At the conclusion of the meeting May took the elevator to the bottom floor. She felt deflated and defeated. They treated her like a nine-year-old. She wanted to cry then and there, but she fought it off. She wanted no one to see her so vulnerable. That would only make an already horrible experience even worse. The elevator door opened. She headed to the front door, pausing long enough to speak to Paula.

“Paula, I’m very sorry I barked at you earlier,” May said. “You were just trying to do your job.”

Paula looked at her with an unusual expression. Was it relief? Sympathy? Pity? She couldn’t tell.

“That’s all right, Ms. Major,” she said. “Did your meeting go well?”

“No, I can’t say it did.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Me too. Before I leave, I’d like to speak to Mrs. Sweeney. Is she here?”

“I… uh… well, she…”

“She what?”

“They fired her today,” Paula said. “Actually, I thought maybe it was you who did it.”

“I spoke with her earlier,” May replied. “When did this happen?”

“About an hour before you arrived,” Paula replied. “It was very sad. She was crying when she left. After thirty-five years her career ended with security escorting her to the door.”

“Jesus,” gasped May. “Do you know why?”

“No. It all happened quickly.”

May sighed, “Thank you Paula.”

“Will we see you again?” she asked.

May shrugged, “I honestly don’t know.”

 

 

May broke into tears driving home. She felt so embarrassed and humiliated. The investors were right. She didn’t have a relationship with her father. She had shown no interest in the business… ever. What right did she have marching in there like the Queen of Sheba making demands?

Still, Jorge Jessup had been right. Preston Marbury was an investor and didn’t mention it until pressed to do so.  And while she originally thought the man was merely condescending, she now believed he was downright slimy.

She felt weak and lost. The confidence and anger she had built up when she first walked through the door had completely evaporated, replaced by a sense of hopelessness. If it was possible, she felt even more overwhelmed than before.

She wondered how she got herself into this situation. She stood to make hundreds of millions of dollars and could return to her life in Seattle.  She loved being a graphic artist. Hell, she could buy the company she worked for if she wanted to. Why rock the boat? Just keep your mouth shut and let it happen, May, she thought to herself.

Still… something was eating at her. Something didn’t feel right. She pulled into Starbucks. Inside, she ordered a decaf latte, and pulled her cell phone and the paper Jessup had written his number on earlier.

May dialed the number; it went straight to a voicemail greeting.

“Hi, Jessup here. Leave me a message and I’ll call you back.”

At the beep, May spoke, “Hi… Mr. Jessup. This is May Major. You were right. The attorney was also an investor. How did you know? Well… at any rate, I wanted to talk to you about it. Listen, I’m going to have a drink later at… uh… I don’t even know where yet.”

May paused. She was rambling; upset; embarrassed. She was calling a total stranger with her concerns.

“What the hell, never mind,” she continued. “I’m sorry to have bothered you. Thanks for the offer earlier. Take care.”

May ended the call and finished her latte. She was about to leave when she noticed the same barista with red glasses who served her earlier.

“Long shift today, huh?” May noted.

“Someone called in sick,” she said. “I could use the overtime.”

“Where’s a good place to get a drink around here?”

“You want loud and busy, or peaceful and quiet?” she asked.

“Peaceful and quiet.”

“The Palomino Bar inside the Oceanside Hotel,” she said. “It’s right on the beach about ten blocks from here.”

“Thanks for the tip,” she said.

Twenty minutes later, May was sitting at the bar of the Palomino, drinking a vodka and cranberry juice concoction she enjoyed.

She replayed everything in her mind: hearing about her father’s death; the email from Marbury; the meeting where she learned the company was in distress; the offer to sign away her responsibility and walk away with more money than she could spend in a lifetime; Jessup eavesdropping; Marbury hiding the fact he was an investor; being treated like a child…

She was halfway through her second drink when she heard a male voice speak her name from behind.