“Inco taught me everything I know and we are successful. I could never abandon ship.”
“That’s good to hear because I have a proposal for you and I hope you will give it some thought.”
Camille’s right eyebrow rose slightly.
“Camille, I want you to listen to me carefully. I have discussed this with Edward and he also thinks that this is the best move for the company. I would like to make an offer for you to become a partner with us in the firm. It would be a 20 percent partnership with an option in two years to make it 25 percent.”
Her bottom jaw dropped, as she tried to retain the information that was just presented to her.
“I don’t know what to say,” she exclaimed.
“Don’t say anything yet, just think about it. It’s a big decision to make over lunch.”
Camille took another sip of her wine. She put the glass down, then quickly picked it up and drank again. She excused herself, walked with slow measured steps to the washroom where she pushed the door open then jumped up and down. She carefully examined herself in the mirror and imagined herself as a partner. She straightened out the sleeveless cream coloured cotton dress she was wearing, clasped her hands in front of her face, closed her eyes and uttered “I did it.” She walked back to the table head held up high.
“Everything okay I hope?” Ellis asked.
“Things are great. I appreciate the offer and I will take a day or two to think it over.”
“Camille if you accept, I will have Inco's attorneys prepare the legal documents for your review. We will also provide you with a new car of your choice, and a handsome partnership bonus.”
“You're making this really hard to even think about saying no. I’m impressed.”
“You're worth it and I want to keep you at Inco.”
Camille took a few moments to sip on some more wine then thanked him again for his offer.
“Oh by the way, I forgot to mention the name of the company who won the account, she stated. It was Lancamp Advertising and the owner’s name was Kyle. I'm still furious about their win. I could swear that he used some of the information he got from me to secure the account.”
“What do you mean by that? How could he have possibly known about your presentation? It must just be a coincidence.”
“Well, Kyle and I coincidentally met on the flight down. We got to talking while we were waiting for a taxi and I might have said too much. But on the flip side, not once during our conversation did he mention that he owned an advertising agency. I always assumed that he was an account executive like me,” she said as her forehead wrinkled.
“Camille, you of all people know how cut throat this business can be.”
“Yeah, but I still don't have to like it. He also said he knew someone here.”
“Oh. Did he say who?”
“Actually no. And to think that I even took some of the advice he gave me about Mr. Carnegie into my presentation. What a fool I was.”
“Look, Camille we've all been conned by the best of them. He's just another one among a dozen others.”
“Yeah, I guess but it sure does irk me.”
Camille picked up her glass again and finished off the wine. She studied Ellis’s stony expression and decided not to push the previous topic any further. Based on his sudden quietness, clearly there appeared to be more to this topic untold.
***
Kyle rested his back into the curve of the black office chair placed in front of his desk, at his modestly decorated one bedroom flat. Cupping his face in his hands he rubbed his forehead while reflecting on the chance encounter he had with Camille. He just couldn't get thoughts of her out of his head. The shine of her hair, her warm smile, pillow soft looking lips and that amazing body tucked nicely into the coral coloured sweater and cream pants, left him wishing he had made more of an effort to find her while she was in London. When he tried to return her call, the number she gave him was incorrect. He also had no idea where she was staying. He saw her leave the room at the gala and tried to find her. But no such luck.
Not that he knew if he would ever see her again, but he did know that without any effort things would always remain the same. He was bound and determined regardless of the distance, to go after what he wanted. Even though their meeting was a short one, he felt a definite spark. The name Camille Pryce fluttered around in his mind, and he was determined to reconnect with her.
He took after his mother in more ways than he cared to admit. She never gave up on anything she believed was important to her. Like the time, Kyle was suspended from grade school for taunting a smaller boy in his class. Although he was guilty, his mother put her case together carefully as any good lawyer would, and presented her argument to the principal who had no choice but to back down. After one day off school, Kyle was back in his homeroom seat, well behaved after the scolding he received from his mother. Now it was his turn to put together a case to woo Camille away from his father's clutches.
Drumming his fingers on the glass desk in front of him, he took no notice of the time. He grabbed his cell phone, gave Siri a command and the phone started to ring at the other end.
“Hey, sis what's up?” he said after Tracee answered.
“Kyle? Why are you calling me so early? Is there something wrong?” she asked.
“Early? Come on, sis, it's not that early.”
“Okay then, how come you are calling so late? Isn't it after midnight your time? What gives?” she said.
“Yeah, I was up thinking about mom and what the next move will be like for her. It's been two weeks already and dad still hasn't signed the transfer documents.”
“Hey, wait a minute. First of all, you are both the power of attorney for mom. So I think you should have discussed it with him as well. In any case, we went up there to see the place. Although it was nice I'm not sure if that's where I want her to be. For one thing, it's much further away than I would like, which makes visiting her more challenging. Second, the room they were going to put her in was too close to an exit door, which made both of us uncomfortable.”
