed in relation to ‘terrorist alert protocols’. Sahib’s personal assurances in relation to The Chameleon’s good character were insufficient to appease the demons of bureaucracy. What he required from The Chameleon was an assurance that his intentions were honourable and without terrorist intent.

To be continued ...