New Beginnings
Chapter 39: New Beginnings
“Your tea, Mrs. Tawan.”
Dao smiled as she entered Tawan’s office to set the warm cup of tea she had prepared for her down on her desk.
Tawan looked up and smiled at her, thanking her as she reached for it to take a much needed sip. Dao nodded and gave her a smile and thumbs up before exiting her office. She watched the older woman exit and thought about how lucky she was to have such committed people in her life that trusted her and her vision for their goals.
She was a visionary, someone who was farsighted when it came to her work, and having people willing and wanting to follow her touched the deepest parts of her heart.
It had been a month since Ira revealed to Tawan the building for FleurDe and things immediately shifted into gear and raced down the road. Months prior to the mess with Lai, Ira had been talking to Meena about at the very least gathering everything they needed to launch their magazine which barreled towards the present after she had closed her major deal with Versace. She wanted to surprise Tawan as soon as she could to not only get her away from Mr. Tek, but also Lai who was becoming more threatening as she lurked in the bushes with each interaction.
Above all else, if Ira had to, she would push Tawan to do what she always believed she could do.
Meena worked almost tirelessly behind the scenes making sure they had all the paperwork, certifications, approvals, credentials, and any other documents or provisions the local or national level needed. Ira was so supportive not only financially, but also in researching what she could and asking her own father and Tawan’s father secretly for further advice. It was difficult keeping everything under wraps from Tawan, but Meena and Ira made a pact that they would have everything ready to go if she and Tawan decided to branch out earlier than planned or if they waited until Tawan's then two year plan was completed.
Thus, it was another reason why Meena was so devastated that Tawan was fired because it felt like it would throw their plans up in the air and would delay all their hard work up until that point. Ira, though, was still very encouraging about staying focused on their plan, so much so that Meena mistook her sadness about her marital problems for Tawan's being fired so cruelly. Add on top of that, that Meena knew Tawan would be discouraged and become more stubborn about branching out on their own now that she did not leave Vibe/Me on her own terms.
It was why when Ira reached out to Meena almost two weeks before they revealed everything to Tawan to tell her that they were back on to complete the final tasks for FleurDe’s launch that she was so over the moon. She had been wanting to quit Vibe/Me since Tawan left even if it meant taking a hit on her income for a while until she found something else. Meena did not know the truth about Lai or her interaction with Tawan, but she knew and felt that she did not like how Lai was now taking over Tawan’s responsibilities.
Everything seemed off and messy and she did not like working for someone or somewhere that the owner would discard his employees so carelessly.
Dao agreed with Meena when the two of them went out for lunch a few days after Tawan was fired to lean on each other away from the office. The older woman really started to think about her future at Vibe/Me and if she wanted to spend her elder years somewhere where the boss was cruel and unforgiving. She and Meena had discussed in length that it was not right to fire Tawan after everything she sacrificed and dedicated to Vibe/Me, so they made the decision to leave together when the time came.
That phone call from Ira was heaven sent as far as they were concerned.
Tawan almost fell over at the sight of Dao and a few of the team members from Vibe/Me standing in the middle of FleurDe’s office as furniture was being moved in. She had went out to grab a coffee while Meena stayed behind to direct the movers and the construction workers that were making a few changes for some offices. They had quit Vibe/Me, much to Meena’s dismay only because she did not have anything for them at the moment, to come work for FleurDe.
Meena knew they wanted to come after having shared with them her departure before the official announcement so as to not blindside them. She would hire them in a heartbeat, but she never expected them to be so loyal to her and Tawan when they really had nothing at the moment. They were taking a chance on FleurDe just as much and Tawan and Meena were now.
Now, the team had been working tirelessly over the last few weeks to get things established for their first issue launch.
Tawan and Meena had debated relentlessly about staving the launch off for a few more months to get everything settled so that the team could get familiarized with the new setting and team dynamic now that they were much smaller. Tawan thought they should wait but Meena believed they should go ahead while they had the momentum. With the public aware of Tawan’s leaving Vibe/Me and pictures of her at Ira’s show, there was a lot of buzz around what was next for her.
