The Conference Room

She waited quietly in the conference room, arms folded together on the table in front of her. Katrina had been preparing for this meeting for two days. She looked around at the plush, black leather chairs lining the oval-shaped table. Black and white paintings of neo-classical buildings lined the walls.

Nothing was remarkable about the conference room. Yet, being there now made her feel like she was stepping into another world. Perhaps it was Katrina's nervousness about the meeting with her boss that had her feeling unsettled.      

Two years ago, Katrina sat in the same seat. Her arms folded much in the same way with sweat building up in the palms of her hands. That time she was waiting for her interview with Jeff Kaefer, one of the two brothers who had founded the company.

Katrina had been happy to get offered a position at their small marketing and advertising startup. She knew she was what some would call the token, being the company's only woman and only hire of color. However, Katrina believed that her hard work and dedication would pay off in the end. 

She loved the idea of being a part of something bigger. She got sucked into the dream of watching the company go from an initial idea to a multi-million dollar corporation. The company was growing faster than anyone had anticipated.

The Kaefers wanted to keep up with the progressive culture of the market. So two weeks ago they launched a new department called Diversity in Advertisement. To accommodate the expansion of the company, two new marketing, and a director's position were created. 

When he entered the conference room, Jeff cleared his throat, snapping Katrina out of her thoughts. He loosened the buttons on his jacket and sat down across from her. Katrina smiled big, allowing the top row of her teeth to show.

"Good morning, Mr. Kaefer. Thank you for having this meeting with me." Jeff nodded and looked down at his watch, then back up at Katrina. 

"I asked for this meeting to discuss the new expansion." Katrina swallowed hard then continued, "As you know, I've been here for two years now, and I believe that my work has more than proven my worth to this company."

Jeff crossed his arms in front of his chest and pursed his lips. He leaned back in his chair. Deep wrinkles creased his forehead. 

"According to a recent study done by the University of Georgia, minorities have $3.9 trillion in buying power, and blacks and Hispanics have a combined 2.8 trillion in..."

Jeff held up his hand, cutting her off. "Let me stop you right there, Katrina. Are you questioning my decision to give the director's position to Garry?"

"No, sir. I'm asking that you restructure the org chart within the department. Then, allow me to bring in new business. Who better to do that than a black Latina?"

Jeff stood up and rebuttoned his jacket. "With all due respect, our decision is final. Garry is the new marketing director over Diversity in Advertisement, and that's his job. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting in five minutes."

Jeff walked towards the door of the conference room. He paused, then turned back to Katrina, "You all have that meeting tomorrow with our first "diverse" client. Jeff used air quotes when he said the word diverse. "We'll see how that goes, and maybe we can talk about a raise."

Katrina gathered the charts, the article, the proposal she had put together for their new client and stuffed them all back into her portfolio. She bit down on her bottom lip and shook her head. A raise is what I should have gotten a year ago when I landed that deal with that natural hair-care line, Katrina thought.

As she stepped into the hall, she looked back at the conference room that was stained with so many memories. Her memories. The long nights spent creating sales copy and briefs to convince clients that Kaefer and Associates was the right agency to help scale their business. The presentations she made alone, with coffee, and her own ideas, that Gary often presented as a collaborative effort in meetings. Then, Katrina got radio spots for their clients with a local Spanish-speaking station. Finally, she closed the conference room door and started down the hall to her office.

"Hey, Katrina."

Gary waved his hands in the air at her from down the hall. Katrina forced a smile. It wasn't his fault that she was overlooked for the position, and she didn't blame him for taking the promotion. Really, Katrina didn't expect Mr. Kaefer to take Gary's promotion away and give it to her. However, she did expect recognition for her hard work and creativity.

Katrina wanted a business development position to be created within the new department. She wanted to be the one going into black and Latin communities and bringing new clients into the agency. But, with the way the Kaefers had structured the department, it would be left up to Gary. That meant she would be doing all the work, and he would be getting all the credit.

"Congratulations on your promotion, Gary."

"Thank you, that means a lot coming from you." Katrina shook her head and continued walking towards her office.

