The heavy pendulum of the grandfather clock in the corner of my sitting room swung with a dull, wooden thud, marking exactly ten o’clock. Across the low mahogany table, Derek adjusted his blue silk tie, his fingers twitching slightly as he pushed a stack of cream-colored pages toward me.
“The board is looking for a signature on the third clause, Arthur,” Derek said, his words coming in his usual rapid clip. “We need to align our leadership assets before the fourth-quarter transition window closes on November 15.”
I did not look at the papers. Instead, I dipped my fountain pen into the black inkwell, steadying my wrist against the edge of the desk. My fingers felt stiff, a quiet reminder of the cells currently betraying me from the inside out, though Derek knew nothing of the stage four diagnosis. He only knew I was weaker than I had been in the spring.
“We have never rushed a transition in forty-two years, Derek,” I said, speaking each word with deliberate slowness. “A grocery empire is built on the patience of its clerks, not the speed of its lawyers.”
“With respect, the market moves faster now,” Derek said, his eyes scanning my face for any sign of hesitation. “We have twenty-two regional hubs to secure. If we don’t present the signed authorization to Edward by Monday, the institutional shareholders will start asking questions about your capacity.”
I lowered the pen to the green surface of check number 401, which lay beside the corporate documents. It was my personal monthly draft for the local children’s clinic, a quiet habit I kept every October. I filled in the sum of fifteen thousand dollars, my gold wedding band catching the morning light as I pulled my pinky finger inward.
“My capacity is quite whole, thank you,” I said, signing the bottom of the check with a firm, looping hand. “The clinic will need this before the first frost.”
“Of course,” Derek said, his gaze dropping to the check and then rising to the transition folder. “But the real priority is the Lamar Boulevard expansion. We need the board to clear the capital expenditures before the November deadline.”
