Laura's Big Win (35 page)

The three fell silent for a moment.
Their operations to date had been very successful, but this new
line was generating profits beyond anything they had encountered,
and with virtually no investment in physical plant assets. It was a
pleasant dilemma, but a dilemma none the less; the whole of the IT
operation rested on the well shaped shoulders of one Laura Nessing,
soon to be Mrs. Ryan Williams. If anything happened to her, things
could go very wrong and very quickly. How much should they tell her
about all this, and would it make a difference in their
relationship? Cal broke the silence.

“Ryan, the obvious aside for a moment,
why do you stay here, really? There’s a ton of companies out there
who would pay you megabucks just to sit in their boardroom now and
then, and you wouldn’t have to deal with day to day operations.
Frankly, you have enough money in the bank for several people, you
could play golf every day, run when you want, go deep sea fishing,
whatever. Why do you stay, and Roger, what are you doing here?
You’re supposed to be retired. Me, I have a growing family to feed
and house, but beside that, why do I show up here every day? Any
ideas?”

“I don’t know about Roger, but I pretty
well started this place and grew with it and just kept going as it
expanded. But, I see what you mean; I’ve never thought about it
that way. I guess it’s because this is what I do, what I truly like
to do. You’re right about the money, and I want for very little
really. I do this because I want to see if I can, and it’s not just
me. You two aren’t exactly starving either, and we have hundreds if
not thousands of people better off today because they work for
Windmere. So, maybe that’s part of the reward too. This whole thing
with Laura, it’s crazy when you think about it. I mean, she really
is Cinderella in a lot of ways. Push come to shove, you two need to
know I’d take a pass on this place before I’d lose her; that’s how
deep it goes. But what about you Roger? You’re being rather silent
all of a sudden.”

“And with good reason. What we’re
talking about, it’s Maslow, isn’t it? I mean, there I was, retired,
plenty of money to live on, solid future doing nothing, but that
was it, doing nothing that counted toward what, a lower golf score?
What’s that worth besides a little bragging? Here, I can direct
traffic, take on a challenge. Hell, just the divorce hearing with
Harry was worth coming to work for, and besides that, I got paid to
do it. Fellas, it doesn’t get any better than that, having fun
doing what you love to do, and getting paid for it. I see what you
mean, Ryan; it isn’t about just the money, and since Laura’s been
here, that has become less important all the while it has been
growing like a weed. You’re right; there’s craziness afoot, but I
love it. Is that where you were going Cal?”

“It is. Sure, I need a job, and with
this place as a reference, I’ve had my share of calls, but there’s
something about this place today that is more like a living
organism than ever before. Maybe we tend to think in terms of
physical plant, and not the people who really are the organization.
Maybe we need to change that. I think you need to at least let her
know how big a part of this place she has become; that would only
be fair, marriage or not. My guess is, she’s into the program like
we are; she’d stay anyway, and besides, Ryan, I don’t think she’s
going to let go of you. So, I think you need to bring her up to
speed; after all, in a month or so, unless you’re holding out on
us, she’s gonna be the boss lady in more ways than one.”

“You’re right. She’s earned a right to
the information, and speaking of that, we will have no pre-nup. I
can see where that could be necessary for some people, but I know
this woman and she knows me; the subject never came up, nor will it
if I have anything to say about it. Okay, I’ll handle bringing her
up to speed. Now, what about a bonus fund for ‘deserving
personnel’. Looks like the kitty is about overflowing. Thoughts on
that subject?”

The three of them massaged the
information a bit, looking at their capital needs for the next
year, estimated cost of property acquisition, an annual stock
dividend, and other things in the big picture of the operation. At
the end of the discussion, subtracting out all the designated
funds, there was still a sizeable amount of revenue coming in
beyond the company’s needs. Based on their experience, there was no
one good way to award the bonus money, so in the end result they
developed a formula with a minimum level so even short term
employees would benefit, while the others would be fairly rewarded.
They agreed there would be no discussion of percentages or things
like that, just an announcement that the checks would be a little
fatter in two weeks. Ryan agreed to talk to Laura about the success
of her IT operations and what it had meant to the company bottom
line, and the other two started moving things along toward the
Saturday meeting.

Later that day when they had a few
minutes alone, Ryan filled Laura in on the discussion about the
success of the IT operation and how pleasantly surprised they had
been. And, because of that, the excess funds would result in bonus
checks for a lot of people who had worked really hard, including
Laura. He concluded the discussion by suggesting perhaps she should
get an even bigger share for all the hard work she had put in to
engender that success.

“Don’t be silly. I’d love a bonus
check, sure, but that’s not why I do this. It’s like, I don’t know,
being something as part of a larger picture, maybe giving away
food, taking in young girls with babies, stuff like that; am I nuts
or something?”

“Nope. You’re great, as expected. Cal
and Roger and I were talking about that this morning, and they said
about the same thing; but, you know why? They say it’s you. You
have become Windmere’s personality, it’s soul so to speak. We would
never have thought to do some of those things you did; Alice would
not have reassessed her life and made a life changing leap like she
did. This place has changed. We didn’t sit there and talk about
what property we could buy next or something we could develop; we
talked about the people that make up Windmere, you know, all
creatures great and small. Roger’s right; the place is alive again,
and so am I, and I love you very much. Would you marry me someday,
maybe the Saturday between Christmas and New Years?”

“I will. You can’t buy me off with a
bonus check either. But come closer and I’ll show you what will
work on…..mmmm….”

