We knew it was going to be a bad meeting. We just knew it. We had one task. One simple task now that we look back. So simple. And we blew it. Upper Management was going to be there, and they were not going to be happy. I mean, it’s the one thing they asked us to watch for. The primary directive if you will. And we blew it. The plan was simple. Keep quiet and follow the lead of the chief engineer. See which direction he was leaning and follow his lead. After all, he is kind of a father to us all.
We tried to feel him out. See how he was handling it. But he kept to himself the whole day. He was not himself. It was strange to see and it really troubled the younger engineers. It was almost like he was hiding. He did not want to talk, strategize, or brainstorm. He just stayed in his office and looked out the window. We knew he was really shook up on the inside. We knew he had met with his number 2 but it did not go well – there was no covering it up. It was a bad situation, but we really had not seen him like this before. We just did not know how bad. I thought I would be brave and go talk to him, but when I came near his cubicle and looked in and saw him staring out the window, something told me to keep walking. I did. What happened next was bad. Worse than any of us had imagined.
The meeting started right away. No introductions or briefings. No review or going over the events. We all knew what happened so there was no need. Upper Management started with a simple question. I thought it was a fair question. Given how disappointed He was, I thought He showed great restraint, love almost. The meeting was short. Our fearless leader first tried to hide, which was bad enough. It just went downhill from there. The next question went right to the heart of the matter. The response took us all by surprise. He just totally threw his number 2 under the bus and even blamed Upper Management for a bad hiring decision. He just looked Him straight in the eye and said: “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate” (Gen 3:12). We thought we were all going to be fired. Poor number 2 though. The look on her face told the whole story. The next question went to her and she did not try to hide. We admired her courage. A confession, clear, short and to the point. We were sure she felt terrible. But to be thrown under the bus like that, and by him, had to hurt even more.
Adam had a simple task with regards to The Garden, but he also had a task concerning Eve. To protect her and nurture the relationship. To care for her. This included caring for her feelings too. I wonder how the relationship progressed after that day. Perhaps he apologized, perhaps she forgave. Perhaps he shouldn’t have thrown her under the bus like that. Perhaps he should have apologized to Him and taken the fall and asked for forgiveness. I wonder how that day would have ended if he had…