Barry didn’t have anything else to say. In his gut, he felt that Ivan could be a real star, but he had to see it first to believe it. He had gotten burned before by young businessmen who had not reached their full potential. So Barry now preferred to preach, pray, and wait, but not necessarily to believe.

John, on the other hand, was already sold on Ivan’s mastery. The straight numbers added up. He admired the young man, even. And he wasn’t done talking about him.

He said, “Think about it, Barry. Ivan pulls together over a billion dollars’ worth of executives for his twenty-ninth birthday, and then he comes back to work for us at a cubicle. Are you kidding me? I would be daydreaming, too, about my last damn days at work here.”

John stated, “So, Barry, when he comes back out of the restroom, I’m gonna ask him what he wants, and if he doesn’t tell us, then I don’t trust him anymore.”

Barry heard his partner loud and clear and kept his silence. The rest was up to Ivan.

INSIDE THE RESTROOM, Ivan zipped up his family jewels, walked away from the urinal, washed his hands at the sink, and took a deep breath before he stared at himself in the mirror. He then dried his hands with brown paper towels.

The truth is the best policy, he reminded himself. And since they’re out there waiting for me to give it to them, that’s what I need to do.

He took another deep breath and stated, “Let’s just get it over with.”

When he walked back out from the restroom, the restaurant looked twice as long and twice as wide, designed with Asian architecture and decorated with Asian artwork.

These Asians sure love some dragons and tigers. Ivan amused himself to lighten up his mood. He paced back toward his booth while taking everything in. Maybe I should try a full-blooded Asian girl next. But Filipinos are Asians, too, right?

All I know is Ashley got some wet shit, he told himself. I wonder if they’re all wet like that, with that extramoist skin of theirs. Even Chris is part Asian. I guess that’s my thing now.

By the time Ivan returned to his booth to face his bosses, he was completely loose again.

“So, what were we talking about?” he asked them.

Barry spoke up before John could. “Dolphins and killer whales.”