CHAPTER 3
“Arlowe, I know you need more people. I know we’re busy trying to keep up with all the feature requests we’re getting normally on top of the ones coming from school districts and universities.
Trust me, I know. I’m the one running the focus groups with Sarai, trying to learn about what they want and need and then coming to you and Enya to find out what we can actually build and when,” Violet said.
“So, I can hire?”
“Contractors, yes. Full-time employees, no.”
“Vi, I need people who actually work here. It’s better that way. They’re more reliable.”
“You can go through that BPO I recommended. They handle all the candidate sourcing and hiring. They even offer to train them for us.”
“You want me to outsource?” Arlowe asked.
“I want you to have the number of people you need, but not break the bank at the same time. We can’t afford to hire more people right now.
Once we get the Series D, we can talk about more full-time employees who also get benefits, equity, and things like that.
It makes them three times as expensive as someone we’d hire through a BPO,” Violet said, referring to business process outsourcing.
“They’ll also handle all the firing and hiring someone new if you don’t like someone they brought on.
You can give them exactly what you’re looking for and have them take a test first, too, if you want.
If we hire in another country, we can get five to six times the number of US engineers you’d be able to get with the same amount of money.
I know it’s not the same, and it’s not ideal, but it’s the best solution for right now.
Once we get the next round, I’ve got at least four new full-timers earmarked for you, one for Sarai, and one more for Enya.
Gabi needs more help, too, so she’s got a couple of hire requests of her own.
On top of that, we also need an HR person and some kind of new-hire orientation program that I don’t have to run myself, so that’s the plan for right now. ”
“How many people will Gabi get for hardware?” she asked.
“Two to three, but she’s going to outsource at least one. We’re looking into the hardware being built in and outside of the US, so she’s more flexible than you are.”
“Hilarious,” Arlowe stated sarcastically. “I’m flexible. I know we’re struggling to keep up right now, but it’s easier to handle actual employees than contractors. If I train them up and then they leave right after that or only work on a short-term contract, I lose all that time.”
“It’s either you do that and get help, which you desperately need, or you don’t get any.
The most I can do is put off the HR hire.
I’d prefer not to do that, because it’s really not advisable at our size, but that’s all I’ve got in the budget for this quarter.
So, if you can find an engineer in the US for the same price, and only one, I’ll push that HR role out, but–”
“No, I get it,” she said, setting down her coffee cup on Violet’s desk. “We need to outsource.”
“For now. It doesn’t have to be forever.”
“Vi, you know I’m not good at this negotiating thing that you and Sarai do. Can you set up a meeting with these BPO people so that we can see what they can do and how much they’ll charge?”
“I can do that,” Violet replied. “It’ll take through the rest of the quarter to get things moving, though, after we sign the contract, so you should be prepared to use most of the next one to get them trained up before they’re fully useful to you.”
“How many can we afford?”
“Depends on what I can negotiate for their rate, but at least a few,” Violet told her and leaned forward in her chair before she added, “Arlowe, no offense, but you look like hell. You need to sleep.”
“Yeah,” she said on a sigh.
“I know things have been pretty crazy for a while now, but they will calm down.”
“When, exactly? I’m burning the candle at both ends here, Violet. We all are. I know Enya is burning out, too, and she never burns out. Sarai asked for a few days off to spend time with Gabi. She never asks for time off.”
“Part of that is because she’s tired, but the other part is that she has a girlfriend now, and she wants to go on a vacation with her. I get that. Stella and I took that long weekend a few months ago.”
“So, you’re saying that us singles will have to pick up the slack because you two went and fell in love?”
“No.” Violet laughed a little. “I’m just saying that priorities change when you do.
This company is still incredibly important to me.
We’ve been working on it for twelve years.
But Stella is the most important thing to me now.
I love her. I want to keep building a life with her.
And that means that every so often, I might actually want to take a few days away from this place just to be with her and do nothing at all.
