Coire Beliefs - Chapter 32 - Last Day as Matt

Core Beliefs – Chapter 32 - Last Day as Matt.

On October 3^rd, despite the ice on the sidewalks, Matt went for an exercise walk. He kept to the grass where possible to avoid slick sidewalks and streets as fine sleet fell. It wasn’t a great workout, but Matt had made the effort.

Once home, he opened emails, groaned at the spam, and thought that if someone could truly figure out how to block it, they could make a fortune.

A message from Lucy asked if Matt wanted to cancel the meeting due to the weather. Matt had driven in nasty conditions his whole life and said he would be there, but if others felt uncomfortable driving, they were excused.

An email from Ling said she would be there the coming week for an update on the imaging unit and that she could stay through the weekend if Matt wanted her to.

Matt typed that he wanted and needed her.

He appreciated all the attributes of his late wife, Marylyn. She had been smart, organized, and great at planning things. Mostly, she could make him feel like the most loved man in the world with a touch and a kiss.

Ling, on the other hand, was actually a little sloppy, except at work. She was far more spontaneous, and as far as Matt was concerned, she could make love that drove him wild, satisfying him so completely that he could not even think of loving or making love to any other woman. He belonged to her, and he liked it that way.

The last email was from Suchet. When Matt tried to open it, he was prompted to enter his encryption code. When anyone sent a message this way, it meant it was big. After inputting his code, the text appeared.

Dear Matthew,

This is to inform you that the latest experiment has been a success. As of this moment, we have self-sustained power.

Respectfully yours,

Dr. Suchet Kumar, PhD.

Matt took a moment to absorb the information. Per Matt’s guidelines, no one could talk about a breakthrough of this magnitude over the phone.

“Well done. My admiration to all of you,” Matt typed. “I will head your way on Saturday.”

He hit the encryption tab and watched as the text turned to unrecognizable symbols, then disappeared. He received confirmation that the message had been sent.

Matt eased out of the garage at about 7:00 a.m., knowing the roads would be a mess. He noted that the freeways had been sanded and were manageable if people would take their time.

Matt arrived at Lasticorp at 8:10. Lucy hadn’t arrived yet. The parking lot had fewer than a quarter of the cars for a normal business day.

“Maybe we should have postponed things,” he said.

Matt launched into a review of the latest numbers. It took an hour to dig through them.

The last report updated the employee stock purchases. The monthly totals had remained well above projections, which allowed a breath of relief. Matt had liquidated millions of dollars in personal assets to finance the new adventure. Still, based on the developments of the last four weeks, they had accomplished more in less time, with fewer resources than he had ever hoped.

The tough question remained: how to get the benefits into the world without exposing the technology.

***

At 11:00 in the conference room, he gathered with others, including Marcus and key staff from the companies. Due to the weather, they were short seven of the fifteen people.

They reviewed the credentials of several marketing agencies and discussed and determined strategies for the coming year.

***

After the meeting, Matt corralled Marcus. “Marcus, you have my gratitude for all the extra effort you’ve poured into the work. I’ve already sent a notification to HR for a significant raise at the beginning of the year.”

“Matt, thank you. I’m loving what we are doing,” Marcus grinned. “This past year has been amazing, and I am grateful for the chance to help make your visions come to life.”

They also chatted about Ling’s coming visit.

“I don’t want to spoil the surprise,” Marcus said, “but I believe Dr. Chang will be very pleased.”

Matt again thanked him for his efforts and headed to his office. Lucy had made it in, and after twenty minutes of briefing, Matt had her instruct HR at all the companies to send everyone home, then ordered her to go.

After another hour and a half of working, he gathered his papers and computer to leave.