Her Hamartia

Two

Act One Part Two

Unforseen

Eight years had passed since Jalissa's days at Kentucky State, and life had taken her on a journey of transformation. Settled now in North Carolina, she had carved out a career that both channeled her passion for organization and creativity into her work. Graduating had equipped her with the skills needed to thrive in the competitive world of event coordinating. Some people might be intimidated by a woman in charge, and to those people Jalissa had quite a few choice words for them.

I strode into the conference room, heels clacking, where my team was gathered for our weekly progress meeting. As I took my seat at the head of the table, I could sense several pairs of eyes trained in my direction; good.

"Alright, let's get started," I said, my tone firm and commanding. "We have a lot to cover today."

One of our newer team members, Kori hesitated before speaking up. "First off I would like to start by saying, I think there might be an issue with the budget projections—"

I cut him off with a sharp look. "We've been over this. We need to tighten our clients' preferred expenses if we want to meet their goal targets. Find the solution, and fast, please."

There was a brief silence as everyone absorbed my words. I could see the hesitation in their faces, but I wasn't about to back down. I had a vision for this project, one that steamed directly from our client's wishes and I wasn't going to let anything stand in my way. As a coordinator of over a hundred weddings, there were five unspoken now-spoken rules that I lived by.

Number one. This wedding planner will not tell you that you can't do something.

After a moment, one of our more outspoken team members, Rachel, spoke up. "But, if we cut too much, it might affect the quality of the final product."

I leaned forward, my gaze unwavering. "We can't afford to compromise on quality, but we also can't afford to miss our deadlines. Find the balance, consider it homework." I ended with a wink to Rachel. She shook her head off but I could see the hint of a smirk on her face before she jotted down what I assume were her plans to do exactly that.

Internally I sighed. I'm thankful to have a team that had worked with me long enough to understand the way business functions were conducted within JRE, and that my tone wasn't personal. I hated those kinds of people. There's a time and place, and in the office, time is money. Specifically, our client's money and that is not money to waste.

Weddings serve a great purpose and every single detail of the most important day of a young couple's life is taken into account and just as important as the last. From the reactions of our brides and grooms when they finally get to see their vision come alive. To be able to lift away the stress that can be completely overwhelming.

As the meeting progressed, I continued to assert myself, making it clear that I expected nothing but the best from each member of the team. Some might call it intimidating, but to me, it was just good leadership. As expected, it was just another day at the office.

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NEXT DAY

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As the morning sun filters through the windows of my cozy apartment, I rise with determination, ready to tackle the day ahead. My typical morning routine unfolded like a well-rehearsed symphony, each step executed with precision and efficiency. From my morning yoga session on channel seven to the meticulous preparation of my favorite breakfast, two eggs over medium with wheat toast. Every detail is attended to with care.

As I shuffled through the hallways from the kitchen with my steaming cup of coffee in hand, I settled into my home office. Quaint, modern decoration, natural lighting filtering through the large east-facing window. A series of virtual and in-person meetings await me for the day.