Friday morning came fairly quickly. Debbie got up early, even before James, and made sure Tom’s suit was washed and ironed. She was going to make sure he looked his best for the presentation. Once she was satisfied, she made breakfast. She was going to make sure her husband had a good meal so that he would be able to focus on what he had to do.
James was surprised his mom was awake, and a little disappointed that she was making breakfast. He was really enjoying that aspect of his morning routine. But he saw that she was a bundle of nerves, so he kissed her good morning and sat at the table.
Becky slept terribly. She tossed and turned all night, unable to get comfortable. The presentation was running roughshod over her mind. She kept thinking of all that could go wrong. This was her chance to impress the owner, and yet she was scared to death by the opportunity. Tom had worked with her all week, encouraging her to just be herself, and telling her how beautiful she was and how she had a great smile and personality to match. Yet, all she could think of was saying something that would offend the owner, and either being fired on the spot, or worse, buried in a meaningless job for the rest of her life. She disliked each outcome, but there she was, a couple of hours before her big chance, and she was convincing herself that she couldn’t pull it off. She needed Tom by her side. He would always think of the right thing to say in order to calm her down. She thought about calling him, but decided against it.
Meg woke up in a great mood. James had told her that he loved her that day, and kept telling her that to let her know that he meant it. She just kept thinking about the words, and who said them. A Beta boy loved her for who she was, and even after her mom’s terrible behavior towards him, it didn’t make him go away. In fact it made him more determined to stay with her. She couldn’t wait for Sunday, although she was a little worried about how her dad would react to meeting James and his family. But that was Sunday. She wanted to get ready and make herself look a little prettier for James.
Tom came out of the bedroom just as Debbie finished cooking. He kissed his wife, while his son gave him a hug, wishing him good luck for his meeting. Before he sat down to eat, he played a hunch and called Becky, making sure that she was ready. Instead, the voice on the other end was a rambling, incoherent mess. It took a a couple of minutes to calm her down. He repeated everything he had said to her, and just asked her to relax. He gave her a piece of his special advice. Think of the owner walking around the building in nothing but his underwear. Becky thought that was a terrible idea, but Tom told her to just imagine it. She did, and found herself laughing at the thought. She was laughing more and more, and finding herself feeling less and less stressed. She thanked Tom and hung up. Tom sat down to eat. James asked him about the owner and underwear. Tom looked at his son, and explained that it was his way of convincing Becky that the owner was just a man. A very important man, but a man just the same. She needed to think of him as just a human being, not some all-powerful god from Mt Olympus. James nodded in agreement, impressed by his father’s actions.
Breakfast was over, and James hugged his parents and ran out to the bus. Bounding up the large steps, he made his way to Meg, giving her his morning kiss, before sitting next to her. But his kiss had a little more too it, and Meg felt his energy. She returned her own kiss to him, taking him by surprise. But he enjoyed it. And it was off to school.
Becky was much more focused after Tom’s phone call. She made sure her outfit was spotless and wrinkle free. She made herself a good breakfast, and went over everything that Tom stressed. There were key points that she needed to emphasize, and as long as she relaxed and was herself, she could do this. She was starting to believe in herself. She finally felt good about the meeting.
Tom said goodbye to Debbie. But instead of the usual kiss, he hugged her tightly and gave her one with passion, whispering in her ear that he would make sure he was “awake” later, and gave her a wink. Debbie patted his rear end and told him to knock’em dead. Tom left. And when he got to the office, Becky was waiting for him out in the parking lot. She was a completely different person than the one he talked to earlier. She had confidence, and Tom knew his pep talk worked.
The meeting was at 9:00am, so Tom suggested that she skip the morning coffee. He knew that she was calm, and was afraid the coffee would make her jumpy. She agreed. And Tom calmly went over what they talked about. Once he was sure that she was focused and ready, he went over to her sitting at her desk and asked her to bend down a little, which she did. He gave her a kiss on the cheek, and reminded her about all her great assets. He was proud of her, and told her that she had this. Just remember that the owner wore underwear. Becky burst out laughing, and gave him a big hug. Soon, it was 9:00am. Time for the meeting.
