Green Kills (3 page)

New York, October 14, 2013, 9:30 AM

Monday had begun just like any other Monday. The weekly staff
meeting was brief and devoid of any upheavals, the mountains of sushi, ordered
by Evelyn, David’s personal assistant, were devoured to the last piece. But,
during the final discussions, the partners, especially David and Henry, seemed
preoccupied and restless.

“OK. We’re done for today,” David said, closing out the meeting.
“Ronnie, stay with us in the room please.”

Ronnie went back to his chair, following with his eyes the
junior staff members leaving the room.

“Close the door behind you, please,” Henry asked the last one to
leave, who obeyed while sending Ronnie a worried look. A midday one-on-one
conversation with all the partners was highly unusual and would normally herald
ill tidings. Ronnie recalled Roy, who had been summoned to such a conversation
just two weeks before, following which he’d been fired. An hour after the
conversation had finished, all that remained of his old officemate were two
marker pens and a yellow notepad. As far as Ronnie knew, even though they’d
never told him, the partners were satisfied with his work. Even so, he wasn’t
able to get over the feeling he’d soon be watching his own funeral procession.

“We’ll be right with you,” Henry said offhandedly, as he and his
fellow partners examined a two-page document David had just handed them,
demonstratively ignoring Ronnie’s discomfort. But if they thought they were
pressuring him, they were wrong. The wait actually allowed Ronnie to relax.
I
might as well keep a level head, they’ll soon tell me why they wanted me to
stay
, he thought and sprawled comfortably in his chair, took a deep breath,
and waited.
If they only knew about all the times I’ve had to wait two,
sometimes even three sleepless days to perform a single action that might have
cost me my life…  

“It won’t be another minute, Ronnie,” it was David’s turn to
mumble without raising his head from the document, “we just need to finalize a
few minor details related to another issue.” Ronnie kept quiet. He assumed
David was not really awaiting his approval.

Ten minutes later, it appeared the senior partners had reached a
decision. All the paperwork was gathered and piled up next to David. David
lifted the bundle again and lightly tapped it against the gleaming surface of
the table. The papers were soon organized into a single cube-like shape. When
his mind was finally at ease with the order he’d instilled in the paperwork,
David raised his head and looked at Ronnie. “Thank you for your patience, and
please excuse us for the wait. We wanted to speak with you at the end of last
week, but since you were away on a business trip, we thought it appropriate to
await your return so we could have a face-to-face conversation.”

David grew silent, aware that Ronnie remembered the fate of his
former roommate. Curiosity took hold, but Ronnie was able to maintain a neutral
expression. David waited another moment, exchanging glances with his partners,
then
carried on, “It’s been almost a year since you joined
us, and we thought you deserve to know our opinion about you and your
performance in the fund. Perhaps we’ve been a little miserly with our compliments,
but I’m sure it will come as no surprise to you if I tell you most of what we
have to say is very positive. Your analytical skills are exceptional, and your
ability to recognize new market trends has often provided us a significant
advantage over competing funds. Your handling of crisis situations has been
excellent as well. Nevertheless, we still have two major question marks about
you; the first one is whether you’ll be capable of working with complete
independence, without a senior partner by your side.” David was silent again,
awaiting a response, even though the question had been phrased as though it’d
been directed to the partners. 

Ronnie slowly shifted his gaze from one partner to another,
trying to conjecture the hidden meaning of what had just been said, but more
than that, to guess the words that hadn’t been. “For the past year, I’ve shared
my opinions with my partners, not because I’m unable to reach decisions on my
own or incapable of innovative thinking. I’ve done it because that’s what the
term ‘partnership’ means to me. When I was hired, David was very proud of the
due diligence you conducted on me. I’m sure you discovered that as a CEO, I led
quite a few groundbreaking processes and reached quite a few difficult
decisions on my own. It’s much easier to reach such decisions on your own than
to convince and harness an entire organization to follow your lead. As a CEO, I
had no choice and needed to act that way. Here, I felt I had a different choice
to make and therefore shared all my thoughts with you. If I had to start over,
I’d still take the same approach.” Ronnie grew silent and waited.

“I assume you had to make some difficult decisions during your
military service as well,” said David with a teasing smile.

“As I made perfectly clear a year ago during my job interview,
my military service is not an issue I am willing to discuss.” Ronnie clenched
his teeth and said no more. He concentrated on pouring water into his glass and
waited. Scolding David in front of his partners was dangerous, but he knew his
destiny had been determined before the meeting had even begun. Whatever he said
now would hardly change the decision about his future in the fund.

“Now you’re setting limits for me as well,” David reacted, his
manicured fingers drumming the table and betraying his anger.

“Not really. I’m simply explaining my position. I expect you to
see my loyalty to a different organization, dealing with other matters, as a
good indication of my loyalty to our company. Had I betrayed the country that raised
me, a country where all my family still lives, a country whose secrets I’m
sworn to protect — all because of my wish to work for the fund — how could I
expect you to trust me with the fund’s professional secrets?” 

The door opened without warning, and Evelyn entered the room
carrying a fresh tray laden with sushi.

