“Why are you crying? Who is on the phone, Kenya?” Her mother stood up, her words coming out in a hiss. Her eyes blazed, and she looked ready to fight whoever was making tears stream down her baby’s face.
“Thank you for sharing that, Mr. Bluestone.” She swiped at her eyes. “Are you telling me if we were to hold the convention the Bellon Group wants to facilitate, you would like to be a part of it?”
“I’ll do you one better. If they end up not working out, my company will host it ourselves. How ’bout that?”
After several more words and promises to follow up, Kenya hung up and pressed the phone to her chest.
“Oh no,” she moaned, closing her eyes.
Her mother rushed over. “Who was it? What happened?”
Kenya laughed. “This means I actually didn’t fail. Somehow, in spite of my flawed designs, I’ve done something right.” Her laughter died down as she considered Althea’s offer.
“And now I don’t know what to do.”
34
SOLOMON FIGUREDfrom the silence and stilted conversation that had permeated their Sunday dinner that his parents had something serious to talk to him about. They had come together to share renewal details, but the conversation had swirled awkwardly around politics, the weather, and client requests until his father said, “Son, we need to talk.”
Thank goodness they were finally ready to break the ice so they could bring whatever was bothering them out into the open. He would have plenty more to add.
Solomon rubbed his hands on his slacks, surprised at the amount of sweat that had accumulated.
“We need to talk to you about your girlfriend.”
They’d gone in for the kill. Nneka’s fork paused in midair. Simon cleared his throat, pressing his fist against his mouth as he waited, his eyes downcast.
But Solomon needed to shift the attention. What they were fighting for and concerned about didn’t even matter now that he’d failed his test. He thought passing it would be proof enough that he didn’t need to rejoin the family business. But now he didn’t have anything to prove. He had to stand on his feet and speak honestly. Isn’t that what Kenya had shown him all this time?
“Before we talk about her, I need to say something.” Four sets of eyes turned to him. His father probably didn’t appreciate the interruption to whatever speech he had prepared.
“I failed my NPTE test.”
His mother gasped. His father’s eyes widened, although he didn’t look too disappointed. Almost relieved.
“Ahh.” He sat back and crossed his arms. “That is unfortunate, but it only proves why you should have continued in business and earned your MBA instead of that degree. Now you truly have nothing hindering you from joining the office.”
“Dad, I think we can manage,” Simon said.
Solomon looked at his brother. Things really had changed. He glanced back at Nneka, who gave him a knowing smile. Her words came back to him. This wasn’t the time to engage in further pride and tell his father what he would not be doing. He needed to approach in humility and share his heart with gratitude for where he came from.
“Simon, it is time for both of you to step into place at Fayson Incorporated. I have been waiting for the day to see my whole family working together for the business.”
Solomon raised his hand, not so much in surrender but in supplication. “But Dad, Mommy ... we are in this together. We are with you. Just because we are not in the office does not mean we don’t carry what you have done with us. And I do plan to take the test again, in January. As I think on it more, it is the grace of God. There was too much going on for me to focus. Many areas I needed to process.” He pressed his fist to his chest.
“What do you mean?” His mother peered at him above her glasses.
“Is it about this woman?” his father asked.
“It is about her and everything,” Solomon admitted.
His father pressed his pointer finger to the table. “Son, you must always think strategically. Who you are with matters to what we are doing.”
“Yes, Father, I’m aware, and Kenya sees strategically as well. She pulls everything together and finds a solution forward. She doesn’t just settle on ways to maintain the past!”
Even as he spoke, realization came in like a light flooding his brewing thoughts. Rays of sun shot through the stirring storm until only wisps of shadow remained.
It was time to stop maintaining the past. It was time to stop maintaining the plans that no longer served him or seemed to serve God very well.
