Until I got the email that changed everything.
I was in my office at Sanderson Real Estate Services when I saw a message come through from the city. Heart pounding, I clicked on the email.
Dear Applicant,
Thank you for your interest in the Grant Park College project. We received many good proposals and while yours was impressive, the selection committee has determined that other applications are more in line with our vision for the site. Therefore we are sorry to inform you that you will not be moving onto the next stage. We appreciate the time you spent completing a proposal and hope that you will consider applying for future projects with the City of Chicago.
I stared at the screen until the words blurred. We were rejected? I knew our application was a long shot with all the competition from the large national development companies, but I thought a collaborative application from local companies led by a teamof women would make us more competitive. Apparently I’d thought wrong.
I picked up the phone to call Nicole, then decided I should break the news to her in person. She was going to be as disappointed as I was. Remembering that she was working at home today, I decided that I’d head over there after I told my parents. Might as well rip off that bandage as soon as I could.
My mother was in my father’s office when I knocked on the door.
“What’s wrong?” my mother asked right away.
I must have looked as devastated as I felt.
“We received an email from the city about Grant Park College,” I said, my voice wooden. “We didn’t make the first cut. They’re moving forward with other applicants.”
My father’s face turned red with anger. He slammed his fist on the wood of his desk but didn’t speak. My mother gave me a pinched look, full of disappointment.
“We should have known this was too big of a job for you, Grace,” she said, her voice sharp with accusation.
I recoiled. They were blaming this on me?
“We’ve been very patient with you about whatever it is you do at your little company,” Mom continued, “but I see now thatwe should have put our foot down sooner and insisted that you focus here like you need to. Like we’re paying you to do.”
“Little company? AGM is a much bigger and more profitable company than Sanderson,” I protested, not adding that my salary from AGM was significantly more than the salary they paid me here.
“I should have known you’d half ass this project, especially since you didn’t want to do it the first place,” my father said.
“I didn’t half ass anything,” I replied hotly. “Nicole and I worked hard on this proposal, and everyone involved did their best. You know we were competing against firms that are ten times the size of ours and have endless resources.”
“You messed up, just admit it. You lost what would have been the largest project we ever had,” my mother yelled. “You’re such a disappointment Grace. We never should have trusted you.”
“I told you she’d let us down,” Dad grumbled, his eyes on his desk like he couldn’t even bear to look at me.
I looked between them in shock and anger, and then something inside me snapped.
“That’s it. I quit.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” my mother said. “You’re too old to have a tantrum.”
“I’m quitting,” I repeated.
“You can’t quit,” my father shouted angrily. “This is your family business.”
“Not anymore it isn’t,” I yelled back. “AGM is my family business. Have someone pack up my desk and send it to my house. I’m done here. And I’m done with you.”
“Don’t come crawling back here,” my mother called after me. “If you quit now, you’re out for good.”
“That’s the best news I heard all day,” I snapped as I stormed out of my father’s office. “Good luck finding someone to replace me.”
Nicole
The doorbell rang, interrupting my mother’s lecture about my single state. I was supposed to be working at home today, but that hadn’t stopped her from coming over here and interrupting me to share her opinions on my life. Grace was right, I needed to stand up to my parents and start living my own life like a grown-up.
I opened the door and Grace rushed in.