"Wait, I wanted to tell you that you did a great job on that presentation yesterday. Mr. Hernandez has agreed to have a meeting with us."

"Yeah, I was copied on the email, but thanks for the reminder."

"So, you have everything together for the proposal then? You know my Spanish is no bueno." Gary threw his head back and chuckled. He always got a kick out of saying the few Spanish words that he knew. 

Katrina closed her eyes and gritted her teeth. Usually, she would say, que bueno, or laugh with him, but not today. Today, she felt defeated, like her diversity didn't count.

"Yep, I got it all right here." Katrina pulled her portfolio up to her chest. Garry patted her on the shoulder and winked.

"Great, see you tomorrow morning."

Katrina walked slower now, studying the faces in the pictures hung neatly on the hallway walls. None of them looked like her. There were no women and no people of color. Finally, she stopped in front of a picture of Jeff and David Kaefer, smiling together at the company's quarterly meeting.

They were standing in the conference room, holding up glasses of champagne. She remembered that day. Jeff told how he and his brother used their inheritance to start the company. Every face in the room listened intently. Much like Katrina, they were appreciative of the opportunity to live their mission with the two brothers. Under the picture were the words Globalization through Innovation and Marketing for All. 

For Katrina, there would be no inheritance. She was the youngest of three children. Instead, her mother worked two, sometimes three jobs after they moved to Florida when Katrina's father was killed in Cuba. They lived in shelters, slept in their van, and eventually settled in a two-bedroom apartment in Little Havana.

Tu eres digna, her mother would say to her when kids in school made fun of her broken English. Katrina went on to graduate top of her class at the University of Miami with a Master's degree in Business Management and Marketing.

Si mamá, soy digna, Katrina whispered to herself, taking one last look at the picture of the two brothers who had given her her first job in marketing.

Jeff and Gary sat in the conference room, exchanging nervous glances. Mr. Hernandez tapped his pen on the table and then looked down at his watch. 

"Why don't we go ahead and get started," Jeff motioned towards Gary.

Gary cleared his throat and leaned over towards Jeff. "Katrina has the presentation," he whispered.

Jeff glared at him, then looked at Mr. Hernandez, "It seems we're waiting on one other person. I'll get her now. Sorry for the delay." Mr. Hernandez shook his head in agreement. Jeff hurried out of the conference room and down the hall. 

He knocked on Katrina's office door, but there was no answer. Jeff slowly pushed the door open.

"Katrina, we need you…"

Her office was empty except for the desk, chair, and printer. On the desk was a folded card addressed to him.

Mr. Kaefer, I am tremendously grateful for the opportunity you and 

Mr. David Kaefer extended to me two years ago to this day. 

The lessons I have learned have no doubt shaped my career. 

I wish you and Kaefer and Associates much success in your future endeavors. 

But with all due respect, skew your final decision. I quit.

Sincerely,

Katrina Pérez González  

Katrina clenched the white envelope in her hand. It was waiting in her mailbox yesterday when she returned from work. She navigated the maze of boxes scattered throughout her one-bedroom apartment. Finally, Katrina picked up her phone, walked to her balcony, and sat down. 

For a moment, she watched the cars drive by, people walking their dogs, and flowers blowing in the breeze. She had burned a bridge, but Katrina wanted it this way. Everything was up to her now. The way it should have been. No one would be there to validate her, tell her her worth, or overlook her hard work.

"Hey, my love." Katrina's mother's voice sounded warm and familiar on the phone. 

"Hey, mamá." There was a pregnant pause between them. 

"I need to move back home," Katrina finally breathed out. 

"¿Qué pasó?"

"I quit my job," Katrina sniffled back tears. 

“¿Finalmente sabes tu valor?” 

Katrina looked down at the address on the envelope in her hand that read, ATTN: Pérez Marketing and Consultants, LLC. 

“Sí mamá, finalmente sé lo que valgo.”

Thank you for reading this short story. My boys and I are studying Spanish. It's a language I've always wanted to learn, so we made it part of their foreign language curriculum for home school. Thank you for bearing with me as I practice using the language. I did ask a Spanish speaker for help, so hopefully, I got it right😊.