The first phase of the meeting went as smoothly as Tim could have ever expected. Now that the selling portion of the meeting was complete he would be able to focus on the next phase. He pulled out the chair at the end of the boardroom table and sat for the first time.
“I want you all to know that even though the decision may have been difficult, we made the correct choice here today. Everyone here made the right choice. We are doing the right thing for us and we are doing the right thing for Peterson Software,” Tim said.
Tim had to catch himself. He almost laughed out loud when he realized the words that came out of his mouth. He knew the words were bullshit. It was not about the good of the company and it was not about the other people in the room.
The entire plan was about money; Cash, Greenbacks, Dollars, Benjamines, whatever you wanted to call it. It was about seeing who could end up with the most. The plan and the meeting were about greed; pure and simple human greed. Tim didn’t give a shit about the company or the other people in the room and he knew they didn’t give a shit about him.
The meeting was nothing more than a formality. It was a ceremony to induct a few new members into the club. It was office politics played out in order to give justification to an otherwise unjustifiable act.
Tim slowly wiped his hand over his mouth. He choked back his urge of laughter. The words ringing in his head still sounded hilarious to him.
“Now that the decision to move forward with the IPO has been made, we need to move onto the next phase of the meeting. We still have a lot of work that needs to get done here today. I am counting on all of you to help keep the process moving along.”
Tim grabbed the stack of reports sitting in front of him. He peeled off the top copy for himself and placed it on the table. He proceeded around the table, handing each attendee a personal copy of the report.
“This is the draft of the IPO proposal. As a group, we need to review this entire document from front to back. All of the details need to be in order and approved. We will need to work up the final version before the end of today. At three o’clock an attorney and legal expert on IPOs will join us so we are sure everything we do is correct and legal.”
Tim returned to the head of the table. He grabbed up the last stack of documents that remained and passed them out to the group.
“This is a copy of an IPO document from another company that recently went public. We can use this for reference,” said Tim as he returned to his seat. “The document we develop here today is very important. We all need to do our best. This will be the document we submit immediately after we gain our voting rights on Thursday morning.
Tim was ready for the next steps of the plan. He offered up his last bit of encouragement to the group.
“As you are all aware, Steve Peterson is out of the office on vacation all day. We have all the time we need.”
Chapter 4 - The Jackie-O
It was a little past seven forty five when Christy emerged from the master suite. She scuffed her way toward the kitchen in her oversized, pink feathery slippers. A short black satin robe barely covered her matching black satin baby-doll-pajamas. The entire ensemble clung tightly to the much too perfect curves of her body.
Christy’s Barbie-like blonde hair flowed down to her shoulders. The subtle curls bounced slightly as she scuffed along. Christy looked more likely to be going to a fashion model shoot for Victoria’s secret than coming out of bed after a night’s sleep.
The past thirty-three years had been exceptionally kind to Christy. She looked to be only in her mid-twenties and still laid claim to being ‘twenty-something’. Steve believed that she was twenty-eight. Christy worked hard and spent a lot of money to keep her body in shape. It certainly showed.
Christy’s arrival into the kitchen was pre-announced by the swish, swish, swish of her slipper’s as they slid against the surface of the imported marble floor. Steve took a deep breath in anticipation of her arrival. He slowly released the air through his mouth. He was as ready as he ever would be.
Christy turned the corner into the kitchen. The anniversary celebration breakfast was prepared to Steve’s precise perfection. The shimmering silver and gold surprise package was sitting on a barstool next to Steve. The glossy ribbons on the top of the package peeked up slightly from behind the granite top of the kitchen counter bar.
Steve’s face wore a nervous smile. His heart raced. He could feel the heavy pounding into his throat. Steve ran through his much rehearsed wedding proposal speech over and over in his head. He started to rub his cold hands together in an attempt to give them some warmth and ease his anxiety.
Steve forced a toothy grin when he caught sight of Christy entering the room. He took in another deep breath of air and tried to remain as calm as possible.
“What is all this?” Christy asked, as she came into the kitchen.
The extravagant weekday breakfast was quite a surprise for Christy. At first she had to remind herself it was Monday morning and not still the weekend.
“Steve, what is with all of this? You do know that today is Monday, don’t you? Yesterday was Sunday. The weekend is over,” she said. Her voice was touched with a slight bit of amusement. Her round face wore a slender smirk.
“This is just a little anniversary celebration,” Steve responded. His voice was soft and a little crackly. He sounded quite like a schoolboy going through adolescence.
Steve could feel the hard knot taking control of his stomach. He swallowed hard and fought to retain his slim, uneasy grin. Thoughts swirled about in his head wildly. He found it almost impossible to focus. No words came to mind.
Christy looked at Steve, somewhat puzzled. “Anniversary? Anniversary of what? What are you talking about now?”
Steve began to fidget on the barstool. He tried to sit up a little straighter in an effort to lessen the pressure building in his chest.
“Today is our six month anniversary,” said Steve. “You know, the six month anniversary of our first date together. Our first date was six month ago today, at Armani’s.” He forced the words out through his still cracking voice.
