CHAPTER 14
Glancing at the time shown on the computer, Emile quickly opened up his Instant Message, hoping to get a hold of Conrad. It was mid-morning in Vancouver and Conrad should be up by now. Emile could not wipe the smile off his face, not that he wanted to. He was so excited that his fingers were trembling when he typed on the keyboard.
Emile: Hey Conrad! R u there?
Conrad: Yup! Got my email?
Emile: Sure did.
Conrad: What do u think?
Emile: GMTA :-)
Conrad: Huh?
Emile: Great Minds Think Alike.
Conrad: What u mean?
Emile: I am working on the same thing!
Conrad: No way!
Emile: I will send u my prototype.
Conrad: love to see it.
Emile: Can I call u now?
Conrad: Sure can.
Emile composed an email on his computer and sent Conrad his prototype. He then picked up the phone and called him.
“Hi Conrad!” Emile’s excitement was very obvious in his voice.
“Hey Emile.” Conrad’s smile was also detectable over the phone line.
“You got my prototype? I sent it to your gmail.” Emile casually tapped his fingers on the desk.
“Yup. Just got it. Let me get my cable and put it on my phone. Hold on a sec.”
Taking advantage of this moment of silence, Emile continued to play with Conrad’s java app on his phone and the webpage being served up from Conrad’s computer.
“This is brilliant.” He murmured and his smile just grew wider by each second.
“What did you say?” Conrad returned to the line and Emile didn’t even notice.
“I said your app is just brilliant.”
“You think so? Okay, let me see yours.” Conrad pressed a few keys on the phone and with each beeping sound it emitted, Emile mentally mapped out what Conrad was doing. He knew exactly the moment when his app was successfully loaded on Conrad’s phone.
“Wow! I cannot believe this!” Conrad’s excitement definitely raised a notch when he saw Emile’s app.
“Tell me about it.” Emile chuckled, “you should have seen my reaction when I saw yours.”
For a few minutes, there was only the sound of “beep, beep, beep” and “click, click, click” over the phones, not that anyone noticed as the two men were busily pressing the keypads and typing on the keyboards, trying out each other’s prototype. After spending a few more moments with the prototypes, it was obvious to them that while both applications shared the same idea of mobile e-reading, the one created by Conrad was far more complete and well developed.
“Well, looks like we are on the same path. How long have your worked on this?” Conrad was certainly intrigued by this coincidence as his amusement was so obvious in his voice.
“A few months. It was just a pet project that I do at night. What are you up to these days anyway?” Emile relaxed in his chair as he put down the device on his desk. Seeing Conrad’s prototype, he suddenly felt that he was not alone after all. At least there was Conrad on the other side of the continent, sharing the same dream he had. The relief was so enthralling.
“I have a few consulting contracts. But I spent most of the time working on this.” The beeping sound finally stopped on Conrad’s end, indicating that he was now putting his attention to the conversation.
“What are you planning to do with this?” Emile’s picked up the last bit of what Conrad said. If Conrad was spending most of the time working on an app, it would not be just a pet project of his. He became very curious with Conrad’s plan, if any.
“I am trying to figure out too. You think there is an opportunity here?”
“Hmm, possibly. Assuming the market follows the same pattern as the Asian ones, like Japan, then it’s already proven that the market potential will be huge. And the good thing is, it is just the beginning here.” Emile pondered on what he had been thinking of for the last few months.
“I agree. You and I know better than anyone how profitable those mobile gaming companies are. ” Conrad tagged onto Emile’s train of thought. “They must have been keeping your LEAP engine busy these days. Oh yea, you guys just raised a big round from Cohen, right?”
“Yes, we did.” Emile hesitated as he recalled the series of events happened in the office today. Seeing Marcus was let go in such an ungraceful way, what would happen next? Having these thoughts brought to the forefront of his mind certainly put a few dents on his excitement. He subconsciously shook his head.
“You are doing well then?” Conrad sounded as if he sensed Emile’s hesitance.
“I am alright.” Emile answered evasively.
“What do you mean?” Conrad had always been a guy with few words. He knew when to turn on his listening ears and this appeared to be the moment.
“Well,” Emile took a deep breath, not sure where to start, “Marcus was let go today.”
“Let go today?” Conrad asked.
“Yes, let go. Jeremy is back to take his spot.”
“Jeremy is back to take his spot?” Conrad exclaimed.
“Yes. It certainly was a surprise to everyone.”
“It certainly was a surprise to everyone.” Conrad chuckled.
