Two - Ryan
My mornings were hectic. Before I could visit my father in his office I had to run a patrol around the company, checking on every single person, making sure they did their job right. Often times I felt them squirm at the sight of me, almost like I was some kind of monster, and even though I tended to enjoy that a few years back, I didn’t anymore. I felt like they feared me, and while an amateur would normally throw himself a party at the mere thought of being feared, I knew better than to mistake their shakiness and unsteady posture for respect.
When I was done with my morning patrol I took the elevator up to the fourteenth floor. Before I got to my dad’s office I imagined him to be sitting there at his desk, sipping a fine espresso and adjusting his glasses over his nose. When I got there I found him doing exactly that, and I greeted him with a modest smile.
“Hey, dad,” I said, more like whispered because the office was so quiet. Around two decades ago, when my father started this company, he decided that his office was going to be on the very last floor, dwelling in quietude and the faint hum of the air conditioner. I sat on the chair across from him, and he looked up at me through heavy-lidded eyes.
“Hey, Rye,” he replied. “Got those reports I asked for?”
“Sure thing,” I said, putting them on the desk in front of him. “But I have something else for you. It’s a proposal.”
“Oh, here we go again,” he rolled his eyes at me, and again I felt belittled. “Didn’t I already tell you, I’m not on board with this idea!”
“But you have to be,” I said, my eyes wide and excited. I had known Samantha Hope for quite some time now, and frankly, I wasn’t going to stop before Callaway Tech and Luxem Technologies became one big mothership. “Samantha’s probably the most professional woman I’ve ever met! We can benefit a lot from her.”
“You do realize she’s only been around for five years now, don’t you?” He glared at me, almost like I had offended him. My father took pride in what he did; he didn’t want anyone stepping on his toes.
“But she’s a powerful woman,” I told him, despite his flared nostrils and gruesome glare. “I’ve sat down with her several times, that brain of hers, it’s a goldmine.”
“Oh, is it, now?” my father said, leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed. “Tell me at least one good idea that she has.”
“Luxem is working on a brand new navigation technology right now, it’s going to be groundbreaking!” I said.
“And can you tell me what this technology is? What it does?” he asked me, almost challengingly. My father was probably the most competitive person I knew. Like father, like son, I guess.
“She said she couldn’t discuss the details with me right now, the information is pretty confidential,” I replied, shaking my head from side to side. My father eyed me like I was an idiot. He held his pen up to his mouth and raised an eyebrow at me, and it wasn’t long before I began to feel uncomfortable.
“Let me ask you this. Why in hell’s name would we want to merge with a smaller company that’s only been around for five years?” he asked me again.
“Haven’t you been listening to me this entire time?” I challenged him back.
“Alright, so what you’re saying is that they have great ideas, but they haven’t discussed shit with you yet because it’s “confidential”. Listen, son, it appears to me that you’re asking to merge this company because you think the CEO is hot.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle, but then I kept a straight face because a part of me was fuming. I always had this idea that my dad underestimated me, so I did my best to prove him wrong all the damn time.
“And you know what,” he started again. “I’ve met Samantha more than once. That woman’s a snake. You should never trust her, let alone work with her.”
“Dad, you didn’t even talk to her. She was standing next to you by the coffee machine, for Christ’s sake! You have no idea what she’s like as a businesswoman.”
He swiveled around in his chair a couple of times before reaching into his drawer and pulling out a pack of cigarettes. He tossed it onto the desk and looked at me. “You know, I’m this close to lighting a cigarette right now, and it’s all because of you,” he said. My father had quit cigarettes almost three years ago, but he always kept that pack tucked away in his drawer; he said that without temptation, it isn’t quitting.
“Come on, don’t play that card,” I told him. “Dad, you’re an icon, okay? But you keep looking back like you’re stuck in ninety-nine! This is our chance to show the world what we’re made of, and you’re blowing it because you’re afraid.”
“Son, you’re just being young and reckless. You’re not the one that spent thirty years of your life trying to climb up the ladder; everything was handed to you on a silver platter, so don’t go around blaming me. I’m just trying to look out for the both of us.”
“Say what you want,” I said through clenched teeth, “but I spoke to the board, they’re all behind me on this one.”
“Well, I’ll just veto this whole damn thing because I’m not buying it.” At that moment, Sarah knocked on the glass and my father gestured for her to step inside. “You know what, let’s ask Sarah what she thinks.”
I turned around and looked at her, and the second our gazes met, her eyes snapped sideways and she pretended to fumble with something in her hand. I looked down and it was a pack of cigarettes. “Morning,” she said, her eyes fixated on my dad’s. “I have a couple of updates for you.” The fact that she was looking at my father this entire time ticked me off because I felt like she intended to ignore me.
“Alright, but before we get to it, have a seat. I’d like to take your opinion on something.”
I held my head in my hands because I was so frustrated. “Is it about the merger?” she asked, turning to me. My father nodded and raised his eyebrows. “I heard some rumors flying around, but I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
At that moment, I lost it. I don’t know what came over me, but I shot up from my seat and stared at the two of them. “I’m not really sure why you’re consulting her like she runs this place,” I said, my eyes darting back and forth frantically. This time, Sarah didn’t get up, but she just sat there, staring at me like I was a madman. “Oh come on, don’t look at me like that. Don’t look at me like I’m crazy.”
“You know, I literally just came here. I’m not looking to piss anyone off, but it seems to me that you don’t like me very much.”
I had always been a hot-headed man. My father knew that, and yet he still got under my skin. I was haunted by professional jealousy and a lot of other complex emotions, but I kept them bottled up, trapped under a layer of my ego. The silence descended over us like a heavy cloud, and I began to feel awkward and somewhat unwanted. My forehead trickled with sweat, and my hand was balled up into a loose fist. “You know what,” I said, my eyes locked on Sarah’s. “I’m just gonna head back to my office. We’ll talk about this later.” Before my father could say anything I spun around on my heel and stormed out of the office. I disappeared from their view, but I still lingered in the hallway with my hands stuffed into my pockets; it was a habit I had picked up from my years of working here. Eavesdropping, I thought, was a nasty habit… unless you did it for the right reasons.
“You know, Sarah, I don’t want my son thinking that I’m trying to kill his dreams, or that I’m underestimating him. I just don’t think this is a good idea, I really don’t.”
“Frederick, I don’t know your son very well but I can’t help but feel like he’s a bright man. He strikes me as bright, and I don’t know, I’m thinking that maybe you should trust him.”
I felt warm. It was strange, but I felt okay again, almost as if she had brought the confidence back into me. I did not stick around to hear my father’s answer, but I carried on walking until I got to my office.