Page 102 of My Secret Snowflake
I stand off to the side on Seventh Avenue and 57thStreet. Across the street is Carnegie Hall. Next to me a newsstand is covered in lottery ads, the yellow typeface glowing against a blue background.
As Priya and Raphael cross 57thStreet, I call Sebastian. He picks up on the first ring.
“It’s all resolved,” I say. “And I was appointed CISO! CISO! Reporting directly to Xavier. Kevin is gone!” I am practically hopping.
“I’ve been appointed General Counsel,” Sebastian says. “Bob resigned.”
“Wow,” I say.
“Wow,” Sebastian says quietly back.
I take a moment to absorb this.We both made it.
“I told my dad, and he said he understood that law was the right career for me—even before this position.”
“Oh, Sebastian, I’m so happy for you,” I say. “I’m going out for drinks with Raphael and Priya. Come join us!”
“I can’t leave yet. Bob wants to walk me through stuff right now,” Sebastian says. “I’ll join later. Or I’ll see you at Jazmine’s party.”
“It’ll probably be lots of infosec talk, so not so fun for you anyway, but I’ll definitely see you at Jazmine’s.”
We hang up. I stare at the traffic whizzing by on Sixth Avenue. A car cuts in front of a bicyclist. The bicyclist stops short, the back wheel rearing up, but the rider stays on board.
That’s how I feel. My career was almost upended, but I managed to stay focused on proving my innocence. And I did.Whiplash. Escorted out. That still makes me cringe inside. But now I’m CISO.CISO. But can I trust Xavier? He’s Colby’s brother. I still can’t believe Colby and Kevin tried to frame me. Will Colby still have some in-the-background influence? And that might be even worse because it won’t be up-front.
I think Xavier is now determined to prove to his brother that he can run this company on his own. And this is a career opportunity I can’t pass up.
And Sebastian is the General Counsel too. It’s perfect. I turn to catch up to Raphael and Priya. They’ve disappeared from view. A burst of wind picks up an empty plastic bag, which swirls in the gray sky. It dips and turns in the wind, filled with so much air that it looks like a ballon. The joy inside of me bubbles up. The bag darts along, buffeted by the wind, until it gets snared by a light pole.
I run to catch up to Priya and Raphael.
Chapter thirty-one
Sebastian
Irissoundssohappy.And this time she called me immediately to tell me the good news.
A new artwork has been installed in the High Line. Only the back is visible from my window, but my dad and I briefly walked through the park after lunch, and we checked it out. It’s a pastel-hued floral mural with “Thank You Darling” styled in bright bubble letters, by Dutch artist Lily van der Stokker. Appropriate. I feel grateful and relieved that it's all worked out.
I call my dad. “I’m General Counsel. The CEO approved it.”
“Congratulations! That’s great news. I’m happy for you,” he says.
And he does sound happy for me.
My mom gets on the phone. “I haven’t called you, but I’m so thrilled you and Iris are dating. I like her. Are you guys going to come over for Friday movies? I hope you bring her.”
I can’t get a word in.
“Oh, yes. Your dad just reminded me. Congratulations on becoming the General Counsel. Wow! That’s quite a title,” she says. “Now hopefully you can come and talk to one of my classes about being a lawyer. Will you have more control over your schedule?”
“Maybe Iris and I can each come in. She’s the new CISO,” I say.
“It’s like an alphabet soup,” my mom says. “But you guys are really a power couple. It’s good that you were both promoted. Much easier.”
“I’ll ask Iris if she wants to come over on Friday.”
We talk more, my parents passing the phone back and forth, until I say I have to go because I’m meeting Iris at a party.