Several disjointed thoughts rushed through Steve’s mind. The floodgates had been opened. Steve randomly selected his thoughts from the deluge in his mind. He started to ramble.
“Remember, we overlooked Tampa Bay at the top of the Hyatt? We had the perfect window seat on the bay side. Remember the heavy rainstorm and the huge lightning display that night? That was our first date. It was six months ago. It was six months ago today.”
“The breakfast smells great, but it’s a little much for a six month anniversary of a first date,” said an unexcited Christy. She looked over the large breakfast and then turned back toward Steve. “Don’t you think?” she asked.
“Just a little celebration breakfast,” Steve muttered.
Christy approached the counter bar. “I have to get into work early today, but it does look delicious,” Christy replied, as a bit of enthusiasm started to appear in her voice.
Before Steve could offer a response, Christy caught sight of the anniversary gift. She spotted the shimmering gold and silver ribbons poking up above the edge of the counter. Her attitude suddenly perked up even more.
“Eewwwwww, is that a present? Is that a present for me?” Christy sang out.
“Yes honey,” Steve responded. “It’s your anniversary present. Happy anniversary, I hope you like it.” Excitement crept back into his voice and onto his face.
“Well, I’ll bet you I already know what it is,” Christy said, as she half sprinted over to the glittering gift. “I’ll bet you a thousand dollars that I know what it is.”
Christy yanked the barstool out from under the counter and tore into the silver and gold ribbons. Steve relaxed a bit more.
“I am going to take this to work with me today. The other girls in the office are going to be soooooooo jealous,” Christy purred.
Within seconds, Christy had the ornate ribbons pulled off the handle of the bag
. The top of the Saks bag was pulled open. Christy ripped through the thin strands of tinsel that surrounded her prey. Light bounced off the discarded strands of gold and silver tinsel as they rained over the counter and down to the marble floor.
Christy reached into the bag and through the last bit of tinsel. She felt the package and lifted it to the top. The first chunk of tissue paper was quickly ripped off. Christy spotted a shimmering Gucci logo on the exposed area of the dust cover. Her intensity increased.
“I knew it, I knew it,” she shouted. “It’s the bag, it’s the Gucci bag. I knew it was going to be the Gucci bag. I told you that I knew what it was.”
“I hope you like it,” said Steve. His voice crackled with a nervous inflection. “I picked it out myself.”
Steve anxiously anticipated the opening of the bag. He pictured Christy finding the ring. His rehearsed marriage proposal swirled about in his mind. Anxiety was building throughout his body and many new thoughts kept jumping in front of the words of the proposal.
Hurry and get to the bag, Steve thought, as he watched Christy rip through the paper. His hands fidgeted in his lap and his heart raced faster. His uneasiness was building, his breathing quickened. Other thoughts poured in, one right after the other. At times the thoughts overlapped and obscured one another.
What if Christy says no, he thought. What will I do? The knot in his stomach grew larger. What if she says yes, he wondered. He could again feel his heart pounding up into his throat. Steve thought he began to feel somewhat faint. He felt unsteady. What if I pass out, he began to wonder nervously?
Christy pulled off the last remaining pieces of gold tissue paper and tossed them to the floor. She loosened the thin silky ties that secured the top of the Gucci dust cover and slid the cover down over the side of the Gucci bag. The tone of her voice suddenly turned cold.
“What is this supposed to be?” Christy asked callously. She held up the bag. “This isn’t the bag I wanted. This bag is all wrong. I wanted a Gucci Jackie O bag. This bag is not a Jackie O. Is this some kind of a joke?”
Christy looked over toward Steve. She began to scrunch-up her face in a most unpleasant way. It was a common look for Christy, the look of disappointment. She dropped the Gucci bag onto the counter and glared at Steve.
“What the hell is this?” she asked as she jabbed her index finger repeatedly at the unwanted bag.
Steve sat motionless on the stool with his eyes fixed forward on the bag. All of the swirling thoughts in his head suddenly came to a screeching halt. The non-moving thoughts created a logjam of brain activity.
Steve hovered in a mental state that was somewhere between traumatized and bewildered. His sagging face was expressionless. All remnants of his smile were now erased. His hands grew still.
Through Steve’s mental haze, he realized the entire morning plan was in jeopardy. He had no idea how to correct the problem. He struggled for something to say. He dug in deep for something to make the situation better. His mind just would not work.
Christy let out a loud huff and Steve knew she was looking for a response. His mind struggled. The best he could do was a barely audible, “What?”
The answer did not sit well with Christy. She crossed her arms and she prepared for battle. Her tone became even more heated.
“I specifically told you that I wanted a Jackie O style bag. Didn’t you hear me tell you Jackie O?” Christy asked Steve viciously.
Steve tried his best to help his cause but the words just wouldn’t come out.
“Lisa and all the girls at the office said the trendiest bag is the Gucci Jackie O. Not this.” Christy again poked her finger mockingly at the rejected bag on the counter. “What the hell is this?” she repeated.
Steve fought to get his idled mind working. He thought back to his stress management sessions. Breathe, he yelled to himself in his head. You have to breathe!
A few mental processes started to fire up and come to life. Steve realized he needed damage control and he needed it quick.
