Alexandria was already in venture-building mode. “Oh, no, the pleasure is all ours. Thanks for spending the time with us.”
“I’ve set up a presentation and demonstration in our boardroom.”
As we walked down the hall, I couldn’t help but notice more than half the seventy-five or so work stations were empty cubicles. “Looks like you’ve invested for growth. How long have you been in business?”
“We’ve been around for about four years. We’ve had to do some retooling of our business model since we discovered our primary prospect is the corporate enterprise rather than the internet community’s end customer. We’re also in the middle of another round of financing.”
Translation: they wasted a ton of stage-one venture capital, maybe between $10 and $20 million judging from the facility, before they had a proven business model. Then they cut operating costs to conserve cash and were again running out of money, probably because they hadn’t sold zilch to anybody.
The presentation and subsequent discussion went pretty much as I expected. There wasn’t a salesperson to be had, and Rodman had no idea what we did or whether his model was appropriate for us. He was suggesting that our advisors, who had long-standing offices in their communities, shut them down and convert to virtual storage of their sensitive sales information, databases, etc., on his remote servers.
I explained that people like to visit the offices of financial advisors. He said he didn’t know that and looked at Alexandria. I told him most advisors were marginally computer-literate and got most of their communications through a designated administrative assistant. He said he didn’t know that either and again looked at Alexandria. I told him we were not in the business of selling branded third-party proprietary software with no headquarters controls.
Later, standing in the parking lot outside the building, I said, “The ContactPro situation is not right for us. Let’s discuss it tomorrow at the office.”
“What about my dinner?” she asked.
~
I decided on dinner at the Tomiyama Sushi Grill at the edge of the 79th Street pier, across the river from the Pacific Palisades. The sunset was spectacular, the George Washington Bridge twinkled, and the sushi was fresh. Importantly, Lauren hated sushi, so there was zero chance of an accidental encounter.
As always, the conversation began with the business issue du jour — in this case, ContactPro. I reiterated the same points I had made to Rodman about a lack of strategic fit. Alexandria uncharacteristically acquiesced. “Now that I understand better, I’m sorry about wasting your time.”
“Oh, my God,” I joked, “Does that mean you trust me?”
She smiled. “No. It just means I may be beginning to trust you.” I touched the hand she placed on the table. “What did you think of Gil’s business acumen?” she asked.
“Very smart, but he has no clue what the financial marketplace needs, and I seriously doubt whether he’ll raise anymore venture money in today’s environment.” I paused and smiled mischievously. “And he seems a bit young for you.”
“That’s a terrible thing to say!” Alexandria said in mock-outrage. “Besides, Gil’s not my type.”
“Well, I’m trying to figure out why else we’re here.”
“Bill Johnson suggested we meet. He may be an early investor in ContactPro. I’m not sure.”
“So, we’re here because your boss is using you to recapture his investment, and then some?”
“You make Bill sound dreadful.”
“And let me guess: Johnson promised you a finder’s fee, a bonus commission, or some future favor if an AFA-Contract Pro deal closed.”
“Well, there was some of that,” she admitted, “But Gil Rodman also sounded cute on the phone.”
“I thought you said he wasn’t your type?”
Alexandria just glared.
Dinner was a terribly quiet affair. As I signed the check, Alexandria finally spoke. “How did you explain the other night to Lauren? I mean, what did she say when you got home?”
“I had to lie.”
“That’s terrible. What’s worse is, I know Lauren.”
14.
A single mom’s dilemma.
Alexandria stared into space. “I was thinking about Shanti.”
“Shanti?’
I was beginning to learn that Alexandria’s thought process could go any which way, and sometimes her most direct route connected two seemingly unconnected dots. This was one of those moments.
“Remember, I’m a single mom; I worry about my daughters all the time.” Alexandria explained that Melissa was straight, worked hard, paid her bills, was looking for a nice guy, and had decided, after graduating from Oregon State University, that she preferred the Pacific Northwest and its lifestyle. She was working as an assistant editor for an innovative boutique publisher, The Intelligent Press.
Her sister Shanti had declared she was gay about two years ago, had dropped out of college, and had held a string of low-paying, dead-end jobs as she traveled from town to town, seeing the United States.
“I’m not upset about the gay thing. That’s a lifestyle preference; Shanti’s a grown woman and has the right to make her own choices. I’ve always tried to balance being a caring mother with disciplined values, while at the same time allowing my daughters the freedom to grow through personal experience. But Shanti is very lazy. She figures I make good money and has no problem with me subsidizing her…regularly. She’s got a bit of her father and stepfather in her. Whenever she needs money, a thousand dollars here, two thousand dollars there, I give it to her. The other night I finally said enough is enough. I’m sending you one more check. That’s it.”
“What did she say?”
“I told her, ‘You’ve got to be like everybody else in this world. Go out, get a steady job, and stand on your own two feet. Just like your mom and sister do.”’
“Sound, practical advice. How did she respond?”
“Horribly. First, Shanti got irrational and vindictive, said I loved Melissa more — that I never wanted her in the first place. Then she became downright nasty, claiming my failed marriages to ‘two worthless younger husbands’ invalidated heterosexual relationships. She then explained the benefits of gay relationships: ‘Partners are carefully chosen for the right reasons — love and loyalty; they are less promiscuous and more faithful; they are better listeners and more sensitive to their partner’s needs.; Then she slammed the phone down and hasn’t returned a call since.”
~
I had no idea what had just happened. All she said was, “Just hold me.” We sat silently for a couple of minutes, then she said, “Thank you; time for this girl to get home.”
We walked to her car at the end of the parking lot. She looked up. The stars were twinkling brightly in the clear night sky. “My goodness, what a beautiful night.”
I put my arms around her waist. She put hers around mine. I hugged her. She hung on for dear life. “God, why is life so complicated?”
We kissed gently. Alexandria got into her car as I stood and watched. My cellphone started to ring. I didn’t want to answer. She rolled the window down and smiled, “Hey, come here, you.”
I did as she said. “Don’t you answer when Madam rings?” She got out of her car and kissed me again — this time a bit more intensely.
15.
Going to Hawaii, alone…
Lauren