The remaining days of the week went
even faster than Monday as plans came together. It appeared they
would have a rather good turnout in spite of the short notice, and
Laura looked forward to meeting some of the people she had only
heard about, the “travelers” Windmere used to conduct their field
operations test services on clients places of business. Mostly,
these were everyday people who had worked their way into a
lucrative and very entertaining good time, for the cost of doing a
little paperwork for the company. It was no secret how Ryan had
managed to come up with a cadre of surveyors; he had simply
approached the members of the local amateur theater company after
he and Mary had attended a performance for an entertaining
diversion one evening. It was simple, he thought, to go from
learning lines for a play and learning essentially the same thing
for a road trip. The theater company was thrilled at the prospect
of paid vacations, plus some badly needed revenue for their small
theater operation. The whole thing was rehersed on weekends at
Windmere itself until the travelers could play their parts with
skill and ease. The diversity of the group itself made it work even
better, and the individuals command of language made their reports
not only readable but more importantly, understandable to clients
in exquisite detail if needed. Because some members were retired,
and some worked different days or hours, Windmere was not limited
to providing their services only on weekends. There was a tendency
of resorts to staff down a bit during the week when there might be
fewer paying customers, and that is frequently when weak points
would best be discovered by the travelers. If nothing else, it was
a very rewarding symbiotic relationship.

Saturday came, and with it more people
than Laura had seen at Windmere since the auto parts deal she had
aced. The mood was very upbeat as people who saw each other rarely
were trying to catch up. Some of the off-site managers had been
able to make the trip in, which delighted the airport manager with
the landing fees accumulating in the register. Even more
importantly, Doris had been right about the food, as usual. Both
Henry and Fernando were kept busy, although those who elected the
“hot” version from Fernando were also seen consuming large glasses
of juice to quench the fire down below after eating. Laura was
introduced to many of the travelers, and to those managers who
could make the trip; she was surprised that everyone seemed to know
a great deal more about her than she knew about them. She surmised,
correctly, that Windmere had few secrets among its
ranks.

Nine o’clock, and with the great room
packed to the doors, Roger started with a general report and some
slides showing the overall progress in operations during the year
in various categories, everything from growth in employment numbers
to growth in actual revenues. He particularly outlined the growth
in vended IT services, and gave Laura all the credit for the new
direction Windmere had taken along with its more traditional lines
of service. Winding things down, Roger took a few minutes to
explain that the unexpected increase in revenue had caused a
serious management planning problem, that is, what to do with the
excessive funds. A number of suggestions were shouted from the
crowd, none impolite or unrepeatable, but Roger kept going.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of dithering, but in
reality was less than a minute, he reported that the funds would be
disbursed in bonus packages during the next regularly scheduled
payday. The applause was deafening, interspersed with a few yells
plus a strange native noise Fernando had been known to emit from
time to time.

Winding down his portion, Roger once
again gained the crowd’s attention. “That about wraps it up for me
for this year, except to say you are a great staff, a great family,
and together we beat hell out of the competition. Truthfully, we
have seen a few competitors arise in the past couple of years, and
die off about as fast. We have added services faster than the
competition can think of them, and this last thing, the IT
services, has them really scratching for something they can
advertise they do better than Windmere does. I believe we are in
this for the long haul, and it’s going to take a Brinks truck to
handle the load. If there is an area of operation in which I have a
concern, it is in the staffing of management here at the home
office. I believe we have hit upon a partial solution to the
retention problem, now that certain staff members are becoming well
known outside of Windmere, and the headhunters are knocking
regularly; isn’t that true Laura?.....So, I give you Ryan Williams
to discuss that issue. Mr. Williams.”

The assembled staff was somewhat
puzzled by this turn of events, but realized these people had a
unique way of making things come out right. And in the process it
was certainly not beyond them to have a little fun. Most were well
aware of the events in Ryan’s life, the loss of Mary, his love of
children, the weight of sadness he carried for a long time. Yet
today, he seemed happier, more cheerful, more like his former self;
many of them knew about the relationship with Laura and how things
were developing, although most were not quite up to date with
things. They also knew that Laura had stepped into the shoes of
Alice Hamilton and wore them well along with her other duties.
There were, indeed, few secrets at Windmere. Ryan stood to address
the assemblage, with as solemn a face as anyone could
imagine.

“My friends, in order to assure the
peace and domestic tranquility…..wait a minute. I think that speech
has been done once. But speaking of domestic tranquility, I find
that working next door to this woman, this Laura person, who of
late has become a real moving force at Windmere, is making life
difficult for me. I find it is nearly impossible to come in here in
the morning and be grumpy all day. Passing her in the corridor
…well ….I just want to turn around and look back. It’s that sort of
thing going on that can disrupt the social structure of an office
so much that it is barely functional. And I find that I need to
leave my office frequently just to look in hers to make sure she’s
still with us. I have discussed this with her at some length in
private, and I believe we have reached an amicable solution. In
short, we have a deal. But, businessman that I am, I would like to
present that deal to the stockholders for your approval. Ms Laura,
please rise”

Laura hesitated at first, wondering
what this man she so loved was up to, but gave in quickly. “Ryan,
what’s going on? What are you up to?”

“Nope, not good enough. Here, up on the
chair.” And placing his hands on her waist, he literally picked her
up and stood her on a chair for all to see. Her puzzlement grew,
but she loved and trusted this man, and if this was what he wanted
to do, well, it was fine with her.

“Okay, can everybody see her now, our
IT guru and princess of the domain? Here’s the deal. Laura, will
you marry me on the Saturday after Christmas, to have and to hold,
and all that, forevermore? People, here’s your chance to vote. What
do you think?”