Chapter Thirteen
“All set with the florist?” Mei consulted her spreadsheet and reached for a scallion pancake. The fourth Wedding Wednesday was underway, fueled by a feast of dumplings and sides.
“Yup. They confirmed they’ll have the white ranunculus by our date.” Joey spooned pork dumplings onto his plate. “Photographer?”
“Just sent the shot list. Car service?”
Joey held out his laptop. “Here’s what I chose.”
Mei brightened at the sight of the vintage Checker cab. “I love it.” She pulled him in for a kiss. “Wedding Wednesdays were your best idea ever.”
“Thanks, babe. Wedding planning is fun. Gives me something to do at work.”
Mei set down her chopsticks. “What about your test? Have you studied?” In a week and a half, Joey was going back to Virginia to retake his IT exam.
“Not yet. I’ve been too busy with wedding planning.”
“Joey.” Guilt threatened to ruin her appetite. If only she weren’t so swamped at work, doubling her output to hit the pointless new goals James had set. Then she would’ve been able to take on more wedding planning and help Joey study, like she’d promised.
“Hey.” Joey took her hand. “My exam is my exam. Not yours. I’ll deal with it.”
Mei’s eyes strayed to the chalkboard sign they’d just unwrapped for their welcome table. White script spelled out “Always and forever.” In less than a month, Joey was going to be her husband. She had to trust him. “Okay. You got this.”
“We’ve got this. It’s you and me, my baby.” He pointed to the sign. “Always and forever.”
The corners of Mei’s mouth pulled up, though her stomach flipped.
Even with the excitement of starting a new life together, weddings were also nerve-rackingly final.
No one ever vowed to live in one place, work at one job, or have the same best friend forever and ever.
Why was it normal to commit yourself to one romantic partner?
Behind his silver-rimmed glasses, Joey’s eyes shone with tenderness. Certainty. He had no hesitation promising himself to her for the rest of their lives.
His conviction buoyed Mei. She pressed her lips against his, letting Joey’s warm kiss wash away her momentary qualms.
· · ·
The next evening, Mei settled into the O‘ahu conference room with a tumbler of sauvignon blanc. Since moving in with Joey, she’d been taking her monthly video catch-ups with Kathy at Livin, indulging in the after-hours privacy and free wine.
Her laptop chimed with an incoming call. Mei eagerly clicked the answer button.
“Kathy!” Mei grinned at her best friend’s wide smile.
“Mei! I’m counting down to seeing you at your wedding! So exciting!”
“It’s happening.” Mei shivered for effect. “Kind of surreal.”
“Girl, I hear you. I felt the same way.” Kathy and Luis had gotten married just two years ago.
As Mei regaled Kathy with Wedding Wednesday tales, Luis appeared over her friend’s shoulder.
“Hey, Mei!” Luis called. “I’ll let you two get back to chatting, but just wanted to say hi.”
Mei waved back. “Can’t wait to see you!”
Luis touched Kathy’s shoulder affectionately. Her eyes followed him as he walked out of the room. When she turned back to the screen, she glowed. A twinge of envy surprised Mei. Did she look like that around Joey?
“You and Luis are so cute,” she said. “I can see how happy you are.”
“Thanks, Mei. I never thought I’d find anyone like him, as you know.”
“Oh, I do.” For years, she and Kathy had propped each other up when promising dates went awry and when there seemed to be no appealing men left in New York.
“When we got engaged, one of my aunts was like, ‘Are you sure he’s the one? You don’t think it’s too soon?’ ” Kathy laughed at the memory.
Mei sipped her wine. Kathy and Luis had also gotten engaged after less than a year of dating. “What did you tell her? Did you ever think, ‘Oh yikes, maybe it is too soon?’ ”
Kathy cocked her head. “A few things gave me pause. Luis still has business school loans. He’s always debating whether to stay at his job or find a new one. And the man takes forever to order anytime we go out to eat.”
“Yes! Joey has some weird hobbies, and I wish he were more ambitious at work—”
“But that’s nothing compared to all the upsides of being together.”
“Exactly!”
The glowy smile returned to Kathy’s face. “I’m so glad you and Joey found each other. When it’s right, you just know it.”
Mei swallowed. She held her tumbler up to the screen. “When you know, you know.”
“Cheers to that.”
They took a long sip in unison.
· · ·
The following Thursday, Mei disembarked from a motorcoach on the edge of a massive field.
“Welcome to Livinpalooza!” an event staffer yelled into a bullhorn.
A magnificent balloon arch in Livin’s yellow and white stretched across the entrance. A famous DJ spun sunny pop remixes. Excitement rippled through the air, infecting Mei as she joined the throngs of people streaming through the gates, across the grassy expanse.
