Gwen knew the severity of her decision. She realized now that she needed to take her time and think her thoughts through thoroughly before making a life changing commitment. Although she understood how difficult it would be to make a decision, she couldn't help thinking about her possible new title.
Allen prepared himself for his nine o'clock meeting with Mr. Douglas,
who had flown in from Oregon to meet with him personally and discuss
the decision made by the other corporate partners at Nike for him to
open the Toronto store. Allen felt honored that he could bring a well-
known and highly regarded corporate official to meet with him, rather
than conduct business through the normal voice mails, e-mails, faxes
and phone calls that he had become so accustomed to. It had been a few
weeks since he had spoken to the fellas.
Both C and Cupid had phoned,
but Allen hadn't been at home to receive the calls. When he did listen to
the messages that were left, he felt as though he still needed time to
assess his future with love. He also decided that if the fellas were not
willing to open their minds to love and see what it could offer them, then
he felt as though he needed to terminate certain friendships.
While Allen sat thinking about who his true friends were, he took the opportunity to
call his mother and father to see what changes, if any had taken place
since he also hadn't spoken to them in a few weeks with work and all.
Allen listened nervously as the phone rang for a third time.
Disappointed, he prepared for the answering machine to greet him after
the fourth ring. Instead, he was surprised by a friendly female voice that
he hadn't heard in a few years.
"Hello, is this the Anthony residence?" Allen asked to make sure his
speed dial was still operating properly. "Laylo," Laylo was short for
Lailahni, "how are you and what are you doing there? More importantly,
where are my parents?"
Allen sat impatiently listening to his ex-girlfriend tell him how she
had called one day to see how his parents were, and how he had been,
when she discovered his mother had been sick. She then told him that
she had offered his parents her help with taking care of his mother with
Allen being so far away. Allen thanked her for her kind gesture, then
asked her where his father was. Laylo went on to tell him that because
she was there with his mother, his father had decided to go back to work,
probably to get his mind on something else. She told him that although
he had gone back to work, he was only working part time, and he spent
most of the afternoon and all of the evening with his mother.
Allen leaned forward and placed his head on the account folders that
crowded his mahogany desk, and listened to the rest of the arrangement.
He was still unsure if the test results had been revealed, but he assumed
that they had been with all the arrangements of home care for his mother
that had been made. Allen struggled with the thought of not being there
for his mother during her preliminary battle.
"Laylo, where's my mother? Well when she awakes, please tell her
that I called."