SEVERAL DAYS later, I was speaking with a male colleague when my cell phone rang. I’d kept a close eye on my calls, always careful to keep my phone nearby. I couldn’t risk anyone at the firm figuring out I was seeking other employment.
I retrieved the phone from my khaki suit jacket and glanced at the display. The call was from the 541 area code, in Oregon.
I peered back at my coworker. “I apologize, Colton. Do you mind if I answer this?”
The younger man nodded and held up his hand. “Sure. No problem.”
“This shouldn’t take long. I’ll catch up with you in a few minutes?”
“Sounds good.”
I swiftly returned to my office, closed the door and secured my privacy before connecting the call.
“This is Jack Evans.”
“Hello, Jack,” a female voice answered. “This is Kathleen from Aurora Advertising. We met when you were here for the interview.”
I smiled. “Yes, Kathleen. I recognize your voice. How are you today?”
“I’m well. Thank you. Is this a good time? Do you have a few minutes to speak with me?”
“I do,” I confirmed as I settled into my desk chair.
Kathleen’s tone relaxed as she eased into our discussion. “Did you have a good trip back to Maryland?”
“I did. Yes. Thanks for asking.”
“Wonderful. Robert asked me to convey his appreciation for making the long trip to interview here in person.”
“It was no trouble. I’m a bit old school in that regard. I prefer to hold important meetings face-to-face.”
“Most of the candidates opted to hold their initial interviews via Skype.” Kathleen’s voice held the warmth I’d glimpsed at the end of my interview. “I commend you on your decision. Robert isn’t easy to impress, but you did an excellent job.”
“Thank you.”
“We’ve had an extraordinary pool of applicants for the position. We interviewed fifteen during the first phase, and we’d like a second interview with you before we make our final decision.”
I welcomed Kathleen’s news with a mixture of excitement and relief. “That’s great. May I ask how many candidates are left?”
“There are four of you.”
“Excellent.”
“Although you’ve been to Oregon, we require the finalists to visit Bend for this phase of the selection process. You’ll be meeting with more of our staff and some of our clients. Is that something you can do?”
“Yes,” I answered without hesitation.
“Great. We would need you here for a long weekend, beginning on Friday the twenty-second at nine in the morning. In your case, I would suggest flying in either Wednesday or Thursday. Plan on returning to Baltimore on Monday.”
“I can manage that. That’s perfect, actually. I’d like to bring my wife and daughter with me, so they can see how wonderful Bend is.”
“That would be fine. I just need to verify your e-mail address and I’ll send along the itinerary. I’ll also send along some lodging suggestions so that you and your family can rest in comfort.”
“Sure. I’ll have you send it to my personal e-mail address.”
“Yes. Go ahead.”
I recited the information, finding myself eager to receive her message.
“That should take care of things for now,” she said after verifying the address. “Do you have any questions for me?”
I tapped my finger on my desk as I considered indulging an impulse. “I hate to admit this, but I never got your last name during the interview. I was wondering what you do for the agency.”
My inquiry had nothing to do with the upcoming business trip. It was, in fact, pure curiosity about the woman I’d met a few days earlier. Thankfully, she didn’t take offense.
“My last name is Brighton.” She revealed this surprising fact with minimal pageantry.
“The same as Robert?”
“Exactly. He’s my father.”
“Oh. Okay.” I flinched at my poor choice of words.
“I’ve been with the agency since I graduated from college. Well, longer, but I’ll spare you those boring details. I’m the senior target marketing strategist.”
“So, you’re a third-generation executive. That’s fantastic.”
“Any other questions?” Kathleen’s voice was businesslike once again. Her interest in discussing her personal life had clearly faded.
“No. That will do it. I should let you get on with your day. Thank you for the great news. I’m excited to return to Oregon.”
“You’re welcome, Jack. We’ll see you in a couple of weeks.”
That evening, I fidgeted. I was resisting the urge to blurt out my news to Allison. I’d struck a compromise with her, agreeing not to speak about the possibility of leaving Baltimore in Heide’s presence. As a direct result, I tried to rush my family through our dinner and evening routines.
Allison was perceptive of my efforts. The more I tried to hurry things along, the more my wife insisted on slowing things down. When my impatience triggered hers, I retreated to my home office to focus on my preparations for the final interview at Aurora Advertising.
I had applied for the job in Oregon after finding the posting by chance. But as I continued to explore the opportunity of working and living in the Pacific Northwest, I couldn’t deny that I found the prospect appealing. I stayed in my office until Allison put Heide to bed and called for me to say good night to our daughter.
I’d hidden from Allison that evening, but I’d kept myself away from Heide as well. Ashamed of my behavior, I made my way to her bedroom. Her door was wide open, but I knocked on it anyhow, so I wouldn’t startle her. Heide was sitting cross-legged in the middle of her bed. She halted her conversation with her stuffed snowman and looked up.
“I came in to say good night.”
“Where were you?”
“In my office.”
“You had some work tonight?”
I nodded as I took a seat next to her on the mattress. “A little bit. How was school today?”
“Good.”
“Anything happen I should know about?” I watched my daughter’s expression carefully, looking for any hint of unhappiness. As usual, I detected none.
“I don’t think so.”
“Do you want to do something this weekend?”
“Like what?”
“You tell me.”
Heide tilted her head. “Can we go to the library?”
“Sure.”
“Cool.”
“Let’s get you tucked in.”
