Falling Apart
Mendoza just walked, giving Ranell the time he needed.
“It’s all falling apart.” Ranell finally managed to choke out through gritted teeth.
“What is?”
“Everything.” It felt like a dam was breaking inside him, and a wild light shone in his eyes. He turned suddenly and grabbed Mendoza’s sleeve. “Everything’s falling apart! The whole country is going to hell! It’s been on TV nonstop all day. The stock market’s crashing again, investors are pulling their money out, and businesses are folding. This time it’s happening to us at GML too! I’ve been up since two o’clock this morning trying to calm our shareholders down. We’re ruined, Father. Ruined!”
“Breathe.”
Ranell inhaled with a shudder, and then forced himself to exhale slowly through pursed lips. His pace slowed, he took another deep breath, and another.
Get control of yourself, Josef. It helped, and his breathing began returning to normal. “The one thing I wanted most was to save my employees from unemployment.” The words came out flat, but that was just an illusion of emotional control. Ranell chewed his lower lip, his face screwed into a grimace. “But then the layoffs started anyway. I fired all those people to save the company. But in the end, I couldn’t save anything.”
Mendoza considered these statements for a long time, seeming in no hurry to respond. The two men rounded the path and passed along a tiny beach created with plate-sized black stones. At last, he asked, “It sounds like you are saying your company is facing bankruptcy. Is that right?"
Ranell's lower lip curled under, and tears threatened his eyes. The muscles of his jaw writhed with tension. He said nothing, just nodded his head, confirming Mendoza’s suspicions.
Mendoza’s eyes widened for a moment at Ranell’s intense reaction, but then he, too, regained his composure. “Hmm… I see. As bad as that? I’m no businessman, Josef. Is there no hope at all for GML?”
Ranell’s chin dropped to his chest. He shook his head.
“First things first, Josef,” Mendoza’s hand returned to Ranell’s shoulder. Together they turned and slowly started walking along the path again. “You must keep talking. All those thoughts are swirling around in your mind now, feeding off one another and amplifying into a storm of emotion. You might be amazed at how much it helps to let the words flow out of you.”
Choose Option 1: Burdens of a Troubled Heart
Choose Option 2: The Deflation Collapse