Chapter 7

One Thursday afternoon I was sitting at my kitchen table looking at the ring and trying to work out how best to propose to Amanda. I wanted it to be somewhere nice and romantic, somewhere memorable for her. The phone interrupted me. I was most surprised to hear Mr. Thomas on the other end, and even more astonished when he asked if I could come and see him immediately, failing that, could he come and see me. Having nothing better to do I agreed to go and see what he wanted. He gave absolutely no clue over the phone. Initially I had been worried that something had happened to Amanda but his tone and words didn't really portray that. It did seem urgent though, so I swiftly set out on my old journey.

I arrived about forty minutes later and was met by a smiling Jill Cope, who called Mrs. Gifford who came and took me straight to Mr. Thomas' office.

"Hello again David. Thank you for coming so promptly." He opened politely, shaking my hand and indicating a chair.

"No problem. I had little else on."

"Still no job yet?" He queried.

"Nothing definite yet, but I do have some plans."

"Good!" He said, then quickly added. "Not good that you can't find a job, but good because it makes a proposal I have for you a little easier."

"Okay!" Was all I could say.

"I won't go too deep into the background but I've had to let Mark go."

That was stunning news. "I'm truly sorry Mr. Thomas, I can only guess at how hard that was. You must have had a very good reason."

"Thank you. I had and no doubt you'll hear the gossip soon. Basically my son took a considerable bribe to use certain components on that tender you were working on. Well, yesterday we won the contract based on your original document not Mark's, and by the way I thank you for an excellent job. This morning, the supplier of the cheaper components rang. Mark was out so I took the call. He had heard about our success and wanted to know when he could expect his first order. I explained the situation and he went ballistic, calling first me, then the company and finally Mark every expletive I've ever heard, and in this industry you hear a lot. When he finally calmed down it came out that he had paid Mark what he called a retainer, to guarantee him the business if we won the contract.

Then, if that wasn't bad enough, I found the reason why Mark wasn't about this morning. He met up with one of the new client's engineers and offered him a bribe not to complain if we used the lesser components. Needless to say the client wasn't impressed and threatened to withdraw from the contract. It took until just before I rang you to pacify them. One of the understandable conditions was that my son had nothing to do with them or our work for them. Sadly, that wasn't enough for me. I just could not let him continue to abuse his position here so I terminated him. It was the hardest thing I've ever done as a father but the easiest decision as a Managing Director. I then rang you."

"You want me to come back?" I asked quietly.

"Yes I do, but not just back into your old position. As you are well aware I was hoping to groom my son to become my successor. That can now never happen. I still want to retire when I'm sixty, but I don't want to sell the company off to someone who will just buy our order book and merge it with their own business. Of course I wanted a Thomas at the helm but I see you as the next best thing. We have enough time to polish some of your management skills, which I think is the main thing you lack. Well what do you say?"

I took a long time to think about it but to me the answer was obvious.

"I don't know how to thank you for the offer but I have to turn you down."

I saw his body literally slump down.

"You see there is a better candidate than me, and she is a Thomas, at least for now."

He stared at me. "You mean Amanda?" He asked shocked at my suggestion. "She hasn't got the experience or anything."

"Right now I'll agree, but you don't want someone right at this moment do you. She is already has better management skills than I have. She has been doing my old job very competently from what I hear."

I paused for his response. "Yes, especially considering she been here such a short time." He agreed.

"I know damn well she's well liked on the work floor. I'll admit she's not an engineer, but neither is your son. I would love to come back and support her if you want me."

"Let me think this through first. Wait a minute, what did you say about her being a Thomas for now?"

I grinned. "I suppose now is a good time to ask you for her hand."

"Marriage!" He exclaimed. "I didn't see that one coming, at least not so soon. Are you sure?"

"Absolutely definite!" I replied emphatically.

Amanda, showing her perfect timing chose that moment to rush into the room, just as her father said to me. "And have you asked Amanda yet?"

"Asked me what?" My love demanded.

I turned around sharply and must have looked extremely guilty for she insisted.

"Asked me what?"

I made the impulsive decision that now was the time. A quick tap of my jacket pocket confirmed that I had the ring on me. I had kept it in my pocket at all times as that was the one place where Amanda was not likely to stumble across it and put it back just after Mr. Thomas' phone call.

I took it out as surreptitiously as possible and went down on one knee in front of her.

"Amanda Thomas will you marry me?" I begged looking up into those wonderful eyes.

The momentary silence and perceived eternal wait were very unnerving for me.