The Kiss Test Read Free Page B

were getting a little antsy. New blood, new investors, meant bigger and better things for WKUP. “When did this happen?”
    “It was finalized yesterday afternoon. That’s where I was during your party,” Joe said. Then he waved at the chair again. “ Sure you don’t want to sit?”
    “I’m fine. Tell me about the new owners. Anything new and exciting in the works?”
    Joe groaned. “They’re Korean.”
    Completely aside from the fact that I’d heard the terms “Korea” and “Korean” more times in the past two days than I had probably ever heard them before in my entire life (today’s program had contained even more Korean ads than yesterday’s), I was a bit surprised at his reaction to the nationality of our new owners. We had a pretty eclectic group of people working for the station, maybe not the typical employees of a country station in the South, but this was New York after all. Diversity was our middle name.
    Then it hit me. Korean ads, Korean weather, Korean businessmen touring the building (they’d made a repeat appearance this morning, sitting in with Cleo through part of my show). I glanced back at the door and jerked a thumb in that direction. “The Soon Kim Group?” I guessed. Joe nodded grimly.
    It would be different, I supposed, with Asian owners of a country radio station, but it probably wasn’t unheard of. Maybe.
    “Is this a problem?” I asked, rising up on my toes, stretching out my calf muscles and thinking vaguely about my run. As much as I loved my job, by the time I was done with my shift my body screamed for exercise. And I needed to work off some of the nervous, excited energy my award and the anticipation of the interview were giving me. That reminded me that I also needed to schedule time off to fly to Nashville and L.A.
    “Yeah,” Joe said, folding the reading glasses he still held in his hand, placing them gently on the blotter in front of him and picking up the neon-green stress ball he kept on the desk. Cleo had given it to him to replace the cigarettes he’d given up last year. He gave it a few fierce squeezes, and I wondered if it honestly did anything to relieve the stress. He still seemed to have a pulse beating beneath his balding pate, right smack in the middle of his forehead. “Yeah, it is a problem.”
    “Why?”
    “They’re dropping the country format. It’s going to be an all Korean Jazz station.”
    “Pardon me?” I was sure I hadn’t heard him right. “Like Chick Korea? ”
    He smiled at my attempted levity, but then shook his head slowly and sadly. “They’re letting a lot of people go.”
    My head snapped up. “But, why? Stations get bought out all the time and nothing changes. Things just go on as normal.”
    “Not this time, I’m afraid.” Joe looked like he was ready to cry. I’d never seen him like this before and it scared me to death. I didn’t deal well with emotion.
    Suddenly, my heart thudded to a complete stop, and I sank into the formerly proffered chair. “Oh no. Not you, Joe. Please say they didn’t fire you.”
    If anything he looked even more miserable than moments before. He tossed down the stress ball and rearranged his glasses on the desk until they were precisely parallel to the edge of the magazine with my face staring up at him.
    “No, not me.”
    “Then who?”
    “You.”
    ***
    Two hours later, I’d arranged with the personnel department to end my employment with WKUP. A good severance package had been offered, along with the opportunity to allow them to assist me in a job search. I’d accepted the former and turned down the latter. Surely I could find my own job. After all, I’d just won Best Country DJ. That had to mean something, didn’t it?
    I changed my clothes and silently rode the elevator down eighty-five floors, flanked by Katya and Adair. They both sent furtive looks at me from the corners of their eyes. I’m sure they were wondering just how suicidal I was.
    Our walk up Fifth Avenue to Central