“Well, have them move her to an available room that's in a better location. How difficult can that be?” he replied.
“You actually think it's that easy to move people around? Get real. Plus, don’t even think you can guilt us into making such a quick decision.”
“Oh, so now you’re ganging up on me because I considered making a decision that you both were too afraid to make. That's not fair,” he said while staring at the art deco picture hanging on the wall facing him.
“No, what you did wasn't fair. Even if you had called to give me the heads up it would have been better instead of just going ahead with it. Now we feel rushed and need some time to think it through.”
“Fine. Go ahead, take all the time you need. By then the space will be gone and we'll have to start all over again.”
“Well, Kyle, if the space goes then it goes. We will deal with that problem when it becomes one. In the meantime, I'll discuss it with dad again this weekend. When we make a final decision, you will know. In my heart of hearts, I believe Kyle that you did this just to rile dad up.”
“It worked, didn’t it? From what you’ve told me he’s all pissed off. Now he knows what it feels like when someone does something behind your back.”
“Kyle, don't you think it's time to bury the hatchet for mom's sake? You've both made mistakes so call it a draw and move on.”
“Look sis, he's controlling and selfish which I can't deal with. No wonder mom lost her mind. It's from living with him all those years.”
“That's not true and you know it. He had nothing to do with her getting dementia. By the way, it's too early in the morning for me to listen to your nonsense unless you can back it up with facts, which we both know is impossible.”
“I know he didn't cause it but he sure didn't help much when she started to go downhill,” he replied grumbling. “What was he doing when she fell before she went into the home?”
“Your comments are ridiculous,” Tracee said. “He took care of her when he was not at work for the last three years. Once the nurse left for the evening he was all on his own. He barely went anywhere. You were not around and I was extremely busy with my new job. That day was the first day in a month he actually spent time outside with the neighbours. How was he to know she was going to fall?”
“Well,” Kyle started to say and didn't get a chance to finish.
“Well what?” she squawked. “You need to get over it and fast.”
“Get over what? The fact that he threw her into a home the first chance he got?”
“Kyle, I'm not going to discuss this with you any further. You’re being completely irrational. Somewhere along the line you truly believe that staying away is the best solution to this family issue. If anybody should feel guilty about abandoning mom it should be you. In the meantime, hopefully one day you will come to your senses.”
“You had to throw that in didn't you? Maybe I just need some distance and time to process the whole thing.”
“Take all the time you need,” Tracee replied. “But just remember time slips by fast and any window of opportunity you have to make things right with dad you should take it. Look how quickly mom went downhill. Time was not kind to her.”
Kyle paused for a few moments. “Yeah, yeah, I'll think about it.”
“I’ve got to go. You okay otherwise?” she asked.
“I'm good,” he responded quietly. “But, before you go, I wanted to ask you about that woman who works at the agency. What's her name again Carol? Candace?”
“You mean Camille,” she replied.
“Yeah her. What's she like?”
“Why are you asking about her? You haven't even met her.”
“Well actually I have,” he replied. “I bumped into her on the plane when I was going home after my last visit. We ended up sitting across from each other.”
“How interesting. Look I don't know much about her, but I do know that dad relies on her a lot. He actually credits her with helping to keep the agency going when he needed to take time off to tend to mom. Are you concerned? You're not thinking they are involved in some way are you?”
He thought for a fleeting second before answering, knowing his father’s past history.
“No. From what you just told me it seems that she's very talented, so let's just leave it at that.”
“Bro, I know you remember? I can tell you’re interested. I know she's a very attractive woman.”
“It's nothing like that,” he replied while laughing lightly. “I know at some stage our paths will cross again, and I just wanted to get the heads up.”
“Okay if you say so, but I know you're interested.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” he said brushing her off.
“Whenever you cut me off like this I know I've hit a nerve so goodbye. Love you,” she said then hung up.
Kyle knew he could never put anything past his sister when it came to women. She always knew when he was up to something.
The running of his own advertising company was hectic and kept him busy almost seven days a week. It interfered tremendously with his so-called social life. At thirty, he hoped to be thinking about settling down but somehow that option was eluding him. His previous relationship lasted for two months and ended after he had cancelled three dates in a row due to business meetings. The woman he had been seeing didn't even return his call the last time he attempted to invite her out for dinner. Not to mention that his job and the distance wreaked havoc on his ability visit with his mother more often.
He reflected on his most recent visit with his mother. Her frame had dwindled down to a woman much older than her actual age of sixty-nine. The glossiness of her eyes always seemed to be looking nowhere and everywhere all the time. Her hands shook gently when holding onto a tattered book that was her comfort just like a blanket is to a little child. It was heartbreaking. He attempted to hug her and she pulled away, yelling at him to leave her alone. Not once did she acknowledge that she knew who he was. Although the nurses tried to calm her down she continued to be agitated, so they suggested that he leave and return another day. His next two visits were not as traumatic, but her lack of knowing who he was caused him great pain. The closeness they had shared for his entire life no longer existed.
