The Dream

Family

-Zail Danial-

"Thank you everyone for making the first quarter such a huge success this year! Your work doesn't go unnoticed and as thanks, the CEO has announced that everyone is entitled to the week of Easter Monday off under paid leave and wishes that you all get to spend this weekend relaxing and spending time with family and friends! This company strives off of every individual here who makes it what it is, makes it gleam and makes it the best. So, to Royalty! And to our second quarter! Thank you!" 

Carla jumps off the desk as everyone on the floor cheers. That was the fourteenth and last time she'd be doing the announcement that day. Of course, she couldn't do it as the CEO but everyone at this point was used to Carla's other personality taking that role and despite the number of times she's had to do it, every time her voice was of genuine joy and pride. It was true that the first quarter did go exceptionally well for the company but I didn't think that was it. 

Carla had always shown love for her employees, she knew they were the best at what they did, she knew their worth better than anyone else, and she makes sure that everyone else knew that as well. 

Getting this extra paid leave was only one of the multiple rewards that Carla offers her workers regularly. Bonuses were a casual occurrence, any product the company made was free for us, but even more so, the smaller things like birthdays were also taken into account. Carla made sure that everyone got something, it didn't have to be expensive or grand but something on their birthday. These rewards weren't just limited to the headquarters either. She didn't hesitate to treat her factory workers the same way. It was one of the main reasons the board wasn't a fan of her opening a new factory in India but Carla didn't care. 

I asked her why she spent so much on her workers, especially since many other businessmen wouldn't hesitate to save as much money as possible for themselves if it meant being the highest-earning billionaire. When she heard this she smiled, "I can't take money with me when I die but some of these people need the money to live. I don't think it needs any further explaining, does it?" 

It didn't, sure enough, but even so, a part of me felt like she wasn't getting the rewards that she deserved. She must have seen the look on my face though because she carried on. "However even though I may not be the richest," I looked at her confused as her eyes sparkled towards everything around her. "I am the most powerful." 

She made me feel it again. That overwhelming feeling that no one else has been able to make me feel. It surges from within me, spreading from the centre of my chest to the tips of my fingers and the ends of my hair. It made me feel alive. It made the room brighten even more which I didn't know was possible; colours so vibrant. 

The memory of that feeling lingered as I drove home. This easter Carla insisted that I spent time with my family too. My father was no longer in the picture, he passed away when I was young but I guess I did owe a visit to my mother who was living alone now so I agreed to go back for the weekend. 

The relationship between my mother and me was a weird one. On the surface it was fine, she had always made sure that I was well kept, growing up being told to make sure I did my facial routine, brush my teeth two times a day if not more, floss, groom, to look presentable. She made sure I ate well, multiple times a day but all healthy so I didn't gain too much weight. She made me enter multiple clubs and activities as a kid, made sure I had a strict study schedule. She made me grow up to become the best. It's what every mother wants. 

But on another level, there was something painful about being around my mother. Despite my achievements, my jobs, my money, I could never satisfy her. And her, like everyone else, only saw me as what everyone made me. The guy who could never be trusted, the guy who is cruel and has something to hide. I could tell that she was never on my team. Her love wasn't deep.