American Tax Officer

"Lewis, you have a phone call."

The voice that reached his ears brought Lewis back from his reverie, and he stretched out his hand to take the mobile phone that his wife was handing to him, but the caller ID on the screen made his expression change dramatically.

It was David's number.

A myriad of thoughts flashed through his mind, and he immediately pressed the answer button, "Hello, Director David?"

"It's me, Deputy Tax Inspector Lewis. How is it going? Is your work in Detroit still going smoothly?"

Hearing the greetings from David on the other end of the phone, Lewis's face immediately turned sour.

The high crime rate of the city of Detroit had been beneficial to their Internal Revenue Service's campaign against tax evasion.

But that was only in terms of work.

As for his personal life, it had been nothing but torture for him and his wife.

Take the time when he first arrived, for instance, his wife, unfamiliar with the city, was often the victim of pickpocketing and mugging by small-time hoodlums.

And now, just over two months into his tenure, he had already moved three times.

Why was that?

It was because in the previous neighborhoods where they lived, fights and shootings occurred frequently, and he could find some peace only when he moved near the desolate area by the Detroit River, at the southern edge of the city.

In short, everything about the city made Lewis and his wife feel utterly miserable; he now even thought that staying as a Chief Tax Officer in the Lake District without the promotion might have been a better choice.

"Are you listening, Lewis?"

The voice from the phone brought the daydreaming Lewis hurriedly back to the present, and he replied, "I'm listening; I saw the press conference today. You mentioned Detroit, too. You should have some understanding of this city. My work here is indeed going quite smoothly, but... never mind, let's not talk about it."

David heard the trouble in Lewis's words and cut straight to the chase, "Here's the thing, Lewis, as you know I'm about to take office as the head of the Western Suburb Branch. I have no base there, so I want to bring over some people I am familiar with. So I want to ask you, would you be willing to come over?"

David thought of transferring Lewis over for two main reasons.

First, as he said, he had no base at the Western Suburb Branch. Going there, it was hard to say whether those people would sidestep him, or hinder him, so he had to quickly establish his own power base to take control of the branch.
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Second, he had worked under Lewis for a considerable amount of time before and knew that Lewis was competent, not one of those useless placeholders.

On the other end, Lewis, who had been troubled by the living conditions in Detroit, immediately sparked with enthusiasm upon hearing this offer.

He had already speculated about this possibility when he saw the incoming call from David, and to his surprise, his guess was correct.

He replied immediately, with a trembling voice, "Willing? Of course, I am willing. I've been wanting to leave this godforsaken place!"

He genuinely wanted to leave Detroit, but more importantly, David was transferring him to the Western Suburb Branch.

And the Western Suburb Branch was part of the jurisdiction of the massive city of Los Angeles!

Even a lateral move there amounted to a promotion!

After all, the position of Deputy Tax Inspector in Detroit could not be compared to the same position in Los Angeles in terms of prestige and responsibility.

"Well, then, I will take office the day after tomorrow. If you can come as soon as possible, do it. I'm currently in Washington D.C. Don't worry about the procedures; I can get them sorted for you with just a process to follow," David reassured.

"Don't you worry, Director David, not only could I make it the day after tomorrow, but I could also arrive tomorrow!"

He now had the chance to move to the Los Angeles West Suburb Branch; not only could he make it the day after tomorrow, but if they asked him to pack his bags and start right away, he wouldn't hesitate for a second.

"There's no need to hurry; arriving the day after tomorrow is fine. We'll definitely have a meet and greet, and we can make our appearance together then."

"Okay, oh, by the way..."

Lewis suddenly remembered something and asked cautiously, "After I move to the Western Suburb Branch, will I continue to serve as the Deputy Tax Inspector?"

"Deputy Tax Inspector? No, Tax Inspector!"

"What?"

Lewis's brain felt like it was starved of oxygen, and his breathing became rapid.

"Due to consistently poor performance over several assessment periods, the Western Suburb Branch has cleared out many people. I'm bringing you in to serve directly as the Tax Investigator," David clarified.

Upon confirmation, Lewis jumped up from his chair, his face becoming as red as an apple

He had been promoted to Deputy Tax Inspector just over two months ago, and without significant accomplishments, the normal career progression would have taken him three to five years to be considered for the position of Tax Investigator.

For those less fortunate, they might have ended up staying in the Deputy role until retirement.

But to think that today, just over two months later, he was being promoted to Tax Investigator.

And not just any Tax Investigator, but one in a city as grand as Los Angeles. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was as if his ancestral grave had started to smoke.

Of course, he was well aware that it wasn't about any supernatural event but because of David's support. He immediately expressed his emotional gratitude, "Director David, you trust me so much, not only are you transferring me to the Western Suburb Branch, but you're also appointing me to serve as the Tax Investigator. I really... I don't even know what to say."

"There's no need for thanks, just do your job well after taking office. As you know, Lewis, I've made some bold claims in front of the media. I said I'd surpass the over $200 million in taxes that were collected in the Lake District Sub-Bureau Branch."