“But… but… this is the latest style of Gucci bag,” Steve tried to explain. His panicked eyes opened wide. He took a deep breath and attempted his defense.
“The sales girl at Saks said this was the latest style Gucci bag. I told her you wanted trendy. She said this was the bag. I remember her saying it was very trendy. This style has only been available in the stores for about a month. It’s brand new.” Steve began to nod his head as if agreeing with his own words.
“Well this bag is not a Jackie O. Just take a look at this thing. The Jackie O is sleek and stylish. This thing looks like some kind of an old doctor’s bag. I do not like it at all and I don’t want it.”
Steve suddenly remembered the engagement ring still hidden in the Gucci bag. If Christy saw the ring it would make it all better, he thought. He had to get Christy to see the ring. He started to try a new approach.
“Uhhh, well, maybe open it up and look inside. It really is a nice bag. There is a lot of detail on that bag. Especially a lot of detail inside,” said Steve as he tried out the new plan. “Why don’t you take a look at the inside of the bag?”
“No, I don’t want to look inside. I don’t care if there is detail on the inside. People don’t see the inside Steve, people see what’s on the outside. This is not the bag that I want. You will have to return this and get me the right one.”
Steve nodded in agreement. The words sounded like a plan. It was doable. He could get her a new bag.
“Yes, I can return it and get the right bag. I can get it today,” said Steve, as if everything was now OK. “Now, please sit down and have some breakfast before it gets cold. I made your favorite.”
Christy scanned the morning offering. “I really need to get to work early today,” she said. Her tone was cold.
“Aren’t you going to try the breakfast? It’s your favorite recipe for Eggs Benedict. I made the sauce the way you like it and I made sure I cooked the ham how you like it, crisp around the edges. At least try the breakfast”.
“I really do not have the time this morning. I have to get to work, the girls are going to plan Diane’s bachelorette party before she gets in.”
Steve could not believe the words he was hearing. “At least try it,” implored Steve.
The Eggs Benedict breakfast was Christy’s favorite and it really did look good to her. The heavy aroma of the frying ham still permeated the kitchen air. The smells were making her hungry.
Christy considered sitting down and having a bite, but the thought was quickly dismissed. Christy was irritated with Steve. She did not want to give him the satisfaction.
“No, no, no, I do not have the time for a big breakfast this morning. I have to get ready for work now. I have to get into work early. I told you all of this last week. I guess you didn’t listen to that either.”
Christy grabbed her coffee cup and cocked her head to one side. “I just don’t have the time,” she exclaimed. Christy took a sip of the coffee and headed off to the bedroom to get ready for work.
In Christy’s mind, she had won the round. It was nothing more than a game. She would be getting the correct bag by evening, maybe even a make-up gift along with the bag if she played the game right.
Steve sat in silence on the hard barstool. He took a small sip of coffee and stared at the rejected and unopened Gucci bag. His heart sank as he surveyed the untouched Eggs Benedict ala Steve celebration breakfast.
The thoughts in Steve’s mind turned to his failure. He wondered how his perfect plan could have turned out so horribly wrong. He wasted so many days fretting over every last detail of the day. He never gave the bag a second thought after it was purchased.
“The wrong bag, unbelievable. The wrong goddamn bag,” he muttered aloud.
Chapter 5 - New Plans
Christy gave a last minute tug on her skirt as she strutted out of the master suite. Her hips swayed back and forth in a much-practiced maneuver that was now second nature to her. The now habitual movement ha
d one purpose, to attract every eye in the room.
It was time for Christy to leave for her job as a senior office assistant. Christy no longer needed to work; Steve took care of all her expenses. Steve even tried to get her to quit, but Christy liked her job and she also liked to have a reason to get away from Steve at times.
All of Christy’s morning prep work was complete, everything looked perfect. She was dressed in her usual attention-grabbing attire, the more attention the better. She appeared to be heading out for an evening at a nightclub, and not to an office environment.
The unconventional office attire started with a pair of thick-strapped, black high-heeled shoes. It was topped off with a silky designer blouse, dark pink in color. A black mini-skirt with a slight slit on the left side finished up the package.
The tiny skirt pressed the limits of acceptable office attire. Steve had commented negatively about Christy’s selection of clothing on several occasions, especially the length of her skirts. Christy didn’t listen to his words.
“Like you should talk, Mr. Same outfit every day of the week,” she would respond.
Christy liked the additional notice the short skirt helped to provide. She had several other skirts that were about the same length. They rotated regularly through her office wardrobe. What good was keeping her body in tip-top shape if no one was able to see it?
Steve was still in the kitchen, still on the barstool. His mind churned through an endless review of his failed morning plan. His expressionless eyes stared out blindly at the unopened Gucci bag and the uneaten Eggs Benedict ala Steve breakfast.
Christy was still irritated with Steve. She entered the kitchen and threw Steve a cold stare, hoping to take the game to the next level. Steve didn’t sense Christy’s arrival. He was miles away in his mental daze.
Steve’s failure to recognize Christy’s sour mood only increased her agitation. Christy placed her hands on her hips. “Are you just going to sit there on that stool for the whole day?” Christy asked coolly.