"You have a ten o' clock meeting with Lance Crawford, consultation with Mrs. Shi shi at noon, lunch with Mike at 1:30pm and a last meeting at three o clock with our newest partner Ri and Rey Limited." Amy said closing the worn out schedule book she was holding. Now she clutched the book to her chest staring at me expectedly.
"Wow" I breathed out sinking further into my chair.
"That's a lot"
"Yep" Amy agrees.
"Thanks Amy I better get to it then"
The moment she leaves I battle with my laptop putting the finishing touches to the document I am going to make use of with Lance.
Ten'o clock rolls around and I find myself getting nervous like I always do whenever I have a meeting with any of my clients.
"You can do this"
"You've done this a lot of times girl"
I say those word to myself file in hand I open my office door and with steady confident steps I walk the distance to the conference room.
"That guy is a case" I say opening my office door right after the meeting with Lance. The little sneak had me stating facts, advantages and profit gain for two whole hours.
Two freaking hours.
I was the one sweating all he did was smile like a freak from across the table in his polished Armani and gelled hair.
Lance is one of our trusted clients actually, a hard driven guy who gets what he wants, he's smart making him a little bit bearable, add cocky and a bad flirt into the mix like he doesn't know how to flirt.
He just says all the weird things that make no sense.
He could be better of as a geek working in a tech company.
"I agree" Carl says taking a seat on my barely used couch.
"The only plus about this is that we got the money" Amy squeals doing a celebratory dance. Carl makes the same noise while I smile.
After talking for two hours stating the gains we would get from this deal and with my obvious expertise he had no choice than to just accept our offer.
"But I just have to say. Your presentation was amazing". Carl says angling himself in his seat to face me.
I smile feeling my cheeks getting warm.
They did not have to know I stayed up till morning working on it so it could turn out perfect.
This company was my baby. I would do everything in my power to make sure it succeeded.
Little by little we were climbing that ladder of success.
And I was happy to be leading it along with my dedicated staff.
"Thanks Carl"
"Everything was perfect I swear I saw Lance drooling in awe at you" Amy jokes.
"No way!"
"Yes way!"
We laugh and I focus on the happiness on their faces. The thrill running through me at the moment, the excitement at my accomplishment, the satisfied look on Lance's face after the meeting.
Everything just makes me forget.
Forget that I might actually be dying.
Sometimes I imagine myself living my life like this just without the sickness. Throw in finding someone I love and having kids later in the future.
That's a life I would like to be a part of.
But I'm blessed with this one I'm presently living in.
So I gotta make the best out of it.
They say make lemonade when life gives you lemon why not make more than just lemonade?
My point achieve more when you have the chance don't settle for what you think is okay for you. Move on and work harder because you don't just know where that would just get you.
I motivated myself with those words actually back when I was a free college student.
I always wanted to give up whenever our professors gave us projects that were out of this world. I did them religiously but not to the best of my abilities.
Once I figured that I walked every mile needed for me to be the best.
It worked.
You can thank my father for his motivational words.
He's a fountain of many.
I frequently drew my strength from his wise sayings.
Mrs. Shi Shi comes in ten minutes later with her vintage dress and mini hat paired with pointed low heel shoes and let us not forget the pearls.
They are an important part in her dressing.
How do I know?
Let me just say she lectured me for a whole hour about the 'etiquettes of dressing'.
"With all due respect Mrs. Shi shi you can't do it that way"
"What do you mean child?"
I roll my eyes in my head. She always liked to remind me I was the child in this partnership.
Would a child give quality advice on how to expand and improve your business?
I don't think so.
"If you do it that way you are going to lose customers and let's not talk about the pit it is going to cause in your bank account".
"My account!" she repeats distraught at the sound of her 'bank account'.
She valued her money like her million dollar shoes.
"Yes. You are going to lose money...lots of it". I emphasize hoping that I make her drop her ridiculous idea that wouldn't even sell for a day".
"Oh!" she exclaims.
"Why didn't you tell me that child?" she asks accusingly.
"I did..."
"How do I save my money?" she inquires placing her glove covered hands on the fine oak table.
"Well you can do it this way...."
I go on to tell her about the profit plan I drafted for her business. By the end of the meeting she's happy telling me that she might even buy me one of her special shoes.
"Not thank you. I'm fine with my heels". I decline politely. She glances down at my feet back up to my knee then to my face.
"Well they do make your short legs seem tall"
"Uh.. thanks".
My legs are not short.
"Maybe I'll buy one for that nice girl who lives down my street"
"Maybe you should".
She smiles leaning forward for one of those french women kisses.
"Muah!"
"Have a nice day Linda Lin"
"You too Mrs. Shi shi"
I wave closing the door once she looks away.
I lean against the door. I close my eyes for a few seconds kicking off my heels.
Then I feel it.
I feel the tiredness lingering in the joints of my bones, the pain in my hip, the dryness of my poor throat, the stiffness in my neck and shoulders.
I shrug off the feeling promising myself a nice spa when I am done for the day.
That's something to look forward to.
I trudge back to my table plopping down on the seat I open the document I would be needing for the meeting appointed with Ri and Rey Limited.
A muffled ringing breaks off my concentration from replying an email. A quick scan of my table tells me that my phone is indeed not there. I crouch down in my seat taking a hold of my office bag.
I dig out my phone from one of the compartments.
Mike's faces flashes across my screen I smile reminiscing the eve of his twenty-third birthday.
Another story for when I don't have things to do.
"Hey Mikey".
"Lin Lin. How are you?"
"I'm fine. How about your stubborn self?"
"Still stubborn as usual".
I chuckling leaning back in my chair holding the phone properly by my ear.
"I'm downstairs. You ready for lunch?"
"Lunch?" I repeat scrambling to get a look at the time on the laptop.
1:27pm it read. Three minutes more to his scheduled lunch date.
"Shoot! I didn't know time had gone by so fast".
"You see it you better believe it.".
"I'll be down in a minute"
"Nah it's okay. Stay where you are while I be the perfect gentleman"
"You wish" I snort into the phone.
"Don't you dare move Lin". he orders.
I drop the phone on the table ready to not listen to him.
I save the doc I was working on hastily then slip my feet into my heels. I grab my phone and bolt out of the office.
I know I know I'm such a child.
I'm halfway to the elevator when I trip on air. I get my footing thanking God that no one saw.
I start to feel dizzy and like a million flies attacking my brain my eye sight spins and my head starts pounding.
Everything around me doesn't make sense.
Tired.... that's how I feel.
I stumble around this sudden feeling making my legs turn to mush.
I push myself to stumble to the elevator.
No such luck.
I fall down hitting the floor with a thud that makes me wince.
In this haze my phone is flung elsewhere.
The pain is slowly forgotten as unconsciousness takes over.
The last thing I heard was the ding of the elevator accompanied by Mike's frantic screams.