Morning all and welcome to Friday. I don’t know if it was the allergies or the Tuesday Holiday but this week has felt strangely off and strangely long to me. I am more than ready for a weekend. But first, there is Friday. Let’s start out with the final prompt of the week and see where that leaves us. So, timers at the ready and off we go…
I think this is more of the summation of a story start. There is clearly a lot more that needs to be added, the bits that made it to the page being pulled apart like taffy with actual details shoved into the spaces between. But I think it is an interesting kernel of a story idea. There are certainly lots of little components to play with. The new business venture. His old business interfering, his history with Devon and Devon’s retaliation. Interesting bits. But it is very condensed and in needing of details.
Friday, July 7th, 2023: He was left scrambling.
He was left scrambling. With Devon pulling out his support, he didn’t have enough backers for the project. He could possibly limp by, but it would make them slow out of the gate. It would make the return on investments less than planned. Walter grimaced.
He knew that was what Devon was counting on.
‘I knew I shouldn;t have asked him,’ he grumbled. Yet he knew it was pointless. Devon made sure that he had to accept his support. It was offered in such a public way that to reject it would have cost him many of his other backers. He also knew that Devon was counting on him scrambling and no doubt had a plan of rescue set up for the eleventh hour.
Still Walter had one trick up his sleeve. One failsafe Devon knew nothing about. It was a marker he never wanted to call in, but he knew if he was going to keep things on track and foil Devon’s plans he would have to use it.
Still he scrambled, looking for other options, any options that would let him avoid calling in the marker.
There were none and he could feel Devon circling.
Walter made the call.
It went as well as he could have expected. He got the backing he needed and his last spare favor was called in. Everything went as he planned and even though he hadn’t liked cashing in the chip, hadn’t wanted to remember his old business let alone bring it into the new, he had to admit that there was some satisfaction.
When Devon showed up looking to be the angel, the savior, he did so without an audience. Devon arrived looking smug. The office still showed signs of Walter’s scrambling as he hadn’t had time to tidy. He got everything in place and then had to race full steam ahead for the launch. The office looked scattered and out of sorts even though Walter was now back in control.
“I see I am just in time,” Devon said.
Walter looked up from his monitor. “For what?” Walter asked.
Devon frowned, not hearing the tones of desperation he was looking for. “To bail you out of this mess you;ve created for yourself. Of course, I will need substantially more than the initial shares I would have gotten as a regular investor.”
Devon looked around as though he was tallying the price he could get for selling the office equipment at a swap meet.
“Oh,” Walter said. “I’m afraid you are a bit late if you wanted to invest. When you decided to pull out I let some of the other waiting investors in so I’m afraid there are no shares left to offer you.”
Devon blinked. His face went hard, mean. Even as a child Devon had never liked not getting his way. He stared at Walter.
“You really think that you can pull this off without me?”
“I’m going to try,” Walter said.
“We shall see,” Devon replied. He stormed out. Walter had no illusions about this being the end of things. He was going to hear from Devon again. However he wasn’t going to be in business with him and at the moment, he had work to do.
Ten til Midnight 