“Hi, Dad,” Dan called back.
“Hi, honey!” Jane, Dan’s mother, called from the kitchen. “Dinner will be a few more minutes.”
Richard appeared in the hallway. He beamed at his son. “How are you?”
“Not bad. It was a busy day.”
“Care to join me for a beer on the porch while we wait? We can’t let this good weather slip away.”
“Sure thing.” Dan followed his father out back, where they sat beside each other in the matching white rockers Dan’s parents had received as a gift from Dan’s sister, Jenny. She lived halfway across the country in San Francisco, but still did her best to be an involved daughter. Dan tried, too, but his schedule was so hectic that he rarely made it out for dinners like this.
“The hydrangeas are really blooming,” Richard said, gesturing to a row of bushes in the back.
“Hmm.” Dan took a sip of his beer. “The garden’s looking great.”
“Thank you. But I’m sure you have much more interesting things going on. How is your life?”
It was the perfect segue. As much as Dan wanted to spend time with his parents, he’d had a bit of an ulterior motive in planning this visit. He needed to talk to Richard, seriously, about handing the company over.
“It’s going well. Our new blood-pressure drug, Careax, grossed almost twice as much as we expected last quarter thanks to our new marketing strategy. Plus…” Dan went on for several more minutes, outlining the successes that RMA had seen under his management during the last quarter. Richard listened, pausing now and then to take a sip of his beer.
“Really,” Dan concluded, “RMA is doing better than ever. Which is something I wanted to talk to you about, Dad. I’ll never cease to be amazed by how you built RMA from the ground. But lately, I’ve had a hands-on role, and I’ve helped bring the company to new heights. I know you love being at home. I have to admit that I’m a little confused about why you haven’t handed over the reins yet. I think I’ve shown that I’m more than ready to take over.”
It was the most straightforward Dan had ever been, yet, despite everything, he felt like a little boy as he waited for his father’s response. Richard took a long drink of his beer before he answered.
“Of course I want you to take over RMA. And I think you are ready. You’ve done great work in the last few years. But I’m worried about you, Son. When I asked about your life, you did nothing but talk about work.”
“Because work is so important to me.” Dan took a breath. “Isn’t that why I’m ready to take over? I’m ready to prioritize RMA.”
“But what about the rest of your life?” Richard shook his head. “I’m sorry, Dan. I can’t let you take over until you’ve fulfilled your professional life, too.”
Dan was bowled over. This was not what he’d expected at all.
“Dad, my personal life is fulfilled.”
“I don’t think so. Do you know why I started RMA in the first place?”
Dan wasn’t in the mood for a story, but he shook his head. “Why?”
“I wasn’t always a CEO. For most of my twenties, I worked at other pharmaceutical companies in lower-level roles. Then I met your mother, and you and your sister came along. Suddenly, a paycheck wasn’t enough. I wanted to be sure that I could always provide for my family. That’s why I offer such good family leave policies and why I encourage our employees to follow their passions, not just punch the clock. Family is what RMA was built on. Family is why we’ve been so successful all these years.”
Dan bit his lip, but he nodded. “I understand that. I know the values RMA was built on, and I will always respect them.”
“It isn’t that easy. Running a company is so hectic and all-consuming that it becomes too easy to put everything else aside — even to ignore the needs of your workers to meet your bottom line. Family is what kept me grounded all these years. Without that, I worry that you’d struggle. And it doesn’t seem like you’re on the right path now. You haven’t even been on a date in years!”
Dan felt like all his hard work was slipping away. He’d spent years preparing to take over RMA. He’d put his personal life on hold. He’d studied and worked and put his nose to the grindstone to make the company all it could be. And now his father was telling him that none of that was as important as his relationship status? It was unbelievably unfair. Dan wanted to argue with his father, but he knew that Richard was as stubborn as a mule when he wanted to be. If he’d decided that a family was what Dan needed in order to become a good CEO, there was no way Dan could escape that.
And so, with his whole future on the line, Dan blurted out the only thing he thought might help. “I actually have a girlfriend.”
Richard paused. His eyes widened slightly. Then he turned to Dan. “You do?” He didn’t quite sound convinced.
“Yes.” Dan felt terrible lying to his father, but he wasn’t sure what other choice he had. He couldn’t lose RMA Pharmaceuticals now. Not when he’d devoted his whole life to it. “We’ve been dating for a while now. But I didn’t want to tell you about her until I was sure it was serious.”
The joy on Richard’s face was even greater than when Dan had set a record for the highest-grossing quarter last quarter. Dan felt another surge of annoyance. It didn’t make sense for his father to be this much more thrilled about a (fake) girlfriend than he’d been about the success of the company he’d built.
“Oh, Dan. That’s wonderful. Will you tell me about her?”
“I’d like to.” Dan thought fast. “But I think I’d rather just introduce you. I need a little time, though.”