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“Thanks, Val. You know, I never even considered that my mom might be lonely. Damn, no wonder she continues to talk to my brothers about getting married.”
Once we get home, I turn to Val.
“I meant it when I said thank you. I think she is lonely, and I could kick myself for not recognizing that fact.”
“Chase, you’re a good son. It’s not like she mentioned it to you. And now that you and your brothers know, you’ll do something about it.
Eighteen
Val
I have another meeting scheduled with Ellen.
“Have you heard anything, Ellen, about our project?”
“No, Val. It’s been eerily quiet around here. Dave has been in his office every day, and the rest of the team continues to work on the camera imaging software. They are making great progress, by the way. We’re actually ahead of schedule for a change.”
“That’s good. I came in because there’s a board meeting scheduled. I appreciate the team’s assistance with the data they put together. I know the board will back me if they are shown all the facts and statistics around this new software.”
“Well, you know I’m behind you. We were all excited about the stats. Does the data we gathered offer enough information?”
“Yes, that plus the information I gathered. I also hired an impartial outside third party to pull statistical information. So, wish me luck.”
At three o’clock, I make my way to the boardroom. I look down at my outfit and smile. This is my version of a power suit. I’m wearing form-fitting black slacks and a deep red shirt. My lipstick exactly matches my shirt.
I nod to the other board members as I enter the boardroom and make my way to my seat.
My uncle will sit at the head of the table as CEO. My seat is directly to his right.
I place my notes in front of me and then the copies that I have printed for everyone. I also have a PowerPoint presentation prepared and ready to show on the overhead projector. I’m prepared for this meeting, and I think my confidence shows.
“I now call the meeting to order,” I listen as the minutes for the last meeting are read, and then the meeting begins.
My uncle gives his prepared presentation. I notice that it is all about how much money other companies have made with gaming software. I don’t think he made that much of an effort to back up his claims, probably because he thought my project wouldn’t get the necessary backing.
“Valentina, I believe you have a presentation and update for all of us as well?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
“I’ll turn on the overhead projector so you can see my presentation. Once I’m done, I’ll be glad to answer any questions you may have. Also, I have pamphlets here for you to take with you.”
I hear a soft murmur at my words.
“As you can see, my presentation is on the new camera imaging software that I and my team have been working on.”
I continue with my slide presentation, which shows projections of software demand and sales. Then, I compare it to a well-known gaming software. I end my presentation with the data from the third-party software. It shows the projection of the security imaging software compared to gaming software over the next five to ten years. Then I turn on the lights and ask if there are any questions.
The first person to ask is my uncle.
“Valentina, I must say these numbers do look impressive, but only if you can deliver the software on time. Could you please give your progress update on the new software?”
“Certainly. If you look at the papers I have prepared for you, you’ll see that my team is ahead of our target deadline.”
“Valentina, I think there may be some sort of mistake. We wanted an update on everything. What about the problem you had a few weeks ago with the imaging recognition?”
“The update is near the bottom. It shows when we discovered the root cause of the problem and the subsequent successful testing confirmed that there is no longer an issue. As you can see from the report, my team is ahead of schedule.”
My Uncle Victor remains seated, but I can tell by the sour look on his face he is displeased with my response.