“Can you please stop repeating everything I said?” Emile laughed.
“Did I?” Conrad laughed too. “I am sorry, I was just stunned.”
“Who wouldn’t be? Marcus, of all people.”
“Why? Why did they do it?” Conrad was now very curious.
“I don’t know. I am trying to figure that out too. But I have a hypothesis.” Emile paused.
“What’s your hypothesis?”
“I guess the Board must be putting the blame of last couple year’s downturn on Marcus’s leadership. Scapegoat, I supposed? They need to sacrifice something or someone to convince Cohen that the same mistake won’t be made?” Emile easily spoke out his thought. He and Conrad had always been great partners. He missed having someone like him in the office. Mason was good too, but no one could match Conrad’s sharp mind.
“Well, I guess this means your LEAP engine will be the gem then. It certainly has steered the boat into calm waters. I heard that it was showcased in JavaOne?”
“I am not sure if it is a gem, but yes, it was showcased in JavaOne.” Emile tried. He did. However, even talking about his invention could not bring any positive energy into the discussion of his company.
“So this prototype you have here, is just a distraction, a fun thing for you?” Was Conrad fishing his plan? Well, given the coincidence in their inventions, Emile felt the need to be let him know his thinking.
“It started off that way. But I have a feeling that I may change my mind very soon.” Talking about the prototype did the magic. Emile’s curved upwards and he didn’t even realize.
“Why? What changed your mind?”
“Market opportunities, being consumer facing once again, or maybe Marcus being let go is the last straw? I don’t know. I just need something new.” Emile confessed but he felt good. These words had been eating him for a few weeks but he didn’t know to whom he could confide to. Not even Alena.
“What about the company then? You are doing so well there.”
“It’s just a matter of perspective, doing well or not.”
“You will give that up and work on this?” Conrad sounded a bit incredulous.
“Not much to give up now that Cohen is in. My shares are so diluted.” Emile chuckled.
“But still. You have put so much effort into it.” Conrad didn’t sound so sure like Emile.
“Hours put in during the past does not necessarily translate into future success.” Emile explained. “And it’s just not the same company anymore.” He believed Conrad would understand what he meant by that. Conrad was there in the early days.
“You’ve got any other plans?” Did Conrad sound hopeful? Perhaps he did.
“I don’t have any plan yet. But I have been thinking about this space in the last while and I certainly have my views on the opportunities.”
“And do you mind sharing your views with me? Well, I was hoping you can give me some feedback and advice when I sent you my prototype. I never imagined you would be working on the same thing.” Conrad asked skeptically as if he wasn’t sure if Emile would share his findings given that he might enter the same space himself.
“Sure. My views are just, my views. You know, ideas are cheap.”
“Ah yes. And execution is king.” Conrad finished off Emile’s sentence with a chuckle. This had always been Emile’s belief. People could come up with the same ideas, or even copying others’ ideas, but it was execution that determined success.
They then went on and talked about the market landscape, opportunities, threats and technology trends. It was so refreshing for Emile that he didn’t even notice that it had been two hours until he finally hung up the phone. He stretched his arms up high and relaxed his shoulders. This coincidence certainly came up in a very unusual day, the day when he completely lost his passion in his company. Could it be a sign from the ultimate deity?
He looked at his watch and it was almost three o’clock. Alena should be back very soon. So many things happened and where should he start with her? Marcus being fired? His pet project? The fact that Conrad was working on the same idea? Or his desire to start anew his career? He slumped in the chair with a groan. No, none of these. He didn’t have the heart to alarm her at all. But yet, he couldn’t keep her in the dark for long. He sighed and closed his eyes. Why couldn’t life be just as simple as jam and bread?
*****
Since dashing to the client meeting this morning, Alena didn’t have a good day at all and her mood was clearly painted on her face. She was pretty sure that her scowl had scared off a few kids on the train. As soon as the train pulled into a full stop, she stomped off the train and ran towards the parking lot in her high heels. Running in her heels was incredibly uncomfortable but what else could she do? She was running late! It was already three fifteen and it would take another twenty minutes to drive from the station to the school. There was no hope to get there on time to pick up Candy. The poor girl would be the last one waiting in the classroom again. This thought upset her as usual. Every time she saw Candy beaming at her while other kids were gone, it just added so much more to her guilt as being a failing mother. How could she not be the first one to pick up her child? Subconsciously, her scowl darkened.
Twenty minutes later, she finally arrived safely. She couldn’t remember how many amber lights she ran through, plus one or two red lights, maybe? But she arrived in one piece. She ran up the stairs and dashed to the classroom.
