Chapter 36
Zach
When I woke up, I found myself still fully dressed except for my shoes. I groaned at the feeling of my belt digging into my side. Madison must have taken my coat and shoes off when we got back. Just the thought of Madison made me turn over, panicking as I stared at the empty place on the bed. Immediately, my thoughts turned to the last time this happened and how gravely it affected us both. On the pillow was a folded piece of paper, and though I wanted to know where she went, I was almost terrified to open the letter. I didn’t think I could take another run not having her by my side. Surely, if she had left again like last time, I would start to lose my mind. I took in a deep breath and opened the letter, reading the scribbled hand writing.
“Zach,
Hey there, good morning! I couldn’t sleep. I finally had so many ideas stirring around in my mind for my final project. Before I lost them, I wanted to get this painting done and present it to Sarah. Your little trip to the farm really cleared my head, and I couldn’t have gotten back to myself without you. I didn’t want to leave without saying goodbye, but you were out cold. So, don’t panic. I didn’t leave for good. I just needed to get in and get started on this project. I hope you have an amazing day at work. Call me or text me later.
I love you,
Madison”
I smiled, staring down at the piece of paper. She had scribbled little hearts all around the page, and I could still smell the sweet scent of her skin on the pillow next to me. Everything in me just wanted to stay firmly planted in this bed until she came back and joined me, but I knew I had to get to work and start my day. I tore myself from the covers and climbed out of bed, taking off my clothes and shuffling to the bathroom. I turned on the shower and turned to the sink to grab my toothbrush. I looked up at the mirror and laughed, seeing that Madison had written me a note in lipstick that said, “I love you!!!” I shook my head, smiling as I climbed into the shower and let the water running over me wake me from my exhaustion. The soap ran over my body, and the smell of flowers and man floated through the air.
As I finished up and climbed back out, butterflies hit my stomach, thinking about Madison and how amazing our relationship was. Lying under the stars was really special, but on top of that, I had never shared that spot, or knowledge of that spot, with anyone in my life before Madison. Not even Hudson. I liked having a place I could come where I could turn my cell phone off, lay under the stars, and know that at least for a few moments, no one was going to be able to bug me, bother me, or even find me. There was nowhere else in the city that I could do that, and I wanted to share it with Madison. It also seemed to be working, since she said she was in the studio working on her piece. I couldn’t wait for her show. I was so curious and excited to see what this new piece would be. I knew one thing, though. Whatever she decided to paint, it would be a masterpiece and a direct example of just how amazing of an artist she truly was.
I decided to grab breakfast from a small café by the office, and staring at Madison’s favorite food, I ordered some to go. I drove over to the gallery and talked to the guy up front, asking him to take it back to her, since I didn’t want to interrupt her. He agreed, telling me she had gotten there before anyone else, and it was the first time he had seen her putting paint on a canvas. I was really excited to see how this piece ended up coming out. I left there before Madison could be distracted and went to the office. I had a meeting with the investors that morning, and I was actually kind of excited to talk about the new projects with them. It had been a long time since I was excited to talk to investors.
I went back to my office and sat down at the computer, tidying up a few things before the meeting started. My office looked so much better than it did before, and I was so glad that I had a clear mind again. I sat back, thinking about everything that had happened, and I couldn’t even begin to understand how I deserved to have such an amazing life with such an amazing girl. If you had told me things would turn out this way just a week ago, I would have laughed in your face and told you to stop patronizing me.
I thought Madison and I were done, with no hope of recovery. I didn’t realize that I’d had the same massive impact on her life that she had on mine. She was everything I wanted in a person, and apparently, I was everything she wanted as well. It was funny how much her positive attitude and great mood rubbed off on me. For the first time in forever, I was feeling innovative and motivated for more growth within the company and for our clients. As my mind wandered, I was brought back by a tap on the inside window. I looked up to see Hudson motioning to start the meeting. I nodded my head, grabbed my briefcase, pulled my tie up, and straightened my suit. If I understood nothing else about the investors, they liked money, but even more, they liked when a well-dressed man brought them their money.
