Summary: Angela enjoys the benefits of her decision to hire another person at The Bower Agency.
Finally, finally, I have time to breathe. Three weeks ago, I would not have been able to say the same. In October alone, when retailers typically begin advertising preparations for the holiday season, The Bower Agency took on twelve new accounts, for a total of a twenty percent increase in revenue. IN ONE MONTH! I was beside myself, but too exhausted to enjoy it. Though I am no stranger to twelve-hour days, I promised myself when I went into business on my own that I would not sacrifice my family for my career. I only have one chance to watch Jonathan grow up, and with Sam already a sophomore, my time with her is dwindling. And, of course, there's Tony, my rock, my partner, my friend. I hated coming home every night, bleary eyed, sore, and too exhausted to do anything more than robotically chew whatever he put on my plate before retiring upstairs to work on one account or another before falling asleep propped up in bed. I can't count the number of mornings I awoke with my papers moved to the nightstand, my bedside light turned off, and the covers tucked around me. Tony never mentioned entering my room after I fell asleep working, and I never told him not to.
But hopefully, the worst of those days are behind me, complements of Mr. Jack Ballentyne. He walked into the office, fresh off the train from Chicago, looking for any position he could get, just to get his foot in the door at an agency. His resume was impressive, showing several national campaigns while at a medium-size agency in Chicago, and even a brief stint as an intern at Wallace and McQuaid's L.A. office while he was at UCLA.
Even faced with insurmountable piles of work, I was still reluctant to hire him, despite his obvious competence and the professional chemistry between us. Call me silly, but I didn't want to share my baby. Yes, I know The Bower Agency will always be mine, but bringing someone else in, giving up some control, no matter how little, was difficult. Thankfully, I didn't let those illogical fears get the better of me. After all, my clients deserve top-notch service, which was getting increasingly harder to provide single-handedly. So, I hired Jack after an on-the-spot interview that ate up half the afternoon once we started swapping ideas about the Reebok apparel storyboards he caught sight of in my office. I then invited him home to meet the family, just so they could see with their own eyes that I had finally succumbed to the need for more help.
And since then, things have been great. Jack is creative, articulate, witty with clients, business savvy, and just fun to be around. I'll admit I felt a little guilty when he told me his girlfriend suspected us of having an affair. That's no doubt why she made it a point to use our night at the Plaza as an excuse for an impromptu romantic getaway. In fact, she showed up at his door under the transparent pretense of bringing his reading glasses, which were hardly necessary for the presentation. It's not like he forgot something important like I did. I mean, if Tony hadn't brought that notebook ...
Wait a sec ... No. Impossible. Tony, jealous? Is that why he came into the city? Is that why he brought the notebook himself? Did he think Jack and I were sharing a room? I guess I'll never know, but the coincidence is really uncanny. And it's really sort of sweet – to think Tony might have been a bit jealous of my time with Jack. Maybe I'm letting my imagination run wild, but now that I think about it, I wonder if he wasn't a bit suspicious, and not at all pleased about it. Hmmm, I think I'm going to have to give this a bit more thought.
In the meantime, just let me say again how great it is to have some help. I'm able to be home for dinner most nights, and I was able to accept a few more accounts that I would have had to turn down otherwise, or risk losing the ones I already have.
Also, because if Jack's help, I was able to be home for both recent crises in Sam's life. First, she got dumped by Jesse, and then, in an effort to have some single-girl fun, she nearly staged her biggest defiance of Tony in her life. I thought her night out with Mother was enough to help her get over Jesse, and in fact, they had a stellar time. I didn't get to see either one when they got home, but got the whole story from both the next day. It really warmed my heart to see the two most important women in my life derive such enjoyment and healing from each other. Though a part of me wishes I could have been a part of the healing process, I'm just glad they were able to help each other through this mutual rough spot.
However, it seems a week later, Sam still needed to do a bit of healing, and a weekend skiing with Bonnie was the perfect answer. Tony had other ideas, and that was the start of a pretty long night waiting to see if Sam's conscience would win out over her rebellion. It did. But not before we spent the night reminding Tony of some of his more memorable moments as a father since he came into our lives. If nothing else, the memories served to keep his mind off Sam's whereabouts for a while. And with uncanny precision, it seemed father and daughter decided at the same time that it was time to end the indecision.
And so all these moments – dinners with the family, helping Jonathan with homework, being there for Sam when she needs a woman to talk to – are all reasons that make hiring Jack worth it. Sure, now there are accounts I'm not personally involved in, and layouts I didn't design, but the clients and revenue are rolling in, and I'm able to maintain my sanity though it all.
And on nights like tonight, as Tony and I sat on the couch watching "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," waiting for the kids to get home, I can be thankful to not only have that time to relax and enjoy the movie, but to spend time with my best friend in a situation that offers me a slight glimpse of something more.