I'm alive...barely.
__
"Why are you sulking?"
I looked up as Ivory walked down the stairs munching on fairy floss that she bought last night as we left the carnival.
I looked at the clock behind her, it was nine in the morning. Surely that wasn't appropriate food for breakfast.
I really did need to get her a dentist appointment. I need to get myself one too as I could still feel the sugar stuck in my teeth. I looked up closing the newspaper, watching her scrunch up the bag and throw it out. Did she eat the entire packet for breakfast or did she just finish off what was left?
"Good you're up. You sleep worse than my grandmother,"
Ivory opened her mouth staring at me, she resembled a gold fish, no, a puffer fish and then she closed it again, "I do not" she whispered. I folded the newspaper neatly and placed it on the coffee table standing up.
"All right then let's go," I grabbed the keys off the coffee table.
"To where."
I didn't think that one through. Do I tell her that I saw her looking at cruises and I didn't like the boats so I picked one myself, or was that creepy because she didn't see me watching her.
Ivory looked at me, her eyes questioning and not even breaking a stare
I rubbed the back of my neck feeling warm, "Um, Marge told me she booked us in for some boat cruise,"
Good old Marge, always a perfect cover. There was no way I was going to let Ivory book a cruise on some broken boat without any side panels or railings. I took the liberty of booking a fine decent cruise after thorough investigation and analysing their commercial rationale.
The boat when we arrived looked slightly different to the one online, I frowned. I was going to raise this, when I expect a 4 and a half star boats, i expect a four and a half star boat that was advertised. Nothing less.
"Welcome Welcome Welcome to River-Side RAiiiIiiinbowss,"
Does he need to yell?
Ivory turned to look at me, raising an eyebrow "River Side Rainbow?"
Well it was better than letting her pick River side drowning looking at the old boats she was looking at. Who nows, it might be good.
"Welcome to the best reef exploration in your life time ladies and gentlemen," the kid smiled widely looking between us. I nodded walking past him, let's get this over and done with. I wasn't the biggest fan of boats. They were unstable, you weren't on land.
Anywhere that my feet wasn't planted on the ground that I could say wasn't going to sway, I wasn't fan off.
My phone buzzed and I reach into my pocket.
Jesse.
I frowned looking at the title of the email, crap. Did this have to happen now.
New Offer, they're going to win
I told Jesse that under no circumstances were they going to get that tender. The biggest Aluminium contract was mine.
I looked at how far the shoreline was, not too bad, "take us back."
Ivory and the kid looked at me confused, he was holding up a pair of scuba diving outfits looking disappointed. My phone started ringing, it was Jesse.
I picked it up, "Ten minutes. I need my laptop" which i had brought just in case something like this would happen. I pointed towards the shoreline and the kid nodded dropping the stuff and rushing to the wheel.
"You both go, I'll join after I come back. I need to email something," it wasn't just any email, it was a billion dollar email.
"It's fine I'll come," Ivory commented. I looked at her, her shoes were already off and she was holding the flippers. Besides she spent a solid one hour, thirty minutes and twelve seconds looking at boats.
This by far was the safest option and had the best reviews. "No stay, I'll be back in half an hour" I grabbed my jacket as the boat reached the shoreline.
Ivory said something but when I turned around she was facing the other kid, maybe it was to him.
Leaving her behind i rushed to the car, dialling Jesse.
"Hello Jesse sp-,"
"Speak. now."
"Oh Darius, hey. Um well, the attachment in the email isn't good. They have a super strong case and it seems like they're going to win."
"They're lying. You need to prove that their tender is on false calculations. There is no way I'm going to let him win this contract."
"Darius. I completely hear you, and I agree. There is no way that the numbers they admit would be correct. They're just lowering their costs so they win the tender, but how are we going to prove that. We have no idea what's in their tender, let alone what they quoted."
"Easy, let's break in and get the tender."
Jesse started laughing.
"I'm not joking." I clarified.
"Isn't that um illegal Darius?"
Maybe. But what they were doing was worse, quoting a lower price so they win and the government gives them money and suddenly they can't finish the job and need more funding, and they'll pocket the difference.
I hopped into the car, grabbing the laptop and setting it up. "Can you still hear me?" I asked.
"You're sort of breaking up."
I started the engine, driving up the parking lot to where there were less trees, "Yep you're better now."
I stopped the engine, "Alright, let's crunch the numbers, you are positive our team came up with the safest alternative at the cheapest price?"
"Yes sir."
Our tender application had to be the best option. It wasn't the cheapest as the others were forging their numbers, but it was the safest. We would make a loss during construction but after five years we were going to see a huge return in the Aluminium industry, the prices would sky rocket.
Sometimes you needed to wait for good things.
"Well let's revisit the numbers."
"Do you have time?" Jesse asked.
"Of course I have time."
"Didn't you ask me to book a cruise for you today? What time is that?"
"That's alright Ivory has gone. Open up the file and share your screen with me. I don't have the database with me."
"Wait."Jesse said, "You let her go by herself?"
"Yes," I shrugged even though he can't see me, "Darius you can't let her go by herself on a cruise all by herself."
"Why not?"
Jesse groaned from the other side, "You can't just trust people."
"I'm sure she'll be fine, he's a teenager. Let alone if something does happen we'll just shut the place it's fine. I can practically see the boat." which wasn't a lie, i could see the white vehicle in the water in the distance, it seemed to have stopped, so they must be snorkelling.
"Have you spent any time alone with her?"
"Are we doing the tender or not?"
"I think what you need is some tips on tender loving care boss. You can't just leave your wife alone on your honeymoon."
"Jesse."
"Right, tender. Got it." I watched as he pulled up the files on the shared screen.
Why can't I leave my wife alone on the honeymoon to do something she wanted, isn't that better than making her sit at home while I had to do this. Besides I clearly told our parents to wait another few months before planning anything as I had this deal to go through, but they insisted on not doing that, so again that was their fault.
"So what do you think?"
"Can you repeat that Jesse?" I said trying to refocus on the files.
* * *
Things weren't going well.
Ivory looked angry about the whole boat cruise and I wasn't sure why. Was it because her clothes got wet? Was it her favourite outfit maybe? I'll tell Marge to order a new set.
She was picking at her food and had her head down muttering something.
Things were going horribly wrong.
Why doesn't she communicate?
She looked up
"Seriously?"
I paused mid bite, "What?" did i have food on me. I hesitantly touched my cheek, nope.
"You're just going to let them walk off?"
I looked behind her at a table of guys laughing at something. Next to them was a waiter looking annoyed
"Of course they didn't say anything to me," why should we start an issue, who knows what was happening between them.
I looked at the guys as they chucked some money at the waiter. I guess that was a bit rude.
"Well punch them of something."
"So you want me to bash them up?" I asked. That was a weird response. I shook my head, well she did jump to dramatic conclusions.
"You will?"
There was excitement in her voice and that worried me, did I marry a little firecracker that starts fights?
"I don't know how to fight," I shrugged.
And there she was, frowning again.
She was too complicated