She Left Me Breathless

by Trin Denise

  Just as she took a sip of coffee, the door located at the front of the conference hall opened. She nearly choked, spitting coffee everywhere when Sydney, followed by Caitlyn, Bill Amos, his grandson, and the Welsh executives walked into the room. If she thought the conversations couldn’t get any louder, she was mistaken.

  Sydney walked up to the podium, which had been placed in the center of the room. She laid the folder down, picked up a wireless microphone, and clipped it to her lapel. She poured herself a glass of water while she waited for her executives to line up behind her. She turned back to the crowd who had suddenly become quiet.

  “Good morning and thank you for coming,” she said as she surveyed the crowd. “I know this meeting has caught most of you off-guard so I will get right to the point. For those of you who don’t know who I am, my name is Sydney Welsh. I am the President and CEO of Welsh Enterprises and these are my executives,” she said, turning and motioning with her hand at the people standing behind her. “Less than forty-eight hours ago, Welsh Enterprises became the full owner of EMCOR.”

  “What does that mean for us?” an older man wearing a ball cap and blue Izod shirt yelled from the back of the room.

  Sydney scanned the room to locate the questioner. She lost her train of thought for a moment when she saw Rachel leaning against the back wall. Focus, she told herself as she looked for the man behind the voice. She found him standing near the rear entrance. “What is your name, sir?”

  “Carl Monroe, ma’am,” he said, taking off his hat.

  “Well, Mr. Monroe, I’m going to tell you exactly what Welsh owning EMCOR is going to do for you.” She stopped to take a drink of water.

  “Are we going to lose our jobs?” asked a matronly looking woman sitting in the front row. “Oh, and my name is Edith,” she added with a smile.

  Sydney could not help but smile back at the woman. “You won’t lose your job unless you want to, Edith.” Sydney made a sweeping gesture toward the crowd with her hand. “And that goes for the rest of you as well.”

  Another man in the front row started to say something but Sydney held up her hand to stop him. “I have several things to tell you and when I’m finished, I will open up the floor and try to the best of my ability to answer all of your questions.”

  She came out from behind the podium and walked to the left side of the room. She stopped within two feet of the people in the front row. “I understand how change can be a scary thing for some people but I want to tell you that not all change is bad. In most cases, it’s for the best even if we don’t believe so at the time. Without the constant of change, things will stagnate and die. Take a fishing pond for example. Without the movement of ripples in the water, everything in the pond will die. It starts with the microorganisms that feed the algae. Without them the algae dies, once the algae dies the fish have no food and they die and the cycle goes on and on until nothing is left. The same can be true for a business. EMCOR is the pond and Welsh Enterprises is now the ripple.”

  She turned and walked back to the podium. She took another sip of water and looked out at the faces of her new employees. She could tell by their expressions that they understood what she was saying. She was in her element. The one thing she knew how to do was work a room and in the process, hopefully her enthusiasm became contagious and it had nothing to do with being a good con-artist, it was because she believed in what she was saying.

  She refilled her glass and walked over to the right side of the room. “For the next month or two, it will be business as usual while several of my executives evaluate the business plan and processes here at EMCOR. They will also be evaluating specific job functions and the employees who fill those roles. No one ... and I repeat, no one will be terminated or laid off if after the evaluations, it is determined that they are not the best candidate for that particular job. All of you are important to the success of EMCOR and you may or may not be utilizing your full potential and that is what we want to find out.”

  She paused for a few seconds to allow her comments to sink in before continuing. “I know some of you are still skeptical and that’s okay. You wouldn’t be human if you weren’t. Believe me when I say I want this transition to go as smoothly as possible for all of our sakes. My philosophy has always been that if you respect and take care of your employees, they will take care of you. I would not be where I am today without hardworking, loyal employees. Without you, my businesses wouldn’t exist and I also believe that my employees should share in the wealth they help to create.”

