Chapter 12

Few hours after lunch, I saw Shawn leaving the building in a hurry. I wondered if something was wrong but didn’t have any chance to ask because he left so fast. The next day I sat in my office waiting for my tea. But I was really waiting for the writings on the mug. But Shawn was late. I had my eyes on the door all day. Whenever someone would pass by I would look for him. 
All of a sudden Lucy Chaw passed by. But then she came back in to say hi. I don’t know why but like I said before when I see her my body acts independent from my brain. I stood up and walked away from my desk. 
“Hi” she said. I greeted her. Oliver stood up as well and said hi to her in a very awkwardly formal way. She didn’t even look at him she was focused at me. 
“Hey I went to Brownies Girls and Brownie doesn’t seem to remember you.” 
I lost words but then Oliver swooped in “That is probably because she hasn’t been there in a while.” I just nod while pinching Oliver on his back. 
“Maybe she will if she hears your name. What is your name?” 
When she asked me my name, I knew for sure that she would know who I am if I tell her my name so I had to make another name up. But the thing is the only name that was coming in my head at the time was ‘Oliver’ but I can’t say Oliver, it’s a boy name. I said “Olly…. Ally, my name is Ally.” She nodded her head and said “Well we will see if that jogs her memory.” then she walked out. 
Oliver pushed me to release himself from my pinch looked at me “Why do you always pinch me….. And Ally really.” 
“Your name was the only name I can think of and Olly is short for Oliver but it is a boys’ name so I said Ally.” I went back to my desk. 
“Olly is horrible don’t ever call me that.” he demanded. 
“Ok, Olly” I started to mock him. 
“Can I ask you a question? Why did you jump up from your desk? I mean I have a reason, it’s because I like her but you have no reason.” I wasn’t really happy with his question. 
“Do you really think that Lucy Chaw would ever like you?” 
He looked at me in a ‘why’ way. “I mean don’t get me wrong. Lucy Chaw is the kind of girl who goes for the 3Ms.” 
“The 3Ms, what is that?” he asked. 
“Money, Muscle, Magic.” 
“I get the ‘Money and Muscle’ but why the ‘Magic’?” Oliver asked. 
“It doesn’t mean you have to have actual magic, it just means you have to have the power to do anything fearlessly. And no offence but I don’t think you will be appealing to her.” 
“I might not have those things but ‘Mind’ I am pretty smart and I will always be there for her no matter what.” 
“That is really sweet Olly but she is just not the kind of person. Believe me nobody knows that better that I do.” 
I went through the day and Shawn hasn’t showed up yet. Now I am getting worried. I remembered how he left early yesterday and today he didn’t come. 
I got really worried so I asked Oliver for his phone number. Surprisingly Oliver has the number of everyone in DC. I called him but his phone was turned off. I tried hour after hour. Even after I went home I tried many times but his phone was still off. I had to save his phone and I saved it as Shawn. 
I couldn’t sleep so I opened my journal and started to read what I had written after I quit MWD. And I got to the part when I started working at DC and I have written a lot about Shawn. I even referred to him as ‘Sea blue eyes’ I can’t believe I let my therapist read this. But ‘Sea blue eyes’ had a ring to it so I picked up my phone and changed ‘Shawn’ to ‘Sea blue eyes’ 
The next morning I went into my office hopping to hear something about Shawn. While everyone was busy talking about something, none of them was about Shawn. I sat down but then I heard his voice. “Morning” he said and sat in front of me. I was really excited to see him but I kept my cool. 
He pushed a mug towards me and said “I have some work to catch up with so I will see you later.” he walked out. I picked it up and read what he wrote. On the side it said ‘Worlds best movie fan!’ 
I drank it fast and read the one under and it said ‘I am your father!’ at first I was confused but then I remembered it is from Star Wars. He never fails to put a smile on my face. 
Lunch hour while I was eating, Shawn came and sat next to me. I immediately closed my lunch box to talk to him. “You saw it, you saw Star Wars?” 
He smiled “Yes I did. Why do you think I didn’t come yesterday?” 