On top of all of this, her freelance work writing for other publications and dabbling in journalistic ventures created a loyal base that was intrigued with her work. She had the ability to speak on fashion while also discussing other important topics about news, social issues, pop culture, some sports, and family life. Tawan had only wanted to flex and exercise her writing skills since she was going to be out of commission for a while, but it turned into a very important reminder to her that she had more than earned her title as editor-in-chief at Vibe/Me despite the falling out.
Meena suggested that they launch Project Omega - the last presentation they had put together at Vibe/Me that never saw the light of day. Tawan’s mind immediately flashed to the USB drive that she threw into her home office desk drawer in frustration a few days after she got fired. The idea was still well-rounded and covered a range of topics that were still hot discussions at the moment, so it was not an entirely bad idea. Tawan’s only hesitation was that the launch would be happening much sooner than she had anticipated.
Tawan confessed to Ira a few nights ago while lying in bed about her stress of feeling like her head was spinning at making FleurDe official. Though they were starting out as only a digital publication for now until they could establish a distributor, the pressure felt even more compounding. She was putting a lot of weight on her shoulders to make this work because so many people depended on it now. Her’s and Ira’s investment was also attached to Meena’s investment and now their new team’s trust in her vision.
Ira sat up on her elbow and grabbed her chin to gently force her to look into her eyes rather than the ceiling she was rambling to. Her faith and trust in her wife never faltered or faded, and she would bet on her every single time with every baht she had and with every fiber of her being if that's what it would take. She would make her wife see what she and so many others could so clearly see radiating off her, the aura of confidence and determination she possessed to take on any challenge.
Her ability to coach and mentor and lead a struggling magazine like Vibe/Me from the brink of collapse was just more added evidence. Neither woman knew better than the other that attitude reflected leadership, and Ira immediately thought about how Tawan was recognized just last year as a top ten business leader of the nation as further proof. Ira shared all of this with Tawan, reminding her that diamonds are made under pressure, and Tawan’s eyes pooled as she processed her words and felt like she could run through a brick wall.
“Hey, boss,” Meena announced with a knock, head in her phone, before entering her office. “We have a meeting with an investor in a couple weeks. He wants to see a proposal.”
Both women joked back and forth calling each other boss, but Meena was very serious when she used that title. Tawan was like an older sister to her more than she was her now business partner, and the fact she saw her as an equal by tying their names together and was willing to take this risk with her meant the absolute world to her. She and the team would follow her to the ends of the Earth, same as they did at Vibe/Me, so she always wanted to show that respect and appreciation to her.
Tawan smiled at her when she looked up. “Our first investor, huh? Who is he?” She asked, leaning back in her office chair.
“I met him at a gala for marketing investment about four months ago,” Meena informed, taking a seat across from her. “He’s a talker. I thought he was bullshitting me about wanting to connect in the future but he reached out last week to meet for dinner when he found out I left Vibe/Me for FleurDe.”
“Did you tell him we haven’t even launched our first issue yet?” Tawan asked, eyeing her expectantly.
“Yes, boss,” Meena chuckled and waved her off. “He still wants to meet. From what I understand, his strategy is to be one of the first investors rather than coming in late.”
Tawan bit the inside of her cheek. “An investor is huge…but we could really use the extra insurance,” she contemplated.
Meena nodded and flashed her phone at her. “So we’re saying yes,” she stated, hovering her fingers over her screen.
“Well,” Tawan sighed and took a moment, scratching her eyebrow. “I mean, it’s just a meeting right?”
“Just a meeting,” Meena nodded again, smiling confidently. “He takes us to an expensive dinner and we talk him up about why he should give us his money. You’re elevator pitches are notorious along with my charming assurances that his money will be safe. The numbers will also speak for us.”
