“That simple?”
“That simple.”
She got out of bed and started to pace back and forth across the room.
“Come back to bed, you’ll get cold.”
“I’m just so nervous…Imagine, me having my own ad agency! It should have taken years for me to get this far…”
“Sure, but you have it now. Come back to bed, I don’t want my partner to start missing work because she’s caught a cold.”
She came back to bed and sought refuge in my arms. But she didn’t thank me as I’d hoped, instead falling fast asleep.
As Esther slept, I thought more about my move: risky, yes, but unavoidable if I wanted to keep her tied to me. I had only two options, marriage or work, and I knew she couldn’t resist the latter.
Paul Hard wasn’t surprised when we told him.
“Clever boy. You’ve made a great investment making Esther a partner.”
Our life changed. Esther became obsessed with the business. If she was a workaholic before, from then on it became her sole priority; I even worried she’d work herself sick. But her obsession also allowed me greater freedom, and the chance to enjoy some of the girls who had recently arrived in New York in search of opportunity. But above all I dedicated myself eagerly to Olivia, who as well as being attractive turned out to be an excellent cook.
Two months after Esther had become my partner, I received a call from Maggie.
“You’re going to lose Roy if you don’t come back,” she said by way of greeting.
“What’s happened?”
“Roy is too much for Evelyn and Cooper. And you’ve spent too long in New York. You can’t run a business long distance.”
“Well, Global Communication is in New York too. We’re working wonders here.”
“Well, not so much over here. Or don’t you bother to check the London accounts?”
“We’re covering our costs and we’re making money.”
“Less and less. The clients want you. You’re the monster that made us famous. Cooper’s a good guy and Evelyn’s a clever girl, but that’s not enough, Thomas. You should take a trip back here. And it wouldn’t hurt for you to bring along our new boss. If you have a partner the least you could do is let us have a look at her.”
I talked to Esther. I asked her to come with me to London and she agreed immediately.
“Maggie’s right. New York is going well for us, but we’re letting the other side of the business slide. We could go to London for a week. The sooner the better, because at the end of the month we have to present the Department of Defense our military recruitment campaign.”
“All right, we’ll go tomorrow.”
—
Why was it always raining when I arrived in London? I have no idea why, but it’s been a constant in my life. Even when I’ve traveled there in the summer, the city has always greeted me with rain.
Cooper was waiting for us at the airport. He hugged me as if he were actually fond of me.
“About time! We were starting to worry you’d decided to stay in New York for good.”
“And close the business here,” I added, spelling out his fears.
“Yes, frankly. Evelyn and I had started to think that. The agency belongs to you and…well, you haven’t exactly been too concerned about what’s been going on over here.”
He took us to my apartment. The maid had been looking after it during my absence. I told Cooper we’d see him in the afternoon at the agency. I wanted to introduce them formally to Esther and have an initial meeting with him and Evelyn.
“Roy’s here in London. I think that…well, I think he wants to break his contract with us. He says that you avoid him when he calls—that you put him off and he gets the feeling you’re not listening to him. You should have dinner with him tonight.”
“We’re tired, Cooper. I’ll see Roy in the morning. I’ll call and invite him to lunch.”
“I think it’d be better if you two see him tonight,” insisted Cooper.
We slept for a couple of hours. It was almost midday when Esther woke up. She made coffee while I took a shower.
“Cooper is right, you have to see Roy. We can’t lose him,” she said.
“It can wait till tomorrow,” I replied.
“Roy isn’t the type to wait. It’s incredible that he’s put up with this so far, all those months when you weren’t here.”
“Which means that Evelyn hasn’t been handling things too badly.”
“I don’t doubt that. But Roy is like a big self-centered kid, he needs everyone’s attention. Call him, tell him you’re dying to see him, that you have a surprise for him.”
“What surprise?” I asked.
“Me. I’ll be the surprise. Now I’m your partner, so Roy’s problems concern me too.”
“It would only be a surprise to Roy if I told him that we’ve gotten married and that’s why I delayed my return to London.”
“He’ll have to make do with me being your business partner.”
“For now,” I said, picking up her hand and kissing it.
At three we arrived at the office. Maggie was waiting for us with fresh coffee. She remembered that I didn’t care for tea.
Esther charmed Maggie and Evelyn, but she also didn’t waste a minute in asking Maggie to show her the books.
Over the past months Cooper had brought in a couple of small accounts. Nothing important; just enough, as Maggie said, to cover costs.
“But the agency is dying. If you don’t do something we can’t go on much longer,” my secretary concluded sharply.
Evelyn and Cooper couldn’t help but agree, which worried Esther.
“You’re right. We’ve neglected this side of the business. We’ll remedy that right away,” she said, so firmly that it surprised even me.
Evelyn gave us a detailed report on Roy Parker. The girl was valuable. Pacifying Roy wouldn’t be easy. He was a tricky one to manage.
