Nora and I would have been expecting our baby if she hadn’t chosen to pick the easy way out. I know I was the reason that drove her to make that decision, but, and I hate myself for it, I can’t help but resent her a little. Children are blessings, and a decision like that shouldn’t be taken in such haste.
A knock on my office door jolted me out of my thoughts. For some reason, I haven’t been able to get over this girl called Nora. The memories of time spent with her and what could have been between us weighed heavily on my mind, even as I tried to focus on other things. One thing or another just reminded me of her.
“Come in,” I said, my voice slightly gruff.
The door opened, and Jake entered, a grin plastered across his face. “Hey old man, you still can’t take a day off from work? I mean, it’s your birthday! You deserve to rest.”
“Since when did you become so worried about my health?” I shot back, a smirk creeping onto my lips.
“Come on, Dad. You know you’re always my first priority, and I care so much about you even more than Kate does.” He pulled out the chair facing my desk and plopped down with an exaggerated sigh.
“Well, at least Kate called me to wish me a happy birthday. As for you, well, I doubt you’d remember if it wasn’t broadcasted everywhere.”
“That’s not true, Dad! Jeez… do you think that lowly of me?” he replied, feigning offense.
“Not that lowly, son-very lowly,” I said, rolling my eyes.
“I’m not offended,” he said, crossing his arms with a grin.
“Well, I’m not surprised; you’re thick-skinned after all. Now tell me what brought you here?”
“Am I that predictable? Can’t I just come greet my darling father?” he asked, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
“Oh no, Jake, that’s a Kate thing to do, not a Jake thing. So tell me what brought you here, or would you rather we continue bantering?”
“Okay, okay, I’ll get to the point,” he said, leaning forward as if he were about to share a deep secret. “You know how you’ll be gifted a lot of things today being your birthday, and a lot of influential people will be coming?” He paused, and I nodded for him to continue. “Well, I was thinking it’s the perfect opportunity for you to introduce me to them and proclaim me as one of the shareholders. If I’m to take over someday, I should have a good foundation at least. I know you think I’m not ready, but I am. I really am.”
“Well, that isn’t a bad idea. But you don’t have any shares in the company, so how do I proclaim you a shareholder?” I replied, folding my hands.
“You could gift me some! I’m your son, after all.”
“Gift you?” I echoed, amazement washing over me.
“Yes! I mean, you have over fifty percent of the shares; you could give me thirty percent and take thirty percent. That way, our family will still be the major shareholders in the company.”
“So because you’re my son, I should gift you thirty percent of my shares and be on equal footing with you in the company?” I asked, unable to keep the disbelief from my voice.
“Well, isn’t like the way you’re putting it?” he said, fidgeting a bit. “I mean, it will make us more powerful, and no one can challenge us, especially if they know everything isn’t under your control.”
“Who’s challenging us?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“No one is right now, but we can’t say the same about the future.”
“Jake, things don’t work that way. Anyone who owns a share in the company worked their ass off for it. If it’s something that could just be gifted, everyone would be a shareholder. It took years of both success and failure for a lot of us to get where we are. Respect isn’t gotten because of shares; yes, it’s part of it, but who will respect someone whose shares were just gifted and not worked for? Absolutely no one.”
“But, Dad, we don’t really care what others say. No matter what they say, they can’t come to our faces and say it; they can only murmur behind our backs. But who cares?”
“Those are the words of a foolish man, Jake. A wise one takes account of what people say and makes themselves better, because when the crowd starts revolting, the ground suffers. In this case, we’re the ground; we’re the foundation of this company. Any opposition from other shareholders will be a blow to us.”
Jake leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. “You’re being too rigid, Dad. The world is changing. You have to adapt. I want to be part of that change.”
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “I know you want to be involved, but you have to earn your place. Life isn’t just about power; it’s about respect and integrity. If you want to take over someday, you need to understand that.”
He opened his mouth to argue, but I raised a hand to stop him. “Let’s table this discussion for now. I appreciate your enthusiasm, but today is supposed to be a celebration, not a debate.”
Jake nodded, though I could see the frustration simmering just beneath the surface. “Fine, but I’m not giving up on this.”
“Good. That’s the spirit. Just remember, ambition is nothing without hard work.”
Just then, my cell phone rang; it was Clara, reminding me that it was almost time for the party.
I really had no desire to throw a party; however, the company workers and shareholders had insisted on throwing one for me.
“Time to put on a smile, I suppose,” I said to Jake, who grinned mischievously.
“Hey, it’s your birthday, old man. Enjoy it.”
“Let’s get going… the party is about to start.” I said to Jake, pulling my jacket from the hanger in my office.
As we made our way out of the office, I couldn’t shake the lingering thoughts about Nora. I had tried to move on, to focus on my family and work, but there were days when the memories crept back in, uninvited, especially now that I was reminded of the family I had lost.
Sometimes I wanted to reach out, but my pride wouldn’t let me. Deep down, I knew I had hurt her so much, and I had no right to start calling her.
I think it’s high time I move on; I’m sure she has. I can’t continue torturing myself because of a past mistake. I’m definitely going to start living my life and forget anything that has to do with her now.
Jake and I drove down to where the party was being held. He kept bantering during our drive down; however, I wasn’t paying much attention.
As we arrived at the venue, a flurry of camera flashes and shouted greetings assaulted my senses. I pasted on a smile, waving to the crowd.
“Welcome, Mr. Raymond.” One of the journalists rushed toward me with cameras flashing lights everywhere.
“Please look over at the camera; I’d love to take pictures of you.” I turned towards the journalist, who looked like she was in her late twenties, with blonde hair tied up in a ponytail.
I turned, smiling at her, and after making sure she got her shot, I strolled into the hall where my birthday was to be held. It was so full of people that it made me wonder if I knew this many people.
“Happy birthday, McLaren!” Turning back, it was my very good friend Joe.
“Joe! It’s been a while; where have you been?” I asked, drawing him into a tight hug.
“Been traveling around with my wife, you know-seeing places and all.”
“That’s true; I’m sorry I couldn’t make it to your wedding.”
“That’s okay; we happened to meet Sandra on our last journey. Told her we were coming to town for your birthday, and she insisted on coming along.”
“Sandra?” I asked, surprised.
“Yes, she’s over there with my wife.” He replied, pointing to a table with two women talking and laughing.
“Everyone should please take their seats as we welcome the celebrant who just arrived.” The moderator of the event called out as I was about to go over to greet Joe’s wife and Sandra.
Everyone’s attention quickly turned to me as an usher walked toward me, ushering me to where I was to be seated. Jake, on the other hand, disappeared immediately when we got down from the car.
The party soon picked up, and I was requested to give a speech, which I obviously hadn’t prepared for.
“It’s a great honor to have you all here to celebrate me. Walking in here, I realized that I wasn’t alone; one way or another, I’m connected to everyone in this room, either as a friend, a colleague, a business partner, or even as a father.” I said, turning towards Jake, who sat at the far end with his friends.
“I’m glad to have this many people in my life supporting me, and I believe, with all your help, I’ll keep bringing Blue Enterprise to greater heights.” I paused for a moment, scanning the faces of the crowd before continuing.
“I know it’s my birthday and I should be receiving gifts, not giving out gifts, but I want to use this medium to introduce to you the newest shareholder of Blue Enterprise, Jake McLaren.”