I owe a ton of thanks to Todger65 for his editing expertise.
Replacement Presenter
A loving wife fills in for her husband
~~~~~{}~~~~~
I suppose I could blame it all on the errant barge that broke loose and ended up wrapped around the lock gates. Not that I need to blame anything all things considered. The gates couldn't be closed and that led to the river north of the gates dropping to historically low levels. No barge traffic was allowed and many of the chemical plants along the river ran out of raw materials. That didn't mean that they could just shut down until the river opened.
The processes used in those facilities are very complex and require specialized, massive, and expensive equipment. Imagine an oven that you have pre-heated to cook your meal. The processes in question were pre-heated as well. Now, imagine if you shut off the oven. Except that these ovens need massive re-building if you shut them off. It costs magnitudes less to keep the empty process up and running than it does to rebuild it. Rebuilding also takes time, months in most cases, sometimes years.
Many of the plants along the stretch of the river my husband and I work at, use steam to maintain the temperature in their chemical reactors. The steam comes from massive boilers that are fed water from the river. The water is pumped to the boilers, made into steam, and recovered cleaner than it was, before returning it to the river. The inlets that feed the boilers are twenty foot high pipes and there are four of them.
Imagine what happens when the river drops so low that the inlet pipes are no longer under water. It's a catastrophe of major proportions for the plants dependent on that steam. If you're critical personnel at one of these plants a twelve hour day will become a fond memory. Barracks are set up and food is brought in. You stay until the issue is dealt with.
I'm Anna by the way. My husband Shawn and I work along the river. My husband is a process engineer and an expert on steam generation. We found out about the barge incident when he got called at 2:00 am. He kissed me, grabbed his 'go' bag, and took off. He had been gone three days when his boss Charles (Chuck) called me with a major problem, "Anna, thank god you're home. I have a major problem. Shawn was supposed to present his plant design to our customers next month. The customer just called and they expect us to meet them at a resort in the Bahamas to do the presentation. The problem is they want us on a plane tomorrow!"
I knew he was desperate. Shawn had designed a new chemical process plant that would net his company tens of millions. If this project fell through, they would not only lose the sale but would also lose the substantial amount of money they had invested in the design. Not to mention the hit to their reputation. Losing the sale could end up sinking the company.
"I don't know what to tell you Chuck. Shawn is at the river coordinating with all the plants. There is no way on earth they're going to let him go. They need him to work the steam problem."
Chuck should have been well aware of that. He knew that if he tried to pull Shawn and send him away, he would lose every customer he had along the river. That would end his business as well. He was well and truly fucked. Or so I thought.
Chuck's voice was desperate, "I have an idea, and with your help I think it will work."
Uh Oh! No way. He wouldn't
, "Uhm, do I want to hear this?"
"Please hear me out. It's no secret that you provided a lot of the engineering that went into the design. You know that process as well as Shawn does. The customer only knows the Riley surname that they see on the drawings. They don't know if it's Shawn Riley or Anna Riley. You could do the presentation and answer any question they have in your sleep. I need a week of your time, and in return, I'll pay you fifty thousand. I'll cover any and all expenses, including any clothing."
I work as a project engineer and work under contract for plant refurbishments and capital projects. When I'm busy, I'm busy as hell. The nice thing is that the projects I work on are planned years in advance and I get plenty of notice before they start. I make a good living and manage to have a good bit of time off. I worked as a consultant on Shawn's project at Chuck's request, and I have to say what Shawn and I came up with is brilliant. I felt for the man, and I wanted to help my husband but, "I don't know that I would feel comfortable being alone in the Bahamas with men I've never met. Besides, what is Shawn supposed to do if I'm not home when he finally gets loose?"
Chuck was quick to reassure me, "Wanda will be going too so you'll have female company and I promise you I will fly Shawn down to meet you if he can get away in time. Please Anna, I'm begging here."
I really didn't have a choice. It was the right thing to do, and I had to support my husband, "I need to talk to Shawn before I give you an answer. Let me call him and I'll call you back as soon as we talk."
