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"I've got this beautiful necklace with a diamond pendant, and the second option is a trip to Maui."
"I think Mom would prefer the trip."
"I think so too. Actually, you know what? I'm going to get both. Can't have enough presents."
I laughed internally, clicking the mouse, moving to the next slide. There was so little content in the presentation that I could easily multitask.
“I agree.” I was sure that had been his plan all along. Dad spared no expenses when it came to presents for Mom. He always said gifts brought her joy, and his duty as her husband was to keep his wife happy. I'd learned a lot from observing my father over the years.
"By the way, son, your mom wants to talk to you. She's in the next room. I'll pass her the phone."
And there it was. I didn't point out how obvious the scheme was. I knew Dad only got involved when something was very important to Mom.
"Darling," Mom said, taking over the phone. "Are you busy? Your dad said something about Reese when he passed me the phone.”
"She’s going to be my CFO. It's a good day."
"Great. I was hoping to catch you in a good mood."
"I'm always in a good mood," I reported.
"Not when you're buried in work. Then you're just not paying attention to anything. Or you don’t even pick up the phone.”
"I've never ignored your calls, Mom."
"Right, so I was calling because, as you know, I'm going to celebrate my birthday soon."
"I know, Mom. Your present is already on the way."
"That's lovely to hear. Anyway, it would mean the world to me if Bonnie would also be there. I thought about inviting her myself when we were at your gran’s house, but I didn’t want to overstep."
So this was the crux of the issue today. I could tease her, but I sensed this was important for Mom.
"Mom, I intended to ask Bonnie anyway if she wants to come. It's up to her if she wants to."
"Please convince that lovely girl to join us. I could tell she enjoyed spending time with us and Beatrice, but I think she's afraid of imposing. I don't think she's used to spending too much time with her family."
Damn, my mom had picked up on that?
"I'll talk to her, Mom."
I wanted Bonnie there on my mom's birthday. It was an important event. And, as Mom said, Bonnie would enjoy it. I knew just how to convince her.
She’d gone back to work today—against my wishes. I’d wanted to keep her in my bed—tie her to it if possible—but she insisted moving in together wasn’t a good idea. But all in due time. One lesson I’d learned in my business career that also applied to personal life was that each battle was won one step at a time.
