Total pages in book: 18
Estimated words: 16461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 82(@200wpm)___ 66(@250wpm)___ 55(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 16461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 82(@200wpm)___ 66(@250wpm)___ 55(@300wpm)
I smile. Windy’s blessed to have such an earnest, caring man in her life already.
I don’t think she’d turn down another, though.
8
WINDY
I never expected to have to show off an invention of mine. Fancying myself as an inventor isn’t something I’ve ever done before.
But I definitely didn’t expect it to come off like this.
Our presentation is at the Rough patriarchal house, and we’re surrounded by the Rough and Rowdy families and all of their spouses. It feels like more a family getting together than a professional business presentation, but I guess that’s just how this family rolls.
We had a big family dinner, along a massive table with plenty of seats. It’s not Thanksgiving or Christmas, just a get-together for this purpose. As someone who basically grew up in a family of two, I have to say I’m a tad impressed by all of this.
Williams and I can’t help ourselves. We’ve been holding hands at the table, and we’re holding hands now. We’re waiting for Anchor to make his way out into the yard, and he’s pretty much what I expected. A handsome city-slicker businessman who looks slightly out of place surrounded by all these rural types.
When he sits down, he rubs his hands together and says, “So, let’s hear it. What do you two lovebirds have to show me?”
Will and I glance at one another, then snap our hands away as if we were trying to hide it.
“Uh,” Will clears his throat. “So oil is important to keeping all machines running and vital to a prolonged active, usable lifespan.”
He begins the spiel. About what our applicator can do, how it could save money, how it cuts down on human error. How he knows it’s not flashy, but sometimes the least flashy stuff is the most important.
Anchor looks on intently. I don’t think it’s because Williams is an amazing speaker, this businessman just takes the whole presentation seriously.
Meanwhile, the kids of the family are bored and running off behind everyone to play a game of tag. Some of the parents move off to chaperone them. While Williams talking about engines, lubrication, and uptake is utterly fascinating to me, I completely understand that it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.
Despite the shifting audience, Williams continues. I do the demonstration we set up of our device applying the correct amount of oil, avoiding overuse, and I present our mathematical projections for all this. We spared no expense on getting this presentation made. We drove all over Burly and Home, and even went into the city since no stores in either of those towns had the large-format printer we needed to display our schematics.
Williams has rehearsed all this well, not being much of a public speaker. He’s talking in front of his family, but we’re meeting Anchor for business, not to go fishing with him. He finishes his speech and stands expectantly, looking toward our potential business partner, hands behind his back.
“We’re seeking financial backing and offering a good share in the project to get it distributed,” Williams says.
There’s a brief pause as we look toward our potential patron. Every moment of silence is tense, our future hinging on it. I audibly gulp as the nervousness starts to get to me.
Fortunately, we don’t have to wait for an answer much longer.
“I think it has legs,” Anchor says, soothing our anxieties. “We show this to the right people at Ford and Toyota and we suddenly got hundreds of thousands of orders. You got my full backing, you two. I want you to come to my office in Seattle and we’ll hammer out all the details and get something written down on paper.”
Williams and I exchange glances, overjoyed. We got an offer. We’re making this happen. I never thought my mechanical knowledge would make me rich, but I know Anchor wouldn’t bullshit us. This is real.
“Also, make sure you invite me to the wedding,” he adds, before Lemon punches him in the arm. “What? I can’t be the only one who sees what’s in front of us, clear as day.”
We’re too thrilled to be embarrassed, and he’s right. It’s not like we’re doing very well at keeping it a secret.
We just need to have the talk about how we want to do this is all. Until then? We’ll continue being awkward and evasive.
With the deal secured, we head back to our truck. Burly is a bit of a drive. Not a long one, but not short enough that we want to be doing it in the black of night.
My father’s house is quaint, but it’s home for me. Being an auto shop owner in a small town hasn’t made him crazy successful, but he’s made a decent life for himself.
Williams steps out of the car. “I need to go talk to your father about something.”
“Let’s go see him, then. He’ll still be up.”