Chapter Eight

Because I have loved life, I shall have no sorrow to die - Amelia Burr

Chapter Eight

The investors were very impressed.

“Wow, James, you didn’t mess around with finding a sellable product,” said one of the investors. James thought he looked a little bit too perfect. His hair was perfect, his smile was perfect, his clothes were perfect. It was incredibly likely he was a serial killer, James felt. However, he had deep pockets and was pleasant enough to deal with, so James made a point to stay cordial.

“Well, I want to make the world a better place, like every one,” James said.

“I think you’ve succeeded,” said another one of the investors. This one usually wore ill-fitting suits, and clearly cut his hair at home. His pockets were deeper still.

“Thank you,” James said.

“So how much money is it going to take for you to make us all incredibly rich?”

James didn’t miss a beat.

“I think we’ll need five million to market the drug and get production underway,” he said. He did his best to maintain a poker face, but underneath he couldn’t believe he’d actually just asked for five million dollars.

“Done.”

James broke out in a huge smile. “Well, it’s good to be doing business with you. I think we’re going to make the world a better place, and make ourselves a heck of a lot of money.”

“We think you’re right, James. That’s why we’re investing in your product, of course. I recommend you get to work.”

“It’s already underway,” James said. It was too. He’d spent the rest of the Saturday night after his close call with Death working on a marketing plan and all of Sunday working on finding a production facility that could manufacture the drug for them. He’d slept for four hours on Sunday night, then woke up and started preparing for the meeting with the investors.

It seemed his work had been worthwhile.

The investors stood, and James stood with them. He walked with them to the front door of the office.

“Good luck, James. Keep us updated with your progress,” said the investor in the bad suit.

“Yeah, and try not to go too crazy celebrating tonight,” said the perfect-looking investor.

“No promises on that one, but I’ll definitely keep you up to date,” James said, smiling. He planned, honestly, to go completely nuts as soon as their car was out of sight.

The investors drove off. As soon as their car had turned the corner, James pumped his fist and yelled “YES!”

He ran back into the office and told the staff to stop working, they were getting pizza to celebrate and calling it a day. He picked up one of the phones and called a nearby pizza joint. He ordered far too much pizza, and far too many two liter bottles of soda.

He went to Jill’s office. She had her door shut, and had not heard his announcement, apparently. He knocked on her door and popped inside.

“We did it!” he said.

“Really? That’s fantastic!” Jill said.

“I know! Come out and celebrate with the rest of us!” James said. He looked at her, smiling up at him and felt an adrenaline surge rush through him. “And, maybe after the celebration here, you and I can go get a steak and a martini and properly celebrate our success.”

“That would be wonderful,” Jill said. She got up, and the two of them went out to party with the office staff.

#

James took Jill to Maxine’s, a local steak establishment. They’d been in business since the early sixties, and the decor had not changed since then. The walls were covered with red satin wall paper, and the booths were all black. The lights were very dim.

The waitress brought their martinis, and took their order.

“So, some day, huh?” Jill asked him.

“You wouldn’t believe how incredible it’s been if I told you.”

“I guess not. You seem like a whole different person,” she said. She took a sip of her martini and licked her lips.

“Really, how’s that?” James asked.

“I don’t know. You seem more confident, I guess. Determined. Maybe even a little driven,” she said. “It’s a good change.”

“Well, I guess I realized I need to make the most of every day,” James said. Because I’ve only got five and a half of them left and I don’t want to waste my time on things that suck right now, he thought.

“Seize the day, huh? I like that,” Jill said.

Two hours later, James and Jill arrived at her house. James walked her to the door of course.

“Well, what a fantastic day you’ve had,” Jill said. “I’ve had a hell of a day too. Sudden success at work, two lovely celebrations, how could this evening get better?”

“That’s a good question. Suppose we go inside and discuss it in greater depth?” James said.

“Ho ho! You’ve turned into quite the go getter over the weekend, James.”

“I just know what I want, and I think I know how to get it,” James said.

“Well, why don’t you come inside then and tell me some more about what you want?”

Jill opened the door and led James inside. James looked around, and was impressed with Jill’s home. It was tastefully decorated in the latest styles from Ikea. Everything was in it’s place, and there were only a few items laying around to let anyone know someone actually lived there. He felt mildly ashamed of the incredible mess waiting to greet him when he got home. His furniture was mostly from thrift stores, except for the items he’d seen on the side of the road with a sign indicating they were free to anyone who would haul them away.

“I never go in this room,” Jill said. “The rest of the house is a disaster. Do you want some coffee?”

“That would be great,” James said.

“Why don’t you have a seat on the couch? I’ll get some coffee going and be right in.”

James went into the unlived-in room and had a seat. He noticed there was no television in the room. There was a small bookshelf filled with paperbacks.

Jill came in carrying two cups of coffee, and sat next to him on the couch.

“So, what brought on your sudden burst of motivation? I half-expected you to show up late again for the meeting with the investors this morning,” Jill said.

James took a sip of the coffee. It was perfect. He wasn’t exactly sure if the coffee was good because it was well made, or because of the days events, but he was certain it was the best coffee he’d ever had.

“Well, you probably wouldn’t believe me if I told you. Let’s just say that I finally realized that none of us knows how long we’ll be here, so it’d be good to make the best of the time we have.”

Never mind that I know exactly how much time I’ve got left, James thought.

“So a good use of time is to succeed in business? Ask pretty girls out?”

“Well, asking pretty girls out is always a good use of one’s time. Maybe the best. But I don’t want to succeed in business. Well, not anymore. Success will be a pleasant side-effect, I think. I just want to finish a great work. Leave something behind that means something, you know? The world can be a better place, but someone needs to make it a better place. Why not me? Why not anyone?”

Jill had a sip of her coffee. James watched her lips, and was rather jealous of her coffee mug.

“So you’re not just doing this for the money? I mean, we are talking about millions of dollars.”

“No. What good is money after you’ve got food, clothes and a place to sleep? Everything else is just a marker to let you know how well you’ve played the game. You can’t bring it with you. It doesn’t really help anyone if you leave it to your kids; they just end up spoiled, bored, and self-absorbed. I’d rather make a real contribution. Be remembered for being great.”

“I had no idea you were such an idealist, James.”

“All I can say is I had a hell of a weekend,” James said.

“I guess. Will you excuse me a minute?” Jill said. She stood and left the room. James watched her go. He’d noticed she usually looked good at work, but wow, were those pants doing a good job of reminding him he was a woman. He started to feel a little warm.

James had some coffee, and had started to wonder if Jill was ever going to come back when she did.

In a floor length silk robe. The silk clung to her in a way that left very little to James’s imagination.

“So I believe you told me you know what you want, and how to get it. Would you like to come into my study and elucidate?”

James forgot all about the amazing coffee, and followed Jill to her bedroom.