Sarai and Gabi probably feel the same way. ”
“I overheard them talking about it. They’re both really excited. I guess Gabi rented a little cabin for them, and they’re going to sit by a lake all weekend or something.”
“Or something,” Violet replied with a little headshake. “You should consider taking some time off, too. Maybe a day or two. We can handle things while you’re gone.”
“Yeah, right,” Arlowe said.
“Gabi can make sure nothing falls through the cracks. You trust her with the code.”
“I do, but it’s fine. I just need to get some sleep. Do the contractors at this BPO work our business hours or theirs? I don’t think I can work eighteen-hour days like I did when I was twenty-four.”
“They’ll work whatever hours you want them to, so you can set up shifts if you want full coverage, or have them all work at the same time. We can go over that with the vendor.”
Arlowe nodded and said, “Okay. Well, set up the meeting, and I’ll listen to what they have to say.”
“Great. I think this is the right call, Arlowe.”
“Yeah, me too,” she said and stood. “I’m going to head home. It’s after six. You should be gone, too.”
“Stella’s coming here when she’s done at work, so I’m just here to wait for her. We’re going to dinner.”
“Have fun.”
“Arlowe?”
“Yeah?”
“You can find this, too, you know?” Violet said.
“Find what? Dinner?”
Violet rolled her eyes and said, “No, love.”
“This again? Come on, Vi. I just want to go home and get some sleep.”
“I’m not pushing you. I’m only saying that there is someone out there for you, and I know that you want to find her.”
“How do you know that?”
“When was the last time you brought a woman home or went home with one?”
“For the record, I don’t sleep with every woman I talk to at a bar or a club, Vi. Sometimes, I just talk to them. Other times, we kiss or something. Most of the time, it ends there.”
“Just answer the question, Arlowe.”
“It’s been a minute.”
“A minute?”
“You know a minute means a while, Violet.”
“So?”
“So, I’m…” Arlowe cleared her throat. “I’ve been trying, all right? It’s hard when I’m always working, but I’m trying to think about what I want in the long-term now, okay?”
“Okay.”
“So, can I go home now?”
“Yes, you can go home now,” Violet said, chuckling.
Arlowe left Violet’s office and walked down to her own, where she grabbed her bag and headed out.
“Hey,” Enya said when she ran into her by the front door of the building. “Heading home?”
“Yeah. You too? I thought you left a while ago.”
“I was going to, but I went on a walk around the building. I was checking the playback function to see how well it worked with our three new languages. I just let it play in my headphones while enjoying the walk. Now, I’m going to get something to eat because I’m starving. You?”
“Definitely. Home or out?”
“I’m not cooking tonight, so it’s either frozen or out.”
“Out is fine with me,” Arlowe said. “Can we just grab it and go, though? I really want to eat and then take a long bath after.”
“Sure. Let’s go.”
They made their way to a fast-food place they both liked and picked up some burgers.
Sometimes, they drove to work separately, despite living in the same house and going to the same office because Arlowe preferred to start her day later than Enya did, but recently, she’d been coming in early anyway, so they had driven together, and if Enya wanted to leave before she did, she got a ride from someone or ordered herself one.
They ate dinner at their kitchen table, and even though it had already been a month, it still felt strange to only have the two of them there.
Sarai and Gabi had filled the table, and before Gabi, there had been Violet.
Now, they usually ate by themselves or just the two of them, and it wasn’t the same.
Enya would be on her phone a lot of the time, trying to improve their app or even learn yet another language, and Arlowe would be in the support queue on her own phone, computer, or even her tablet, checking to see what new tickets had come in since she also managed the support function.
They didn’t get many tickets, and most of what they did get, their chatbot was able to handle, but she still liked to review and make sure that everything was okay.
After finishing their meal in relative silence, Enya disappeared to her bedroom, and Arlowe took her laptop to the couch in the living room, prepared to check her inbox.
She pulled it up, quickly went through the first three emails, but when she got to the fourth one down, her eyebrows went up.
