My Mom & My Dad

Chapter 14: Trouble at Q.C.

Emily:

The week that followed that disastrous dinner at the Queen mansion was a welcome breather for everyone who had been high-strung that evening. My mom, for one, focused on her job for QC, allotting more than eight hours a day working on her computer at home while I played, napped, and watched TV or DVDs. At least once a day, Oliver had been texting or calling my mom to see how she was doing after what had happened. He knew she was greatly affected by that nasty encounter with his mean mother.

"Hey, babe! Are you doing okay today?" Oliver asked Mom in one of their phone conversations a couple of days ago.

"Well... I've been better," she replied with a slightly indifferent tone. She was chewing on a red pen as she stared at the computer screen vigorously analyzing data for Oliver's company.

"Is this a bad time?" he asked, noticing that she wasn't that much interested in talking. "I can call some other time. Are you busy with something?"

"Yup. I'm busy with stuff for your company."

"Yeah? What about?"

"Oh, just some irregularities with the figures sent by Palmer Tech. Seems to me they've got some numbers wrong in the feasibility study they sent via email. I think this requires your attention. And though I really hate to say this..." Mom hesitated a bit, and then cleared her throat before she continued, "I'm afraid I'm going to have to come in and show it to you... and Ray... before the two of you face the Board for that final presentation that would give the Las Vegas subsidiary a green light."

"I see. Well, I trust you. If it can't be avoided, I'm just going to have to keep an eye on you," Oliver said.

"Keep an eye on me, huh? And how do you plan to do that?" my mom teased.

"Without blinking," Oliver said with a chuckle. "I'm not going to let you out of my sight."

"You know I like that," she remarked with a grin.

"I'm sure you do."

"Mm-hmm... I love you," Mom said sweetly.

"I love you more," he replied.

"Argh! The two lovebirds are at it again," I thought to myself. I roll my eyes even now as I recall it.

Before the conversation ended, I heard Oliver say that he wanted Mom to report to his office Friday morning. Mom agreed, but she asked if she could take me with her. Oliver, of course, said yes.

Stephen:

Meanwhile, the atmosphere at our place was somewhat different. Dad and Grandma were not in speaking terms. They constantly avoided each other. I don't recall a time that week when Dad and I shared a meal with her. He kept himself busy with work at the office and spent the evenings working out in the gym in the same wing of the mansion as our den, or helping me out with homework.

Aunt Thea had also become a bit busy. She started work at QC's human resource department that Monday and came home every night just before dinner, complaining and whining about the work ethics of the employees in her department.

"Ollie, half of the people you've got working in that department don't know the first thing about priorities!" she had said one time at supper. "I hope you'd consider giving me a free hand at this. Give me two months tops to turn them into a well-oiled machine."

My dad gave her a go. He had faith in her. He knew that more than her excellent training in the university and in her internship, she had the determination and the guts to get results.