“I wouldn’t dream of it,” he said laughing. “So, I have a trip planned for us.”
“A trip?”
“I think that before you can make an educated decision on outsourcing, you should see some of the facilities I have been looking into,” he said. “That way you can see how it’s done first hand instead of going off what you’ve read or heard from the media. I know how you like to explore and educate yourself from the source.”
“Hmm,” I said nodding my head. “Where would we be going.”
“India,” he said. “Hyderabad to be exact. It has a solid infrastructure, city like aspects, and is ranked number three in the top outsourcing destinations in the country, and has some reputable facilities. I can say it might make you feel a bit better because it gives us the cheaper labor while maintaining a modicum of employee rights.”
“Alright,” I said with a deep breath. “Let’s do it. When do we leave?”
“Very early Wednesday morning so we can get there by evening,” he explained.
I liked the idea that Chris brought me, seeing the process with my own eyes. It didn’t take away the fact that I would have to lay off thousands of my own workers, but at least I could see what was happening before making a decision one way or another. This was a very tricky topic for me, and I felt like it was partly emotional as well since I had always seen my company going in a different direction. However, with the market crash a decade before, and the ebb and flow of the financial industry, I had to go with the tides. We were one of the very few financial institutions that had maintained our morality and had never been investigated for any type of crime by the federal government. I took the integrity of my company very seriously, and that was the thing pulling at me the most. I couldn’t quite figure out where outsourcing fell within those lines.
“I promise this is going to help you make the decision that is best for the company,” he said.
I nodded my head as Chris stood up and walked out of the office. I was excited to do this and even felt it could be a bit of a vacation, something I hadn’t taken in a long time. I had been dedicated to my work, building my company, and felt vacations were useless until I met Ruby. She had already started to show me there was another side of life outside of the daily drum of business. I hadn’t worked a weekend since I met her and that alone was a huge step for me. I could tell Chris wasn’t too fond of the idea of me having a girlfriend, but it wasn’t his choice. He had an insatiable need to succeed which was one of the reasons why I hired him in the first place. However, sometimes he tended to forget it was my company, not his. I knew he had nothing personal against Ruby, but my time was taken away, and his eye rolls and snide comments were very telling.
Speaking of Ruby, if I was going to take a vacation there was no way I was going to leave her behind. I figured it would be the perfect time for her and me to shake things up a bit and add some culture to our relationship. I knew she loved to travel, but didn’t get to do it very often. I would ask her to accompany me to India over dinner, I was sure it would be amazing fantastic surprise for her. I picked up the phone and called Chris’s office.
“Yeah boss,” he said answering.
“I am going to bring Ruby along,” I said.
“Alright,” he replied in a monotone voice. “I’ll make the arrangements.”
“Thank you,” I replied. “And Chris, I’d like to keep the reason for our trip between us, I’m not sure how she will react, and I’d like to avoid any awkward conflict.”
“You’re the boss,” he replied before hanging up.
Hopefully, she would be as excited about thi
s as I was.
Chapter Fourteen
Ruby
Walking through The Avalon by myself always made me feel self-conscious. When I arrived, I wasn’t sure where to go since I didn’t have a card for the elevator. There was a lovely man at the front named George, and he seemed especially excited when I told him I was there to see Nathan. He called up to the apartment and then personally escorted me to his floor, helping me carry the groceries I was lugging. Nathan tipped him generously and then helped me inside. I went to work straight away, making the sauce that I had seen my mother prepare so many times before. I loved cooking, I just never had anyone to cook for, and I thought it was stupid to put that much work in for just me. I glanced over at Nathan as I stirred the noodles, noticing that he looked like he had something on his mind. I figured it was probably a long day at work for him and if he wanted to talk about it, he would. He wasn’t one to hold back very often.
I set the table as he flipped through his phone, finishing up answering emails he didn’t get done at work. I realized quickly that I no longer felt lost at his place, and knew where things were that he didn’t even know were there. It was humorous to me. I had been there enough that the place was like home to me. When I finally sat down, I smiled over at him, watching him finish up his typing and put his phone away. He smiled at me and looked down at the food.
“Looks delicious,” he said smiling.
“Thank you,” I said with pride. “So, how was your day?”
“It was long,” he said holding out his plate as I served him some of the spaghetti and bread. “I had to get a lot done today that I didn’t think I would have on my plate.”
“Why?”
“Well, I’m taking a work vacation of sorts,” he said looking up at me.
“What exactly is a work vacation? It sounds like no fun,” I laughed.
“I have one small thing to take care of in India on Thursday, so I figured why not make it a vacation, I haven’t ever taken one,” he said smiling.
“Oh, wow,” I replied. “That sounds fabulous. I have always wanted to go to India. Their culture is so beautiful.”