Focus

She, in his estimation, was just about to get her clock cleaned. Better that it happen with those who love her than in a major competition in a higher risk venue. Circumstances and the times thrust her into a demanding work schedule, a position of high authority with the usual baggage. That would be junk food for the ego and more money than could be used wisely. The tragic part, something dearly important to her would be subordinated to this unprecedented distraction.

He wondered how, beyond what he had already done, would help this high achiever with an unlikely background. And was he hypersensitive to the situation because of a highly similar one in his own history? Ownership, the idea that one acknowledges the experiential source of one's opinions … He was nearly exhausted from the the effort to transcend his denial. It was close to home though not close in time.

This was beyond the two of them, of course. In fact his involvement was not intentional. Dragged into it by the threat of what it could do to valuable relationships that mattered to him and the project, he knew that shirking the responsibility would be to delay and amplify its consequences.

Now that the organic propagation seemed to be working as intended, he was pretty sure he would have feedback worthy of consideration within the next 24 to 48 hours. The best feedback was still face to face, but the next best was using the latest communication tools. The combination of the two, virtually unstoppable. His confidence that even the most intractable of the obstacles referred to in the latest decoded chapters was high indeed.