James hated Fridays, because the first class was Gym. He would be separated from Meg for an hour. But he thanked God that it flew by. Afterwards, he caught up with her in the hallway. Math was next, and it was test day. He knew that he had this in the bag. He knew Meg was ready for it. He just kept thinking of her, and about the upcoming meeting with her father. It played in the back of his mind. But he would approach it with no preconceived notions, and let her father’s actions and words form his opinion.
The presentation was underway. Susan and her father were present, as was the owner, an elderly Alpha. He bought the mining company as an investment, something to make money while he tried to groom family members to assume leadership positions within the company. But it wasn’t successful. Not one family member had the aptitude or brains to run a one car funeral, let alone a billion dollar company.
Tom had made slides for Becky, so she would have a visual picture that allowed the owner to understand what she was talking about. It was a nice touch by Tom. It made her words easier to understand. And he could tell by the owner’s expressions that he was very impressed by what he was hearing. Becky was funny, engaging, and confident, allowing her personality to shine through. Each proposal was clearly defined, the expected benefit clearly defined, and the cost savings clearly emphasized. And she stressed that if they were adopted, it could potentially save that particular mine almost $1,000,000/yr in costs, while allowing the workers to spend more time with their families, without operations suffering.
A half hour later, the presentation ended. Becky and Tom went back to their office. Tom had a tear in his eye. He was so proud of Becky. He was as proud as a parent could be of their child, even if she wasn’t his. She had pulled it off. And she did it by herself. He felt like opening a bottle of champagne, except there wasn’t one around and drinking on the job was prohibited.
About 10 minutes later, there was a knock on the door. It was Susan. She and her father, Michael, entered the office, followed by the owner. He just wanted to congratulate Becky on a superb presentation. It was one the best he ever attended. Becky thanked him, but said she couldn’t have done it without the help of Tom Adams, looking over at him. The owner was surprised. He asked her to explain, but before Becky could answer, Tom spoke up, saying that all those outstanding ideas that he just heard came from her, and her alone. She had a tremendous mind, incredible enthusiasm, and a never quit attitude.
The owner looked at Tom, considering what he said. He then asked Becky if it was true. Becky sheepishly said yes, but said that Tom worked tirelessly on her proposals, honing them into working solutions. And if it wasn’t for him, she wouldn’t have been able to do the presentation. She told the owner that Tom used his 22 years of experience to guide her in every aspect of the job. And that he deserved as much credit for the presentation as she did. The owner looked at them both, then asked to speak with Michael and Susan out in the hallway.
Once they were outside, Tom chided Becky. The presentation was all her, he really didn’t do anything. She should be proud of what she had just accomplished. She shouldn’t sell herself short. They were her ideas, her vision. She should own them proudly. Becky looked at him and calmly told him that if it wasn’t for him, she would have made herself look like an idiot. And that was more important to her than her ideas. He gave her the confidence to handle the meeting. She couldn’t have done it without him.
The owner returned a few minutes later, followed by Susan and Michael. He looked at Becky and Tom. He told them that he was very impressed by what he heard. He asked if they would consider going around to other mines in the company and implementing measures to improve the efficiency of those mines. It would be a promotion for the both of them, with Becky being Director of Operations and Efficiency, and Tom being Assistant Director of Operations and Efficiency.
Both Becky and Tom were stunned. This was all so sudden. They didn’t have the opportunity to properly celebrate the success of the presentation. Now they were being offered promotions on the spot. Tom knew the reputation of the owner as being eccentric, but even this was more odd than he thought.
Becky asked for a few minutes, then went out into the hallway with Susan. Tom excused himself and went out the door into the parking lot and called Debbie, and told her everything. After hearing her husband describe the situation, Debbie told Tom that she would accept whatever he decided to do, as long as he accepted the offer. She told him that he was still a tremendous asset to the company, and that they recognized it. It would allow him to travel and truly make a difference. But it was up to him.
