Chapter 36

Over the next several nights, I could not sleep well. I tossed and turned so much that I left Eileen in our bed and went to our spare bedroom so she could sleep undisturbed. The events of the past week rolled through my head, while I wondered how to carry out the plan that the Carpenter gave us. How do I balance that while working for Rocket City Tech?

After multiple nights of tossing and turning and being drained, a Voice whispered, “Remember your purpose, and remember what We said about the enemy.”

A light bulb lit in my mind. The great deceiver—he is trying to wear me down and knock me off God’s path!

I sat up in bed and looked at the clock. It was eleven past one in the morning. I spoke softly, “In the Name of Jesus Christ, Satan, get out of here and leave me alone. You have no place here. Leave my house and leave my family alone. Release your clutches on Eileen, Eva, and Ned. I am a follower of Jesus, and He is stronger than you! Stop nipping at His heel.”

I flopped back on the pillow, feeling relief with eyelids so heavy that they closed and didn’t open again until six o’clock in the morning when the alarm went off. I sat up, dragged my legs over the side, and prayed, “Thank you, God, for these hours of rest.”

I ate breakfast alone in the dining room. The house was still asleep. I heard the Voice whisper again, “He will hear you out. Confidence. God’s work comes in threes.”

I left the house encouraged. When I walked into my office at Rocket City Tech, there was a clear, plastic bag with the Green Wave part inside. A handwritten note read:

Dalton, here’s an improved Green Wave for your outboard motor. Toodles, Clyde.

Now, I knew what the whisper meant. I wasted no time thinking it through. I knew what action I had to take.

Twice, I had presented the Green Wave to Milo. He didn’t buy it. It was time to make the third presentation. Not to Milo, but to Bob King, the owner of Rocket City Tech. He was the man who had hired me years ago. He was in the office. When I arrived this morning, I saw his prized possession parked in the lot—a four-door 1967 Plymouth Belvedere.

I bolted out of my office back to the parking lot to get a good look at Bob’s Plymouth. Bob and his son had spent a great amount of time restoring this car. It was his parents’ car that sat in a garage for decades until Bob had the money and time to restore it. It was glossy, light blue and gleamed in the sunlight. Bob wanted to restore it to factory condition.

I slowly walked around the Plymouth to get a good look. I looked at the rubber-stamped writing on the tires. They were white sidewall tires, and it said, “Goodyear Eagle.” Wait a minute, the Eagle tires didn’t come out until the eighties. Then I remembered Bob talking about the difficulty finding a replacement carburetor. Instead of restoring the original carburetor, he had found a modern carburetor with an electronic chip to give it electronic fuel injection. He was so proud of that carb as he bragged on the savings on fuel mileage in addition to the power punch of the engine. Original restoration or not, it was a beautiful car that highlighted the muscle car era. Okay, I found what I needed to see.

I walked back into the office wiping the sweat from my brow with the sleeve of my shirt. I got to Bob’s office down the hall and knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

“Hey, Bob, you got a minute?”

“Sure, Dalton,” said Bob. Bob sat at his desk with his right hand moving the computer mouse, but as I entered, he reached out to shake my hand. Bob was in great shape for a man in his sixties. He still had a thick head of cotton-white hair, tan face, and pearly white teeth that showed with his broad smile. He wore wire-rimmed glasses and a navy blue golf shirt. He looked like he had just come off the golf course.

“Please, have a seat.”

I sat down in front of Bob’s desk and took a quick glance at the credenza behind his desk with the framed family photos of his wife, children, and grandchildren. Amid the family photos was a photo of his 1967 Plymouth Belvedere sitting next to a trophy he had won from a car show.

“How’s the family doing?” Bob tilted his head and smiled.

“The family is doing great,” I replied. “I don’t want to take you away from what you have planned today, so let me jump straight to it.”

Bob nodded his head and leaned back in his chair. “Okay.”

“We have an opportunity coming up soon to make a splash with our products at a trade show in Orlando for the marine industry.”

