My mind hadn’t even gotten to that yet. I was still trying to figure out whether this was some sort of sick dream.
“You will, naturally, enjoy all the benefits that Alistair Parker had: a competitive salary, a generous stock option plan, a private driver, and, of course, the best corner office overlooking Central Park.”
If he had expected a more enthusiastic response from me, he didn’t show it.
“I know thirty-six hours is not a long time to consider such a big offer, but I am afraid that is all I can spare. If you decide not to accept, we will have to go with number two on the list. Which I hope we won’t have to do. But the clock is ticking, and we really need to make a decision soon.”
I nodded, acknowledging what he said, as he gave me a business card where he had written down his private cell number.
He set down his glass on the table before shaking my hand. “Call me.”
I nodded.
And then he was gone.
For a while, I just sat there and stared into thin air. Then I walked back into the house, undressed, and lay down on my bed. I felt confused and exhausted and just wanted to sleep. I hoped that when I woke up again, I would be able to see things more clearly.
…
I woke up again at 4:30 a.m. After another hour of tossing and turning, I finally got up, made myself some coffee, and walked out on the veranda. I sat in the chair where Mr. Hatchett had been sitting only a few hours earlier.
The whole thing felt like an absurd dream, but Mr. Hatchett’s business card was still lying on the table in front of me, proof that he’d actually been here.
I was flattered by his offer. And had someone told me this would happen a month ago, I would have thought it was the best thing that could ever have happened to me. But now, I wasn’t so sure.
Yesterday, with Lani, I thought I knew what I wanted. But today, everything seemed different. Questions were buzzing around in my head. Would I be happy doing this? Would I be free to do things the way I wanted to? Would I be able to make a difference? Or would I just be pulled into the same soul-sucking corporate misery, surrounded by gray cubicles, dead eyes, and empty faces? Did I really want to walk right back into backstabbing corporate politics and having to deal with the incompetent and sexist executive team?
The thought of it all made me feel a bit sick.
But for the first time I also felt miserable thinking about staying on the island, having to witness William and his girlfriend living their happy island life.
How quickly things had changed.
The sky was getting light. The sun was on its way up. I wrapped a towel around myself and walked toward the beach. George was already in his chair.
“Good morning, sunshine!” he called cheerfully.
I sat down heavily in my accustomed seat.
“Oh dear. You look like you have a lot on your mind today, my friend,” George said as he handed me Aimee’s cup with fresh coffee in it.
I nodded and told him about Mr. Hatchett’s visit and the surprising offer.
“What a story!” George laughed. “That could have been a scene in a movie!” Then he saw my face, stopped laughing, and looked at me with warmth in his eyes. “Do you have any idea what you will do?”
I shook my head slowly and gazed over the ocean, as if the answer to his question could be found somewhere out there. Then, suddenly, I came to think of something Lani had said the day before, about how everything we do, experience, and learn happens to us so we can use it for something meaningful later. To make things better. To do good.
I’d been thinking that I might not be the right person for the job because I was no longer the same person as I was a month ago. But then I came to think that maybe that was exactly why I was right, and why I should do it.
I heaved a sigh.
“I have to admit that I feel a bit sick from the thought of going back to that company,” I said and looked into George’s kind eyes. “On the other hand,” I continued after a brief pause, “I’m thinking that as a CEO, I will actually be in a position to change all the things I don’t like.”
It felt as if the cloud that had surrounded my mind the last twelve hours was finally clearing up.
“It will be an extremely challenging task, though,” I said aloud—almost to myself.
George took my hand. “Maya, we don’t do things because they are easy. We do them because they are important.” He smiled and squeezed my hand. “If anyone can do that job, it’s you. All you really need to decide is whether you want to do it or not.”
I looked around at the beach, Bali Ha’i, and the Pacific Ocean. I thought about my friends and my life here, and what the last three weeks had taught me about myself, about life, and even about work and business. All of it, together, had made me into a different person. I saw the world, life—and myself—through a different lens now. And nothing could ever change that.
But I also knew I couldn’t stay on Kaua’i forever. It was time for me to get back to reality, to go back to work. As much as I had loved living in paradise, I realized my time here was over and that the dream had come to an end.
Besides, it was an extraordinary offer that Mr. Hatchett had given me, and I knew I’d be a fool not to take it.
I gave George a big hug. “I will miss you so much, my dear, dear friend.”
George hugged me back. “I’ll see you soon, Maya. Now, go out and show ’em what you’re made of!”
I nodded and fought my urge to cry.
George took my hand again and held it firmly for a moment.
“Please make sure to say goodbye to William. He will be sad to see you leave.”
I bit my lip, and the tears that rolled down my cheeks weren’t only because I hated to say goodbye to George.
“I’ll see you soon, George,” I said with a heavy heart and gave him another hug before I walked back to the beach house to give Mr. Hatchett my answer.
Back inside, I dug my laptop out of my bag and began to compose my response. I wanted to lay out the terms of my acceptance and felt it would be better to do so in writing.