When they got back to the office, Becky and Tom both accepted the offer, but Tom made a request. He asked if they could be based out of this office, instead of the corporate headquarters. The owner considered his request, and asked Becky if that would be ok. Becky enthusiastically said yes. So the owner agreed. This would be their home office. He told them that he would have the location of their first mine by the end of next week, with detailed reports of how the plant operated and such. He thanked Becky and Tom for their hard work, and left. Becky hugged Susan and Michael, while Tom shook the larger man’s hand and hugged the two girls. Tears flowed between Susan and Becky, which made Tom a little emotional. But Tom also knew that there was no work getting done the rest of the day, so he suggested going out to lunch to celebrate. It was an idea accepted by all.
The rest of the school day went by fairly quickly. James and Meg were feeling good. In fact, they felt so good that they actually thought the lunch served tasted delicious. Sunday was becoming the dominant thought in their heads. And when school ended, and they were riding home, they made sure to double check their plans. 2:00pm, and James and his parents would be waiting out front for Meg to be dropped off by her father. Check. James’ stop was first, and after kissing Meg, headed into his house. Meg did the same when the bus stopped at her house.
When James entered the house, he saw his mom and dad sitting together on the sofa, and their reaction to his coming home told him what they were up to. Debbie told her son that her father had some news. Tom looked at his son, and told him everything that happened, including the promotion. James let out a yell, and hugged his father, telling him congratulations! He was so proud of his dad. He asked exactly what the new job entailed. Tom explained that he and Becky would go around to different mines within the company, and they would study, take notes, and implement changes to improve both efficiency and worker morale. He couldn’t believe how fast everything happened, but he couldn’t turn it down. It was cause for a celebration. Debbie had gone out and bought a bottle of wine. She even thought about letting James have some, but came to her senses and thought no.
Becky got home, and when the euphoria of the day wore off, collapsed on her bed and cried. She had dreamt of this type of promotion, and was ecstatic that she finally reached her goal. But she also realized that she needed Tom to help guide her in the right direction. She was forever in his debt. She thought that they would make a great team. Travel to different parts of the company, and if successful, make everyone happy. She couldn’t wait to get started.
Saturday was a ho-hum day. It consisted mostly of Debbie and James going over the appetizers and drinks, repeatedly. It gave Tom a slight headache listening to the two of them go back and forth. But it also made him smile, although he thought about his last encounter with Meg’s father, when he was still mine foreman. But he was still feeling good about what happened the day before, and wasn’t going to worry about what might happen.
Meg woke up earlier than usual on Sunday morning. She was a ball of nervous energy. Not only was she going over James’s house, she was also going to meet his parents for the first time. She silently prayed that her dad would behave better than her mom did. But she showered, washed the clothes that she wanted to wear, and ate breakfast. She also peeked at her notebook, just remembering the progress she and James made that Monday. She was surprised to see it was quite further ahead than she thought. It would only take a couple of more sessions before it would be ready for printing. And Meg did nothing but look at the clock, watching the time crawl slowly along. She sighed.
Becky woke up early and called Susan, waking her friend in the process. Becky wanted to know if she and Susan could drive together. Susan said no problem. Becky would drive to her apartment, and they would take one car. Becky knew Tom’s address from his personnel file, a perk of being his boss. After hanging up with her friend, Becky ate breakfast. She was almost as excited to see Debbie as she was to see Tom and James again. She made sure that the clothes she would wear were clean. And she just watched the clock, wishing that she could make time move faster.
James woke up later than usual. He just dreamt of Meg the whole night. Every dream was perfect. When he got up, he kept wondering what it would be like to wake up every day with Meg next to him. He got goosebumps just thinking about it. But that was way down the road. He needed to concentrate on making sure that she would be comfortable being at his house.
Tom and Debbie came out of their bedroom, both looking like they survived a hurricane. Messy hair, tired eyes, holding hands. It didn’t take someone with James’ smarts to realize what his parents did the night before. It still made him feel awkward, but he also realized that his parents were human, with very real emotional needs. But still, he had to worry about Meg.
2:00pm was approaching. James saw a very large car pull up in front of his house. He didn’t recognize the vehicle, but he knew the passenger. It was Meg! He calmed himself down, then walked out with his parents to meet her father. Leo Daniels exited the driver side and came around. James introduced himself, and offered his hand. Leo looked at the fairly tall Beta boy in front of him, and, ignoring his gesture, said that he expected him to help his daughter and nothing more. Meg was pleading with her father to be nice, but he just ignored her.
