Taking a deep breath, I looked out over the city skyline and absorbed Neil’s words. Surprisingly, when I exhaled, I found I wasn’t as angry as I thought I would be. The rage from a minute before started dissipating when I realized the news of how dirty he was playing didn’t come as a shock at all.
Stephanie’s termination already being processed might even be a good thing. She had bigger dreams than being my secretary at my father’s company, and so did I. I had only stuck around to honor Jack’s memory and to help out my family.
Apparently, my father didn’t need my help. I inhaled another breath and relaxed my grip on my phone. When I looked out of my window again, it was like I was seeing things differently. Just a tad, but the tiny shift that happened inside me was an essential one.
“Thanks, Neil,” I said sincerely. “I appreciate the heads up, as always.”
“Sure, man. I’m sorry to have woken you up with this news.” He had woken me up, literally and in a different way.
In fact, this news might be exactly what I’d been waiting for without even realizing it. “It’s not your fault. Keep your head down, bud. Try not to let him burn everything to the ground before I even get there, okay?”
He laughed humorlessly, agreed and hung up. I didn’t envy him his job right now. Dad was sure to make the day a living hell for him, as he did most days. I often wondered why Neil stuck around.
With the experience and network he’d built up over the years, there were any number of buildings he could walk into and ask for a job. He would be shown to his new office before his words were even cold.
Clenching the curtain between my fingers, I balled the material up and leaned against my window. The city was right outside, ready for the taking. The dinosaurs like my dad had the upper hand, but they were also not the alpha and the omega like they used to be.
Thoughts ran through my mind at a mile a minute. They flashed so fast they were difficult to keep track of. I thought back to my life before Jack died, before I joined Williams Inc. as a permanent employee.
I built a lot of stuff up for myself, made a lot of good decisions and sound investments. Most people thought I did nothing but party back then. It was partially true. There sure had been a lot of partying, but I managed to keep myself busy just fine between the nights I would never remember.
A part of me thought I would never get back there, but now I wasn’t so sure. Glancing at the clock on my nightstand, I realized it was time to get this show on the road. I had a lot of thinking to do and not a lot of time to do it, but first things first.
I turned my shower up to the highest setting and stood under the stream of water pulsating onto the muscles in my back. My skin would be red by the time I was done, but it was worth it for the semi- massage I was getting.
Showers were a great place for me to get my thoughts ordered, always had been. I wasn’t sure what it was about them, but I’d had most of my best ideas in the shower. Today was no different.
When I shut the water off and rubbed a towel over my hair before knotting it around my waist, I had a solid plan for the day in mind. For the first time in over three years, I was excited about it.
The tiny shift I had while speaking to Neil liberated me, and I knew exactly what to do with my newfound freedom. Walking into my closet, I bypassed the suits, the ties, the cufflinks and shiny oxfords.
I opted for a pair of dark jeans and a long-sleeved black shirt instead. Much better.
Fastening a watch around my wrist, the only hint today that I wasn’t just another twenty-something trying to make it in the city that never slept, I turned and walked out.
Breakfast consisted of an apple and piece of toast I grabbed as soon as it popped out of the toaster. Breakfast of champions.
I felt more like myself than I had in ages. Stephanie made me feel this way, but even then, there was always a cloud hanging over me. Knowing I had to go back to Williams Inc. and deal with my father’s shit.
No more.
Revitalized and feeling energetic, I headed out to pick up Stephanie from her apartment. The show was officially on the road. Truth be told, I couldn’t wait to see how it played out.