  She stopped to clear her throat. “Since EMCOR is now part of the Welsh family, you will be receiving the same courtesy’s and benefits that all Welsh employees get and that starts with your Christmas bonuses. I’ve had the opportunity to review the standard bonuses here at EMCOR, and by Welsh standards, it’s just not acceptable. In this week’s paycheck, every single employee will receive a $10,000 bonus.” At this news, the entire place went nuts with whooping and hollering and a couple of hell yeahs. Sydney had to smile when she overheard an elderly man ask if he had heard her correctly.

  She held her hand in the air to quiet them. “In addition to the bonus, you will also be given the Thursday and Friday off before Christmas and none of you are to return to work until the third of January and before anyone asks, yes it is all with pay.”

  “Wow, I never expected this in a million years,” she overheard a young man in the second row whisper to the woman sitting next to him.

  So far, so good, she thought as she turned and went back up to the podium. “Okay, does anyone have a question?”

  Several men and women stood up from their chairs. As she pointed to a young woman near the back of the room, she locked eyes with Rachel and felt her heart skip a beat.

  Rachel pushed away from the wall and walked over to the doorway. She stopped and turned to look back at Sydney. She shook her head and then slung her coffee cup into the trashcan before storming out of the room.

  Sydney looked back at the young woman. “I’m sorry, ma’am. Can you please repeat the question?”

  “I can’t believe this. What in the hell does she think she’s doing?” Rachel mumbled under her breath as she hurried back to her office. “First, she takes my daughter and now the company that I’ve worked my butt off for. I have to get out of here before I scream or break something.” She jerked her jacket off the hook on the back of the door, grabbed her purse and keys, and left the office, slamming the door shut behind her.

  “Okay, if no one else has any more questions for me, I’m going to turn it over to our Vice President of Computer Logistics, Caitlyn Ashburn. She’s going to explain to you how we will be transitioning EMCOR’s information system over to Welsh’s proprietary software and how that change will affect each of you.”

  Sydney looked at Caitlyn and grinned. The young VP looked as if she were about to vomit. She removed the lapel microphone and covered it with her hand. “You’ll be fine,” she whispered into Caitlyn’s ear. “When you’re done, have Allen explain how our email system at Welsh works and the process we will use to get all EMCOR employees converted over.”

  The coloring in Caitlyn’s face was several shades paler than what Sydney was accustomed to seeing. “I have the utmost confidence in you, Caitlyn. I promise you’ll be fine and I’ll see you back at Welsh,” Sydney said with a wink and then left the conference hall.

  She rushed down the hallway toward Rachel’s office. The light was off and the door was closed. She continued down the hall to the front receptionist’s desk.

  “May I help you?” a cheerful young man who looked to be sixteen-years-old at the most asked. Sydney looked at his nametag badge. “Good morning, Parker. I was wondering if you saw Mrs. Ashburn leave the building.”

  “Yes ma’am, she did. Not more than two minutes ago,” he said, nodding his head.

  She pulled her car keys out of her pocket. “Thank you, Parker.”

  “You’re welcome. Have a good day, ma’am.”

 
“I’ll try and you do the same,” she said over her shoulder as she pushed the entrance door open.

  Rachel slammed her purse down on the kitchen counter. “I have to find a new job. That’s all there is to it,” she said as she pulled out the basket in the coffee maker and put in a new filter. “I won’t work for a company she owns.” Why not, a little voice inside her head asked. “I just won’t,” she said, continuing to talk to herself as she scooped coffee into the filter. Can’t or won’t, the little voice asked. “Won’t, can’t, won’t, can’t. What makes the difference?” It does make a difference, the little voice said. “Okay, okay. I can’t work for her and I won’t because I can’t be that close to her,” she admitted as she filled the glass pot with water and poured it into the coffee maker.