Leo turned and looked at Tom. He instantly recognized the Beta as the foreman he replaced in the mine. He developed a slight sneer and said he wondered what happened to him after he lost his foreman’s job. Did he stay home and take up quilting, because it seemed that was the only job he was qualified for. Tom fumed as Leo continued, asking him if he ran home and cried when he lost his position.
Leo never heard or saw Becky and Susan approaching from behind. They heard almost every word Leo spoke. He was startled when Susan said ‘Hi, Leo’. He turned and looked at them, asking what they were doing there. Susan said that she and Becky were there to honor the new Assistant Director of Operations and Efficiency for the Company. Leo was confused. He thought that they couldn’t be talking about the little Beta in front of him. And Susan reminded him that Becky Curtiss, the lady with her, was the Director. And she also reminded him that company policy forbade any disrespect shown towards a company executive, or their family members, even away from work, because it was grounds for instant termination from the company. And that she and Becky heard every word he said to Tom, and unless he wanted to lose his job right then and there, he was to apologize immediately for his behavior.
Leo didn’t know if Susan was serious, until she said that he had until the count of five to do what she told him to do, or he would be fired on the spot. Leo looked like he just swallowed curdled milk. He wasn’t the brightest bulb in the pack, but he liked working for the mine. And he realized that he had no choice, so he apologized to James, Tom and Debbie for his behavior, and that he hoped that they could put this incident behind them. Tom offered his hand, and saw it swallowed by the hand of Leo, and they shook, and made peace. Leo didn’t enjoy it, but he didn’t want to be fired also. Susan reminded him that any harassment or threats directed towards a company executive by anyone in his family was also grounds for termination. She just wanted him to know that.
Leo said goodbye to everyone and quickly drove off. And once he was gone, and the atmosphere settled, James introduced Meg to both his parents and Susan and Becky. Debbie said that she was finally happy to meet the beautiful girl that was stealing her son’s heart. Meg blushed. Debbie ran and gave both Susan and Becky a hug. And they started talking like they hadn’t seen each other in years. And the six of them went to the backyard, where the deck had been transformed into an Alpha sanctuary. Susan and Becky were very impressed by the setup, considering it was done really quickly.
While Debbie, Tom, and James were busy preparing the appetizers, Susan and Becky got to know Meg better. Susan first apologized for the scene out front, but Meg said that while she loved her parents very much, she hated the way they treated Betas. And she was secretly glad that he was put in his place. Meg also told the two women that she had a younger sister named Amanda, and she was going to make sure her sister treated Betas with respect. Susan and Becky were impressed. By then, the appetizers were prepared, and Debbie joined the girls at the table, using a step ladder to reach the bench seat.
While the adults talked, James and Meg worked on the project, with James fighting the urge to rub Meg’s back, feeling it would be awkward with his parents there. But he could smell the faint scent of perfume. It made him feel good that she wanted to present herself in a nice way for him and his family. He placed his arm on her back and started rubbing. Meg enjoyed it. And the dinner was a success.
When Leo Daniels returned home from dropping off Meg, he looked like he saw a ghost. Michelle asked him what was wrong. He told her that if the boy that was helping Meg with her project came over again, she was to be very nice to him.
Michelle laughed loudly at the order. It wasn’t until her husband got real close and grabbed her shoulders tightly enough to hurt and told her that she had better be nice to the boy and his family, or else, that she knew he wasn’t joking. Her eyes became enraged and she demanded to know why? He told her that the boy’s father was an executive with the mining company, and any threats or harassment against him or his family would result in him getting fired immediately.
Michelle asked him why that was her problem. Leo pointed to the house, and the cars, and said that they were paid for with the money he made working for the mine. If he lost his job, then it would all go away. Everything! Michelle was about to say something, when Leo moved closer and whispered in her ear that if she did anything to the Adams family that would cause him to lose his job, he would throw her fat ass out of the house, permanently. She looked into his eyes and saw pure rage directed at her, and for the first time in her life she felt a little afraid. She had never seen her husband this emotional, and full of anger. But she wasn’t about to cross him.