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Job Offer
Dear Mr. Hatchett,
Thank you for your surprise visit and for offering me the role as CEO of TechnoGuard Inc. After careful consideration, I would like to accept your job offer with the following conditions:
1. For a period of three years, I will have the freedom to make all the changes I deem necessary to get the company back on its feet. Unless there is a drastic decline in sales or share price during this period, this agreement will hold.
2. I will never again be told to lie on behalf of the company.
3. All the senior citizens who attended the investor conference in Kaua’i will receive an offer to buy ten thousand TechnoGuard shares for one dollar.
If you accept these terms, I am excited to accept the role as CEO of TechnoGuard Inc.
Kindest regards,
Maya Williams
CREATE
I did then what I knew how to do.
Now that I know better, I do better.
MAYA ANGELOU
BACK IN THE CITY
The moment the wheels of the airplane hit the ground at JFK airport, a feeling of heaviness overwhelmed me. It felt as if I had been living inside a dream and had now landed back in reality, a reality I didn’t quite know how to belong to anymore. I had slept most of the trip, trying to escape the emotional turmoil going on inside me. As the plane left Lihue Airport, I’d felt as if I were being torn in two, and only half of me was leaving the island.
My feet felt heavy as I walked the seemingly interminable distance from the plane to the exit. Coming out on the street, the chaos of people, cars, noise, and strange smells were a shock to my system. A large man in a chauffeur’s uniform bumped into me and yelled, “Hey, watch where you’re going!” and moved on. I was back in New York alright—and it sucked.
While waiting in the taxi line with about forty other people, I turned my phone back on. I hadn’t checked it since I went through security at Lihue Airport. Something squeezed around my heart when I saw there were three missed calls and a text message from William: “I can’t believe you left without saying goodbye! Please call me!”
I cringed. I felt embarrassed about how I had behaved when I met him and Rebecca the day before. And I was ashamed that I hadn’t even tried looking for him when I left.
I texted back: “So sorry. Had to leave in a hurry. George can explain. Just landed at JFK, will call you later.” But deep down I knew I probably wouldn’t.
I sent a text to Lani, too: “Had to leave for NYC in a hurry. Will call you later and explain. Miss you already! xx Maya.”
She replied instantly. “Oh no! I’ll miss u too.”
Another text immediately followed. “How did it go with William?”
I paused for a second, then texted her back. “It didn’t. His girlfriend was there.”
“Girlfriend???” she texted, followed by another: “So sorry! Are you OK?”
I wasn’t really, but I replied: “I’m fine. Guess it’s time to move on.”
After thirty minutes in the taxi line, it was finally my turn. I tossed my carry-on in the trunk of the car, opened the door, gave the driver my address, and sank into the back seat. As we drove toward Manhattan, I looked out of the window. It was as if all the colors had been sucked out of the world, and it mirrored the way I felt.
When the cab stopped outside my building, Fred came out to greet me. It was a relief to see his friendly smile as he picked up my luggage and welcomed me home.
“I was starting to get worried, Maya. I thought you’d only be away for a few days,” he said as he walked with me toward the elevator.
I smiled apologetically. I hadn’t even thought about notifying Fred.
“I decided to take a little break, and it turned out to be a bit longer than first intended,” I explained.
“Good for you!” He took a closer look at me. “And it seems to have done you a lot of good, if you don’t mind me saying so.”
“Thank you, Fred!”
As I caught a glimpse of myself in the large gold-framed mirror in the hallway, I noticed that I did look different. Tanned, a few pounds lighter, and more relaxed. Dressed in jeans, sneakers, and a sweater with Kaua’i printed all over it, my wardrobe had certainly taken an interesting turn.
“And how have you been, Fred?”
“Same old, same old,” Fred said. “The missus is happy, and the kids are good, so no complaints.”
An elderly couple stepped out of the elevator. The woman eyed me suspiciously.
“Hello, Mrs. Jankowich,” I said. Then I nodded toward her husband, “Mr. Jankowich.”
“Who is that?” the old woman asked her husband.
“It is Ms. Williams, dear,” her husband explained. “The nice young woman who lives next door.”
The old woman shook her head and squeezed her husband’s arm harder.
“I have never seen her before,” she said and threw me another suspicious look before they walked out the door onto busy Central Park West.
Fred and I winked at each other.
“Same old, same old.” I grinned and pushed the button for the eleventh floor.
In the cab, I had hoped that things would feel better as soon as I got home, but as I opened the door and stepped into my airy, beautifully designed apartment with its large windows overlooking Central Park, I couldn’t help thinking about how much I already missed the flowery curtains, the pineapple lamps, and the soothing sound of the ocean.
…
One hour later I walked through the doors at Tony’s. Lisa was already there. I immediately noticed something had changed.
Lisa was leaning over the bar, her hand was touching Antonio’s, and she was whispering something in his ear. He laughed softly, his eyes glowing.
“I go away for three weeks and look what happens,” I teased.
Next thing I knew I had Lisa’s arms around me and her voice in my ear: “Maaaya! I’ve missed you!”