“The worst part is that I’ve had to fight his electoral committee nearly every single day. I’ll be honest, Thomas, it’s thanks to Bernard Schmidt that Roy hasn’t made any more mistakes than he can afford to. Schmidt and the lawyers know how to put the brakes on him, but they’re insisting that he get rid of you. I think the only reason Roy hasn’t done it is because he likes to feel independent from Jones and Brown, but if they keep pushing, I don’t know…”
“And Suzi?” asked Esther.
“Ugh. A real headache. She does everything she can to annoy Roy. She won’t go anywhere with him. I had to explain to the media that Mrs. Parker prefers a quiet life, and that she has the right to a certain degree of privacy, even if she is the wife of a politician. I told them that Suzi Parker wants her children to have a normal life, to have distance from their father’s work.”
“Good explanation,” I congratulated Evelyn.
“Not that good, but it was the only one possible. The rumors are unstoppable and the Parkers’ cleaning ladies have taken it upon themselves to spread the word that the couple are sleeping in separate bedrooms and barely speak to each other.”
“Sleeping in separate bedrooms isn’t that unusual,” said Maggie, “but not talking to each other at home…”
“Their family problems could harm his chances of getting a seat in London. You know how that county is, total hypocrites. Married couples stay together to save face with their neighbors, and they want the same from their political representatives,” added Evelyn.
“We’ll go to the county. I’ll talk to Suzi,” said Esther.
“Okay, first we have to talk to Roy,” I added.
“Have you called to ask to see him tonight?” asked Cooper.
“Not yet.”
“Do it. He’s furious. I told him you’re arriving today and he’ll never forgive you if you don’t call him.” Worry filled Evelyn’s voice.
We skimmed over the contracts that had been signed. Cooper told us we had two potential clients: one wanted to promote rain boots and the other a n
ew brand of tea. Esther told Cooper to set up meetings with them for the same week. She would meet them in person, and could even give them a couple of ideas for the campaign presentation.
Meanwhile, Maggie reserved a table at one of the most expensive restaurants in London, Pied à Terre in Fitzrovia. When we arrived Roy was waiting for us, and from his expression I guessed he’d already had at least a couple of whiskeys. He frowned when he saw Esther, even seemed irritated by her presence, though he kissed her twice and paid her a few compliments.
Esther asked after Suzi and told him that she was thinking of going to the county to talk to her, if he thought it was a good idea.
“I don’t know what to tell you. I don’t think it’d help. And…well, since you’re Thomas’s partner now what I’ve got to say concerns you too. I think the time has come for a change, for other people to be in charge of my campaign. At the end of the day, Thomas isn’t here anymore. It’s not that I’m unhappy with Evelyn but…Well, that’s how things stand.”
I’d been expecting him to say something like that, so I showed no surprise. Esther didn’t move a muscle either, waiting for me to reply.
“I understand, Roy. If you don’t need us anymore you’ll be making the right choice in getting rid of us,” I said, so decisively that even Esther couldn’t help but look at me out of the corner of her eye.
“I’m glad you’re taking it well. I hope we can stay friends.”
“So who will take care of your business?” I asked, as if it didn’t mean that much to me.
“Schmidt convinced me that I’m a sucker to pay for a service that Brian Jones and Edward Brown give me for free.”
“Well, I wouldn’t say your communications agency does anything for you for free. Though I understand why it suits them better to have you fully under their control. You’re not an easy guy, so this way they’ll make sure you don’t go off the rails. Smart move. Congratulate them for me.”
I knew that my words would get on Roy’s nerves, even if he wouldn’t admit it—at least not yet.
“I don’t think they’d be interested in anything you have to say. The lawyers have gotten sick of you. So has Schmidt.”
“The feeling’s mutual. But let’s leave that there and you tell me how things are going. You matter to me outside of work, you know.”
Roy spent the rest of dinner droning on about his difficulties getting a seat in Parliament.
“The London papers don’t usually pay me any attention. Of course that doesn’t matter to the lawyers. Their main concern is that I keep defending to the county any matters that have to do with their interests or their friends’ interests,” he concluded, as if this were news to me.
“Of course, that’s why they backed you. Have you forgotten? They move you about as they please, and when you’re no good to them anymore, checkmate. That’s how politics is. That’s why I advise you to firm up the structure of the Rural Party, and work to win more councils in the next election. I’m guessing your party will put other candidates forward for the general elections. That would be a huge step ahead, it would secure your positions.”
“Yes, we have the candidates already. Schmidt has given instructions to the electoral committee about how to run the campaign.”
“Great, so things couldn’t be going better for you. My friend, I’m so satisfied to see that you no longer need me.”
Esther was listening to all this; she had barely said a word. She was aware that this game had only two players: Roy and myself.
“I’m surprised you’re taking this so well, me letting you go…The last time we saw each other you practically begged me not to break with you,” he said sullenly.
“Of course we’d prefer to keep you as a client, but there’s a beginning and an end to everything. It’s obvious that you don’t need us, nor do we need you. I’ll be honest—thanks to Esther things couldn’t be going better in New York. We’ll keep the office in London, but our business is over there, so it actually suits me that you’re letting us go. You cost us more than you pay us.”
“Well, that is a surprise! Do I owe you something, Thomas? How could you have the nerve to say I’m costing you money?”