I could practically hear Chuck's head nodding, "That would be great. I talked to him myself before I called you. He was the one that recommended you go. Please try to get in touch with him soon. We're flying out in the morning."
I said my goodbyes and called my hubby. I managed to catch him between emergency meetings. I could hear the tiredness in his voice when he answered, "Hey babe. I love you and miss you."
I felt so sorry for him. He was running on fumes and dealing with a lot of very concerned executives, "I love you and miss you too. I just got a call from Chuck. He mentioned that he had talked to you already. So, what do you think?"
He didn't hesitate, "Please go honey. You're the only person that could possibly pull this off."
I figured that he would say something like that, "OK, I'll go. I'll push out some meetings here and take a vacation week. Make sure you email me your latest version of the presentation. Well shit, I guess I'll see you when I see you. I'll call before we leave the country. I love you and I'll miss you."
"Anna?"
"Yes?"
"Take advantage of every opportunity to have some fun. Not only will you do a better job presenting when you're relaxed, but it's also a golden opportunity to enjoy the venue. If you need me right away shoot me a text and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. I may not be able to answer my phone if I'm in a meeting or out in the process areas. I love you and I expect to see an all-over tan when we get back together."
"All-over tan huh? That might be a bit difficult to pull off without getting kicked out of the hotel."
"Chuck hasn't told you? Well, I'll leave that little surprise for you to discover. I want you to take advantage of your stay and do whatever makes you happy, just remember to come home to me when you're done."
He was really confusing me, "Ok, now I'm really confused. What's this surprise anyway?"
"Sorry honey, gotta go! Love you. Bye!"
Well, that made things clear as mud! I poured myself a glass of wine and started my list. I make lists for everything, and this trip definitely warranted one. I listed all the things I needed to do to close up the house for a week, then listed all the stuff I needed to take with me, then started my list for the presentation. I went to the basement and pulled out the overseas suitcase and my trusty carry-on bag.
I started packing and quickly became depressed. I hadn't bought any new summer clothes, especially bathing suits, for years. I sorted and selected and realized that I didn't have nearly enough clothes for a week in the Bahamas. I called Wanda in a panic.
Wanda is Chucks amazing wife. She's thirty-five, five years older than Shawn and me, and is one of the most beautiful women I have ever met. She's a former Miss Texas and she hasn't lost a step in the looks department. Her husband Chuck is a bit of a stud muffin himself and I will admit having a few fantasies about both of them. Fantasies I've shared with Shawn. Fantasies he shared as well with regard to Wanda. I think we would have seriously considered swinging if Chuck and Wanda ever made a move in that direction. They'd never given me any indication that they were inclined that way. Oh well, some fantasies are probably better off left as fantasies. The reality could be disappointing and might end a wonderful friendship.
Wanda answered in her usual cheerful manner, "What's up girlfriend! You ready to party!"
"Party? Hell, I'm ready to kill something. I'm trying to pack and I don't have shit to wear. The elastic is gone in my bathing suits, and my summer wear is either thread bare or stained from yard work. I don't have enough clothes for the week, and what I do have makes me look like a homeless person. It's too late to go shopping. I'm totally hosed."
Wanda laughed, "Relax baby. We'll spend Chuck's money and get you decked out good when we get there. As far as I'm concerned you can bring an empty suitcase and fill it up when while we're there! Just pack the basics and get on the plane. You'll be fine."
We ended our call and I finished packing. The overseas bag looked practically empty when I was done, which made it difficult to secure everything. I could just see the baggage handlers shaking my suitcase like a maraca and destroying my stuff. I went to the garage and got a couple of inflatable pillows. I blew them up and when they had the right amount of air, they filled the rest of the suitcase nicely.
Clothes laid out for the morning, I laid down and attempted to sleep. It was a restless night and my mind turned to the surprise that Shawn had mentioned. I didn't have a clue, but the speculation took my mind off other things, and I fell asleep.