We started the meeting, discussing our quarterly earnings and the end of the fiscal year. We had overshot our projections by over two million dollars, and everyone was more than pleased. I loved giving the investors good news, they always laid off a bit about the issues with the public line we had put out. There was a rash of women really excited about the products, but they felt like all of our products were geared toward men and offered little solutions to their everyday lives. I sat there silently for a few moments, thinking about the issue.
“I think we should listen to these women,” I said, speaking up. “There is a huge market for women, and that is the primary shopper as well. Women shop, and they want to be offered the same products as men but catered to their needs. Purses could be a huge market for us. Purses and computer bags. If we are going to sell to the public, we need to go all in with it. We need to offer products that work for every member of the family. I’m even thinking a set of backpacks that can be accessible by the student, but also by the parent. In our world today, privacy and safety are extremely important. It shouldn’t just be the super-rich people that have access to it. In New York alone, I can think of so many areas that would do really well with products that allowed them to feel comfortable and safe storing and carrying their most precious belongings. “
“I agree,” Hudson said, nodding his head. “It’s time we took this company to the next level. There is money, and a lot of it, to be made with the private sector. We could create hand bags that were stylish and comfortable, while still being indestructible with thumb print technology.”
“We could take that even further,” I said, shaking my head and standing. I walked over to the board and started writing down the ideas. “We could create a tracking system, a fully automated program that would allow us to monitor the goods if needed, unlock them from a distance, and even assist police in opening stolen or lost bags to help find the owner. These could be monthly or yearly plans for their products, and we could bundle them with stronger lifetime guarantees or warranties.”
“I like this,” one of the investors said, nodding his head. “Let’s get a prototype made up, and a marketing and legal crew to make up different warranties. I want to see what everything would look like as a whole.”
“Absolutely,” I said, nodding toward Hudson. “Also, I’d like to see us expand our technology. The medical industry is a gold mine, and if we could create a system that allows dozens of fingerprints we could make medicine cabinets, supply closet doors, and pretty much anything else a hospital could need. It would protect their ability to preserve medications, avoid theft, and be able to pinpoint the culprit when they found it was necessary. We could provide their monitoring service as well.”
“Yes, that’s what we are looking for,” the investors said, getting excited. “Get all these things in the marketing stage. Let’s sit down next month and see what it will really take to move these things into the actual future of this company. Really great work guys. Great work.”
Hudson and I stood, shaking hands with the investors and watching them leave the conference room. We stood quietly for several minutes as we watched them laugh and talk, waiting for the elevator. As soon as the doors shut, we turned toward each other, letting out a deep breath.
“Holy shit,” Hudson said. “Where the hell did that come from? You were on fire, man.”
“I know,” I said, laughing. “That was awesome.”
“I mean you’ve made more work for us, but it’s like it used to be at the beginning,” Hudson said, laughing and pacing the room. “Like when we were first starting out in that small office building on the East Side. Everything seemed like it was so far off, like we would never make it happen. Then boom, it happened.”
“And we ended up stopping our innovative approach because we were too tired,” I said, shaking my head. “And I think it’s damn time we get back to it. This company has been stagnant for far too long.”
“Man, what has gotten into you?”
“I don’t know.” I laughed.
“Well, tell Madison thank you because we’ve been waiting for you to show back up,” Hudson said, slapping me on the shoulder. “I’m going to go grab lunch. I’ll see you at the marketing meeting afterward.”
“Thanks, dude,” I replied walking the opposite way to my office. I felt absolutely amazing. Ideas ran through my head like water. I wondered if this was what Madison felt like on a normal basis. I wondered if being creative was just another tool I could start throwing in my bag of tricks. What we really needed at this company was an innovation team, always dreaming up different products and services. That would definitely be something to think about in the future.
I picked up my phone and texted Madison, asking how her day was going and whether she wanted to come over after work or not. She sent me a big smiley face, but said she would be working very late and that she would see me at the show the next day. I texted her back with, “Of course,” but in reality, I was bummed that I couldn’t show her how on fire I was. Tomorrow being her big day, though, I wasn’t going to push her to do anything. All I knew at that moment was that with Madison by my side, I could do anything.