Chapter Nineteen #3
She’d planned to take the train up after work on Wednesday.
But from the moment she opened her laptop, one issue after another appeared.
The marketing automation server was down and Mei couldn’t review any email proofs.
The DJ they’d hired for the Paris event had pulled out.
The subtitles in the launch video had a typo.
The signage for the Rio event used the wrong shade of yellow.
At six that evening, Mei dashed off a text to her family.
Swamped with Livin emergencies. I’ll come up tomorrow morning.
She tossed her phone in her bag, then worked through the night, only pausing for a quick nap at three a.m.
Mei awoke at five. Luckily, no other country was off for Thanksgiving. Her European colleagues were well into their day. Mei messaged her teammates there and got to work. James’s remarks echoed in her head: With Erika’s leadership, we can finally show the world what real brand marketing is.
Well, I’ll show YOU, Mei thought. This Livin Your Dream campaign was their biggest one yet.
They’d painted shipping containers Livin yellow, turned them into Livin-style common rooms, and dropped them in the middle of major shopping cities, like New York, London, and Hong Kong.
Starting tomorrow, people could visit the faux Livins to listen to local DJs, sip free cocktails, eat hors d’oeuvres, and enter to win free stays at Livins around the world.
They had special deals for Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and all the winter holidays, plus surprise gifts for Livin members throughout the season.
Real brand marketing, Mei thought with a sniff. She just needed to work through the last-minute issues.
Around nine, her phone started buzzing.
Ali: Hey! What train are you taking?
Vivian: We’re planning to have dinner around 4, as usual.
Henry: I can still drive down and give you a ride.
Mei sighed. So many logistics. She opened the Metro-North schedule. There was a train every hour. Mei replied to her family.
I’ll prob take the 11:50, which gets in at 1:20!
That would give her a few hours to wrap everything up.
Her phone buzzed again.
Luc: See you soon! Also, Kaia wants to know if you’re bringing your famous cornbread.
Shoot. She’d totally forgotten to make it.
Over the years, Mei had honed her cornbread until it was the perfect blend of savory and sweet, with a crisp, golden outside and whole kernels throughout.
Everyone adored it, especially Kaia. Mei eyed the ingredients on her counter.
Maybe she could still bake if she finished working in the next hour.
Yes! Really need to focus now. Will text when I’m on my way!
Mei set her phone to “do not disturb.” She hopped on a video conference with the French team, then went straight into a call with the Rio team, followed by a lengthy Slack exchange with her Canadian colleagues.
Mei glanced at the clock. How was it already 11:08? Her campaign was in good shape, but she hadn’t showered, packed, or made the cornbread. The 11:50 train was out of the question. Maybe she could make the 12:50. She updated her family, then ran into the kitchen.
Just as Mei ripped open the box of cornmeal, her phone buzzed. All the campaign email proofs were in her inbox. Stella, a marketing ops manager, also pinged her on Slack.
Hi Mei! Can you please review the email proofs now? I need to get back to my kids for Thanksgiving.
Mei set down the cornmeal and raced back to her laptop.
Forty-five minutes later, she’d approved every email.
It would be tight, but the 12:50 train was still doable if she skipped the cornbread. Her heart twisted as she pictured Kaia’s disappointed face.
Mei dashed into the shower. When she emerged at 12:05, her phone brimmed with notifications. The creative agency had updated the launch videos. They needed her to sign off on them ASAP. Kaden, Bryce, and Tamiko also wanted to touch base before logging off for the holiday.
Mei sucked in a breath. The 12:50 was out. The 1:50 would get her there right in time for dinner. She texted her family. Everyone wrote back immediately.
Ali: Is everything okay?!
Luc: Want a ride so you don’t have to deal with the train? I can leave now to get you.
Vivian: Should we move dinner back an hour or two?
Mei slammed her phone down. How did they expect her to finish working if they kept asking questions? She picked up her phone and pounded out a reply.
I’m fine! PLEASE just let me wrap up. I’ll be on the 1:50. I PROMISE!!!!
She silenced her family’s texts. Enough was enough.
At 12:58, Mei snapped her laptop shut. She’d finished the urgent tasks. She’d deal with everything else on the train. Mei ran through her apartment, stuffing clothing into her backpack.
As she laced up her sneakers, her phone buzzed.
James: I’m preparing an update for Julian. I need an overview of the upcoming campaign.
Mei sighed. She’d already given James her strategy deck three times. She re-sent it.
Here you go! All the key points are in there.
James replied.