“Oh yeah, we’ve got a booth there, don’t we?” Bob peered at the calendar on his desk to find the date for the show.

“Yes, but I think it’s time to go bigger,” I continued. “I’ve worked at these booths in the past, and it’s great to meet people who already use our products and meet new prospects. However, these are tire-kickers who are coming by to chat more than listen or pay attention to what we have. Let’s have a booth this year, but let’s schedule a special announcement from Rocket City Tech.”

Bob sat straight up in his chair and leaned forward on his desk. “We’ve never done that before. That’s a bold move,” said Bob. “Do you think this will help us grow? What will we tell them that’s different from what we have already told them?” His eyes were fixed on me now.

I took a deep breath. “Bob, I saw your Plymouth this morning in the parking lot. Tell me, did you restore it yourself?”

“My pride and joy,” said Bob as he leaned back in his chair. “That is, next to my kids. That Plymouth was my mom and dad’s car. It was the family car we traveled in. Lots of memories. Yeah, my son and I restored it ourselves. It took me a while, but it became a family project.”

“Can I buy it from you?” I asked with a smile.

“Hah-hah. I’m sorry. It’s not for sale.” Bob shook his head. “No amount of money can replace what that Plymouth means to me. Plus, I put in a lot of sweat equity to restore it. It’s special for my son, too. I just want to drive it, enjoy it, and keep it running for as long as I can.”

“I understand. Besides, I don’t think you pay me enough to be able to buy it from you.” I laughed. “By the way, I believe you told me you installed a new carburetor on it. How’s that working out?”

“Yeah, I had to replace the carb.” Bob shifted forward, engaged in his story. “And I added an electronic throttle body fuel injection system. It allows me to use today’s unleaded gasoline and gives me incredible fuel mileage compared to the old carb. Belches out less smoke, too. I guess it’s what you call “more environmentally friendly.” She’s running as good as can be.”

I leaned forward and put my hands on my knees. “What if I told you that Rocket City Tech has a product that can do the same for old outboards that your new carburetor electronic fuel injection did for your Plymouth?” I asked, my palms sweaty against my slacks.

“Really? When did this come about?” Bob’s eyebrows raised, and his eyes widened. “Herb Ericson and Clyde William came up with it. We have been testing it out on numerous outboard motors aging from the 1950s to the 1980s. All of them were made with gasoline-and-oil-mixed fuel tanks that belched smoke and dumped unused gas and oil into the water. Now, the product is ready to launch, and no one else is making it. Rocket City Tech is ready to break ground in the marine industry. It’s a bolt-on replacement part just like your EFI carb for your Plymouth.”

Bob checked his cell phone, and I worried the moment was lost. But then, he set the phone down and motioned for me to continue.

“It’s called the Green Wave, and I have personally been running it on my outboard all spring. Let’s leap into the marine manufactures world and make an enormous splash at this summer’s expo. What do you say?”

Bob leaned forward and put his elbows on his desk.

“Interesting,” said Bob. “I like the things that Clyde and Herb come up with. Can I see it?”

“Sure, Bob. Come on back to the production area.” I wasn’t expecting this, and I wasn’t sure if Clyde and Herb were here today, but I went with the flow and said a prayer. Okay, You got me into this; see me through.

Bob followed me out of his office and into the production area. As soon as we entered, I saw Clyde and Herb at their workstations. Whew, thank you!

“What’s going on, Boss?” asked Herb as he stepped away from his tinkering.

“Hello, gentlemen.” Bob shook their hands.

“Hey, Bob would like to see your Green Wave in action. Can y’all do an impromptu demonstration?”

“Sure thang,” said Clyde. We walked over to the roll-up door, where an outboard motor was mounted in a barrel full of water. The engine was visible as the cowling was removed. Clyde handed a Green Wave to Bob and described how it worked. He showed him where it was mounted on the engine and told him that it took only about thirty minutes to install on an old outboard.

