Page 16 of Besties
“I do a lot of traveling, going to talk to people about working for us, ensuring that places we do business with meet our rigorous standards and keep up to date with the changes we implement. But we need people who rise above the ordinary, if we expect to maintain our place.” He frowned. “No, if we expect to be number one, there will be no resting on our laurels. We can’t afford to have anyone slacking. I need you to be on board with this, Max. You’re the perfect man for the job.”
“If I’m so perfect, why did you wait until now to talk to me about it?”
“Because for the last ten years, the job was filled by a very capable person. A few weeks ago, she left to start a family. When she gave her notice, I floated your name with the board and had actually intended on coming to see you, but then you called and my plans changed.”
It all sounded too good to be true, and the old adage came to mind. If it sounded too good, it was probably because it was.
“Now I know what you’re going to say, and I fully agree. You can’t decide something like this on the spur of the moment. You’re the kind of guy who will want to see firsthand whether or not this is real. I’ve booked us a flight to Boston so you can check out our headquarters there, dig into what everyone is doing, and see if you think it’s the right job for you. If it is, we’ll see about getting your new place set up with any equipment you’ll need.”
“Why me?”
“Because you’re smart, capable, resourceful, and organized. Do you need me to go on?”
Before I could say anything, he continued.
“I don’t make this offer lightly. I know what you’re capable of, and I know that your job didn’t appreciate what they had in you. They let you languish with a bunch of other people who were all better than the jobs they were given. Well, except for Aaron Lang. He’s a douche, and I have no idea how he keeps his job.”
I chuckled. “He’s engaged to the boss’s daughter.”
“Ah, that explains so much.” He leaned forward. “So what do you think?”
“I don’t know.” My brain was screaming for me to shut up and take Richie’s job offer.
“Think about it. This is a chance to break free from the crowd and show what you’re really made of. Even if you’re not sure you can do it,Iam.”
“And what if I can’t?” I’d hate to think that I would make Richie look bad because I couldn’t handle the job.
He shrugged. “Then you can’t. There are other positions available, all good-paying, solid jobs. If being a manager isn’t for you, we can find something you’re more sure of. If you want to start with one of those and work your way up, you can do that too.”
Simon returned with our appetizers, set the plates down, then put a smaller one next to each of us. “Your dinners will be out in about fifteen minutes. How is your champagne?”
I smiled up at him. “It’s amazing. I’ve never had it before.”
A small grin played on Simon’s face. “Well, I’m glad you enjoyed it. I’ll be back soon.”
Richie decided he needed to educate my palate on the food we were having, as he pointed out each thing we’d gotten.
“This is hamachi crudo, which is the Italian take on sushi. They believe that wasabi and soy sauce kills the delicate flavors of fresh fish, so they keep it as pure as possible. It’s sweet and tasty. There’s also celery root ravioletti, which should be obvious what it is. Small pillows of pasta with kale and celery root, served with a truffle sauce. They’re rich and delicious. And this wiggly thing here is Spanish octopus made with grapefruit, pancetta, and pickled sweet peppers.”
The Richie I knew never cared about food, other than pizza and soda. “How do you know all this?”
“I’ve been to Italy four times over the last eighteen months and Spain last month. We’re hoping to partner with a software firm there to translate our stuff into Italian and also to make it available with some of the smaller, regional dialects. I wasn’t kidding when I said we were trying to take this worldwide. If you take the job, you’ll be visiting all these places too. I need someone I can trust with this, and you’re the only person who comes to mind. I won’t lie to you, Max. This is going to be an intensive job. You’ll be selling our product to countries that may not necessarily be on friendly terms with the US, but who have reached out to us because we can help their children. It’s all legal and aboveboard. We have contracts in place with the government, which allows us to operate with these foreign powers. Admittedly, we’re under very strict rules, but we’ve never had a problem with them, and I don’t expect we will now.”
“I don’t know any of the languages.”
“We have translators who would travel with you. Their job is to mediate so each side knows exactly what’s being offered. In many instances, it would be me, but there are a few places you’d go where I can’t speak the language, so you’d get another qualified person.”
I stared for a moment, surprised by the changes in my friend. “How many languages do you speak?”
“I’m fluent in English, French, Spanish, and German. I can speak enough Italian, Korean, Polish, Russian, and Japanese to get through meetings. I also know a smattering of a few others, but not enough to converse with native speakers. And so you know, with time, you’ll be able to hold your own in many of these negotiations. In fact, we can set you up with language coaches who can help you learn the dialects you’ll need to know.”
I was a drone. A cog in a huge machine where people rarely moved beyond their station. We knew who we were, what was expected of us, and that was our lot in life, unless we decided to move on. Jesse had taken that out of my hands with his bullshit. Now, Richie was here, reminding me that life wasn’t over and offering me a new direction.
“So what do you say? Ready to make the jump?”
“And this is your company?”
“I own the majority of stock, yes, but we have investors as well as corporate partners. Before you ask, we have complete autonomy and allow no advertising with our products. You’re not going to see an ad pop up for Coke when you’re studying math in China, or anything like that. And there is definitely no affiliation with products related to drinking, smoking, guns, or anything of that sort. Our company’s records are open for anyone to see, and we don’t keep corporate secrets beyond the proprietary software.”
