I pushed the door open the rest of the way and stepped in. Taking the seat beside my father, I waited for one of them to start.
“How was your trip?” Mr. Tanaka asked, beginning our private meeting on a personal note.
“Fine. Thanks for asking.”
Just get on with it, I thought to myself.
“Good. Glad to hear it.” I watched as he retrieved his reading glasses from the top drawer and then glanced down at the paper resting on his desk. While you were away, there were a few new developments.”
“New developments?” I didn’t quite follow.
Mr. Tanaka felt inside the pocket of his lapel for a pen. “Yes. An opportunity.”
From the corner of my eye, I could see my father smiling a bit, which was never a good sign.
“As you’re well aware, we spent a better part of the last two years since you’ve been with us here at Arata trying to expand and market ourselves more effectively on a larger scale – first concentrating on meeting our national marketing goals so that we could then expand our global reach.”
I nodded, knowing all the details that he was reiterating, but still not understanding what any of it had to do with me.
“There was, as you also know, a brief period of time –“ I tuned him out and waited for him to get to his point. “However, even with the minor hiccup that we experienced, I am pleased to announce that, for the past three quarters, we’ve managed to not only meet our quarterly forecasts, we’ve exceeded them - exponentially. It isn’t lost on us that credit for this achievement is owed in part to the excellent work that you did in Tokyo last summer. You managed to singlehandedly make a name for Arata on foreign soil, which has not only given us the capital to fund this venture to expand globally, but also the strategic positioning that will ensure our success.”
I stared at him wordlessly when he situated his glasses on his nose and then checked that the pen in his hand was working properly before sliding it and the sheet of paper across his desk to me. I set my coffee down before leaning in to inspect the document. I wasn’t sure if I was reading it right.
“You want me and all TWO years of my experience,” I said sarcastically, “…to head the Eastern Division? Alone?” I added.
The smile on my father’s face didn’t fade. This felt like a setup; like they were purposely forcing me to bite off more than I could chew, so I’d fail, and then they could let me go.
I shook my head and pushed the paper back to Mr. Tanaka. “Thanks, but no thanks. I’m perfectly satisfied with my position here.”
The two shot one another the same look – shock.
My father moved to the edge of his seat. “Son…I don’t think you’re understanding; this is a huge career move for you. There’re men working for this company who would kill for the opportunity that we’re offering you.”
“Exactly my point! Why not offer it to someone whose got the years under their belt, someone who –“
“Because, despite the quantity of your experience, your father and I both recognize your potential. We’re basing this decision on quality,” Mr. Tanaka replied calmly.