Negotiable Dates

Beth stared at her computer screen at work. She just turned 35, old enough to run for president of the United States. However, she was still not married and stuck in a dead-end job that didn't speak to her soul. What's worse is she submitted a demo CD of her original music to a producer a year ago and Beth still hasn't yet responded to the pleas to move forward. What would it take for her to get out of her rut?

Each quarter, like clockwork, Beth receives a hand written note, barely legible, from her producer, Renée, telling her that she loves Beth's demo. Renée asks again and again when they can meet. For some bizarre reason, Beth refuses to respond.

Sometimes our situation gets so bad that we force ourselves to take action. Beth's biological clock was ticking and her dating options seemed to be decreasing. Her job, producing children's music CDs, was so below her level of talent that she often cried at work. Her situation was hitting rock bottom.

Beth vowed that during her lunch hour she would go to Renée's office, introduce herself, apologize, and then talk about producing her CD. She looked at the return address on Renee's last note and left.

It was easy to find Renée's office. She found a parking space and went to the 10th floor. At the reception desk, she was told that there is no one named Renée at the studio.

"There must be some kind of mistake," Beth said. "Here's a notes she wrote me on your company stationery."

The receptionist looked at the card and started laughing.

"What's so funny?" Beth asked.

"His handwriting is so bad," the receptionist said.

"What do you mean "his" handwriting? Renée is a woman's name," Beth said.

"The producer's name is René, with one "e". That's a guy's name in French. René told me that if you ever show up I should bring you right into his office even if he is in the middle of a meeting," the receptionist explained.

Beth was in shock. Was this René character interested in her or her music?

The receptionist buzzed René with what appeared to be a code word. Beth was ushered into René's office as his 11:00 meeting came to an abrupt end. René winked at the receptionist and then motioned for Beth to take a seat on plush black leather chair in front of his desk.

Beth felt like she was in the midst of some kind of elaborate prank or joke. But René was one of the most handsome men she had ever laid eyes on, so she relaxed and decided to enjoy the conspiracy.

"Nice to meet you finally, Beth," René said.

Beth scanned the walls. They were covered with pictures of René and a number of famous recording artists. Despite his obvious wealth and fame, René seemed very down to earth and easygoing. He also wasn't wearing a wedding band.

"First of all, I want to apologize for not responding to your notes," Beth said.

"No problem. It's all about timing. Maybe the public wasn't ready for your music until now," René offered.

"Thanks for your understanding," Beth said.

"Let's cut to the chase. Your music is haunting, beautiful, original, and will be a commercial success. I want to record you," René said.

"Are you serious?" Beth asked.

"There are two things I don't joke about. Music is one of them," René said.

"What's the other thing?" Beth asked.

"We'll get to that later," René said.

"So what's the next step?" Beth asked

"I need you to record three more tracks, then we will produce the CD. If you have a day job, then we will open up the studio at night. We will work around your schedule," René said.

Beth's self-esteem was so low that she was convinced that René had ulterior motives and he was just pretending to like her music. Of course, she wouldn't mind dating him, but she still wanted an honest opinion about her music.

"I don't know what to say," Beth said.

"Take the contract. I wrote it up after I heard your demo a year ago. Have your lawyer look it over. We can negotiate as your attorney sees fit, and let's sign and move forward," René said.

"On a more personal note, I have something for you," René added.

"What is it?" Beth asked.

"My wedding invitation." he said as he handed her a white envelope.

Beth's mood plummeted. She felt herself sinking into a deep depression that even a 24/7 Prozac drip wouldn't cure.

"Congratulations," Beth said in a whisper.

"Please read it," René said.

Beth noticed that there was no name of the bride on the card, nor was the date listed on the invitation.

"This has a few pieces missing," Beth said.

"I realize that. I will negotiate the date with you, but not the name of the bride," René said with a smile.

"Excuse me?" Beth asked.

"You heard me. The other thing I don't joke about besides music is choice of soul mates. I fell in love with you when I heard your music a year ago," René said.

"This is so sudden," Beth said.

"As I mentioned, the date is negotiable," René said. "Can we talk about it over lunch?"

"You've got a date," Beth said as they left the office.

Ben Goldfarb was born and raised in El Paso, Texas, and is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He moved to Israel in 1988. He is the founder and director of Paradigm Shift Communications. He has given seminars and training sessions at Israel Aircraft Industry and Philips Medical Systems. His book, "Take Two: Directing Your Life for a Change" will be published next year. He lives with his wife and children in Jerusalem. For more information about his coaching practice, visit the Paradigm Shift Communications website, or send an email to ben@pdshiftcoaching.com

© Copyright 2008 by Ben Goldfarb