“Good afternoon, Mrs. Au. How are you?” The class teacher, Mrs. Paddington, greeted her.
“Fine, thanks. How are you Mrs. Paddington?” Alena was kind of short of breath as she ran to the classroom, but she managed to appear quite composed in front of the teacher. She peeked into the classroom as she greeted the teacher, but Candy was not there.
“Where is Candy?” Alena was so impatient that she didn’t even wait for Mrs. Paddington’s reply to her greeting.
“I am fine, Mrs. Au. Candy is with the nurse. Don’t worry, she is fine too.” Mrs. Paddington quickly said as soon as she noticed Alena’s panic when she mentioned that Candy was with the nurse.
“Didn’t you get the call from the nurse earlier? I asked the receptionist to call you thirty minutes ago.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t get the call. I was in the train and I haven’t had a chance to check my messages yet. What happened?” Though Mrs. Paddington assured Alena that Candy was fine, she wanted to see Candy badly.
“Another child was gathering his lunch bag from the shelf and Candy happened to be standing next to him. I guess the child was having difficulties to reach his lunch bag, so he just yanked the strap to pull it down. The lunch bag then swung right into Candy’s head. Don’t worry, it only hit her forehead and it is a little bit red now. We put some ice on it and she is fine. But she is with the nurse now in the office, under observation, just in case. It’s our standard procedure.” Mrs. Paddington quickly explained to her what happened. But the phrase “under observation” sounded so alarming.
“Thanks for letting me know, Mrs. Paddington.” Alena turned towards the office right away and made her way there.
“Is Candy here? She should be with the nurse.” She asked the receptionist.
“Oh yes, Mrs. Au. She is right here.” The receptionist then went into the nurse office behind her and took Candy with her. The nurse followed as well.
“Mommy!” Candy dashed towards Alena and hugged her tightly. She was smiling and didn’t appear to be in any distress at all.
“Hi Mrs. Au. I just want to let you know that Candy hurt her head, but it’s nothing serious. She cried a bit but otherwise she is fine. Did you speak to Mrs. Paddington?” The nurse asked.
“Yes, I did. She told me everything. Thanks. Are you alright sweet heart? Your head still hurts?” Alena squatted down and gently touched Candy’s forehead.
“It hurts, mommy.” Candy pouted. Ha! She sure knew how to pull Alena’s heart strings. She was perfectly fine a minute ago!
“Let mommy kiss you, okay? Is it here?” Alena gently ran her fingers over the lump she felt before and then kissed it tenderly. She looked at Candy once again.
“Do I have lipstick on my head, mommy?” Candy asked innocently.
“Just a little. Let me rub it off.” Alena smiled and gently rubbed off the lipstick mark on Candy’s forehead. “Shall we go now?” Alena stood up and reached for Candy’s hand.
“Um, Mrs. Au. You may want to keep an eye on her, though I think she is fine. You see, when it comes to head injury, we recommend being a little more cautious.” The nurse added as Alena was about to leave the office.
“Thanks for the reminder. I will keep an eye on her. I should have her checked out if she feels dizzy or if she throws up, right?” Alena asked.
“Yes. You should take her to the hospital if that happens, but I really don’t think that will happen at all.” The nurse replied with a warm smile and it was comforting.
“Thank you. You ladies have a great evening.” Alena nodded goodbye and took Candy home.
On their way home, though Candy was happily telling her all the fun things in school, Alena couldn’t really enjoy the conversation. Every time she saw the red lump on Candy’s forehead from the rear-view mirror, she felt so guilty for not being able to get to the school the moment they called. It was the stupid client meeting that was holding her up. Yes, it entirely was its fault. It had to be its fault. The meeting was beyond foolish to start off with and recalling what happened in the meeting angered her more. She had yet to speak to Dr. Armstrong about what happened and what to do with the project. Her scowl secretly returned and she didn’t even know.
But Emile noticed her scowl the moment she walked into the house.
“Hey.” Emile greeted her first. He was holding Lily in his arms. She appeared to be quite content.
“Oh, you are home.” Alena was a bit surprised.
“Daddy!” Candy wrung her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder as he squatted down at her level.
“Hi baby. How’s school today? What happened to your head?” Emile soon noticed the red lump on Candy’s forehead.
“Derek swung his lunch bag at me.” Candy gently touched the lump.
“Derek swung his lunch bag at you? Why? Was he trying to be batman again?” Emile asked.