“Wait, you are telling that the reason to why you didn’t come yesterday was because you were watching Star Wars.” 
He nodded. I continued “And here I thought something was wrong.” 
“What do you mean?” he asked. I answered “Nothing just that I saw you leaving early in a hurry the day before yesterday and then when I called to see if you were fine, your phone was off.” 
“Oh I turned it off so no one would interrupt me while I was watching the movie.” 
“So did you enjoy the movie?” 
“Ya it was better that I thought it would be. And I totally understand the joke you made about Lucy Chaw being Darth Vader.” he continued “How are you dealing with her any way?” the subject was changed. 
“She still doesn’t know who I am. She actually asked me my name and I told her a made up name. So if anyone asked my name is Ally.” 
“Ally, how did you come up with that?” 
I told me how I came up with it and laughed about how badly I react when I am under pressure. “I just pray that she will never know who I am. She made me hate who I was back at school.”         
When he saw that I was down he said “I know how to cheer you up.” I turned to him “I am going on an important investor hunt this Friday and you should come with me.” 
“On an investor hunt” I asked. 
He nodded and continued “We will get to use this as an excuse to wear fancy dinner clothes and talk to super fancy people while we butter them in investing in DC.” 
I got excited “Ok I would love to. But if I go wouldn’t it be a bit rude to the people who work in that department?” 
He quickly answered “Oh no, the person we need right now is a big shoot. And when it is a big fish like this guy, it is usually the director and high manager that goes there.” 
I heard ‘high manager’ in the sentence he just used so I asked “Oh so will Olive come too?” He hesitated to answer my question but then he gave a solid answer “No…. you see I asked him but he said he couldn’t make it…. so it will be you and me.” 
After lunch I went to my office and I saw Oliver. I remembered what Shawn had told me so I started a small conversation that turned big. I asked “Olly why did you turned down the boss when he asked you to go to the investor hunt with him.” 
Oliver looked up and said “What” 
“Because you said ‘No’ he asked me to go with him.” all of a sudden Olive screamed at me “You are going on an investor hunt?” I nodded. He continued “How can he take you? I mean good for you but still. I have wanted to go on an investor hunt for the last two years.” 
“Then why did you say no to Shawn?” 
“Because he never asked me to go with him.” he screams again. “But he told me that he asked you and you refused.” I screamed as well to make fun of the way Oliver was talking. 
“Why would I refuse? I have gone to a hunt once and it was the best day of my life. So there is no reason I would ever say no to a hunt.” 
I got confused “Then why did he tell me that you said no?” I asked him. He answered “Maybe he wanted to take you and only you.” 
In my head I am thinking maybe he did want to take me and only me. But why, maybe it is because I am really good at my job but so is Oliver. I think for whatever reason he wants to take me, I will do my best. So I decided to ask Oliver for some pointers. He sat me down and started the lesson. 
“Well first make sure to wear something that will go with the crowd. You have to wear fancy. 
“Wear fancy” I said out loud to show that I was paying attention. 
“Number two, you have to drink the drink the person you are hunting likes.” 
I interrupted him “Olly I don’t drink.” he continued “You have too. Hunting big fish is like going on a blind date, you have to have something in common for the relationship to work. Just take a sip and hold the glass as if you are drinking it. And if they tell you to have more, just back out by making a joke like ‘I stopped because I was getting afraid that there wouldn’t be any left for anyone’ that is like saying I have drunk too much already and I don’t need more.” 
“Pretend to drink” I said out loud. 
“Third, make sure to butter your big fish as much as you can. If it is about their company or their family or even about the way they dress, no matter how bad it is you always have to say they are perfect and that you wish you can do things as they can do.” 
“Lie about everything” I said out loud. 
“Last but not least, be cool. Don’t be desperate. Act like your company would do fine even if the big fish doesn’t invest on you. No one and believe me no one wants to invest in a company that doesn’t have confidence because those companies won’t last that long.” 
“Fake it till you make it” I said when he finished, I continued “You seem to know a lot about these hunts.” 
“Well” he said “I would like to keep an open mind if an opportunity of a hunt comes to me again.”