“That’s how it is, Roy. You had exclusive use of Evelyn, and that girl is very good. If she no longer has to be dedicated to you she can focus on other clients, ones who will be more profitable for us and won’t take up all of her time. It comes down to math.”
“She does know the county well…She even gets on all right with Suzi,” admitted Roy.
“Yes, that’s true. But let’s leave work talk for now, Roy. Esther and I are exhausted. Like I told you over the phone, we got into London first thing this morning and we’ve only had time to rest for a couple of hours. We need to sleep. We have a lot to do over the next few days. Cooper isn’t dumb and he’s managed to line us up a few prospective clients.”
Roy insisted we stay for another drink, but I remained firm. It was my way of showing him that he was no longer important to us. If Esther hadn’t been there, Roy would have thrown some insult at me. I kept up my indifference, but I was starting to feel it in the pit of my stomach. I was waiting for Roy to make his move. He did it as we were saying goodbye.
“Perhaps it would be a good idea for you to come up to the county for a couple of days. Suzi has always gotten on with Esther…”
“Yes, that would be wonderful, but we won’t have the chance. Some other time,” I said.
“Is it that easy to break with a friend?” he asked me bad-temperedly.
“Break with a friend? I don’t know what you’re talking about, Roy. As far as I know we haven’t broken our friendship, we’ve only decided to stop working together. That’s what you wanted to tell me this evening, wasn’t it? Well then, now it’s said.”
“You’re a real bastard, Thomas!” yelled Roy.
“I don’t understand. Where is this coming from?” I replied, looking at my watch and stifling a yawn.
“You’re going to leave me alone in the lion’s den,” he said sadly.
“No doubt you’ll be in good company. The lawyers are your mentors, listen to them.”
“That’s what they want!”
“Come on, Roy, don’t get upset. You’ve always known what Brian Jones and Edward Brown are like. Of course they want to control you. But you’re old enough to know how much you’ll let them get away with.”
“Evelyn used to draw the line. She warned me about the dangers when they tried to insist on me doing certain things…”
“Yes, that was what you paid us for. But you can figure all that out without us. Come on, Roy, we’ll talk another time, maybe on our next trip. But now we’re really exhausted and we have other clients to see tomorrow.”
We said goodbye, leaving him desolate. Roy had expected me to battle to keep him as a client. He wasn’t anticipating my agreement.
“You’ve made him think he doesn’t matter to you.” Esther was amazed by my behavior.
“Yes, it’s our only option to make him change his mind.”
“You’re such a cynic!”
“What would you have done? If we’d asked him to reconsider his decision to leave our agency, he’d have strutted around like a peacock. Roy likes to think that he’s in charge. Showing him that we don’t care is our best bet to win him over.”
“Do you think he’ll call?”
“In a couple of days, no later than that I would think.”
“I hope you’re right, or the London accounts won’t stack up. Cooper doesn’t seem to have achieved many great things in your absence.”
“He’s a good boy, decent, but he needs someone to guide him,” I admitted.
“We’ll have to find someone else if we want London to work out—especially if Roy doesn’t call. You know something? You almost had me convinced that we don’t need him.”
“It’s a game of poker. He was the one who wanted to cheat but in the end we were the ones who cheated him.”
“You
’ve got the balls for poker. If the advertising gig doesn’t work out for us you could always turn to the casinos.” She laughed.
—
It didn’t take Roy a couple of days to call. He called first thing the next morning. I was shaving when Esther came into the bathroom with my cell phone in her hand.
“We’ll have dinner tonight, but alone. My treat,” he said, without even saying good morning.
“It’s six thirty in the morning. I’ve got a meeting at eight, another at ten, a lunch and—”
“Cut the bullshit! Are you really going to say no to dinner with me?”
“Come on, Roy, as soon as I get to the office I’ll tell Maggie to draw up a new document. Then the lawyers can cut me loose once and for all. I won’t charge a penny for that, so don’t you worry.” I knew that my words would further frustrate him.
“Oh, how generous! Do you really think they were going to pay you to be sacked?”
“Could be. But now you know I have no intention of claiming anything. I don’t have time to talk about what a nice morning it is. We’ll speak soon, Roy.” I hung up the phone.
“You play hardball,” said Esther, looking at me with admiration.
“I hope I haven’t gambled away the rest of our chances,” I said, very aware that Roy might not react exactly how I wanted him to.
The cell phone rang again. This time I answered.
“Seven at Madame Agnès’s. It’s the only place in London where we can talk without anyone bothering us. And don’t tell me no, or I’ll come looking for you if I have to.”
“I can’t, Roy. I can’t leave Esther alone for a—”
“Of course you can! You don’t want to come with me to the best whorehouse in London? At seven, Thomas—you owe me.”
“What exactly do I owe you, Roy?”
“Wouldn’t you say we’re friends? Well then, nobody would turn down a drink with a friend.”
I sighed resignedly, and stayed quiet a few moments before replying.
“All right, Roy. One drink, just one drink. I’ll be there at seven.”
I hung up the phone, relieved. Roy was full of surprises.