“Christy, what is it?”
“Well, um…there was one thing…”
A Lucky Game of Rock, Paper, Scissors
An hour later, they sat at the airport TGI Friday’s, chowing down on Philly cheese steaks. Ever since they began their money-raising trek, they found themselves eating as much red meat as they could—steak sandwiches, bloody sirloin, prime rib. Gone were the dainty salads of watercress, red peppers, cucumbers, and carrots. They were warriors who needed meat.
After two beers, the women were still handicapping the outcome. Katherine was sure they were screwed. A proud alpha male like David Baum would never let pass a chance to even the score. Christy tried to be optimistic. Certainly we were all grown-ups here, able to separate love and money, she said.
“Oh, yeah,” Katherine howled. As usual, she regaled Christy with three sordid stories proving her point. The Harvard professor who gave her a B on her business ethics exam because she’d said no to a blow job the night before. The senior partner of a major consulting firm who offered her a plum position, if she’d become his lover, which she did—but as soon as he tired of her, the firm gave her a promotion to their Korean office, which amounted to firing her. The jilted boyfriend who happened to be a client of the next consulting company Katherine joined. He refused to do business with them unless she was taken off the team.
Christy had heard such stories about Katherine from others in New York, but she ignored the gossip. Katherine was a loyal second in command who was excellent at her job. Wasn’t that all that mattered? Until today, she couldn’t imagine how Katherine’s sex life could come back to haunt them. Now she wasn’t so sure. Even her own tepid past might cost them everything.
“There’s just one seat left in first class,” the ticket agent said, looking at her computer.
“I’ll take it,” Katherine volunteered.
“Kath, c’mon. That’s not how we make decisions at Baby G,” Christy said, wagging her finger and laughing despite total exhaustion.
“Fine,” Katherine said. “Ready. Rock, paper, scissors says shoot.” Katherine beamed when she saw that her scissors beat Christy’s paper. “I won!” She looked at Christy, who appeared to be at breaking point. “Take it, Christy. You deserve it.”
“Thanks, Kath,” Christy said, giving her a hug. “Okay, I’ll see you in New York. They’re boarding first class.”
Christy’s phone rang as she stood in line to take her upgraded seat. She jumped for the cell, accidentally elbowing the next traveler, a stoop-shouldered road warrior who looked even worse than she felt. Christy apologized, but he swore at her anyway.
She cupped the phone to her ear and tried to hear over the gate announcements. It was Bill Roche. The moment he started talking, she could tell it was “no.” He was kind, but said that his firm was very collegial and any partner could veto a deal. Apparently David didn’t feel comfortable. Bill said he was sorry, that he was sure they would find their money. Christy’s face crumpled. She wanted to start begging, “No, no, you were our last chance, pleeeaase…”
She didn’t know how she managed to get off with her dignity intact, but as soon as she clicked off the phone, tears began to splosh down her cheeks. It was over. Three years of her life, all her money, people who would have to be fired.
Christy was pissed off. But mostly she was humiliated. How could her sex life, which had seemed almost nonexistent, have hurt the company so badly? People she loved would lose their jobs because she had been too busy to end her relationship like a grown-up. It was unforgivable. Dear God, she prayed, if you could somehow find it in your heart to help me rescue my company, I promise I will never mix business and pleasure again. I’ll devote my life to Baby G and all the employees who depend on me. I’ll swear off men completely. Just please help me save what I worked so hard to build.
Taking her seat, Christy willed herself to stop crying after noticing the stares she was getting from fellow first-class travelers. The iPod-absorbed rapper wearing pounds of bling. The rumpled salesman rushing home for the weekend. The tanned matron with dramatic black hair who probably paid full price for her ticket. Christy felt the force of their collective sneaky glances. Turning to the passenger next to her, who looked like the fatherly type, she smiled bravely.
“Boyfriend troubles?” he asked kindly.
“No, worse. It’s my company.” Christy went on to tell the gray-headed stranger what happened. She had to talk to someone. And odds were, this elegantly dressed executive wearing a gold Rolex and traveling first class would appreciate her plight. “After all that work and sacrifice, it’s come to this. I just…I refuse to believe it,” she said.
“You did your best. Eight out of ten new businesses don’t make it.”
“That’s what my board said when I presented our worse-case scenario. The fact that they accepted defeat so easily just made me try harder. I was so sure I could win this one.”
“I’ve been in business a long time. You gotta know when to walk away. It sounds like you have great experience you can parlay into a job; don’t worry.”
“But that’s the thing, I don’t want a job. I’ve put everything into this.” Her eyes started to well up again, but thankfully, a flight attendant came by and offered water, orange juice, and champagne. Christy helped herself to a glass of bubbly and slugged it down. By the time she turned back to her seatmate, she was in control.
“The frustrating thing is, we were so close. We would have been in the black in two
