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“Thank you,” I said, taking a seat at the end of the aisle. Ted sat on the arm of a chair across from me. “So, tell me Ted, what can I do for you?”
“Well, Tyhedra tells me that you have quite a bit of experience with Tivoli Business Systems Manager?”
“I sure do,” I said confidently. “It’s my specialty.”
“Excellent. Here’s what we’re trying to do,.” Ted said.
For the next forty-five minutes, Ted talked about his business. Then he described in detail what he needed from me; I listened intently, making a few notes on the back of the program on how he wanted to proceed.
“That’s a pretty aggressive plan. What type of timeframe are you talking about?” I asked, trying not to let my excitement over being involved in a project of that magnitude show. This was the type of opportunity that I was looking for. And it couldn’t have happened at a better time. A project like that would require a lot of time. Depending on how deep their pockets were, I could bring CJ on full time and begin working on it.
“Frankly, Chris, phase one is complete. We should be ready to begin moving on phase two within the next couple of weeks.” Ted glanced at his watch. “Look at the time, they’re getting ready to start the program,” he said as he stood up and extended his hand. “I got to get downstairs so I can smile politely through the boring speeches. Then we’ll all try to eat and drink as much as we can before we have to sit through the commercials.”
“The commercials?”
“Oh, that’s the best part,” Ted said sarcastically. “All the spots we produced back to back—one thrilling commercial after another. I don’t know if my heart can stand all that excitement. But you give it some thought, and if it’s something that you think you might be interested in, give me a call.”
I stood up and shook Ted’s hand. We started back down the steps. “I can give my answer now. First of all, let me say that I am honored that you would consider me.”
“You come highly recommended. To be honest with you, I was shopping around, looking for free advice actually. I ran across some companies that you’ve done work for. Everyone I spoke with had nothing but great things to say about you and the work you had done for them. We never considered asking anybody else.” Ted stopped at the door. “So what’s your answer?”
“I tentatively accept.”
“Great. I assume that your acceptance is based tentatively on our offer. So why don’t we get together on Monday for dinner, you can meet my partners and we can talk money. Call me Monday morning and I’ll give you the time and place. And, Chris, it’s us who are honored that you would consider working with us. My partners and I are excited about you working with us. And I assure you that our offer is as aggressive as our plan, and will be acceptable.”
I smiled. “I’ll call you Monday,” I said, shaking Ted’s hand. Once Ted went inside, I found my way to the bar and ordered a drink. Then I began to mingle throughout the crowd, looking for Tyhedra. I saw Kim standing by the door to the auditorium and joined her. “Have you seen Tyhedra?” I asked quickly.
“No Chris, I haven’t seen her, but how did it go with Ted?” Kim asked.
“It went great, Kim, good-looking out,” I said as we entered the auditorium. While we moved toward our seats, I explained Ted’s proposal.
“That’s strong, Chris. What did you tell him?”
“I tentatively accepted, pending his offer. Which he said will be as aggressive as their plan and I’ll find it acceptable. I told him that I’d call him on Monday. We’ll discuss his offer over dinner.”
“I know with all that he wants, he must be talking about real money. Opportunities to get paid like that don’t come every day. I hope it all works out for you, Chris.”
“I hope so, too. But it’s for us, Kim. You’re a part of this company, too.”
“Do you mean that?”
“Of course. In fact, you’re gonna meet me for lunch tomorrow and talk about your future.”
“You just tell me what time and I’ll be there,” Kim said excitedly.
The presentation started and as Ted had warned, the speeches were pretty boring. After twenty minutes of that, I became restless. “I can’t take no more of this. I’ll be back, Kim.”
It was partially empty, a few people engaged in conversation. I scanned the room for Tyhedra on the way to the men’s room, thinking how Tyhedra wasn’t quite like any other woman I had ever met. Her company and her conversation fascinated me. We spent almost all of our time talking. It was because of her that I had landed this account. Not only that, but she taught me so much about presentation and ways that I could improve mine.
When I got to the men’s room, I saw Tyhedra coming out of the ladies room. “Hello, Tyhedra.”
“Hello, Chris,” she said, but I could tell she was genuinely glad to see me.
“Where have you been?”
“What do you mean, where have I been?”
“Just what it sounds like,” I paused, suddenly remembering what I went down there for. “Look, don’t you go nowhere.”
