I was in the office early, as was everyone else. It was given that we would all be in to go over the day. Arthur, the MD, let me talk first.
I thanked everyone for their dedication, perseverance and help over the last week. “We have this,” I said confidently.
Arthur thanked everyone and reiterated how much this meant for the company going forward. The mood was so upbeat. We all felt nothing could go wrong.
I had a long talk with Arthur after we broke into our separate groups, the next acquisition ready to be reviewed.
He thanked me profusely for my help and insight. He wanted another meeting with me after the signing. I was hoping I knew what it was all about.
At half-ten, the other party came in and, after the formalities we sat down and I laid out our proposal, which their board had seen and hopefully, approved. They were obviously impressed with what we had put together and eagerly signed, over vintage champagne. We had done it! We all breathed a bit better now.
Arthur and a few of us would meet them later for lunch but, for now, we all shook hands with the obligatory, “So pleased we’ll be working together.” Arthur called me into his office.
Here goes, I thought.
“So. Tom. I cannot tell you how impressed we all are with how you’ve dealt with this project. The board has asked me to ask you, what do you want? You can return to London, but we’re hoping you’ll come back here and help us through this new transition. We’d really like you back here, though. We all understand the relationships you’ve developed in London but we could use your expertise here. Our investment in you has paid dividends already. Your future is secure in either place, okay? Do you need to give this any thought or…” he asked.
“Actually, Arthur, I have. I have given it a lot of thought. I love London. I like being at the centre of what we are developing there. I see a wonderful future there, but…I miss Chicago and my family, too. I’d like to go back to London and finalize a transition back here. It would only take a few weeks at most. When I return, I’m more than happy to train someone up on our European operations if that will help. I’d also be happy to split my time between Chicago and London. I want this to work for both of us, okay?”
“Interesting, Tom. I wasn’t quite expecting that,” he smiled. “If this is important to you, Tom, then I’ll make certain the board knows, okay? We’d love to have you back here permanently but I can see how much this means so, let me see what I can work out.”
“I have a meeting set with Martin Russell for tomorrow. Do you know him? He’s huge in commercial property. I haven’t seen his portfolio yet, but I’m anxious to see what holdings he may have in Europe- if any.”
“Martin? Yes, I’ve heard the name, of course, but have no dealings with him. I like what you’re thinking, Tom.”
We shook hands and I went back to my office. I went to my desk and called Chrissie to tell her the good news.
“Chrissie,” I said somewhat cryptically. “I coming home!” and she squealed. “Everything went so well. The company gave me a choice, here or London. I chose you. Now, it’s a bit more complicated than that, but please, with whatever happens, I’m thinking of us, okay? I’ll fill you in on the details later. Catch up soon, darling. Love you. Bye for now.”
Chrissie was ecstatic. I could even hear Emily in the background shrieking with Chrissie. I smiled.