  Since the night of the Christmas party, thoughts of Sydney filled her head constantly. No matter what she did to get her mind off things, her thoughts returned to Sydney. She remembered how warm and gentle Sydney’s hands were when she had cleaned her cut. She remembered how her heart skipped a beat when Sydney’s legs touched hers when she slid the bar stool over. She remembered the smell of Sydney’s cologne and smiled. After all these years, she still wore Calvin Klein’s CK1. “You have to stop thinking like that,” she admonished herself. “I’m not going through this again. I just can’t.”

  Her hands shook as she poured herself a cup of coffee and took it over to the kitchen table. She shook her head as several thoughts ran through her mind. I’m a married woman. Things are different. I’m different and she’s different. We are not the same people we used to be. She tried to clear her mind but the image of Sydney’s face wouldn’t go away. Sydney was the first and last woman she had ever loved, actually the only person she had truly loved.

  The kitchen door opened, snapping Rachel from her thoughts. Caitlyn walked in and laid her briefcase on the counter. She opened the cabinet and grabbed a coffee cup. “I was wondering where you went. I saw you leave the conference room,” she said, pouring herself a cup of coffee. “You missed my first company speech.”

  “I’m sorry, honey. I felt the beginnings of a migraine and like a dummy I left my meds in my nightstand,” she lied. Rachel frowned as she looked at the cup in Caitlyn’s hand. “Since when do you drink coffee?”

  Caitlyn eyed her mom suspiciously. “Yeah, I thought that might have been the reason and since about a week ago.”

  Rachel looked at Caitlyn and shook her head. She fought to keep the anger out of her voice. “You’re my daughter, Caitlyn. You could have at least warned me this was coming. Instead I was blindsided like everyone else.”

  Caitlyn pulled out a chair and sat down. “I think you know me better than that, Mom. I couldn’t warn you because I didn’t know about it. I found out twenty minutes prior to us arriving at EMCOR.”

  “Then you should have called me,” Rachel snapped.

  “I tried but it went straight into your voicemail.”

  Several seconds passed without either one of them saying anything. “I’m going to start looking for another job,” Rachel said, finally.

  “What? Why? You love what you do. You told me yourself only three days ago that EMCOR was the best company you had ever worked for,” Caitlyn, said, her eyebrows furrowing into a frown.

  “That’s beside the point. You may think highly of Sydney Welsh but I have no desire or intention of working for her.”

  Caitlyn rested her elbows on the table and laced her fingers together. “What’s going on, Mom?”

  “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Hellooo,” Caitlyn said, waving her hands in front of Rachel’s face. “This is me you’re talking to. Something is going on with you and I know it. I can’t put my finger on it but you’ve been acting a little strange since Sydney’s Christmas party.”

  “I really don’t know what you’re talking about,” Rachel said, playing dumb. She could tell by the look on Caitlyn’s face that she wasn’t buying any of it.

  “For some reason you have this new hostility and it seems to be directed at Sydney. She’s a really good person and Welsh buying EMCOR was the best thing that could have happened to that company.”

  “If you say so,” Rachel said, shrugging her shoulders.

  Caitlyn nodded. “I do say so. I saw the paperwork on EMCOR. William Amos ran it into the ground and if Sydney hadn’t intervened, the company would have been forced into bankruptcy and everyone, including you, would have lost their job.”

  “I think EMCOR is nothing but a new feather in Sydney Welsh’s cap. Whatever she wants she gets and she doesn’t care who she hurts to get it.”

  “Who exactly is she hurting, Mom?” Caitlyn asked. “I don’t think you understand just how good of a person she is. Just look at the bonus she’s giving to the EMCOR employees. When all is said and done it will cost Welsh well over a million dollars. I can’t see Bill Amos or any employer for that matter putting out that kind of money for a group of employees, especially people who Sydney never laid eyes on until today.”

  Caitlyn stood up from her chair. She looked at Rachel and frowned. It was so out of character for her mom to be like this. It was obvious she did not like Sydney, which made no sense to her.

