The Path
It was a sunny but cloudy day, occasionally the sun would pierce through in short bursts hitting the table. Where Aria was sat, in a meeting. The room was very basic, white walls, long brown table and chairs to match. Several coffee cups sat on the table.
The chairs were filled with pompous ignorant older men in their late fifties Aria was just turned thirty, the youngest person in the company ever to have found themselves positioned into the bosses over seas marketing team and not just any position, she was the head of the department, everyone besides a few other people, mostly men around this table had to come to her to get seals of approval. A hard job, sometimes thankless but she had worked her heart out to get it.
The issue is in any other room Aria was highly respected and listened too but in these meeting, in the company of these men she was nothing more than a voice they decided to ignore, all except Jason Paige. Jason was her boss, CEO of the company GlowTech and was more than willing to hear her ideas. He was after all the one that promoted her to the position she was in.
She was just starting to day dream about what the weekend ahead could involve when she was snapped back to reality. 'Aria, what would you suggest we do to try and branch out our product to the Australian market?' The question startled her, she'd been in the meeting for nearly an hour and no one had paid her any mind or even out right shot down her previous comments.
"Well" she said with a slight pause. "I think in order to establish ourself in the market scene in Sydney we need to put some boots on the ground over there, hire some locals, find out what makes the culture over there tick".
The suggestion was met with many disgruntled comments and scoffs someone called out "that's a waste of money we need to have a plan going in"
But Jason hushed everyone and paused in thought. Jason was a typical American man, there was nothing anything really exciting about him, he was around forty six, short black hair, dark green eyes he had the most oddly shaped nose, he had broke it many times growing up in sport with tanned skin and very thin almost lizard like lips. He wasn't bad looking, but he was no looker either.
Finally he snapped his fingers. "That's it" he exclaimed. Puzzled faces look around the table at each other. George a rather disgusting man, heavily overweight and incredibly sexist with pig like features and the odour to match. Turned to me and sighed. "Look what you done, we are going to loose millions".
Before I could reply Jason almost bounded across the room to me. "Aria" he said with an all most unsure smile. "I'd like to send you to Sydney to personally over see the way the Australian people respond to our products, you said let's get our boots on the ground? And I'd like us to have our best pair for the job"
Aria’s mouth dropped "Me?" I questioned not fully believing what she heard. "Yes" Jason replied. "I'll send you there for six months, trial our products over there and come back to me with a detailed evaluation. It's also best to send you as anyone I'd send other wise would be reporting back to you, this way I have my best woman on the job, for the job"
It seemed like time slowed down, there was knowing nods and eye brown raising happening around the table, a conversation being had with out words that was clearly excited at the fact Aria would be gone for six whole months. Jason became aware of the current mood of the room and dismissed everyone except for me. He then called in Eva, his assistant.
They sat down the three of us, Eva clueless as to what was going on. Jason was preparing his laptop and some form of presentation and Aria? Was in total shock. SYDNEY?! I have never left the states although I wasn't American. I moved here as a child. I grew up in a small village outside London but at the age of five I was whisked away to America, my dad had landed a important role for his company and my mother had no family besides us between them they agreed it was the best way to give me the best start in life. My 'holidays or vacations' as the Americans would say had all been inside the states.
Time seemed to zone back in on me and Eva put her hand in my shoulder "Aria" she said with a concerned look on her face "Are you okay?" The truth is I wasn't, I was having an internal meltdown down at the thought of moving to Australia for six months. Spiders, Snakes?! The whole damn ecosystem wants to kill you and I'm not ready for that.
As I went to reply our attention was brought back to Jason, who was now buzzing around his laptop and a projector now brainstorming ideas. What products to test, informing me where the head office over there was located and telling me exactly what he expected and then asking me for my thoughts and ideas.
My brain was in a storm of confusion and ideas. I was trying to please my boss while trying to deal with my emotions and thoughts. I also was getting distracted by Eva. She was roughly two years younger than me, straight black hair, a soft complexion bright blue eyes and a cute nose, with ample red lips with a caucasian skin tone. She was typing as fast as she could making notes about what myself and Jason was discussing.
Eventually Jason turned to me and said "How long until you would be ready to go?" I pondered this a moment "I don't really have anything holding me back". 'Fantastic!' Jason cried. "Wait!" Eva said, she looked a little surprised at how loud she had spoken "sorry she apologised, but Aria, what about your family?"
The sad truth was I had none, soon after moving here my mother died and my dad worked himself into an early grave as well, I had been alone in the states since I was twenty.
I explained this to the pair of them. Jason looked indifferent, Eva on the other hand was clearly moved. She then asked 'Do you know anyone in Australia?' "No" I replied. With a stern swoosh of air she stood up and looked Jason in the eyes.
"Mr Paige" she said with an unwavering confidence to her voice. "I have worked for you for five years, in this time I have gotten to know Aria very well. Being as she knows no one down there, I'd like to insist she does not go alone and offer myself as her companion. I can take notes for her, help organise marketing teams, meetings and much more, essentially I'd be doing the same job, just under her for six months"
Jason looked at the pair of us. "You wish to go and join Aria as an assistant?" "Yes" replied Eva.
He seemed to weigh this up in his mind. Looking into his dark green eyes I could see him weighing up the pro's and con's. "Alright" he said. "It's better to have you with someone I trust like Eva here who I know can help launch a successful campaign down there along side your own very capable abilities"
"Thank you" Eva bounced on the spot almost like a kid being told they was going away to Disney "you won't regret this" "I know I won't " he said cheerfully. He dismissed them both but not before telling us that he would have all the arrangements ready and they would be flying in the next twenty four hours.
As they left the room and the door thud behind us I felt it register this was literally the door closing on this chapter of their life. Aria didn't know what was next, Eva looked at Aria inquisitively. 'You okay?' "That's to be seen" she said looking out the window of the corridor they were both now making their way through. It was a very basic business corridor, large floor to ceiling windows, laminated floor, basic generic pattern tile on the opposing wall, like many you would of seen in a tv show.
"I suppose we best go pack" I managed to squeeze out, heavy with the weight of the decision previously made and the reality of what the next twenty four hours would bring the path before me was set.