She gave me a big warm hug. Then she realized what I was saying and started to laugh.
“Well, with you abandoning me, I had to have something to do.”
Antonio pretended to look offended.
“What? Is that all I am to you? Something to do?”
Lisa laughed and leaned back over the bar counter and kissed him on the mouth. “Mi amore,” she said softly. I found it incredibly endearing to see a grown man blush.
Then Lisa turned around again and took a proper look at me.
“Oh. My. God. You’re like a different person!” She lovingly pulled my sun-bleached hair. “It’s not only the way you look, it’s what you radiate!”
She put her face close to mine; her eyes were shining with excitement as she whispered, “Does this mean you finally got laid?”
I burst out laughing and shook my head. Lisa had definitely not changed.
We sat down at our regular table, under the big picture of Sophia Loren eating spaghetti. The picture always made me hungry.
As if Lisa had read my mind, she shouted, “Antonio darling, can we have some pasta and wine, please?”
“Coming up!” He smiled cheerfully as he walked into the kitchen.
Lisa took my hands and leaned over the table. “Now, tell me everything. I want details!”
We managed to polish off both the pasta and the bottle of wine before I finished my story. There was a lot to tell, and, true to form, Lisa asked a lot of questions along the way.
When I was finished, Lisa was quiet for a while. I watched her as she sat with a puzzled expression on her face.
“There’s something about this story that just doesn’t feel right,” she said.
“What?” I asked.
“This Rebecca character. She just doesn’t fit in. It should have been you on that veranda. You and William. You sound perfect for each other. It just doesn’t make sense.”
I laughed dryly. “Well, if you’d seen her you might have thought it made all the sense in the world.”
Lisa looked a bit annoyed at me.
“I have no idea where you got the notion that all men care about are looks. And even if they did, you’d still be first in line. What you and William had sounds special. It sounds deep and fun and real. It feels wrong that it ended that way.”
I sighed and patted her hand.
“I guess some things just aren’t meant to be.” I could feel a tear in the corner of my eye but was determined not to cry.
“But you know what, Lisa?” I managed to smile. “I am happy to know I can feel that way for somebody at least. I guess that is something to celebrate, right?”
I raised my glass and downed what was left of my wine.
“Look at you, all wise and reflective.” Lisa beamed as she leaned over the table to give me another hug.
“You’ll be alright,” she said and kissed me on my cheek.
I nodded and got ready to leave. “And now I’ve got an important job to do.”
As I was putting my coat on, I told Lisa that I was meeting with Mr. Hatchett and a woman from the board the next morning.
“CEO Maya Williams,” Lisa said proudly. “You go get ’em, girl.”
“You bet!” I threw goodnight kisses to her and Antonio before I stepped into the chilly New York air.
Even at that late hour, the streets were packed with people and cars, everyone still in a rush. The city that never sleeps.
Not quite ready to go to bed yet, I crossed the street and walked slowly home alongside Central Park.
I wrapped my scarf and coat closely around me to protect me from the cold winds that always seemed extra strong along the avenues. I’d forgotten to wear gloves, so I put my hands deep into my pockets and watched the people around me to see if I was the only one feeling the cold. A middle-aged couple walked quickly through the park, their arms
tucked into each other’s. A young man was walking his Burberry-coat-wearing dog. And a woman in a neon-colored running vest and headlamp jogged past me. I could hear her heavy breathing and noticed the cloud of air coming out of her mouth.
I was getting close to my apartment building when I saw him. A man, wearing a parka and a big scarf. I could only see his back. It seemed like he was looking down at his phone. There was something familiar about the broad shoulders and the way he moved his head. My heart stopped.
“William?”
The man turned around and looked at me as if he had heard my thoughts. A stranger’s face looked back at me.
Of course. I shrugged. What had I been thinking?
“Enough,” I told myself before crossing the street.
It was time to get on with my life, and I was determined to do so.
DAY ONE
I took a deep breath before I walked into the main entrance of TechnoGuard’s office building. Ruth had texted me to take the elevator right up to the thirty-seventh floor. She had already moved my things and given away my office to someone else. I had to smile. Ruth was indeed a woman of action.
As I stepped out of the elevator, she stood in front of me, dressed in a black-and-white Chanel-style dress, her hair tied back in a tight bun, glasses on her nose, and a professional, friendly smile.
“Welcome back, Maya,” she said and shook my hand. I knew she was putting on an act in front of the other executives and their assistants.
I decided to play along and shook her hand back.
“Good to be back, Ruth,” I said.
I went around the floor and greeted everyone who was there. The receptionist was new. I had guessed that the CFO would had taken Agnes with him. Most of the executive office doors were closed, their indicator lights glowing red.
I knew they weren’t overly eager to welcome me, so I was not surprised by their absence.
Mr. Hatchett had given me a warning when I met with him the day before. “Let me put it like this,” he said, “they all would have preferred themselves as the new CEO. There might be some hurt egos around, but nothing you can’t handle—of that I am certain.”
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