Page 27 of Besties
“It’s fine. We had a good training day.”
“Your program is incredible. I knew you were talented, but this?”
He grinned. “It’s not just me. This is the culmination of work by hundreds of people, with more than ten thousand workforce-hours spent on creating, refining, and honing our products. Then adding new worth to them with every upgrade, so we stay on the cutting edge. I worked with child psychologists, doctors, teachers, lawyers. Anyone and everyone I could think of, I approached and asked for their input. When they found out what it was for, most of them volunteered their time. Even those we paid lowered their rates. When parents visit our website, they can see who is helping to educate their kids.”
“Mr. Ryland is a great man to work for. I’ve never known anyone so passionate about what they’re doing.”
I could see by the look on her face how much Richie meant to her. He exuded an aura that made you feel better about yourself. Maybe that was why I hadn’t felt good about myself since he moved away.
“He’s always been driven. The stories the people who went to school with him could tell you.”
He pursed his lips. “Most of which aren’t true.”
“I don’t know about that. I heard some pretty good ones. You forgetting to wear underwear and splitting your pants comes to mind.”
“I was in a hurry!” His mortified expression slowly morphed into an amused one. He chuckled as he reached around and patted his plump behind. “Besides, I heard from many people that it was a nice view.”
That had me and Rebecca rolling. When had Richie become funny? How had I missed so much of his life? New company, new direction. And I knew next to nothing about it.
I watched as he spoke with Rebecca, and I realized that I didn’t know my friend at all anymore. Sure, he was still the same Richie, but he’d not shared the last decade with me. No, that wasn’t fair. The only time I’d ever got in touch with him was when I needed something. I’d been a selfish bastard.
That had to change. I vowed to be a better friend in the future, just like Richie had always been to me.
“Are you ready to go?”
“Yeah, sure.” I grabbed my messenger bag and slung it over my shoulder. “Rebecca, thank you. This was… enlightening.”
She gave me a soft smile, and I could see why her students had loved her. She had a way of putting you at ease, even as she pushed you harder to get you where she thought you should be. “Tomorrow we’re going to be moving into the next module, so don’t be late.”
“No, ma’am. I promise.” I turned to Richie. “Okay, I’m ready.”
He directed me through the building and into the parking structure. I knew my way around pretty well by now, but this part continued to elude me. Too many twists and turns to get where we were going.
“So I’m thinking comfort food for dinner. I’ve got a taste for macaroni and cheese. How about you?”
This was something I remembered well. When Richie was stressing, the only thing that would bring him a measure of peace was macaroni and cheese. It was like his safety blanket.
“What’s wrong?”
“Hm? Oh, nothing.”
He wouldn’t look at me, so I knew he was being less than honest. “Remember who you’re talking to. I know you every bit as well as you do me. Now, I ask again, what’s wrong?”
He opened the door and let me into the car, then closed it behind me, before he went to the driver’s side and got in. As soon as he was seated, his head flopped back. “We lost a contract today. It wasn’t a big one, but I hate that we’ve disappointed someone enough that they felt they needed to go elsewhere.”
I reached out and put a hand on his arm. “Did they say why?”
“Their sales rep stopped going to see them and filed some bullshit report. When I cornered them and demanded to know what had happened, they quit and stormed off. So we neglected their account, and I couldn’t convince them to give us another chance.” He sighed. “It is what it is, I guess.”
For years I complained when my life was going to hell, and Richie always listened and did what he could to make it better. Now it was my turn to give back to him.
“Let me talk to them.”
His head flopped to the side as he looked at me. “Thanks, but I don’t think it will do any good.”
“Can it hurt anything?”
He gave a slight shrug. “I guess not. But are you comfortable enough to handle something like this?”