It was from EngineE, the user whom she had emailed earlier about their one-month credit because of the issues they’d experienced.
EngineE hadn’t ever replied to one of their emails before, though, so Arlowe clicked and opened the response.
Arlowe,
I don’t really know how to say this, but I’ll try anyway.
I’m EngineE. ‘Engine’ for ‘engineer’ and E for my name, Eline.
I didn’t know this was your company when I bought the app subscription and when I was reporting the issues that I found.
I saw your email today, though, and for a moment, I actually believed there could be another Arlowe Romano who was also in computer software out there somewhere, so it couldn’t possibly be you.
But then, I checked online, and it was you.
It is you. I don’t know what to say, but I knew that I needed to at least say something.
I’ve been thinking about how to respond to your email all day, and still, this was all that I could come up with, if you can believe that.
I guess I could start by asking how you’ve been.
Is that even fair? Maybe I shouldn’t be sending this email.
Is it fair for me to do so after all these years?
Probably not, but I don’t know. Anyway, I just thought it would be fair for you to know that it’s me on the other end, and you don’t have to credit me for a month or anything.
I only wanted you to know that there was a bug.
Now, I’m rambling. You probably remember how I ramble sometimes.
Maybe you don’t. It has been a long time.
I’ll just sign off now, and if you want to reply, you can. If not, I would understand.
Eline Claasen
Arlowe stared at the screen, mouth open, eyes wide, not believing what she’d just read.
EngineE was Eline. Her Eline. She hadn’t heard from her since the very letter that had been slipped under Arlowe’s door when Arlowe had been asleep in her dorm.
She hadn’t looked her up on social media after they’d both decided to unfriend and unfollow one another upon their breakup because when Eline had asked for time after that, Arlowe had given that to her.
She’d respected that Eline had needed that and thought that one day, she’d reach out and tell Arlowe that it was okay to contact her again, but Eline never had, which was why Arlowe hadn’t ever reached out to her in all these years or tried to find out if she were happily married or still single like her.
She’d never told her friends about Eline’s request because, at first, it had been too hard to talk about anything related to her.
Then, she’d expected Eline to reach out to her, like she’d told her she might, but that hadn’t happened.
After that, too much time had passed since, and she hadn’t wanted to know because the odds were that Eline was married, probably happily, and she hadn’t wanted to do anything to cause Eline any problems. Now, Eline was using her app, and she was the one reporting the errors.
“Enya!” she yelled.
“What?” Enya yelled back without opening her bedroom door.
“Can you come out here, please?”
“I’m getting naked, Arlowe.”
“Well, get dressed again. Your bath can wait. This can’t.”
“What is it?”
Enya opened her door and leaned out, so Arlowe could see only her head.
“I’m calling Sarai and Violet.”
“What’s wrong? Did the app go down or something?”
“Not work-related,” she said and picked up her phone. “Friend thing.”
“Arlowe, what’s going on?”
“Eline just emailed me.”
“Eline?”
Enya suddenly popped out in the hallway.
“Enya! I do not want to see that. Put on some clothes.”
“I’m in my bra and underwear, and you’ve seen me in a bathing suit. Same thing.”
“Get dressed,” Arlowe told her and pointed at her. “I’m calling Sarai and Violet and telling them to get their asses over here because I have no idea what to do.”
“Okay. One sec.”
Enya disappeared again then, and Arlowe picked up her phone and dialed Sarai’s number.
“Hey. What’s up?” Sarai asked.
“Get over here now.”
“What? Where are you? What’s–”
“The house. Now. I need to call Violet.”
“Are you okay?”
“Sarai…” she began and tried to breathe to calm down. “Eline just emailed me.”
“What?” Sarai asked softly.
“Yeah. I need you here.”
“On my way.”
“No Gabi. Is that okay?”
“Of course, that’s okay. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
“Thank you,” she replied and took a deep breath before dialing Violet’s number next.