Page 71 - In Five Years

Chapter Eleven

I have a giant case dropped in my lap on Thursday. One of our biggest clients—
let’s just say they revolutionized the health-food store—wants to announce an
acquisition of a delivery service company on Monday, before the markets open.

David and I were supposed to go home to Philadelphia and tell my parents the
December plan in person, but it’s never going to happen this weekend.
I call him at eight, while crouched over piles of documents in the conference

room. There are twelve other associates and four partners barking orders and
containers of empty Chinese food surrounding me. It’s a war zone. I love it.
“I’m not getting out of here this weekend,” I tell him. “Even to come home to

sleep. Forget Philly.”
I hear the TV on behind him. “What happened?”
“Can’t say, but it’s a big one.”

“No shit,” he says. “Whol—”
I clear my throat. “I’m going to be sleeping here for the next three days. Can

we do next weekend?”
“I have Pat’s bachelor party.”
“Right. Arizona.” They’re going to drink beer and practice target shooting—
neither of which David has any interest in. I’m not even sure why he’s going. He

barely sees Pat anymore.
“It’s fine,” he says. “We’ll just call and fill them in. They’ll be thrilled either

way. I think your mom was starting to give up on me.”
My parents love David. Of course they do. He’s a lot like my brother, or what
I imagine he’d have turned out to be. Smart, calm, even-tempered. Michael
never got in trouble. He was the one making chore charts when we were kids,

and he did model UN before he even learned to drive. He and David would be