The Great Hush Empire

Ronny Point of View

Silvia was very happy with my brother Gerard. I, for my part, continued my fake relationship with Katy...

I sat up and rubbed my eyes. I had gotten glazed over from all the paperwork on my table. I was excited about the idea of internationalizing the family shoe business, but the amount of red tape and obstacles to overcome were enough to make me break down.

Shaking my head to clear the cobwebs, I focused on the task at hand: securing a European distributor. I was hoping that the conference call I was having with Christian LaMont would seal the deal and we could move forward with our expansion.

There was a knock on the door and it opened. My brother Hamilton stuck his head out.

"Grandma wants a meeting.

"I have a call soon. “He,” he shrugged.

"He says it's important.

I checked to see that he had all my notes and details for the call ready on my desk for when he returned. Then, I followed Hamilton to the conference room.

My grandmother was already at the head of the table with her trusted assistant, Andi, next to her. Almost seventy, my grandmother still had the sharp mind and quick wit of a woman half her age. She was a force of nature that we all loved to death. We appreciate the vision she had as a young woman when she developed a sandal business from her garage that today is a billion-dollar company. She had built it from nothing into a nationally known and respected shoe company. My goal was to internationalize it.

I approached her and gave her a kiss on her cheek.

-Good morning, grandmother.

"Good morning, Ronny.

"I hope this isn't too long," I said, taking a seat at the table. I have a call with Christian LaMont soon. It's almost closing time in France, so I don't want to hold it up.

"This will be quick," she assured me.

Hamilton was already sitting across from me enjoying a bagel. Carter, my other brother, came in, and just like I had done, he gave my grandmother a kiss and took a seat at the table. All of my siblings and I gasped when our little brother, Noé, walked in wearing his trademark leather jacket and his jeans. He was trained enough to kiss Grandma on the cheek, but not trained enough to keep up with his manners. He sat in a chair and put his feet on the table. I frowned. My other brothers shook their heads.

Grandma frowned too, but she ignored the gesture. She surely knew that Noah's behavior was meant to annoy her and she was not one to be impressed.

"The time is coming, guys.

"They are men, Margaret, well, except Noah. "We're not even sure he's human," Andi joked. He was, more or less, my grandmother's idol, saying what my grandmother was probably thinking, but she would never say out loud.

Noah smiled at Andi.

"The fact is that I'm going to retire soon and I need to know that I'm leaving the company in good hands," my grandmother said.

This was no surprise and yet she caught us all off guard. I suspect that deep down he thought she would live and run Hush Incorporated forever.

"What are you going to do with your free time? "I asked, unable to imagine her knitting or taking walks on the beach to collect shells. She was a businesswoman through and through. I'm similar to her in that way and I don't know what I would be like if I didn't have this business.

"I don't know yet, but I'm not worried. All I know is that I'm ready to move on. I know that you... Men, can handle the job of moving the company forward. So today I'm going to announce your new jobs. They are based on your strengths.

“Noah has no strengths,” Carter joked, tossing a rolled up piece of paper to our little brother.

"He's a strong weakling," Andi said.

We all laugh. Noah shrugged. He didn't care. I admired that about him, even if it made him annoying.

“Ronny, you will be the Chief of Operations,” my grandmother said, ignoring the jokes around her.

"That's because you're bossy," Noé joked.

I thought about saying he was fired, but he didn't actually work at Hush Incorporated like me and my other brothers. He was like my father in that way.

"Hamilton, you will be the Marketing Director," Grandma continued. "That made sense. Hamilton was creative and already worked in marketing. Carter, you will be the CFO. "That made sense too. He was a math genius and he probably could have worked at NASA or something, but he preferred to stay in the family business. Noé, you will be the Director of Technology.

Actually, that made sense too. Noé was brilliant like Carter, but his problem was that he was lazy. He created some apps, sold them for a ton of money, and started traveling on his motorcycle. He did some work for us from time to time, but I actually hated corporate work.

"I don't work here," Noé responded.

"Noé, it's time for you to pay more attention to your life beyond your motorcycle. “This role fits you perfectly,” Grandma stated in a way that to the rest of us would have been taken to mean that we had no choice.

"Grandma, you know I love you, but I'm not interested. "Noé planted her boots on the floor, stood up and left the room. I rolled my eyes.

"Little brother has to get his act together," Hamilton said.

"We already do these jobs, so what difference does it make if we have those titles? I asked, also implying that Noah was a lost cause.

"They matter because now you are running the show. “All four,” she said.

There was one notable position that had not been assigned.

"And the general director? -I asked for.

"There will not be a general director. You will all have to work together for the company to grow and continue to be successful.

I suspect there was no CEO because that job should have been my father's. Like Noah, he retired from corporate life when my mother died. I think Grandma hoped that one day she would come back, but she never did.

Fortunately, except for Noah, we all got along well, so I didn't foresee many problems, although we might have some if we didn't agree on something. But since I was due for a call shortly, I didn't have time to worry about that issue now.

"I won't be leaving for a few months, so there's time to solve any problems. But I will step away from business and give you more responsibility. Make sure you don't ruin my legacy, guys. Make me proud. She stood up and, with a regal air, left the room.

Andi picked up her notes and reports from her and followed her out the door.

"Do you think he's serious? Carter asked. This company is his life. What are you going to do with your free time?

“She'll most likely spend it on the beach with her new surfer boyfriend,” Andi said as she walked out the door.

We all looked at each other open-mouthed.

"You're joking, right?" Hamilton asked.

She didn't know, but she didn't have time to discuss it. She had a call to make and something to prove. This company was as important to me as it was to my grandmother. Like her, I planned to dedicate my life to cultivating it and watching it grow.