Coffee by gren blackall Page B

lived in the snow my whole life, I can handle a
flurry.”
    “I
like you, you know, Etty.”
    While
she would normally jab him with a snide response, she appreciated
the comment. She wished she could tell him everything, to get some
other advice. “Thanks, Knut. I like you too.”

    

    Next
she called her mother in Nashua. Although she liked to call home
once a week anyway, she would never hear the end of grief if she
didn’t call before a trip.
    “Hello?”
    “Hi
Mom! You getting any snow there?”
    “Hi
Etty! A little, and it’s sticking. They say 6 to 8 inches by
morning. What about you?”
    “Same.
We have an inch or so already.” Then she wished she hadn’t
brought up the snow. “Hey, I only have a moment, but I wanted
to let you know I am going to Dallas.”
    “Dallas?
Listen to you, the world traveler. Why Dallas?”
    “A
job interview. I am looking into a company down there that does
Investment Finance, sounds really interesting.”
    “Good
for you. How will you afford it?”
    “Mom,
these big firms pay to fly people all the time. All expenses paid.
Nice hotel, the whole works.”
    “Thanks
for letting me know. When’s the trip, next week?”
    “No,
tonight, I’m leaving pretty soon in fact.”
    “What?
Tonight? You can’t fly in weather like this!”
    “Mom,
it’s never a problem taking off in snow, it’s only
landing that causes problems. I checked, it’s not snowing in
Dallas.”
    “Funny,
but it’s snowing here! How will you get to the airport? I
hate that old car of yours anyway, especially in this!”
    “Mom,
it’s okay. This is important. I’ll leave plenty of
time, and drive like an old lady.”
    “That’s
what I’m worried about. I really don’t want you to go,
Etty. It’s Friday night, the weekend. I can’t imagine
this company can’t wait an extra day. Your interview is on
Monday, right?”
    “No,
actually, it’s tomorrow morning. Look, I’m not
discussing this anymore. I just wanted to let you know. I’ll
call you from Dallas.”
    “I
don’t know. I don’t like it.” She exhaled a full
chest of air into the phone. “... If I demanded you not to
go, would you stay?”
    Etty
hesitated. “I... if you demanded? ... I guess so, Mom, but you
wouldn’t do that. This is my career, my life. I’ll be
done with my PhD pretty soon, and I need to get my name out there.”
    “Well.
I suppose.”
    “Mom,
I’ll be fine. I’ll call you tomorrow morning.”
    “Call
me tonight. I don’t care how late you get in. Promise?”
    “Okay,
I promise. I love you Mom.”
    “Me
too. That’s why I worry.”

    

    Knut
stared through Mantis at some Dunn and Bradstreet business names,
and nearly yelled his discovery. “World Investment
Corporation! It’s a subsidiary of Global Growers!” He
pushed Mantis aside, and felt for the phone. “What the hell
is she doing?”
    He
waited while the phone rang, and finally clicked over to her
answering machine. “Com’on Etty, answer! Answer!”
Then, jamming his finger on the phone carriage, “Damnit. She
must have left.” He quickly dialed another number.
    “Warren,
great, you’re there.”
    “Knut?”
    “Have
you talked to Etty today?”
    “No.
Haven’t talked to her since Tuesday night. What’s up?”
    “I
think she’s in trouble.”
    Warren
pulled his feet off the table where he had been almost asleep,
trying to get through some financial reports. “What do you
mean?”
    “Have
you talked to anyone from Global Growers today by any chance?”
    “Global
Growers? Hell no. What’s going on?”
    “Etty
is on her way to an interview in Texas with them. She wouldn’t
tell me anything, not even that it was Global.”
    “An
interview in Texas? What, she left already?”
    “Yea,
just tonight. She’s going down for the weekend. All she told
me is that she was interviewing with the World Investment
Corporation, and to ‘trust me’. Very strange.”
    “That’s
part of Global Growers?”
    “Right.