“No, it was an accident. Apparently he couldn’t reach the lunch bag and it just dropped on her head.” Alena answered before Emile got more confused by Candy. She then put down her purse and dropped her computer bag on the floor in the study with a loud thud, and walked towards the kitchen.
“What in the world?” she exclaimed as she walked into the kitchen. The food processor was completely smashed on the floor and baby food was splattered everywhere: on the floor, on the counter, even the breakfast chairs couldn’t escaped from the disaster.
“Sorry ma’am. I accidentally knocked the food processor off the counter. I am cleaning up now.” Julia nervously told Alena.
Alena was beyond being livid. Rationally she knew it was an accident and it didn’t mean to happen. But still, could the day be any worse? She couldn’t speak and her face was so red that Emile immediately recognized the signs, her explosive signs.
He walked towards her with Lily still in his arm. He then gently massaged the back of her neck.
“It was an accident. Don’t be upset. I will take care of it.” He reassured her.
Usually, his massages would work some magic in soothing her anxiety. But not today. Nothing could soothe her at all. She was so upset that she swatted away his hand and headed towards the stairs to the rooms.
“Julia, can you get some snack for Candy. Candy, why don’t you have some snack in the playroom?” Emile quickly instructed Julia and settled Candy in the play room.
“Alena.” Emile called out and followed her up the stairs. “What’s wrong? It’s only an accident and she is cleaning up already. Why are you so upset?”
“We will go and buy another food processor if that’s what upsetting you.” Emile continued as Alena simmered in her angry silence in the bedroom. She reached out to Lily and took her from Emile’s arm. She checked Lily’s face, feet, arms and body, trying to find out if she was hurt from the food processor accident.
“No, Lily was fine. She was playing with me in the playroom when it happened.” Emile still couldn’t understand why she was so furious. She was beyond reasons now.
“Can you speak to me? Why are you so angry?” Emile took Lily from Alena and safely sat her on his arm. He felt better with the baby in his arm when Alena was obviously steaming.
“I can’t speak to you now.” She snapped. She wanted to scream so badly and let out her anger. But she couldn’t. Because she needed to get a grip of herself and give Dr. Armstrong a call about today’s meeting, while he was enjoying the warm weather in Florida.
“I need to call John now. Just leave me alone please.” Alena angrily unbuttoned her blouse and took it off. She then unzipped her skirt in the same angry manner. She grabbed her house clothes from the armchair nearby and walked into washroom in her underwear.
Emile all in a sudden found the scene very amusing but he couldn’t laugh. That wouldn’t be appropriate. But she was so alluring when her face was all red and half naked. He just wanted to kiss her senselessly. Well, better tugged that thought away because she could be like a dragon if he made the wrong move. Perhaps giving her a moment alone might help. He had so much to tell her today or maybe he couldn’t tell her anything. He better waited till she was fit to hear him out. He sighed and walked out of the room with Lily.
In the washroom, Alena angrily squirted some makeup remover on the cotton ball and rubbed off her makeup with such force that her face actually hurt. She then dumped the cotton ball into the garbage bin and turned on the faucet. Splashing the cold water on her face did calm her down a notch, but not enough to calm her down completely. She turned off the faucet and stared at herself in the mirror. She was still angry, no doubt. But for a moment, she found her image quite scary. She shut her eyes, trying to clear her mind.
Moments later, she dressed herself comfortably in her house clothes. She walked into her bedroom and sat on her bed.
“Come on, Alena. You can do it. Give him a call and see what he has to say.”
She then picked up the phone and called Dr. Armstrong. Thank God. He answered after a few rings. If she couldn’t get a hold of him now, she would explode.
“Hi John.” Alena gently rubbed her eye brows, trying to relax herself in this conversation.
“Hey, Alena. How did it go?” Dr. Armstrong apparently was expecting her call.
“Not so well.” Alena opened her eyes and prepared herself to brace the argument.
“What do you mean? They were referred to us by Professor Matsuda.” Dr. Armstrong didn’t sound like he was concerned.
“It doesn’t matter, John. They have no clues what this is all about.” Sensing that he was not reacting to her comment, she was getting anxious.
“That’s good! We can then charge them and tell them what this is about. That’s why they need us.” Dr. Armstrong appeared to care less if the client was clueless or not.
“No, John. You don’t understand. They have no clues what this is about, but think they know it all!” Alena exclaimed.
“Well, there is nothing wrong with it. Clients always come to a project with a pre-conception. You are not new to this. Remember? Compromise! Bring their needs and wants to the table and blend with what we can do.” Dr. Armstrong dismissed her concerns.
