“She’s presenting a business plan?”
“According to Rami.”
“The company commissioned Bain to work with us on that. I initiated the project. She’s holding it out as her plan?”
“She admits Bain was involved in devising the strategy. She claims it was Bain’s recommendation that you become chairman and allow a different kind of leader to take over the day-to-day.”
“Those traitors.”
“I talked to Warren and Rami at length. Neither is convinced that it’s time for you to go. I’m meeting with Peter Thomas and Judith Maslin later. Let me plant doubts in their minds. You need to call a board meeting for tomorrow afternoon. We can’t let this drag on.”
“I’ll arrange it. And Niles, thank you for everything you’re doing for me. I should have listened when you recommended against making Katherine COO. You were right.”
“Unfortunately, Christy, most of the things one needs to know in business are learned after the fact, and at a big price.”
Behind Co-op Doors
Renata’s caregivers gathered in the library for an emergency session to discuss the incident at Stephanie Rich’s house. The following individuals were present: Nectar Freedom, nanny; Dr. Ruth Perlmutter, psychiatrist; Eve Hamilton, family assistant; Junior Fritz, driver; Yok Wah Lim, cook; Cynthia Rodriguez, maid; Leo Morgenstern, academic tutor; Jake Cross, new PE tutor. Renata eavesdropped from the closet.
“Dr. Perlmutter, did you have a chance to talk to Renata?” Christy asked.
“Just for a minute. And as you know, everything Stringbean tells me is privileged.”
“She doesn’t want to be called Stringbean anymore,” Christy said.
“Yes, I think she does,” the doctor said.
“No, really, she doesn’t. So please don’t call her that.”
“Fine. Everything Re-na-ta tells me is privileged. So I can only say that if she was engaged in the behavior of which she’s accused, it would be perfectly normal for a child of her age—”
“Well, what she tells me isn’t privileged,” Nectar interrupted. “She told me that Stephanie has her strip naked every time she goes to that child’s house. And she also told me that Stephanie gave her the heart necklace as a symbol of their friendship. Renata didn’t steal nothing from nobody.”
“When I drove her home from Stephanie’s, she was inconsolable,” Junior Fritz added. “We can expect her to regress after this.”
“Excuse me, I’m the psychiatrist here,” Dr. Perlmutter said.
“You don’t need to be a shrink to know that being called a nympho by your best friend’s mother will cause a trauma,” Junior Fritz said.
Yes, he’s right, especially now, when I’m so impressionable, Renata thought. What is a nympho exactly?
“I agree with Junior, Dr. Putter. In fact, I have Renata in the back right now vacuuming all the rugs in the house. Vacuuming is excellent therapy for her,” Cynthia said.
“That’s Perl-mutter,” the doctor clarified. “And I don’t think you’re qualified to know what is and isn’t good therapy for the child.”
“What-ev-er,” Cynthia said.
“May I interrupt?” Jake Cross said.
“Excuse me, but have we met?” Christy asked, appraising the stranger in gym shorts for the first time.
“Oh, he’s Renata’s tutor for the Presidential Fitness Test,” Eve said.
“She has a tutor for the Presidential Fitness Test?” Christy said. “Don’t you think I could have tutored…trained her for that?”
“Well, yes, if you had time,” Eve said. “I just didn’t think—”
“Excuse me,” Jake said. “May I—”
“Not now,” Christy said. “I want to get back on track here. Nectar, did Brownie call her a nympho to her face?”
“Not to her face. But as we was getting in the car, she told me never to bring my little nympho to her home again. Renata would’ve had to be deaf not to hear that.”
“I heard it,” Junior said. “And I am deaf in one ear. Too many Grateful Dead concerts,” he explained.
“May I say something?” Dr. Perlmutter said.
“Of course,” Christy replied.
“I recommend that you triple her therapy. If I don’t see her every single day, I cannot take responsibility for the consequences.”
That did it for Christy. “Dr. Perlmutter,” she said, “you should be ashamed. Just leave us. You’re fired.”
Dr. Perlmutter gasped, then sputtered like a car that was about to break down.
From the closet, Renata could hear the door slam as the doctor exited in a huff. She jumped up and did her patented secret-agent dance, the one that only highly trained spies knew how to do because it required such talent. In her head, she sang, “Go Christy, go Christy, you’re m’ hero, go Christy.”
“…there’s only one thing this child needs, and that’s attention from her mother,” Nectar was saying.
Renata stopped dancing. By “mother,” does she mean Christy? she wondered.
Eve spoke up. “But Nectar, Christy and Renata bond regularly. I should know. I schedule those moments. And I’ll bet you sometimes connect with Renata spontaneously, too, don’t you, Christy?”
“Yes, well, sometimes.” Christy nodded. “And I think I could find the time to train her—”
“Add that to the attention you and the committee provide, Eve interrupted. She was on a roll. “Renata gets as much love and devotion as any other privileged child, based on what I’ve seen from the kids in her class.”
“Mmm-mmm-mmm. Eve, a child can’t be raised by a committee. Don’t matter how expert they are.” Nectar grabbed a pen and a napkin. “Christy, here’s my letter of resignation. I love that child too much to be part of this abomination.” Then she stood up and walked to the door. “‘Good night. Good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow!’”
Stop her, Christy, stop her, Renata begged silently from the closet.
Christy ran after her. “Wait, Nectar, please. Don’t abandon me now.”
“I’m sorry, Christy, but I can’t stay.”
Christy asked Nectar
