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“Write down the date and time. The king of verbose has nothing,” Stacey quickly comes back.
I toss one of my new pillows in her direction. “Seriously. Thank you.”
The kitchen has become so warm. It was so clinical and modern before. The light pine cabinets are now a rich cherry color. Just like the bottom of a dark glass of ale. The balcony, which was the least used space, has now been transformed to a place where I can have David up for a game of chess or sit and enjoy my music from the inside.
A trail of herbs and plants leads me into my bedroom. For the first time in years, this space doesn’t remind me of what was. I thought just changing the bed was enough until I saw the transformation. I realize the entire thing was something that’s weighed me down in ways I didn’t think it did.
The wood slat framing on the walls right above the bed creates a perfect center for myAngels and Demonsart piece. It nearly acts like my headboard. “I thought you were going to move the art to the living room.”
Lauren takes my hand. “We were, babe. But we thought it was better here. What was and will be again.”
They played with the light color of the walls around it with rich gray for my bedding. The girls even tricked out my bathroom with brand-new everything, including a wood bench in the shower.
“I couldn’t have imagined this for myself.”
“That’s kind of the point, Eli. You were stuck. Now you don’t have to be.”
To say thank you, I cook them dinner for all their hard work. No Italian this time. This calls for a couple of pan-seared steaks with wild rice and a light red. After they leave, I open my balcony door and test out my new favorite sound system withThe Joshua Treeon vinyl. Out on my new mini couch in the night air, the sounds of the street blend with the music.
It’s the perfect way to wind down.
A text from Hayley saying she got to her apartment okay came in. Mom and Dad got home fine. Pops and Gran decided to stay another night. I dive into my email as I promised my father. I need to stay in this habit. I need to make it even more of a religion than I already had.
In my inbox were things I was used to seeing such as meeting requests, seminars for continuing education, weekly reports, revenue projections, to-do lists from my assistant, Anna, and my NYU alumni emails. Mixed in with the NYU emails was a lengthy personal one from Professor Stone.
He has a new request. He needs me to take his class for multiple dates instead of the single lecture I usually do. He’s been called to lead a conference in Chicago early in the term.Rather than canceling class, he’s asking if I can substitute in his place.
With all he’s done for me over the years, I don’t think I should say no. I do have to make sure I can coordinate it with my father and with all my new AnSa duties. The timing isn’t great, but this opportunity is at the heart of everything I love about my industry. I can also get a jump on vetting the intern candidates.
The familiar downbeat with the haunting vocals spills the softer version of “With Or Without You” across my apartment and out the open door. The lyrics mean something different now. I’ll never be able to hear this song again and not think of Viper. She did give herself away to me, but now it’s me asking about living with or without her. I do have something to win. I need to find her. I don’t know how just yet, but I will.
Chapter Twelve
Elijah
My feet pound the pavement around Central Park. It’s the right amount of crisp at five thirty in the morning. The only time I stop on the loop is near the zoo. Even when the gates aren’t open, I sometimes stand and imagine I can talk to Bono. He’s the only connection to that part of my past I will keep. He’s listened to me, theoretically, when no one else could. It’s a big day in many ways, and I want him to be a part of it.
Today is a day I look forward to with a great sense of honor, but also a hint of sadness. Pops stepping to consultant is the right thing to do. He wants it. He knows it’s time for himself, Gran, but also the company. He’s built a foundation that will take us generations into the future. That heavy sense of responsibility is not lost on me.
I stand before the board, with my father sitting proudly to my right, and virtually before all staff, wherever they may be, pledge to be the same person they’ve come to depend on. While always staying true to the values and interests the company was built on, I make a new commitment to strive for change and growth.
I make sure they understand my desire to expand our presence in not only the clients we represent, but also in our community as a whole. I highlight what we will strive for in this last quarter and what I’m looking at next year to be. In short, I offer a glimpse of what our partnership with my new direction could look like and how we can impact many different sectors.
For a while, I feel like a football coach firing up his or her team. I’ve done that on a small scale with the interns and my personal staff, but as Peter Parker’s uncle once said, “With great power comes great responsibility”. Everything falls ultimately at my feet now, good, bad, or indifferent. I need to be mindful of that at all times.
A subtle wink from my father at the end of my address is all I need to let me know he’s proud, and I went in the right direction. Next is a meeting with Skye and Anna. I need them to know how much I appreciate them and will continue to rely on their talent. This transition is going to be a steep learning curve for all of us, and I want them to have a free hand on calling me on my shit if I’m not living up to expectations.
First order of business is the reorganization of my schedule. The email request from Will puts a twist in things, but between the three of us and a genuine spark of creativity, we’re able to come up with a working solution. Skye will vet all the intern candidates down to about ten so I’m able to find the final four. Anna’s moving a few of my meetings to lunches or dinners to maximize each day so I can teach.
Anna also offers to go above and beyond and create the slide presentation for my day one with the students. She’s saving me about eight hours of work. By Friday, when I’m scheduled to introduce myself to the class, I feel fully prepared. Will told them his schedule and how I would be involved on the first day.
I feel like I’m the one attending class for the first time by the checklist I go through. Laptop. Check. Presentation. Check.Charcoal suit. Check. Key for Will’s office. Check. Anna, just to be a smart-ass, put an apple in my messenger bag with a simple smiley face note.
Will’s lecture hall is six rows deep and about fifteen seats across each row in auditorium-style, with running tabletops from left to right. I’m going over my slide notes at the lectern as the students begin filing in. The classroom goes quickly from so silent you could hear a pin drop to a room buzzing with several clusters of chatter. At nine sharp, I begin my address.
“Good morning, everyone. Hope you will trust me as much as Professor Stone seems to, whether that’s good or bad, I’ll leave up to you. I’m Elijah Sawyer. Will and I have been friends and colleagues in the industry for a number of years. I’ve also had the privilege of being in your seat with him as my instructor.
“I was told the first month of the term, you would be looking at business models from top ten firms across the nation. Studying how they operate and challenge if their current model could take them into the future. As a president of one of those firms, I can offer our perspective. AnSa International was founded by my grandfather in the late sixties.