David picked up a piece of salmon and shoved it in his mouth.
While chewing, he said, “You’ve raised an interesting point, Ronnie.
Loyalty.
For me, loyalty goes hand in hand with telling the
truth. Do you feel the same?”

“Of course, along with other important
qualities.”
The predatory, catlike expression on David’s face made
Ronnie realize he was about to be hit with the reason for this unexpected
interview.

“So, how do you explain the following fact: Two months ago, you
did a few days of reserve duty, so you
said,
something
that no other Israeli residing in the United States is doing. What’s even
worse, we’ve found no indication that you left the US during that period. The
Israeli army is conducting maneuvers and training on US soil?” David chuckled
with obvious contempt.

Ronnie remembered the surveillance team he was able to shake off
the day he’d left for reserve duty. “As I said before, I have no intention of
getting into this subject. I find your scrutiny of my personal activities to be
insulting and intrusive. Whether or not you mean to fire me today, I’ll see
that you get copies of my Swissair round-trip ticket to Israel by tomorrow. I’d
like to stop the conversation now. I need to decide whether I’m willing to
continue to work for a company that doesn’t respect my privacy.” Ronnie pushed
his chair back, while giving David an angry stare, and turned to leave the
room.

“Ronnie, come back please.” Henry tried a soothing voice.
“There’s no need for you to bring copies of your flight tickets. I believe
you.”

“If you believe me, why did you send people to follow me?”

Henry shrugged.

Ronnie stayed his grip on the door handle. Every nerve in his
body was screaming, “Leave!” but curiosity to see what David was aiming at and
the knowledge he could always quit tipped the scales. It was in such moments he
felt happy about the “drop dead” money he had as a result of the successful
sale of his company. The incredible amount of money he had earned allowed him
to send David to hell whenever he felt the partner stepped over the limit. He
returned to the table and sat down.

“I suggest that we continue,” Henry added, placing his hand on
David’s arm in an attempt to calm him. David left the table, used the espresso
machine behind him to fill up a cup of coffee, foamed the milk slowly, and then
gently added it to the mug. When he’d finished, he drained the liquid into his
mouth with a single gulp and sat back, wiping his mouth with a soft cream colored
napkin printed with the company logo.

“Take some sushi,” he blurted, as if he’d remembered something
important he needed to say.

“Thanks, but I’m not hungry,” answered Ronnie. He was beginning
to get fed up with David’s games.

“We’ve decided to promote you to a partner position right now,”
said David, his voice surprisingly upbeat as if they’d not exchanged harsh
words just moments ago. “As soon as the next fund becomes active, you’ll serve
as the partner in charge of investing in companies related to the medical
field. In the meantime, we’ve decided to let you sit on one of our existing
portfolio companies’ board of directors. That way, we’ll be able to see how you
operate as an independent partner. It’ll also buy Henry some valuable time to
round up investors for the third fund.” David was silent for a moment, perhaps
to emphasize his next sentence. “We’ve never promoted a senior associate to
partner so quickly. I’d like to believe you won’t let us down.”

“Thanks for your trust,” Ronnie answered dryly. “Which company
are we talking about?”

“TDO Pharmaceuticals.
You should be
familiar with it from our weekly meetings, but Henry will pass the baton to you
in an orderly manner.” David attempted a smile. Ronnie didn’t kid
himself,
he knew the incident between them would not be soon
forgotten.

“You couldn’t have picked a better company,” said Ronnie.
Gratitude tempered his words for the first time since the meeting had begun.
“Henry, are you sure you’re willing to give it up?”

David hurried to respond before Henry was able to utter a word,
“So, I understand you’re accepting our partnership offer.
Great.
Regarding your question, I want you to realize Henry was far from pleased with
this move. This is a development that was forced on us. For your own good,
don’t let us down.”

Ronnie decided not to let the doubts and threats concealed in
David’s words to hinder his happiness.

“At the moment, only a slight cosmetic change to your salary
will be made,” added David. “We’ll discuss the terms of your employment in the
new fund after it is closed based on the amounts we manage to raise. We have
been more than fair to you thus far, and I hope you trust us to continue to be
so in the future. Now, take the rest of the day off and spoil Liah, your
girlfriend, she probably doesn’t even remember what you look like. We’ll start
the transition period tomorrow. Goodbye.”

The final sentence surprised Ronnie, who’d never spoken with
David about his private life and hadn’t even imagined the partner was aware of
Liah’s existence. He gave David a questioning look which was answered by a
slight, but victorious, smile.

New York,
October 14, 2013, 11:45 AM

Ronnie’s shoulders filled up the bedroom door frame. He leaned on
the doorjamb and looked at Liah. Two and a half years of living together had
done nothing to diminish his attraction to her. She was sleeping on her back,
hands sprawled above her head carelessly, and Ronnie longed to snuggle beside
her and cover her tranquil face with kisses.

“What happened?” She stirred and mumbled, “What time is it? I
had the night shift yesterday. I just couldn’t wake up this morning when the
alarm clock went off. I hope I didn’t break it when I hammered it with the
pillow.”

