Chapter 22

Matthew William Harold Smith was born on June 13, 2012, weighing in at a strapping eight pounds, two ounces. He was perfect in every way, possessing all the necessary fingers and toes, plus a very healthy appetite and voice. I could feel the relief in the Fulton and desBiens households when the event occurred. There was some on my part as well. Although he wouldn't be a Fulton, he would be family to them and that's all that mattered.

Georgette and I have decided to delay our consideration of building a home for ourselves. We'd planted the seed with the family, but so far we hadn't agreed on a location or a timetable. If we could stay on the peninsula, I think all would be well. It could be done. All it would take is a lot of money.

But money is not longer an issue, if it ever was for us. Diamond∞Stream is now an established name. Feature articles in Time, Newsweek, Business Week and a number of other publications have spread the word about our product far and wide. We are getting international inquiries for both distribution and satellite plant locations. The potential has exploded and we are doing everything possible to keep control of our growth.

Georgette is already talking about our next child. I'm leaving it entirely up to her as to the timing. She is happier than you can imagine with our baby, and brings Matthew with her to the office as she works on various projects with me. She's busy setting up a day care area when we take over the second floor. It will make hiring and retaining employees so much easier, she claims.

I picked up a TV magazine the other day at the supermarket and found a picture of Georgette on the cover. She had been deemed one of America's most glamorous women. Our fame was something we had not prepared ourselves for. I was uncomfortable with it, but had no choice in the matter. Once I allowed myself to be the spokesperson for our company, I was in the public domain and at the mercy of those who would attempt to exploit our success.

"So, what's your next project, John?" Annie Lieberman asked. "You must have something in mind."

"Well, as I've said all along, continuous improvement of our equipment is part of our culture. We've hired two young engineers to spearhead that part of our development. It probably isn't very sexy, but it is essential that we don't allow someone to catch us with something better or cheaper. So, driving down costs without sacrificing quality is our main objective.

"We are looking to add a heat-exchange component to a portable diesel generator. We're trying to be more efficient and environmentally friendly. Now if that isn't sexy," I chuckled, "I don't know what is."

"I don't want to put you down, John, but these days it isn't very sexy," she said. "What are you working on, Georgette?"

"Getting used to being a mother, right now. I'm working to set up the day care area on this floor. I've been interviewing a couple of women who are qualified to run it for us."

"Okay, I've let the local newspapers know about your plan," Annie said with some resignation. "I don't know if any of them will cover it. Corporate day care isn't news around here the way it once was. We've cut back on the magazine advertising as planned. It just isn't as necessary as it was. Diamond∞Stream is a household name now."

"Don't be sad, Annie," Georgette sympathized. "You've done a marvelous job for us. Better than we could have hoped for. We're swamped with business, so our first priority is to get a grip on our production and meet the demand. That's where all our effort is going. Early next year, I'm thinking we'll need to let the public know about our new developments that make the product even better."

"That's a half year away, Georgette. I was hoping for something sooner."

"Don't worry, Annie," I said. "The new international ads will roll out then. You'll be number one in your agency by that time."

"Yeah ... what am I complaining about? I was just a glorified gofer a year ago when Georgette got hold of me. Now I have a career and a mega-client with a mega-hit on their hands. I never imagined it would turn out this way. I'm really grateful to you both."

We wrapped up the meeting and escorted Annie to the lobby. She had done a wonderful job of marketing our products to the right target clients. Our distribution system was plugged with orders for the product and all our focus had turned to increasing production.

"You're hesitant to tell Annie about the new development, aren't you?" Georgette said and we walked back to our office.

"Yes," I admitted. "It's not that I don't trust her, but the fewer who know what direction we want to take the better. Unlike the water treatment system, the technology for our waste treatment system isn't fully developed. We've hired a couple of people who were involved in the Milwaukee project to work with us in development. This is going to be easily as big as Diamond∞Stream according to Kevin. The number of machines will be fewer, but the technology is more complex, so the value will be much higher."

"Kevin thinks almost every aircraft that has a holding tank will want a system like you're imagining," my wife said.

"Yeah, he does. We're going to bring Dow in on this again. They've been supplying chemicals for waste treatment on aircraft for many years. They have the resources and experience that can make for another valuable partnership. That's something that Kevin was involved in with them, so when he approached me with the idea, I was interested."

"But it's not just for aircraft," Georgette reminded me.

"No ... we see applications on boats and RVs. Just about anywhere that holding tanks are used. I've got a person researching how much the airline industry alone spends on toilet waste disposal. It's a monster sum. If we can show them how to cut that back to a fraction of what they pay, they'll line up to use our system."

"Imagine all the good P.R. we'd get too," my wife smiled.

"It would shine up Annie's résumé very brightly. Hell, she might even start her own agency."

"Where are we going on our vacation?" Georgette asked. "Have you decided?"

"No, you decided. You gave me three choices, then proceeded to make sure I knew which one you wanted," I laughed.

"Oh ... really? So which one did you think I was trying to steer you toward?"

"The one with the most brochures and backup information. St. Tropez, of course."

She broke into her best smile. "You are so smart. Are you happy with my choice?"

"Of course I am. The villa you've already rented is lovely, and I'm sure Matthew will be just as happy with Nan there as he always is with her."

"How did you know I'd already booked the place?"

"A little bird told me. A little bird that's going to enjoy every minute of her vacation too."

"That's the trouble with Nan," she said in mock disgust. "She likes you best."

"Well, I don't know about that. After all, she's pretty fond of our son and you both. I think it's pretty well a tie."

"Are you going to take me to Monaco like you promised?"

"Of course, don't I always keep my promises?"