“Okay.” She scooted toward her pillows and I pulled the blankets around her. I also removed various books and toys from her bed, so she’d have room to stretch out during the night. Then, I kissed my daughter on the forehead and smiled at her as I pulled back.
“You look good, Dad.”
I was so surprised by her words I laughed. “I do?”
“Yep. You look happy again.”
My smile disappeared, but I kept my tone friendly. “What do you mean by again?”
Heide shrugged and turned bashful. “I don’t know.”
I watched her as I debated whether to push her. I decided to prod just a little more. “Have I been looking unhappy?”
Her eyes met mine. “Maybe. A little.”
“I didn’t realize that. I’ll have to pay better attention.”
“I can let you know.” She was eager to help.
“It’s a deal,” I said. “If I ever look unhappy, you’ll have to elbow me or something.”
Her eyes grew wide. “Really? I can?”
“Within reason.” I held up my hands in surrender. “Don’t clobber me.”
“All right.”
The matter seemed resolved for now. I’d been frustrated by the lack of direction and passion in my life. It was unsettling that things had gotten to the point where even my little girl had noticed my somber moods. Our conversation about my life had been short, but I took Heide’s inquisitiveness about my newfound happiness as an optimistic sign.
“I have to go talk to Mom about something. Do you need anything?”
“Nope.”
“Good. Thanks for letting me work tonight. We’ll go to the library this weekend and pick out some books.”
“Can we play checkers, too? Remember they have that huge table of them at the library?”
“Yes. That’ll be fun.” I stood up and made my way to her bedroom door. I halted at the threshold. “Good night, sweetie.”
“Night, Dad.”
“I love you.”
“Love you, too.”
I stepped back out into the hallway and wandered to the family room. Allison was sitting in her favorite spot on the sofa. The television was on, but she wasn’t absorbed in the program. She was finally available for a talk.
I took my usual place near Allison but not sitting right next to her.
She glanced in my direction, an annoyed look cemented on her face. “What is the matter with you tonight?”
“Nothing’s the matter,” I responded tersely. “I got a phone call from the agency in Bend this afternoon.”
In an instant, she understood. She sighed and tried to turn her attention to the television set. “I take it you’re headed back to Oregon.”
“We all are,” I emphasized. “I’m bringing you and Heide with me. We’re flying to Portland on the twentieth.”
Allison dropped her head and shook it with determination. “We can’t. You’ll have to go alone.”
I was dumbfounded. “What do you mean? Why?”
“Heide has school on the twentieth.” Allison’s justification was devoid of emotion or merit.
I crossed my arms. “That’s ridiculous. You need to stop acting like Oregon is on the other side of the world. She’ll miss a grand total of four days.”
Allison fixed me with a severe stare. “Exactly my point, Jack. I don’t want her missing an entire week of school just so you can scratch your midlife itch.”
“For God’s sake, Allison. She’s in the first grade. It’s not like she has midterms looming.”
My wife glared at me, and her increasing anger further deepened my determination.
“Talk to Heide’s teacher tomorrow. If there’s work she can bring with her on the trip, I’ll take the time to help her with it.”
Allison had no rebuttal to my suggestion, and she knew it. She looked away from me and sighed. “So, on top of everything else I do around here, you’ll need me to book the flight, find a hotel, rent a car. All that nonsense.”
I intended my words to be kind. I wanted to be helpful, but my annoyance poisoned my tone. “You don’t have to worry about any of the details. I’ve reserved us a hotel suite and a car. I also booked our flight.”
“You did what?” she snapped. “Why would you do that without talking to me first? Why don’t I have any say about this, Jack?”
“You know what a great opportunity this is,” I barked back. “How many times do we have to go around on the subject?”
We were both angry now. Allison rose and stormed off to the kitchen. Within moments, I heard the sound of slamming drawers and cabinet doors. Her mulishness incensed me, and I was fed up with her resistance, but I also wanted to convince her that I had our family’s best interests in mind. I got up and entered the kitchen where Allison was preparing Heide’s lunch for school the next day.
“Look.” I struggled to keep my voice even. “Things are getting out of hand.”
“You think?” she mumbled with thick sarcasm.
“Please. Try to treat this like a family vacation. When was the last time the three of us went anywhere for a week?”
Allison was preparing a fruit bowl for Heide and angrily slicing fresh strawberries. She didn’t interrupt her progress to look at me, but she did respond.
“I suppose if things go your way, this will turn into a permanent vacation.”
“We’ve both known this kind of thing was inevitable, Allison. I’ve achieved everything I can at GKV. There is nothing more I can gain by staying there. Without a bold move, we’ll just end up treading water financially. As it is, my career isn’t satisfying, and I want more for you and for Heide. I want to give you both everything I can offer.”
Allison was unresponsive, still focused on assembling Heide’s fruit bowl.
“Please. Just try to be open-minded. I promise not to make any other decisions without speaking with you first.”
Allison set her knife down on the cutting board and placed her palms on the granite countertop. When she lifted her head and made eye contact with me, her expression was serious.
“I’ve heard that before, Jack. Why should this situation be any different from a thousand others you’ve put me through?”
“It will be,” I answered, weakly.
Allison glared her disbelief. She turned away and moved to the sink to wash her hands. The action was a distraction, not a necessity. When she turned off the water and grabbed a dish towel, she said, “I’m so tired of being the last one to know everything.”