Furthermore, it was even more difficult when she kept on asking for her husband. The nurses told him stories about how Ellis seemed to be the only one that truly kept her calm. Whenever her husband arrived which was at least three times a week, she would follow him everywhere he went. If he sat down she would snuggle up to him pleading for him to read her a story. During his readings, she would always start to drift off. Once she was in full sleep mode he would take his time and sneak out of the room.
Boy did it ever burn him to hear how much she was still attached to his father after what he had done to her.
It was a rainy afternoon in June when he had a meeting scheduled at the downtown Hilton hotel. As he rushed out of his car pushing the umbrella open, he noticed a couple passionately lip locked at the entrance of the hotel. From the distance, he could see the woman’s arms were wrapped tightly around the man’s waist, while the man held her face to secure the lingering kiss.
Sidestepping puddles to get to his destination, Kyle’s feet stopped moving when he got closer. It can’t be, he thought. There’s just no way. But what he saw couldn’t be denied. He recognized the man in the tight embrace. It was his father. Kyle watched his father put the woman into a cab, lean in for another long kiss then walk down the street in the pouring rain.
He had not told anyone about what he witnessed. His image of a perfect father and family man was shattered in a matter of a few seconds. Every time he saw his father after that his anger grew. He was even more disgusted when he saw his mother prior to her illness, fawning over his father whenever he visited them. She even believed all of his working late stories. If she only knew what he saw that day, she would have been crushed.
At times, he thought about telling his sister, but just never found the courage. He also didn’t want to ruin her image of their father. The idea of confronting his father he believed, would create nothing but lies and he didn’t want to deal with it. He knew what he saw and nothing could change that.
Kyle lost his mind when he found out that his father was putting his mother into a home. Granted he knew that the state she was in required around the clock care, probably more than his father could handle, but as far as he was concerned family stuck by family. That's why it cut to the bone when Tracee said that he should feel guilty about running away. He realized that he was no different than the man he had accused of abandonment. By moving to London, he too had distanced himself from the problem.
His mouth twisted as he thought about how selfish he had become. Thinking only of himself and not seeing the other side of the coin where his father was concerned. If there was another side? Tracee was probably right. He needed to do better and at least think about making amends.
He took some time to ponder the phone call he had with his sister, then he began again to turn his focus onto Camille. Based on the few words that his sister had said about her, he was more intrigued than ever.
Even though she might have given him the wrong cell phone number when she was in London, he still somehow felt a connection to her.
She seemed like she was focused and progressive, a trait he admired in a woman. He had to find out more about her, though long distances always made it difficult to get to know someone.
Although he obviously knew where she worked, he still wanted to know more. He would try to connect with her via Facebook if she had a profile. “Heck, she's in advertising. She definitely has a profile,” he said.
Grabbing his iPad, he typed in 'Camille Pryce' then hit the enter key. After selecting images, she popped up on his screen. He took a few moments perusing her information to make sure it was the same woman he had met on the plane. When
he finished with Google, he looked her up on LinkedIn, then he went onto a few advertising sites. Flipping from screen to screen, he reviewed the several awards and honourable mentions she had received.
She was known in the industry as one of the up and coming magnets in advertising and was described as 'a force to be reckoned with'. “Very impressive,” he said aloud. She was giving his profile some serious competition. While her awards were different, they were almost as important as the ones he had won a few years back.
He pulled up his Facebook account and signed in. He searched for her profile, then without hesitating, sent off a friend request. After he pressed the send key, questions flew into his head. What if she doesn't respond quickly enough? Suppose she doesn't accept his friend request at all. What then? “Calm down man,” he said as his heart pulsed faster. “Cross that bridge when you get to it.”
Signing off the tablet, his eyelids felt heavy. Clearly, it was time to get some sleep. Hopefully, in the morning, he would have a nice surprise by the way of a confirmation from her.
The next day he checked his messages every few hours to see if anything came through. Anxiety built when it got to day three without any response. Refusing to believe that she wasn't interested in staying connected with him, he Googled her again. Not that it made any difference, as the information was exactly the same as before. His mind raced with many reasons for the lack of a reply. Maybe she was out of town on business, or her computer system was down. No, he thought, she probably doesn't want to seem too anxious so she's taking her time to connect with him. He decided to give her until Friday. If she didn't reply by then she would have made the choice that he would have to respect.
On Friday, the thought of her still not responding consumed him. “She seems to be playing hard to get,” he mumbled while scanning through the screens of a local San Francisco flower shop site. Well, I know how to get to a woman's heart, he thought. A large bouquet of fresh spring flowers should do the trick. Tapping the numbers into his cell phone, he patiently waited for a response on the other end.
Walking Through and Other Stories Page 7