“Listen to me John. I really mean they have no clues. Literally. You know what they asked me to do? They asked me to hire bikini models for a focus group study in the Caribbean!” Alena was so angry that she nearly yelled at John. She started rubbing her eye brows again as one of her eyes began to throb.
“What? Why?”
“They don’t understand what Market Research is. That’s why.” Alena took a deep breath and tried to calm her raging anger. She took pride in her profession which she spent years to accomplish. But today’s meeting insulted her profession as a researcher. The worst part was that she dared not walking away from the client without consulting with Dr. Armstrong first. “When Professor Matsuda referred them to us, he said they wanted to find out if their newly improved materials would be an attractive alternative to the materials currently available in the swim suit market. In that case, shouldn’t they run a quantitative survey with the prospective buyers and have them rate the different materials in various dimensions? That is how we can objectively measure its competitiveness against other materials.”
“You are quite right, Alena. But what’s that have to do with bikini models in the Caribbean?” Dr. Armstrong sounded more amused than offended.
“It shouldn’t have anything to do with those and that’s my point, John. Someone in their team thought this is actually a better idea to have a focus group instead of a quantitative survey. So they went on and on about who they should invite to the focus group and how they should present the materials. Then some idiots suggested that the materials should be best presented to these buyers and therefore, should be shown by bikini models and by the beach in the Caribbean!” Alena felt so insulted because this suggestion clearly indicated that the client did not understand what market research is.
“Haha. That’s very creative!” Dr. Armstrong burst out laughing.
“This is not funny John. They are so determined that it has to be done! I spent a full hour and a half trying to explain to them what they suggested was not appropriate for an unbiased research.” Alena was very annoyed by Dr. Armstrong’s laughter. She did not find it amusing at all.
“But this is funny, Alena. Perhaps you can use it as a vacation. Just bring your kids along. Hahaha.”
“John. I am not doing this project.” Alena’s voice turned cold and Dr. Armstrong abruptly stopped his laughter.
“Relax Alena. It doesn’t hurt. If they want to have a focus group, let them have it. They are paying for the whole event, right? They asked for it and we’ll do it. I don’t see what’s wrong with it.” Dr. Armstrong finally realized that Alena was very upset with the meeting.
“John. I take on this partnership opportunity with you because I wanted to do market research. If it was your wish to simply satisfy any demand from the clients, you better take this project yourself. They certainly don’t need me as a researcher. It would be a mistake to hire me planning out such an event. This is not my expertise. You know very well that this is not a research project but a sales event.” Alena felt strongly that she had to hold her grounds.
“I know and I agree with you that they are actually asking for a sales event rather than a market research. But Alena, you haven’t brought in any new business in the last few months. You really need to step up to the plate. This one project can open the doors for many more future projects with this client. You understand?” Dr. Armstrong tried to be patient with her, hoping to change her mind.
New business. It always circled back to her failure in bringing in new business. She couldn’t cope with this anymore. She wanted so much to just call it quit. Could she call it quit? Would that made her a total failure in everything then? Failed in being a business partner, a mother and a wife? Her tears finally brimmed over her eyes and trickled down her cheeks.
“Let me think about it John. I see your point.” Alena swiped away the tears on her cheeks with her fingers.
“Good. I am glad that you see my point. Let me know how it goes then. You have a good evening.”
“You too.” Alena hung up the phone. She lied down on her bed, totally defeated.
The room was in complete silence. She could only hear her sniffling. Life was such a joke. She appeared to have everything, beautiful kids, loving husband and a nice house with a beautiful garden. She even had a nanny. She should be the happiest woman on earth. But she felt she was a total failure in everything. Not the perfect mom she intended. Not a great market researcher who could convince her clients, and definitely not a great business partner of Dr. Armstrong. Could she share her true feelings with Emile? No, she couldn’t. He would be so disappointed. Remember how proud he was when he was telling others about her business?
The ache in heart was building up again and it hurt her far more than the tiny throb at her eye. She reached into her drawer beside the bed and took out a small medicine bottle. She held it up and stared at it. These remaining anti-depressant expired years ago. She didn’t know why she kept them. Maybe it served as a reminder that she could walk past the most difficult time in her life? Or maybe deep down, she felt she might need one in days like this? She was so tempted to open the cap and swallow one. Would it help or would it hurt? For a few moments, a tiny voice was whispering to her ears, “take one, take one….”
