She held on to the desk with her right hand. Her left rested on her hip. The frustration written on her face was visible for all to see. She didn't bother to hide it behind a plastic smile as she did on most occasions, and the results to were visible. the rest of the members of the board (all male) hung their heads or fidgeted with fear and embarrassment. Martha was good at her job, she had saved the company from bankruptcy. Yet there they sat on their thumbs poking holes in to her suggestions for advancement.
" The bigots!" she though as she took deep breaths trying to reign in her temper.
"May I suggest a wider look at things, something that would appease both sides" Michael broken the eternity of silence.
The meeting was on its way to a clear deadlock. The previous meetings had been quite similar, Martha to one side, Muthoka and gang on the other, Michael always playing dodge ball in the middle. and the Chairman playing the ever patient judge. It was sad that they had this dynamic. the dynamic that inevitably meant nothing would progress. The hot exchange had been avoided since no one wanted to put of the chairman. The few who did always went packing.
He liked to sit on the fence, everyone took a jab at him for it but he didn't mind. On most occasions he brought them out of such deadlocks. Martha shifted her position crossing her arms over her chest while towering above them. Michael went on to point out the benefits of dropping the stocks held in the land-line ventures, a move the rest of the board resisted strongly. They were loosing plenty but were oblivious of the fact.
"If we keep the stock, we will hemorrhage all of our accounts and go back to being a limping horse. On the other hand, dropping it frees up over thirty million in assets that we can push into marketing and other areas that need it more," Michael finished.
The rest mulled it over. The head of the board, a wizened old man locked his fingers, set his elbow on the table and looked at Martha then at Michael. He had earn his first millions in the land- line business and the stock he built up from dust was dear to him. He new the change was necessary. He had always known from the start.
"What is this about jumping on to the software engine?" he paused the question to Martha.
"Well, the demand for practical and applicable softwares is booming. Most of the creators are everyday people who don't exactly have the capital or resources to push their products on a national or global stage like we do," she stopped, noting that everyone was listening keenly. "What I was suggesting is this. We get the software developers, evaluate the product they have, fund them and point them in the right direction. Get them to share the patent with us, and we sell it to the world for a fortune."
"That doesn't seem quite safe, does it?" Muthoka cut in.
She shut her eyes. How could humanity be so short sighted. the mobile money software had raked in millions that saved the company. The
cardio-watch system was a quick sale, and was gaining traction among medical and health-junkies fast. Both of these were her ideas. Both of these made marvelous breaks in the market. Both had been vehemently opposed by Muthoka, the former golden goose. She felt warm bile simmer in her throat just at the thought of him.
The chairman saw her start to respond and raised his hand to cut her off.
"You were right before. I don't suppose it would hurt any one to give you a bit more room to run. My verdict is...." he paused, looking everyone in the eye, "Dump the sock in in three stages, thirty percent in the first two, the rest at the end of the final quarter."
Muthoka bit his lower lip, he had been schooled again, and this time it was not so kind. The other sat silently like the stooges they were. Martha picked up her bag and folder, spun on her heel and was at the door when she heard the old mans voice.
"Martha, you will work with Michael on this. I don,t want you running unchecked,his extreme caution not to offend anyone should help." he said as he leaned back in his seat and shut his eyes. Martha sympathized with him. The world seemed to have been changing to fast for him. Perhaps he thought he was loosing his grip.
She bobbed her head to show her acceptance and went on. Everyone knew she liked to hit the road running. She didn't waste time on gloating, it was of no use to her.
