Another Christmas story

C ynthia from HR brought around the Christmas card. By the time it reached Henderson’s desk, it was already bulging with bills. Henderson sighed and reached for his wallet. He wasn’t crazy about diminishing his meager supply of cash, but it was Christmas and he supposed he should do his part to help the less fortunate. Probably a coworker had suffered some medical emergency, some unforeseen household disaster. He slipped a fiver into the card and then noticed the name on the envelope. “Mr. Ryan? Who’s that? The only Ryan at this company is the boss.” Cynthia smiled and took the envelope. “Yes, Donald J. Ryan. The Third. He’s a wonderful boss, isn’t he?” Henderson frowned. “Depends what you mean by ‘wonderful.’ I haven’t gotten a raise in five years, while the company’s profits have about tripled. But I suppose he’s nice enough. What happened? Is he all right?” Cynthia looked at him blankly. “Oh yes. He’s fine. Never better. Why do you ask?” “If he’s fine, why are we giving him money? I...