Up ahead, a crowd converged. Mei gasped as she approached the spectacle.
Livinpalooza lay in the valley below. Sunshine glinted off the gargantuan main stage.
White geodesic domes, food stations, and rows of tents stretched as far as Mei could see.
Around her, colleagues from all over the world chatted in a multitude of languages.
A thirty-minute hike later, Mei dropped off her backpack at Reflection, her assigned campsite. Then she began the trek to the main stage for the opening ceremony. On the trail, she saw three of her direct reports, Kaden, Bryce, and Tamiko, several paces ahead. She ran to catch up with them.
“I’m so glad you found us!” Bryce said. “There are so many people and the cell phone reception is terrible.”
“Oof, yeah,” Mei agreed. Thousands of Livin employees descending on a rural area had strained the local bandwidth. “Now we can stick together.”
The stage loomed before them. Mei found an empty spot where they could sit.
A slow, pulsating beat boomed through the speakers. Three towering screens flashed to life. A Livin employee with long red hair, identified as “Caroline, 26, Dublin,” spoke directly to the camera. “At Livin, I’m doing the best work of my life.”
Cheers erupted. Mei and her teammates smiled at one another.
Kyoko, twenty-three, from Tokyo, appeared on-screen. “At Livin, I make a difference every day.”
The crowd hollered.
“At Livin, I’m not only living my dream. I’m helping others live theirs, too,” said Rashad, thirty-three, from Chicago. He chuckled and wiped his eyes.
A lump rose in Mei’s throat. She got teary at every Livin event.
The video ran through a hyperspeed montage of Livin employees. Words flashed on-screen: “6 continents. 25 countries. 700 locations. 12,000 employees. 1 epic celebration. Livinpalooza.”
The DJ cranked up the music. A euphoric dance track with a thumping bass poured from the speakers. Cannons exploded with yellow and white confetti.
Through the confetti, a tall figure with flowing locks rose from the depths of the stage.
Clad in dark jeans and a yellow “Livin the Dream” T-shirt, Julian raised his arms and addressed the crowd: “My Livin family! Welcome to Livinpalooza! Who’s ready to celebrate everything we’ve accomplished—and get fired up for where we’re about to go? ”
Mei and her teammates cheered. Julian was clearly referring to the IPO.
“One hundred percent,” Julian said. “Last year, we hired one hundred percent more employees. We opened one hundred percent more locations. This year, we’re going even bigger!
Two hundred percent more employees! And locations!
Next summer, we’re cutting the ribbon on Livin Antarctica. Then we’ll be on all seven continents!”
A rendering of sleek glass buildings in a frozen blue and white landscape appeared on-screen. The audience gasped, then roared with approval.
Julian luxuriated in the applause. “I want to acknowledge that even though we’re making history, none of this is easy.
I see your sacrifices. The late nights. The long weekends.
The time away from your loved ones. If you ever feel like giving up, remember that what you’re building is bigger than you, me, and everyone here.
” He held his hands in a prayer position.
“Now, think back. When you were a kid, what were your hopes? Your dreams?”
Mei’s answer came immediately. She wanted to get the hell out of Queens and find a good job so she, Ali, and her mom never had to worry about money.
“I bet you didn’t have to think hard,” Julian said. “I didn’t. I grew up dirt-poor in rural Arkansas. Still, I dreamed of dipping my toes in the Pacific and walking the streets of Paris.
“I started Livin for all of us who wanted more than life gave us. Maybe you were the only person of color in your town and everyone treated you differently. Maybe you were a woman whose voice was always silenced. Maybe you weren’t free to share your love openly or live as your true self.
Despite your hardships, you never gave up. ”
Tears pricked Mei’s eyes. Around her, people sniffled and nodded along.
“Livin lets people find their place in the world and live their best lives. Now.” Julian paused. “Who’s with me? To the next year of Livin! To two hundred percent growth and beyond!”
Another confetti cannon showered the stage in a blizzard of yellow and white. The DJ blasted a soaring dance track. The crowd hollered and danced along. Mei snapped a selfie with her friends.
Back in her tent that night, she read through the texts she’d received.
Joey: I miss you so much, my baby. I’m counting the minutes until you come home.
Mei laughed and shook her head. Oh, Joey. She clicked the unread messages in her group chat with Ali, Luc, and Alexandre.
Ali: Have fun, Mei!
Luc: Send pics! I want to revel in the ridiculousness.
Alexandre: Enjoy the great outdoors! Not gonna lie—it’s a perfect night and I kind of wish I were camping, too.