The Offer

"Jane, I got it! I got it! I got offered the job at Smithson. I went to the interview just to see Todd, but now, it's something to really consider...I need to talk to you, call me back."

Walking into the office, 54th and Broadway, NYC, Koppel and Hamm, for her 5,125th time. This was the place she'd thought be until retirement. Landing the job right after college, Soni knew how lucky she was. Working side by side with New York's finest legal minds. Shattering the glass ceiling by showing up time and time again, taking the wins and losses like a champion. She learned, respect didn’t only come with winning, it came by being consistent and keeping her chin up. Soon enough, Soni was sought after, for her insight, her experience, and her undeniable instinct. Soni realized, while her work was valiant, she had an impact on everyone around her each and every day. She was the voice of reason in an otherwise visceral environment, where impulse and instinct were like breathing. How had she become so intuitive?

It was that precise characteristic that brought her to this crossroads. Todd, a well-known entertainment attorney at Smithson LLC had reached out for input on a negotiation he was working. It was an honor. Soni was proud of the wisdom, intellect, and insightfulness she demonstrated over dinner as Todd rapid fired questions her way. She responded with clear vision, concise language, and, of course, charm.

Two days later, Soni asked her colleague and confidant, Jane, how Todd's negotiations went only to learn every word was discarded. Soni felt foolish. Incessantly replaying the conversation to herself, did she say the wrong thing, was there a misunderstanding? She wanted to confront Todd, why go out of his way to go so in depth just to make a fool of her. For a week he had dodged her calls. Then, she remembered Jane mentioning the Smithson would be expanding operations and there was an open Senior position. Mischievously, she thought “if he won’t return my calls, maybe I’ll just show up”, and with that fleeting thought, Soni hit send and simultaneously a little voice said, "oh no".

Days went by and Soni was still replaying it all in her head, the day of the interview, was like any other. A 3-mile run, shower, dress, green smoothie, chat with Millie. Who urged Soni to let it go, that she shouldn't be so fixated on this, just because advice is offered doesn't mean it has to be taken. Soni agreed, but she was fired up, more than she should be Millie stated matter of fact-ly. Comically, this had been the ritual for twenty plus years. Millie, a classic 1959 Original Barbie, was passed to Soni from her Aunt Fey when she was three years old. Millie became Soni’s voice of reason, guide, and biggest secret. As a child, Soni’s parents assumed she had an imaginary friend that she was always talking to but, somewhere around age nine Soni realized, her Millie, was magical.

Each day Soni would tell Millie about every detail of the day, this was their tradition from grade school. Millie would listen for hours on end, counting each word as a blessing. Millie had spent many years on display being ogled, then boxed up and stored in dark spaces. Assessed at a high value, but never fully seen. As soon as Fey got her home, Millie thanked her, out loud. Taken aback, Fey couldn’t believe what she was seeing, let alone, hearing.

Millie had observed Fey on numerous occasions at the museum. Noticing her attraction to whimsical whimsy, Millie felt safe in revealing her true self. They lived together for many years, until Aunt Fey fell ill. Millie, the doll, was given to Soni while the family was in transition. Now, Millie was Soni’s guide, and opinionated observer of the world, mostly Soni’s world. In the end though, Soni wouldn’t have it any other way. She was grateful for the many years of wisdom bestowed upon her. Which is likely the reason she had become so successful in life.

As Soni sat in her office, contemplating the offer from Smithson and the circumstances with Todd, Soni's mind wandered to her Aunt Fey, who had always spoken of the importance of intuition. “You’ve got to listen to the world around you, Soni,”

Soni looked at Millie, her eyes softening. "Alright, Millie. What’s next?"

Millie, with her soft voice, “Did Todd really meet with you to discuss that case, could there be another motive?”

Soni thought about it, Todd had handled high profile cutthroat compromises ten times more complex, why would he go out of his way to mock her? Soni thought back to the initial call with Todd, what was she missing?

At that very moment her phone lit up, it was Jane.

“Jane, thanks for calling me back… did you listen to my voicemail?”

“I did, as your best human friend you need to listen and seriously consider the risk you’d be taking leaving K&H, over something that could all be a misunderstanding. Todd doesn’t have a history of burning bridges, with anyone, let alone a respected peer.”

“You’re right, have any other ideas why he’d seek me out though, I’m not quite understanding”

“Let me ask around, I’ll call you back, until then, don’t make any rash decisions”

“Love you” they said simultaneously. Click.

Hours went by, Jane had managed to get a message to Todd inquiring about his intentions with her best friend, under the guise of an understanding a dinner had taken place between the two. Amused, Todd finally called Soni.

The conversation wasn’t what Soni expected. With a giddiness in his tone, he asked Soni if he knew about the message Jane had left. Soni explained it was peculiar but not totally off brand and then explained the complications with dinner and the events that took place after. Todd confessed his true intentions, he wanted to see how Soni would respond to his questions, he explained he agreed with her on many fronts, then confessed. He wanted to meet her, in consideration for the open position at his firm. He thanked her for her time. He apologized for not being upfront.

They exchanged words of understanding, laughed, and conversation flowed nicely. About midway he asked if she was leaning towards accepting the position, sharing that after dinner he gave a glowing recommendation to the board of directors... Sony paused ... feelings of relief washed over her. She was safe, no one was discarding her input, and she felt pretty silly. Realizing then and there she cared deeply how Todd perceived her, and Millie and Jane were right. Thankful for the magic both brought to her life.

Firing on all cylinders, with Millie by her side and Aunt Fey's teachings echoing in her mind, Soni came back to herself and made her decision. She would be staying at Koppel and Hamm, but before they hung up that day, Soni asked Todd if he’d like to grab coffee some time. He said “yes”. Getting something much better than she ever imagined.