“Eleven forty-five.” Ronnie leaned toward her, gently ruffling
her hair and kissing her lips.

She sat up in panic. “What are you doing here in the middle of
the day? Did something happen?” She leaned forward, exposing her breasts, which
had burst free from her undershirt. “Stop giving me horny looks. What
happened?”

“I’ve been promoted to partner. David decided to send me home to
be with you on this happy day,” he announced and immediately regretted
admitting the idea of spending the rest of the day with Liah wasn’t his own.

Liah lowered her eyes, leaned back, and fixed the pillow behind
her silently. This wasn’t the reaction Ronnie had expected.  His favorite,
battered Ralph Lauren jacket suddenly felt burdensome. He took it off and
allowed it to slip to the floor. Then he drew Liah to him, holding her head
between his hands while his lips gently brushed her forehead. Liah stretched
her arms behind his back silently, holding him close. They sat that way for a
while, until Ronnie felt her grasp weakening. He placed his hands on her shoulders,
pushing her away from him a bit; the front of his pressed shirt was damp with
tears.

“What’s the matter, sweetheart?”

“I’m very happy for you, but…” She gasped for air.

But what?
he
thought, afraid to ask out loud.  

Liah wiped another tear with the back of her hand, sniffled and
said, “I’m really happy. Honestly. I know how much you wanted this promotion,
and I know you deserve it. But still, I hardly see you as it
is
.
Now there’s a good chance I won’t see you at all. I love you, and I want to
live with you as your partner in every aspect of your life. What I have today
is the hope of having an intimate relationship and the knowledge that you love
me. But what I don’t have is a sense of togetherness, and I’m afraid I’ll have
even less of it from now on.” She leaned toward him and wrapped her arms around
him once more, caressing his muscular shoulders. “I love you,” she whispered in
a choked voice.

Ronnie gently removed her hands, got to his feet, and said,
“I’ll be right back.” When he returned five minutes later, he held a tray with
two cups of coffee and fruit salad with yogurt, Liah’s favorite breakfast when
she needed pampering. She suffered from Crohn’s disease and needed to eat
before taking the medication that kept her symptoms at bay.  

He set the tray on the bed next to her and took his own coffee
mug, cupping it in his hands, his eyes not moving away from Liah’s tormented
face. An awkward silence lay in the room. Liah stirred the fruit salad
aimlessly with her spoon. The coffee felt tasteless in Ronnie’s mouth. He
placed his mug on the small chest of drawers next to the bed, sat beside her,
gently held her chin and said, “You’re right, I’m very competitive and highly
committed to my goals I’ll probably be up to my neck in work very soon and won’t
stop to think about what it might be doing to our relationship. Perhaps ‘won’t
stop to think’ is not the right way to describe it —  I think about it all
the time — but I’m also hoping you’ll understand and allow me to continue down
this path, in spite of the price you’re paying for it. I promise to spend more
time alone with you every week. I promise I’ll keep it that way after we get
married.”

Liah’s eyes brightened to light brown. She blushed. “How did
marriage pop into this conversation?”

Ronnie kissed the tip of her nose and said, “From the moment I
met you, I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. I didn’t know
if you felt the same way, though. I bought you a ring eight months ago, but I
was afraid you wouldn’t agree to marry me so I postponed my proposal. This
morning, while coming back home from the office, I planned my proposal down to
the tiniest detail. I wanted to propose to you in a candlelight dinner, at the
Bouley on Duane Street. I managed to get us a corner table for nine o’clock and
then proceeded to insult the chef by asking if they have dishes without spices
or citrus peels. But just now, while I was in the kitchen, I reached the
conclusion that Israeli instant coffee, fresh fruit salad and the light of our
reading lamp are romantic enough, and decided not to wait any longer.” He got
down on his knees next to the bed, moved the tray aside and took out a small
blue box from his pocket. Then he opened the cover and placed the box on the
soft down comforter covering Liah’s legs.

“Liah Sheinbaum, will you marry me?” he asked and sent her a
loving gaze.

Liah looked at the ring through the veil of tears in her eyes.
This was the moment she’d hoped for from the day she had met Ronnie. It was also
the moment she had feared most. She knew she had to confess, but the fear of
losing him petrified her.

Ronnie’s smile was replaced with a concerned look.

“Ronnie,” she stuttered in a whisper. The temptation of
surrendering to this unexpected happiness overcame her. She pushed back her
doubts and concerns, raised her head, and smiled at him with shining eyes.
Ronnie’s heart threatened to burst in his chest.

“Ronnie Saar…there’s nothing in the world I’d like more than to
be your wife.”

Ronnie squeezed her to him with a hug then covered her entire
body with kisses. He leaned her gently against the pillow, bent toward her, and
said, “Liah and Ronnie Sheinbaum Saar. It has such a nice ring to it.” He gave
her lips a light kiss. “Sounds like the beginning of a story about four best
friends,” he added and erupted in laughter that released all the tension of
last few minutes.

“We’ll drop the Sheinbaum,” Liah managed to say, before yielding
to his hands, which gently removed the undershirt from her body.