“No!” She shouted and threw the bottle away and it landed on the carpet. She could get through this, she could. She wouldn’t give in and take some expired medicine. It would be beyond stupid. She should get rid of it now. She jumped off the bed, picked up the bottle and dumped it into the garbage. Even if she failed at anything else, she wouldn’t fail to get a hold of herself and brace the challenges in life.
Seeing the bottle in the trash made her feel better. At least she could remain logical and did the right thing. She huffed out a breath. Yes, life could be difficult, but she could face it. She walked through the valley once with her God. She could do it again and again. It was better that He could do it again.
She should at least let Emile know how she felt about the partnership. Even if this partnership being a wrong fit did not mean that she failed as a researcher. She could be a freelance researcher and slowed down the pace in rebuilding her career. After all, Lily was still young. Waiting one more year wouldn’t hurt now that Emile’s company was more secured since they just received a huge investment from the investors.
Right at this second, she decided that she should speak to Emile tonight.
As she turned around from the garbage bin, she startled as Emile walked in the room at the same time.
“Are you alright? I heard you shouting.” Emile was very concerned.
She walked up to him and kissed him deeply on his lips. He was whom she could cling to. She might as well start paving way for the discussion anyway.
“No, it was just me venting. I am feeling much better now. Let see what’s for dinner.” She reached out for his hand and headed down the stairs.
Instead of holding her hand as they descended the stairs, Emile wrapped his arm around her shoulders. The deep kiss was such a good sign. He couldn't help but smirked. Maybe she was fit to listen to him after all.
Later that evening, they had a rather peaceful dinner. Alena’s scowl was finally gone. Candy’s little red lump on the forehead was not that noticeable anymore after Alena put some witch hazel on it. It certainly helped the mood when Julia made some nice dishes for the family, a gesture to redeem her from the food processor accident. The food processor mess all cleaned up and forgotten. Though Lily was still having her baby food, she shared a spot at the family dinner table and completed the picture of a happy family.
Looking around the dinner table, Emile was rather comforted. Having been brooding for many months over his career, he felt finally there was light at the end of the tunnel. He no longer cared if Marcus was let go this morning nor if Brian from the Cohen’s was going to have any big plan for the company. He now had Conrad in Vancouver waiting for his commitment, which he was so eager to jump into. He just needed to let Alena know about his plan and then, he could move on.
Watching Alena calmly feeding Lily while playfully joking with Candy, he decided that it might be a good time to get the conversation going.
“How did it go with John? You said you were going to call him. Was it about today’s meeting?” Emile then tactfully slurped a big mouthful of rice into his mouth, waiting for her reply.
Alena bit her lower lips, not sure how to respond. She was enjoying her time with her daughters, talking about the business would totally ruin her mood. This conversation needed to happen, but the setting was not that ideal in her opinion.
“Let’s talk about it later, shall we? Remember? We’ve agreed to give the girls undivided attention at the dinner table.” She grinned at Emile and played out her delay tactics.
A Good sign. She was grinning at him. Definitely a good sign. Emile smiled smugly. Talk later? He could live with that.
“Oh yes. You’ve got me.” Emile smiled sweetly at her. “Candy, when Derek hurt you with his lunch bag, did you cry?” He turned his attention to the children.
“A little.” Candy answered sheepishly.
“It’s okay to cry when you are hurt.” Alena assured her. “Mommy would cry too if I get hurt.”
“You cry too?” Candy couldn’t believe what she just heard. Her tough mommy would cry?
“Oh yes, Mommy cries all the time.” Emile laughed and Alena shot him a look. He clearly read her lips, saying ‘what are you talking about?’
“Mommy is a cry baby.” Emile continued to tease and Alena just kicked his shin under the table. Unfortunately, his leg had eyes and dodged the attack.
“No, I’m not. I am just saying it’s okay to cry if I am hurt. But I don’t cry all the time.” Alena glared at him.
“Right, right. Mommy is not a cry baby. Lily is a cry baby.” Emile quickly mended the situation here, God knew if his remarks had offended Alena and he sure needed her to be in a good mood tonight.
“Hehe, Lily is a cry baby.” Candy smiled.
“That’s not nice. Lily is a baby, but not a cry baby. Baby cries because they can’t talk yet. Besides, look at Lily, she is smiling so happily here.” Alena wiped Lily’s mouth clean and the baby automatically grinned, showing her two bottom teeth.
Emile tried to keep the conversation light and playful. Thankfully, the children were very well behaved as well. They finished their food and fussing was very minimal.
