The next several weeks passed peacefully.
Daniel submitted his architectural proposal.
His clients liked the design.
He received approval to move into the next stage of the project.
He called me with the news.
I was delighted.
"That's wonderful, sweetheart."
He laughed.
"I thought you'd be pleased."
"Of course I am."
He invited me to see the drawings at his office.
I agreed.
His workplace was modest compared with the Whitmore estate.
But it was full of people who seemed happy to be there.
There were architectural models on shelves.
Drawings covered several desks.
A large window overlooked the street.
Daniel introduced me to his colleagues.
They greeted me warmly.
One of them showed me a model of the proposed development.
I looked closely at the small buildings.
"Did you design this?"
Daniel smiled.
"Most of it."
I was proud of him.
Not because he had become wealthy.
Because he had found something he loved and worked hard to do it well.
On the way home, I stopped at a grocery store.
I bought fresh bread and flowers.
It felt like an ordinary afternoon.
And I wanted to keep it that way.
At headquarters, the changes were also becoming permanent.
The new divisional leadership team had taken responsibility.
Employee feedback meetings were being held regularly.
The finance department had updated several approval procedures.
Rebecca sent me the completed transition report.
I reviewed it at home.
The report documented the changes that had been made.
It also included recommendations for future management oversight.
I approved them.
Then I called Rebecca.
"Thank you for handling this carefully."
She smiled through the phone.
"We had good cooperation from the teams."
"That's encouraging."
She paused.
"There's something else, Margaret."
"What is it?"
"Richard sent a formal letter."
I sat down.
"What did he say?"
"He acknowledged the board's decision and thanked the company for his years of employment."
I was quiet.
"Did he request anything?"
"No. He simply expressed regret about how some matters had been handled."
I nodded.
"Please place it in his personnel record."
"Of course."
After the call, I thought about Richard.
I remembered his confidence at the Whitmore dinner.
I remembered the way he had spoken about the company.
I remembered how he had looked when I entered the boardroom.
I wondered whether he had ever understood that the problem had never been my wealth.
It was the way he treated people.
A person's character did not improve simply because they discovered someone important was watching.
It improved when they learned to treat people properly even when nobody important was watching.
I hoped he would learn that.
But I couldn't make him.
That weekend, Daniel came to visit.
He brought a framed photograph.
It was a picture of Robert standing beside our first factory.
I stared at it.
"Where did you find this?"
"It was in one of the boxes at my apartment."
I smiled.
"I remember that day."
Daniel placed the frame on the kitchen table.
"I thought you might like it."
I touched the edge.
Your father was so proud of that little building.
Daniel smiled.
"You both look exhausted."
"We were."
He laughed.
Then he became thoughtful.
"Mom, I understand something now."
"What?"
"Why you never talked about the company."
I looked at him.
He continued.
"You wanted me to know that I could build a life without depending on what you had built."
I nodded.
"Yes."
He looked at the photograph.
"I think I understand it now."
I felt tears gathering in my eyes.
I wasn't embarrassed.
I had missed Robert for years.
There were moments when I wished he could have been sitting at that table with us.
He would have enjoyed seeing Daniel become a confident man.
We talked about him for a while.
Daniel remembered the way his father used to take him to the factory on weekends.
He remembered the smell of machinery.
The old wooden desk.
The way Robert always greeted the workers by name.
I remembered those things too.
"He believed people should be treated with respect," I said.
Daniel nodded.
"I think that's why he was such a good father."
I smiled.
After Daniel left, I placed the photograph on the shelf.
It sat beside the picture of Robert and me outside the first factory.
I looked at both photographs.
One showed where we started.
The other showed what we had built together.
I felt grateful.
Not for the money.
Not for the company.
For the years.
For the people who had helped us.
For the family we had created.
On Monday, I visited headquarters one last time before taking a short break.
I met with James and Rebecca.
The division was stable.
The new reporting arrangements were working.
There were no major outstanding issues.
I signed a few final documents.
Then I stood by the office window.
I could see employees moving through the building.
Some were carrying files.
Others were heading toward the elevators.
The company continued.
It would continue long after I stopped coming to the office regularly.
That was what I wanted.
A business that could succeed without depending on one person's ego.
I turned toward Rebecca.
"Thank you."
She smiled.
"You're welcome, Margaret."
I collected my handbag.
Then I left the office.
Outside, the air was warm.
My old Toyota was parked in the executive area.
I unlocked it and got inside.
I looked at the building one more time.
Collins Industrial Holdings.
The name Robert and I had chosen so many years earlier.
I smiled.
Then I started the engine.
Click here to continue reading: PART 24: The Last Time I Thought About Richard’s Joke, I Finally Understood Why I Had Smiled Instead of Answering Him
The Evening My Future Daughter-in-Law’s Father Mistook My Quiet Life for a Reason to Humiliate Me
Part 23 of 24
