This story was written for the event, "Welcome To The New World."
qhml1
came up with the concept. The instruction given was, "
The only parameter is write what you want about a relationship where the woman is very successful and seduced by power."
I interpreted that as, "I'm tired of all the stories where powerful with no morals lure unsuspecting women into debauchery. We should have stories where powerful women get to have just as much fun."
It's possible I'm bad at nuance.
It's a pleasure to be included in a group of my betters and I feel like the guy that crashed the party to be included among the other authors in this event. Please check them out if you are unfamiliar with them, you won't be disappointed.
My job is advertising. That was also true five years ago when I received a tutorial in the fine art of corporate management. I like to think I am very creative. Others seemed to agree, since I'd won awards. What I hadn't done though, is advance through the company. I'd gotten my share of raises and bonuses, but joining management didn't seem like it was on the horizon.
While getting passed over more than once had left me feeling slighted, my younger (by two years) and more impatient wife, Belinda, was angry. We'd had a version of the same conversation since I'd first been passed over for promotion in favor of someone I felt was less qualified.
"Ben, you're 32 years old. You can't just wait for things to drop into your lap. You need to push."
By the way, I'm Ben. Ben Falk. The latest catalyst for this conversation was that one of the team leaders in our agency had just been promoted, and that left an opening. I felt I was the logical choice as a replacement, but I'd felt that way before. Being a team leader was the first step up the management rung.
"It will happen. Even if not this time it will eventually."
"They are going to keep you in creative as long as you let them. You either need to get them to appreciate you or find a company that will."
There was definitely truth to what she was saying. I didn't want to be in the same place in ten years. I hadn't really expected to be in the same place as long as I was. That certainly wasn't what I'd told my wife when we were dating seven years earlier. I had a vision of where I was going to be in the future and had shared that with her.
As I often did, I tried to soothe her by pointing out the positives. "I do make quite a bit of money. We have a nice house, we take vacations and we can certainly afford children. I also am valued there, so my job is relatively secure. That's more than many people we know can say." I sometimes have an uncanny knack for saying exactly the right thing to piss her off at times. This was one of them.
"This nice house we bought so we could start a family? You mean this one?" There was an unpleasant edge to her voice. She kept going. "Those vacations we take where we reconnect because you spend so many late hours at the office when you have a deadline? Those few weeks a year where I get to see my husband for any length of time? Those vacations?"
I didn't have a chance to answer her rhetorical questions because she was on a roll. "These children we've talked about. Should I just go off the pill now and let your little swimmers finally reach the finish line so nine months later I can be in a hospital in labor wondering if you're going to even be there for the birth of our child, or if Pepsi once again needs my husband to rework another Super Bowl ad that they loved the day before?"
Things like that had unfortunately happened too often. I'd think a client was pleased with the end product and I'd have a much needed break from late nights and weekends in the office, only to discover that "just ironing out a few wrinkles" would turn into another month of the same. I certainly got paid a lot of overtime but Belinda did have a point. Some weeks, it seemed I saw my office more than my home. I'd even slept there on occasion.
She was still going strong. "And when the baby wakes up in the middle of the night and I'm exhausted and reach over to ask you to handle it, oh wait! I can't be sure if I can do that because you might be asleep at the office." Sometimes I think that woman can read my mind.
One thing I couldn't stand was to having my wife upset with me, and she was as upset as I'd ever seen her. I had fallen in love with Belinda the moment I met her and that feeling had only gotten stronger while we dated, got married and built a life together. That building seemed to have stalled. I loved bringing a smile to that woman's face.
I just said, "You're right. I'll fix this."
After that I just held her for a while in silence. She didn't ever stay mad at me long. Part of that was that I was so eager to alleviate any concern she ever had. Another part was that whatever she was upset about was usually easily fixed. This one wasn't. It was going to require her to have a faith in my words I didn't even have myself. I did have a reason for optimism though.
I had been specifically requested to go to a meeting in Aspen, Colorado. I saw this as a chance to impress my boss's boss, Madeleine Fairbanks. She was the one who had requested I go to present the creative ideas for a new television ad campaign to a new client. I was the only one from my department going. It would be a chance for me to have some time to present my case for promotion to Madeleine.
I left for Aspen on a Monday and had a return flight booked for Saturday morning. I was there as part of a group to impress a single representative by the name of Jeff Brown. The flight in was uneventful, as was checking into the hotel. Once I got my bearings and got settled, I called Belinda as I always did when I traveled.
"Hey baby, how was the flight?"
"On time both ways," I said.
"Good. Will you get a chance to talk to Madeleine tonight?"
I'd let Belinda know who Madeleine was and how impressing her might be helpful to both of us. "We'll all meet for dinner so we can be on the same page. I really don't know if I'll get an opportunity tonight to talk to her about the promotion."
"Okay baby, I trust your judgment on the timing. Just don't let the week go by without finding an opportunity. Make one if you need to."
I said in my most henpecked voice, "Yes, dear." It was a voice I used from time to time. She always laughed and that call was no exception. I could tell she was still a bit stressed and likely would continue to be until I could say I'd had "that conversation." We talked a bit more and I promised to call her before I went to bed.
At dinner with Madeleine and the rest that night, it went as I had predicted. Well, Madeleine did insist we all call her "Maddy," so I could with some honesty tell Belinda that night I was getting closer to her. Maddy ran though the schedule. Maddy and I were the first ones scheduled the next morning to meet with Jeff Brown, so naturally I'd be in bed early while the rest of the gang could unwind for the evening if they so desired. My evening concluded with a call to Belinda and an exchange of "I love yous."
The meeting with the client seemed to go well, at least from my point of view. Jeff Brown seemed to be impressed with my ideas for the new television campaign. He was at times downright effusive with his praise and reactions. Fortunately Maddy was there to hear every word. She smiled approvingly in my direction. If there was ever a time to sell Maddy on my virtues to the agency, this seemed like it.
