After that incident, I decided to cut all ties with
John. The one–year mark was approaching. I
had my lawyer send him a demand letter. I
wasn’t worried about him not paying; I still had
over a hundred and ten thousand dollars of his
money from our business dealings.
The money arrived quickly. I had my team draft
a notice of termination for our business
agreement, and we settled all outstanding
accounts.
My business was thriving. My reputation for
quality and service, combined with being early
on a growing platform, had paid off. Suppliers,
even manufacturers, were contacting me
directly, wanting to work with me. I didn’t need
John anymore. In fact, losing me as a client
would probably hurt him more than it would hurt
- me.
He called me relentlessly. I finally blocked his
number. He showed up at my door, but David
and I were already on our way to Vegas for a
final summer vacation hurrah.
<
Just as we were about to board the plane,
Melissa called. Before she could start yelling, I
said, “Melissa, you and I were never in
competition. Think about it. Who really put you
in the situation you’re in now?”
There was a long silence, then she hung up.
Their story might continue, but it had nothing to
do with me. I just hoped they stayed together
forever, misery loving company.
18
When the new school year started, I went to
David’s parent–teacher conference. The
teacher announced the class rankings. David
was usually a B–average student, hovering
around the three–hundredth mark out of a
thousand students. This time, however, he had
jumped to the top two hundred, especially in
English, the subject we’d stopped tutoring him
in
–
– he was third in the class!
His teacher told me, “He’s a bright kid. If he
keeps working hard, he should have no problem getting into a good high school.”
I was so thrilled, I shook the teacher’s hand and thanked her profusely.
Walking out of the school, I was still floating on
air.
David rolled his eyes. “Mom, can you get a
grip? What are you going to do if I make it into
the top hundred? Faint from excitement?”
I grinned. “It would be worth it. Honey, I don’t
have many aspirations in life anymore. I just
want you to have a bright future and a happy
life.”
He stopped and looked at me, his expression
serious. “Mom, you still have a lot of life left to
live. I want to make you proud, but I don’t want
to be your only source of pride.”
I looked up at him. He was tall and handsome,
no longer a little boy.
I smiled. “David,” I said, “Mom’s going to start
living her own amazing life, too.”
Bonus Chapter:
David’s Perspective