Tawan looked at her in amusement, trying to not laugh. “Charming assurances, huh?” She chuckled, shaking her head.
“Hey, that’s how we got this place for 10% off,” Meena reminded her, waving her arm around. She, along with Ira’s precious personality, had worked out a very nice deal for themselves with the old man that owned the building.
“I can’t argue with that, boss,” Tawan laughed and scooted up to her desk.
“So?” Meena pressed, smiling knowingly.
Tawan took a moment to mull over her request. “Okay. But remember our conditions,” she said seriously.
Meena nodded and stood, giving her both thumbs up. “Of course. No one owns or controls us but us. The team is the only other vote that counts, too,” she reiterated.
“Good girl,” Tawan nodded and gave her a thumbs up.
They had made this commitment to each other and expressed the same to their team.
After working for Mr. Tek, Tawan and Meena had a long talk their first week in their new office about what their expectations were for FleurDe, for themselves, for each other, and the future. When Dao and the five other team members from Vibe/Me showed up to be a part of their vision, they knew this dedication and loyalty deserved a seat at the table, as well. This was an investment for all involved and they all had to believe and trust the process if they were ever going to be successful.
“Don’t forget to send me the final draft for review,” Meena reminded her as she headed out. “I’ll make sure it gets to the team for launch.”
Tawan smiled and nodded in acknowledgement. “Just need to make a few more adjustments,” she promised.
“Don’t overthink it,” Meena chuckled knowingly. “We all want to go out for celebratory drinks when the day ends.”
“Yes, boss,” Tawan chuckled and saluted her.
“Hey, it’s not just us,” Meena laughed and pointed at her. “Ira made me promise to drag you out of here if I had to. She wants to celebrate, too.”
“Are you my wife’s henchman now?” Tawan joked, balling up a piece of paper and tossing it at her.
Meena laughed and dodged it as she opened the door. “Your wife can be scary when it comes to you,” she teased before exiting.
Tawan chuckled knowingly and shook her head as she scooted back up to her desk to get back to work.
She opened her file for the final draft of their launch then reached for her cup of tea to sip. This was a huge deal for them, the thing that would break the ground for their dream and set the tone. As much as she felt the pressure to be successful because of everything and everybody that depended on it, she also felt like she had all of their support to stand tall on.
She felt like Superman standing at the top of a skyscraper with his cape blowing in the wind and chest puffed out to the world below.
Ira had been her strongest and more ardent supporter, never wavering in her confidence or encouragement to her down this path. Their marriage had stood the test of time and they came out on the other side so much stronger than they thought was possible. It was like their relationship and love had been supplemented to ward off negativity or like a plant that needed to be repotted to encourage and sustain growth.
Every time Tawan would look at their children, she thought about the stories she would be able to tell them. She thought about how she would be able to use this instance as an example to motivate them to achieve whatever it was that their heart desired. Her and Ira would be able to nurture and support their children with not just words, but clear and concise evidence based all on their experiences over the years.
What she thought was fear about how the launch was moving too fast was actually high anticipation about the future this launch would propel them all towards. There were so many possibilities and so many opportunities they still had not even been exposed to. All the potential range of topics for collaborations, stories to tell, enhanced experiences, introducing new people & things, and leading conversations made her heart flutter at feeling like a contributor to new experiences for someone.
"Hmm," Tawan hummed to herself in thought. She sat up straight in her seat and moved her hand to rest on her stomach as she smiled slowly at what it meant.
Butterflies.
Tawan slowly grinned as she slid her mouse over to hover over the send button of her email.
She took a moment to soak it all in knowing that this was the beginning of everything and very much the only time she would expect this exact feeling in this exact moment for this exact reason. Whatever happened, it would all be worth it to know that she trusted in herself to follow her dream no matter the outcome. It would always be about the experience, and as long as she had her family, friends, loved ones, team, and colleagues on her side, then she would have an anchor to ride the waves through.
At the thought of something new and turning a page to the next chapter, she clicked the button with all the confidence in the world.