  She grabbed her briefcase off the counter and turned back to Rachel. “I don’t care what you say. I know something is going on with you and my gut tells me it has to do with Sydney. I’m not sure what kind of conversation the two of you had in her kitchen. Maybe she said something you didn’t like or maybe someone said something bad to you about her but whatever it is, I hope you can get past it. You can deny it all you want but I know when something’s not right.”

  Rachel sighed. “Can we call a truce for now and let it rest?”

  “For now,” Caitlyn agreed with a smile. “I just want you to know that you, Alyssa, and Sydney are my three most favorite people in the world and I don’t want any of you to be upset for any reason. Speaking of Mini-me, where is Alyssa?”

  Rachel chuckled. “She had a sleep over at Christy’s but she’ll be home this evening.”

  Caitlyn leaned forward and kissed Rachel on the cheek. “I have to get back to work. I’m already behind on one of mine and Sydney’s special projects but I will see you tonight at dinner.”

  Rachel stood up from her chair and hugged Caitlyn. “Okay sweetie, I’ll see you tonight and please don’t worry about me.”

  “Easier said than done,” Caitlyn grinned as she pulled the door shut behind her.

  Rachel walked over to the counter and refilled her coffee cup. She pulled the curtain back from the window and watched Caitlyn back her car out of the driveway. She felt like such a heel. She could not believe she allowed her hostility toward Sydney to become so apparent that Caitlyn had picked up on it. She would have to be careful and guard her tongue a little more closely, at least for Caitlyn’s sake.

  She picked the morning paper up off the counter and tossed it over on the table. Just as she was about to sit down, there was a knock at the door. “What did you forget this time?” she asked, jerking the door open. She felt her heart instantly skip a beat. “What are you doing here?” she asked.

  Sydney smiled. “Is that how you talk to all of your guests?”

  “You’re not my guest.” Rachel glared at her. She attempted to shut the door but Sydney stuck her foot out to prevent the door from closing.

  “Well, I would be if you’d invite me in.”

  She’s laughing at me. I can see it in her eyes. “What are you doing here, Sydney?” she asked again, not bothering to be polite.

  “I would like to talk to you.” This was going to be harder than she thought and for the second time since she had concocted this crazy scheme, she was beginning to have doubts—serious doubts.

  “I don’t see where you and I have a damn thing to talk about.” Rachel hoped that she sounded angrier than she felt. Her heart was doing flip-flops at seeing Sydney again and she was having a hard time trying to figure out why.

  “I
assure you, we do. I’ll say my piece and then leave.”

  “Fine,” Rachel said, throwing the door back. She turned and went back over to the table.

  Sydney shut the door and walked over to the counter. “You have a lovely home,” she said, glancing around the large kitchen. “I love the wallpaper. I never realized you could do so many things with the shade of blue.”

  “I’m sure you didn’t come here to discuss my wallpaper,” Rachel said, sarcastically.

  “You’re right, I didn’t. Do you mind if I have a cup of coffee?”

  Rachel shrugged. “Help yourself, second door on the right above the coffee maker.” She’s more fit than I remember, Rachel thought as the muscles in Sydney’s arms flexed as she reached up and opened the cabinet door. When Sydney turned around, she quickly averted her eyes. Staring was the last thing she wanted Sydney to catch her doing.

  Sydney took a sip of the steaming liquid, leaned back against the counter, and crossed her legs at the ankle. No matter how many times she saw Rachel, she never tired of her beauty. Today, she wore a tan colored pantsuit and a light blue chemise blouse, which only served to enhance the violet blue of her eyes. Thinking that the house seemed very quiet she asked, “Where’s your youngest daughter? If memory serves me correctly, today’s the first day of Christmas break.”

  “She’s at a friend’s house,” Rachel said, crossing her arms over chest. “What’s this about, Sydney? I know you’re much too busy to be making social calls for the hell of it.”

  Sydney nodded. “You’re right. This isn’t what you would call a social call. It’s strictly business.”