Eat@Zeke's Pt.II: The Big Fish
Dallas
Ezekiel Woods commands the Dallas meeting room full of men in suits, his arms, and hands orchestrating a symphony captivating the skeptical crowd. The harem of suits nods their heads in unison as he pours over data, overhead charts, graphs, statistical analysis, numerical formulas. He wins their approval as his eyes gaze across the lone female clapping along. Ezekiel smiles and winks at her as she blushes. His assistant Ms. Kane interrupts the meeting, "I'm sorry, Mr. Woods, you have an urgent call."
"Ms. Kane, sorry is not an excuse, we are conducting important..."
"Mr. Woods, it's your family, something happened."
Ezekiel pauses, looks over the room and at his business partner Marty Simon who nods okay. Ezekiel checks his cell, 22 missed calls, he grimaces, answers the next call as the suits murmur among themselves. Marty eyes his partner as Ezekiel's facial expressions turns from disbelief to sorrow.
'Gentlemen, and a lady.' He glances over at the female partner, 'Final offer is on the table for Digizoic Industries, fifty-two dollars a share, the assets portfolio is being passed out to you now by my assistant. My apologies but I have to cut my time short, my partner Mr. Simon will fill you in additional detail, I trust you'll come to the right conclusion."
Ezekiel gathers everything quickly into his attache case, dons his Brooks Brothers jacket and rushes out the door as Marty struggles to keep up. Marty starts to speak but is cut short, 'My mother just got rushed to the hospital, I have to go back to Detroit. You got this.'
Marty gasps, 'Whatever you need partner.'
Ms. Kane looks over at them talking, he pauses, finishes with Marty.
'I need you to close, do it.'
Marty nods okay and looks into the room of suits hesitantly. Ms. Kane watches intensely as Ezekiel speed walks out of the building.
Detroit
Ezekiel exits the airline terminal as his wife Kayla awaits. She stands and takes his carry on, looking into his face, 'I'm so sorry.'
He sucks his lips, eyes her for a moment before answering a call on his Bluetooth, 'No fifty-two is the lowest we'll go...' Kayla falls in line behind him, trailing as he talks business through the terminal.
He continues talking business getting into his black BMW 7-Series. He's still conversing as he merges onto I-75 north, stuck in the five-o'clock rush hour. Kayla watches his hands move, orchestrating deals worldwide. She wonders if he could get away with that behavior debating a drug deal on Detroit's east side. She smirks at the thought of him floating belly up in Lake Ontario.
Ezekiel storms into the hospital with Kayla stumbling behind him trying to catch up. He continues his conversation, 'Mortimer you want me to move 200 shares of Apple to Chrysler for what? You think they're dropping the next big iCar or something?' He summons a nurse, 'Tyla Woods room please,' She points down the hallway. Barely pausing for his conversation, 'So what is this - a hunch? I don't think so! You screw me over I'm taking back that 100k portfolio I helped you earn for your botched investments - comprehend?'
Hospital staff hops out of his way as he bulldozes past a no cell phone sign. Doctor Sharon walks out of Mama's room looking over her paperwork.
'Doctor - give me a prognosis - I need to know what's happening with my mother right now."
She pauses, studies him, bemused, 'Okay, and you are?"
''Excuse me? I'm her son! You want a subpoena...'
YOU ARE READING
Eat@Zeke's
HumorTime, for better or worse ultimately always begets change. Zeke's Kitchen, a well-known Detroit, Michigan east-side Soul Food restaurant has been devastated by the closing of nearby automobile plants that have fueled its eatery for decades. The Wood...