A couple of hours later, the children were all tugged in. Julia retired in her room too. In the master bedroom, Emile was patiently waiting on his bed for Alena, who was taking a shower in the bathroom. When she emerged from the bathroom, she was already in her comfy tee and sweatpants. She noticed that Emile was just flipping the TV channels with the remote control in his hand.
“You smell good.” Emile complimented her as she climbed onto the bed.
She looked at him doubtfully and asked. “Something’s on your mind?”
“Can’t I just compliment my wife?” Emile put down the remote control and pulled her a bit closer. He kissed her lightly on her lips.
A Good sign. Definitely a good sign. He would be sensible if I tell him now. Alena smiled smugly as she was so hoping to tell Emile how she really felt.
“You wanna tell me how you are doing with John now?” Emile lean back on the headboard, hoping to get the conversation started. There was so much to tell her.
Alena leaned back on the headboard as well and crossed her legs. She pulled the cover up to her waist. “I guess me and John are just two very different people. We always have so vastly different views on things.” Unsure how else to tell him, she decided to just go straight to the point.
Emile weren’t too overly concerned about this statement. He already knew that Dr. Armstrong and Alena weren’t the most compatible business partners. But he was betting on Alena’s perseverance in managing the relationships. But it sounded like that she had more to say on that issue tonight.
“You and him are having different views on the current project?”
“What else? I never felt so insulted today, but of course, he thinks it is no big deal.”
Emile raised an eye brow. She felt insulted today? How should he play his cards then?
“So what happened in the meeting? How did they insult you?”
“No, they didn’t scream or yell at me. It’s just that I think I am not good at closing deals.” Alena sighed.
“I am not sure if I understand.”
Alena then went on and told him everything about the meeting and how John reacted to the situation.
“You see. John can easily see through these situations and use it as bait for future businesses. But I don’t know. Am I too stubborn? I feel so insulted that they were practically asking me to plan for a bikini party with those tall and hot models by the beach. That’s not market research. That’s a fashion show.” Alena was talking faster and louder. It was very obvious that she was not very calm when discussing the situation.
“If I have a say, I would just walk away from the deal and look for another opportunity. Our core competency is in market research, not event planning. I will gladly turn this opportunity to someone else.” Alena continued. Though she was still feeling a bit upset about the meeting, she also felt good that Emile was quietly listening without any judgement. She hated those little encouraging remarks that he threw at her from time to time. Saying things like “you can do it”, “don’t give up” which made her feel so “pigeon holed” as if she ought to fit into his expectation.
Emile had been very quiet. He didn’t know what to say. Alena was obviously very upset with today’s meeting or else she wouldn’t be so angry when she got home earlier. But he didn’t know she abhorred the sales aspect of the partnership so much. Of course she was no saleswoman given that was never part of her previous jobs. But he was hoping that she would take on that as a challenge and faced it head on as she always had.
“So what are you going to do?” He asked as he reached for her hand and laced his fingers with hers.
It felt so good to hold his hand. Her heart warmed and she leaned on his shoulder.
“For this project, you mean? I haven’t made up my mind yet. But I guess I will speak to Charisa and see if she can help.”
“Charisa? Our wedding planner?” Emile was stupefied. What would she have to do with it?
“Who else can I turn to? At least she is connected enough in the event planning circle. She can probably refer a few agencies to me and I will take it from there.” Finally, Alena could smile a little bit because she appeared to have found a solution to a sticky situation.
“Though this is not really a market research project, perhaps I can be their project manager? I don’t know. At least that will make John happy.” She then turned to Emile and looked into his eyes. “But honestly Emile, I don’t feel good doing this,” she confessed. “I mean, I may have found a solution here, but I want a purpose in my job. If all I want is to make some money off a client, I may as well do something else, you know? I took on this partnership because I wanted to be a researcher and this kind of jobs certainly is not that.” She paused briefly, trying to read the reactions from Emile.
“What do you think?” Alena then turned the table on Emile.
“Well, you know your job better than I do. If you really don’t want to do it, then don’t do it.” Emile hesitantly replied. Did he just say that? Well, what else could he say? She just admitted that was not what she wanted. He couldn’t really force her into it.
“Really? You think so?” Alena’s hope soared. Never did she imagine that she could convince Emile so easily. Perhaps she could drop in the last bit of what she had to say. She smiled a little more.
“You know my philosophy. One has to enjoy his job in order to perform. If you don’t like it, it will be a lost cause.” Emile comforted her. Speaking of which, his job in the company was definitely a lost cause. But how could he tell her that now? He looked away, trying to figure out what this turn of event meant to him.
