Chapter 5
“Yes, one o’clock works for me,” I say to the recruiter from the staffing agency.
I hang up the phone and prepare to leave for my meeting with my father. I’m glad Kerry is taking care of her family, and I don’t blame her for leaving, but I
now realize that I can hardly function without her. I’ve been running around like crazy all morning trying to find where she keeps different supplies and how she
uses different machines in the office.
I need the interview tomorrow to go well because I feel completely at a loss right now—the alarm on my watch rings. I walk up the stairs and quickly climb
up one flight before scanning my ID card on the door to get in.
My father is sitting behind his desk when I knock and walk in. He stands up and shakes my hand to greet me. I take a seat on the plush leather armchair
across from him. He stares at me momentarily, taking his reading glasses off before speaking.
“I have some news,” he says, cutting right to the chase. “It isn’t necessarily good news, but I need you to stay calm.”
What was going on? Why would he lead with that?
“Okay, I’m listening,” I say, staring at him with a confused look.
“There’s no easy way to put this, so I’ll just come out and say it. I have prostate cancer,” he says bluntly, taking a deep breath.
I’m completely speechless and not even sure if I heard him correctly.
“Prostate cancer?” I ask to clarify, hoping I had somehow misheard him.
He nods his head and folds his hands in front of him. “Yes, but before you start worrying, I’ve already consulted a doctor, and we have lined up some of the
best treatments in the country. We’re confident I’ll come out of this stronger than ever.”
I still can’t find words to say anything back to him. So many questions and concerns rush through my mind at once, I can’t focus on them to ask.
“Son? Did you hear me?” my father asks after a few moments of my staring blankly at him.
“Yeah, I heard you. I’m just taking it in,” I say, blinking quickly as I feel my eyes beginning to sting. “How long have you known? Are they certain it’s cancer?”
“Yes, the doctor suspected it, and we ran all the necessary tests to confirm it. Thankfully, it seems like we’ve caught it in the early stages,” he says.
I know little about cancer, but the early stages sound good.
“I’m sorry, Dad. How are you handling it?” I ask him, genuinely curious about the answer. He lives alone now, and I didn’t want him to feel like he had to go through this alone.
“Obviously, I’ve seen better days,” he says with a hearty laugh. “I’ve been trying my best to balance the business without letting my own personal matters
get in the way. But it can be overwhelming at times.”
“Don’t worry about any of that,” I quickly interject. “That’s what I’m here for. All of us, you have a team of people that will help you while you’re going through this.”
“I know, son,” he says in a calm voice. “That was another thing I wanted to speak to you about today.”
We stare at each other for a while, and I realize what he’s about to say.
“With my health issues and my old age, I think it’s about time I retire,” he says with a resoluteness in his voice. “Which means I’d be handing all of this
down to you if you think you can handle it.”
He laughs when he throws in the last part. He knows I can handle it. I was born and raised in this business, and I know all of its implications and
procedures. If anyone could run this like my father, it would be me.
“You taught me everything I know,” I say confidently. “I can run this business.”
“I know you can.” He pauses for a moment, and the smile on his face falls. “When I approached the board with the idea of handing it down to you, they
brought up an interesting point. Your lifestyle.”
I give him a confused look and shake my head like I don’t understand what he is saying.
“The heart of the business is family, son. We sell homes, and we market to families. Your jet-setting lifestyle doesn’t uphold the family values we need the
leader of our company to reflect,” he says.
I wrinkle my forehead, not understanding why that would have anything to do with how to run a business. I know as well as anyone the value of
appearances, but people wouldn’t avoid buying from us because the company”s CEO was single. The idea is preposterous.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t understand why my dating life is any of the board’s concerns,” I say defensively.
“It’s just what’s best for the company, Leonard,” he says, his voice exhausted as if he is tired of this conversation.
He dismisses me from his office shortly after, and I walk back down the stairs to my own, completely overwhelmed by everything that just happened. My
dad has cancer and is going to leave me the business. But only if I settle down?