November 3, 2005
Week 27 - Impossible Dreams 10
Episode 4
Myrna Zalkin, a stocky, elderly woman, sits in Lucy's office and quietly yawns.
Lucy presses a key on a laptop computer. A white screen that hangs on a wall lights up with a display of an open field filled with tall, thin wind turbines.
"The roll out of the Lamont Aero III Turbine is the key to my expansion plans for the next five years," Lucy recites. "Construction of the first prototype is nearly complete at the Garrick Wind Farm in Jersey."
Myrna nods. "That's very interesting, dear." The old woman breathes in and lets out a loud snort. "Would you happen to have a tissue?"
"Of course..." Lucy pulls one from a desk drawer and hands it to her.
"Thank you, sweetheart..." Myrna blows her nose and stuffs the dirty tissue into a large red bag at her feet. "Now... the Aero III is nice and profitable with oil as high as it is today... but your cousin Mark told me he thinks that's all going to change... what happens if crude goes down to $25 a barrel?"
"With all due respect to Mark... My father... the man who built this company... stands behind my plans."
"How is your father? I haven't seen him for almost a year?"
"He's... he's fine... in fact... he may come in today..."
Myrna's face lights up. "He may come here! That would be wonderful. I'd love to catch up!" A beeping noise suddenly emits from the red bag. "Oh, what now?" Myrna reaches down and pulls out a cell phone. "Yes, yes?" she demands. Her eyes roll as she listens. "No... no, they're on the left side of the medicine cabinet! What? No... I don't care... I don't care about any indigestion! If Dr. Singh says you take the pill, you take the pill! Now, I'm in a meeting with Lucy... What? All right... All right, I'll tell her... I'll call you when it's time for your lunch... All right, good bye." She shoves the phone back in her bag and looks at Lucy. "I swear... that man couldn't find his way to the front door without me to hold his hand... he says hello, by the way..."
Lucy presses a key on her laptop. The screen on the wall displays a drawing of a very tall turbine. "Here's an artist's rendering of the completed Aero III. Implementing some of my father's design improvements, we've been able to cut construction costs by almost fifteen percent."
Myrna sighs. "Well... Your cousin Mark is a smart boy and he thinks it's a bad idea. But if your father is in favor... He convinced me to invest thirty years ago... He made me a well off woman, and I can't argue with his judgment."
There is a knock at the door. Lucy opens it. Mark Lamont walks in, followed by a security guard and a sheepish faced Powell.