“Something’s on your mind. You wanna share?” Alena caught his hesitance as he looked away.
“No, I was just thinking that Marcus was let go today.”
“What? What happened?” Alena was shocked.
Emile then went on and told her everything that happened in the company today.
“Well, it’s like water under the bridge now, isn’t it? But I guess it means your job is very much secured now, from what you’ve just said. Brian seems to be quite impressed with the LEAP engine.” Though the series of event sounded dreadful, Alena was relieved that Emile was not affected.
“Yeah, they needed the LEAP engine very much. I am saved for now.” Emile gently padded her hand.
“That’s good to know. At least if I decide to break from this partnership, we still have your salary to live on.” She gently rubbed his hands with her thumb and smiled. It felt great to tell him the last bit of what she wanted to tell him all night long.
Oh no, not for long, sweetheart. But Emile was having a hard time to blurt this out. He decided to test the water a bit.
“You remember Conrad?” He asked.
“Yes, why?” Alena looked at him.
“I was speaking to him today. He has an interesting project going on.” Okay, he took the first step.
“Oh yea? That’s good for him. Is he still in Seattle?”
“No, he is in Vancouver now. His wife works there now.”
“What is his doing then?”
“He has a few consulting contract. But I think he may start a new business soon.” Okay, he took the second step.
“Really? What kind of business? Consulting?” Alena was curious. After all, she used to work with a lot of technology start-ups. That was her roots before she turned into a market researcher.
“No. He is developing a product. It has to do with mobile e-reading.” Alright, he took the third step. Emile looked at Alena closely, trying to figure out how she was reacting. She seemed quite unconcerned.
“Mobile e-reading? You mean reading on a cell phone? Who would do that? The screen is so small.”
Oh no. Did it mean she found this idea not a good one? Emile was getting more and more nervous now.
“People in Asia are doing it. I think it has potential.” Emile defended.
“People in Asia have a different lifestyle than us in North America.” Alena sensed the defensiveness in Emile’s reply, but she didn’t know why.
“Well, how is he funding the project?” Alena didn’t feel it was not a good time to discuss market opportunities.
“He is boot-strapping it. His consulting contracts will cover it for a while.” Emile answered evasively. He knew that Alena would know better than that. Any project needed funding. One could only boot-strap for so long.
“Boot strapping? Not sure if his wife would like it though.” Alena indeed knew what boot-strapping meant. Some entrepreneurs ended up on the streets because of their failed ventures. Some sold their homes and cars just to keep the business going. Technology start-ups were risky business.
And that was Emile’s biggest fear, Alena not supporting the idea. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and rested her head on his shoulder. He didn’t want her to see his expression. It would give away his disappointment.
“Maybe she will support him?” Emile did his last try. He needed to know for sure how Alena felt if she were in her shoe.
“Good luck to him then. And good luck to her too.” Alena chuckled. She snuggled closer to him. She felt so safe and protected when he was hugging her.
“You are getting tired. You should sleep. It has been a stressful day for you.” He kissed her forehead. He didn’t want to talk about it now. He didn’t know what to do.
“Mmm…I think so.” She then turned off the light on her bedside table.
He was the sweetest guy in the world. How lucky she had him. Alena felt asleep with a smile.
******
~~ Two weeks later, end of October 2006, in the Vancouver airport ~~
“Hey, Emile.” Conrad waved at Emile who was approaching his table in the food court.
“Hey Conrad. How are you?” Emile pulled out a chair and sat down.
“So, are you in?” Conrad asked cheerfully.
“Yes. I am in.” Emile answered confidently.
“Well, let’s plan this out then.” Conrad booted up his laptop and the two men began planning out their next step.
How Emile made such a big decision without telling Alena, he didn’t know. But he felt there was a calling that he needed to answer to. He felt that this partnership with Conrad was meant to happen.
He prayed that Alena would understand. She had to understand, for everyone’s sake. Please God, make her understand.
But in the back of his mind, he knew she wouldn’t. He'd better get a ton of chocolate bars after the meeting with Conrad before flying back home.
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A/N Sorry everyone. I knew it's been a long long time since I last posted. But I sure will continue writing this story. I hope this long chapter will probably compensate the long wait you had. There should be 2-3 more chapters, follow by an epilogue.
If you want me to post sooner, please kindly give me your encouragment by leaving me with your comments. Your comments are what I cherish most. Your support is what's keeping me going :)
Cheers!