I need an executive summary. Can you get that to me ASAP?
Mei stifled a scream. It was 1:12. She’d never make the 1:50 train. Her phone buzzed.
James: Hello? Are you there?
Rage surged through Mei’s veins. Do it yourself, asshole! But it was her responsibility to send him that summary.
Mei drew a shaky breath and replied.
I’ll send it to you in a few.
Fifteen minutes later, she sent him the summary.
James wrote back.
Thx. Your overview looks good, but strategy means nothing if the execution fails.
Mei rolled her eyes. Her campaign was good to go. She started replying to James when another message from him appeared.
We can’t afford any mistakes. Not one. Julian and Erika’s eyes will be on this. I’m paying close attention, too. Given your recent performance, this campaign will be a deciding factor in your November, December, and end-of-year rankings.
Her rankings. This was her chance to claw her way back to the top. The end-of-year rankings determined everyone’s annual bonus. God, she needed the money. Her savings account was terrifyingly low.
Mei ran through every campaign element in her head. Was every video perfect? Every ad? Every piece of signage in every language?
If they weren’t already, they would be. She’d double-check everything. Triple-check.
That fire she’d been missing these last few weeks roared back to life. Mei replied to James.
This campaign will be perfect. You have my word.
She settled onto the couch and triumphantly opened her laptop. Then she remembered.
Thanksgiving.
Celebrating was out of the question.
Mei video-called Ali.
Her sister’s eyebrows shot up when she answered. “You’re still at home?”
“Yeah.” Mei plastered on a cheerful smile. “I have a major campaign launching tomorrow and so many things to do for it. I won’t be able to make Thanksgiving.”
“Seriously? Not even for a little? We can wait—”
“No. You all enjoy.”
“You’re not coming, Mei?” Vivian appeared at Ali’s shoulder.
“Sorry, Mom. Too many work emergencies.”
“I can still give you a ride,” Luc called from behind Ali and Vivian.
“No! It’s just one holiday. I’ll see you all soon. Please have Thanksgiving without me.”
Ali and Vivian protested. Luc and Henry kept offering to drive her.
Mei cut them off. “I’ll come up tomorrow. I promise. If I’m not on a train by six tomorrow night, Luc and Henry, you can both come get me.”
Her family reluctantly agreed. Mei hung up with relief.
She began checking every detail of her campaign. After forty minutes, her fiery adrenaline sputtered. Her European colleagues were no longer online. Occasionally, Mei received messages from coworkers in Canada and Latin America, but most of her American teammates had shut down for the holiday.
Meanwhile, she’d yet to find a single mistake.
Is this even necessary? she wondered. Still, she kept checking.
Her eyes blurred from the tedium. Her mind wandered.
Her family was probably sitting down to dinner, their plates full of turkey, cranberry sauce, and mac and cheese.
Thanksgiving was her favorite holiday. In addition to cornbread, she usually cooked a showstopping dish, like sourdough stuffing with a white wine sauce, or crispy Hasselback potatoes with garlic butter.
Mei’s heart sank as she pictured the room.
Evie and her aunt Rose and uncle Arthur were also at Thanksgiving.
So was her ninety-year-old grandmother, who lived with her aunt and uncle.
Grandma spoke little English and had dementia.
Still, she lit up every time she saw Mei and Ali together.
How many holidays did Grandma have left?
Mei forced herself to eat a handful of dry cereal. Then she turned back to the ad banners she was reviewing.
· · ·
At nine the next morning, Mei clicked through all the campaign components that were now live. She hadn’t found a single error. Her head throbbed from lack of sleep. Her jaw ached from clenching. But she’d done it. Her campaign was perfect.
The doorbell buzzed. Mei jumped. She padded warily to the door.
“It’s me!” Ali called from the other side. “Open up!”
Mei yanked back the door. “Why are you here? Is everyone okay?”
“Everyone’s fine.” Ali stepped out of her boots. “You’re the one we’re worried about!”
“Me? Why?”
Ali searched for a place to hang her coat.
Mei bit her lip as she saw her apartment through her sister’s eyes.
Half-unpacked moving boxes lined the walls.
Cornbread ingredients, crusty coffee mugs, and empty takeout containers littered the kitchen counter.
Piles of dirty clothing covered the dining table.
Ali gingerly placed her coat on the back of a chair. “How about we chat?”
Mei led her to the couch. “What do you want to talk about?”
“What do you think? Mei, you’re not okay. Stop pretending. You completely bailed on Thanksgiving and you’re not taking care of yourself. Are you just working all the time?”