The Rain in Spain

Mandy banged the spoon down. She turned her head away, staring out of the window.

“Still angry, huh?” said Neil.

Mandy didn’t turn to look at him as she said, “What makes you say that?”

“Look, it’s been two days. You have to find a way to get over it. Look at Ryan here. He’s in the same boat as you. He’s calm.”

Ryan smiled.

“Yep. I’m calm. No point in crying over spilt milk. We’re out of that madhouse. I’ve spoken to a few people already and I’ve got one interesting offer. Waiting to hear more.”

“See? Ryan’s moved on.”

Mandy whipped her head around. She stuck a finger out at Neil.

“You don’t even understand! I gave it everything! And what did they do with it? It needed just two more weeks and it would have worked. Instead, they promoted that grinning idiot Anne! I did all the work and now I’m out! And Ryan, too!”

“I thought Ryan did…” started Neil.

Ryan jumped in with “Ah, no. It was all Mandy’s idea. I’m just the water carrier. She’s the thinker. I’m just a doer. I’ll go and do something else, somewhere else. Meh, whatever.”

He shrugged and took a hefty bite out of his burger. Mandy shook her head.

“Without me, and Ryan, they wouldn’t have increased their reach. Do you understand? I spent twenty years in that place. I built it! Now they’ve taken it away from me and given it to someone else. Someone who doesn’t even understand what we’re doing! And why did they let Ryan go?”

Neil reached out and tried to take her hand. She pulled back.

“Twenty years is a long time. You have a lot invested in that company. But, at some point, some investments do go down. Look at Kodak, as an example. They failed and they’re gone. Are there people who feel like you’re feeling right now, thinking the bosses should have listened to them? My guess is, sure. It is going to change the outcome? No. It’s over.”

Ryan, fries sticking out through the lips, said, “Yeah. It’s over. We’re out of there. Time to find something else. There’s always something.”

Mandy sighed.

“You guys don’t understand, do you?”

“I do understand. Kind of. It feels like a failure to you. But it’s not you who failed. It’s them. They didn’t have the ability to understand what they had. That’s on them.”

“I was there! I showed them what it would do. I had all the numbers. Numbers they said were fantastic! So why did they not put the effort in? Why didn’t they support it?”

Neil said, “If I gave you a calculator. And you never bothered to learn how to use it and took ages, instead, to hand compute everything, whose fault is that? Yours? Or the calculator?”

Ryan chuckled.

“Great analogy! I’ve always seen myself as a tool in every organization. If the organization can’t find a way to use me, then it’s their failure. Not mine. All I can do is show them the potential. If they choose to not capitalize on it, too bad, so sad.”

“Exactly! Let it go, Mandy! Move on! Tell me how I can help. I’m here. We’ve been through many difficult times together. We can do this, too. Why don’t we just take a break?”

“Yeah! You’ve slogged for a bit. Now take some time off, go exploring! I see Spain is wonderful this time of the year!”

Mandy drank her Coke. Ryan dipped the last of the fries into the last of the ketchup and popped them into his mouth, wiping his face and hands with the napkin. Neil watched Mandy’s face.

“Spain” she said.

“Yeah. Why not? Let’s just go, think of nothing, just walk around the towns, sit and sample life away from this.”

“It does sound nice.”

“Nice? He’d offering to take you to Spain! I’d jump at it! Can I come, too?”

Neil put a hand on Ryan’s shoulder.

“Sorry, bud. You got to go find your next gig!”

“Damn!”

Mandy smiled, a slow smile that seemed to lighten her face.

“Ok, let’s do it. But I want the beaches!”

“Sure! Let’s go!”

As they stepped out into the street, Ryan, gave them both a quick hug and walked away, the scarf he wore in all weather draped across his neck and flowing out behind him. Neil felt Mandy’s hand on his own. He smiled down at her.

“Let’s go find out if what they say about the rain in Spain is true.”