Team,
I had a family emergency come up and will be out of the office this week. Hoping to be back by Friday, but I’ll keep you posted.
I have complete confidence in you all to hold things down while I’m gone. Keep pushing on the timelines we discussed, and flag anything that truly can’t wait.
I’ll be checking email periodically, and if something urgent comes up, you can reach me on my BlackBerry.
Thanks,
E
I sent it and closed the device.
Almost immediately, it buzzed in my hand.
Beth.
Just one line.
Take care of your mom. We’ve got this.
I smiled, tucked the BlackBerry into my pocket, and headed back inside.
There was work to do.
Just not the kind that came with meetings or metrics.
This week, my priorities were right in front of me — cracked tile, tired walls, and a woman in the kitchen who’d given me everything she had.
And for once, the office could wait.
I worked thirteen hour days-straight, radio loud enough to rattle the windows. I moved between projects like a machine—bathroom to kitchen, kitchen back to bath—never waiting around for anything to dry.
The work kept my head clear.
While mud cured, I jackhammered tile.
While grout set, I sanded cabinets.
By Monday afternoon, I’d pulled over on my second supply run and hired three guys waiting under the overpass. No questions asked. Just work. They needed it. I knew that look.
By Wednesday night, the house didn’t smell like old grease and lemon cleaner anymore. It smelled like paint and sawdust and something new.
Ma hovered while the cabinets dried, arms crossed, trying not to smile.
“You’re not going back to cleaning offices at night,” I told her again.
She bristled. “Ethan?—”
“No,” I said. “That’s done. If you want to work, it’s daytime. When I’m at work.”
She hated it. I could tell.
But by Thursday morning, she was pulling on a cardigan and telling me she was “just going to check something out.”
When she came home, she was glowing.
“The library,” she said. “They need someone part-time. Book returns. Cleaning. Sign-in sheets. They don’t expect me to know the computers.”