Bob turned the Green Wave in his hands as he peered at it and then inspected it on the outboard. His eyebrows were taut over his eyes as he stepped back and asked, “Let me see it run.”

Clyde started the engine. It fired immediately, and no smoke came out of the exhaust. Clyde throttled up the engine. Still no smoke. Bob took a closer look, stood back, and waved his hand across his neck, indicating to cut the engine. Clyde stopped the outboard. Bob held the Green Wave in his hands, nodded his head, and smiled as he looked at Clyde, Herb, and me. “Pretty impressive! Y’all came up with this yourselves?”

“Yes, sir,” replied both Clyde and Herb.

“Is there anything else like it on the market?” asked Bob.

“No, sir,” answered Clyde and Herb.

“I like it,” Bob said with a smile as he leaned back on his heels. “Keep up the great work on this. Can I take this Green Wave to my office?”

“Sure,” said Clyde.

Bob thanked them and shook their hands, turned to me, and said, “Come back to my office Dalton.”

I followed Bob to his office, and he closed the door. Holding up the Green Wave, he said, “This little thing is impressive, and I see the promise of getting it on the market. And the sooner we do it, the better jump we get on the competition.”

“If there is any competition right now,” I replied.

Bob took a deep breath. “So, you are saying a big presentation for all attendees, almost a center-stage kind of announcement?”

“Yes,” I answered. “Then in the back of the room, we will have our people ready to take orders.”

“That’s audacious, but who are we going to get to do this? I don’t know if we can have this ready in time.”

“I’ll put a plan together, craft and deliver the message. Trust me, Bob, it’s time for us to be leaders and action takers—rather than followers, but I have to have your blessing first to get everyone on board to make it happen.”

“Dalton, you are a good one-on-one salesperson, but I don’t know about captivating a large audience.” Bob sent a stunning blow that a month ago would have emotionally knocked me down. Not today. His comment caused me to rise up and be bold.

I stood up and walked toward the door. I turned around and pushed aside the chair I had been sitting in. I looked up at the ceiling and then directly at Bob, whose eyes were following my movement. Filled with a sense of warmth and purpose, I smiled and said, “You haven’t seen me in action, Bob. I used to preach at a small church every Sunday, but it’s been a while since I did that.”

I took a breath. “This vision came to me this morning during breakfast after several nights tossing and turning. I walked in here two hours after the idea landed. I am your guy to make it happen. I’ll build a team to put everything together. We have the team here—they just don’t know it yet. President Kennedy challenged this nation to go to the moon when we didn’t have a rocket or spacecraft to get there. This is a much smaller scale, and we can do it—trust me.” My confidence swelled, and I held my fist to my chest.

Bob flopped back in his chair, reclined backward, breathed out, and asked, “What does Milo think about this?”

“Sir, he’s heard about it but hasn’t seen it in action. He knows that the decision is up to you.” I peered into Bob’s eyes.

I stretched the truth, but it was time to make bold moves.

“My mind is saying no, but my heart is shouting yes. Let’s do it. You have my blessing. Make it happen!”

“I’ll get to work! Oh, and one more thing, I need my entire family to come along with me on the trip to Orlando. They will be part of the presentation and working for the company that week. I need you to cover their expenses, too.”

“Ah . . . well . . . okay.” Bob shrugged his shoulders. “You are full of determination and asking for the moon, but my instincts still think I should go for this.”

Encouraged, I continued to press my luck. “We need a suite, so we have space for our teams to gather and complete our plan, and a place to park a trailer boat.”

“Uh, sure, you got it, Dalton,” agreed Bob, still in shock that he was agreeing to my requests. “I’ll get Steve to make the reservations for y’all at the host hotel. Plus, I’ll tell Milo and the entire team to get behind you.”

“Thanks, Bob,” I said. “Your blessing and decision is about to launch Rocket City Tech to new heights. It’s so important.”

And with that conversation, I had committed my family and the entire company to this project and got someone else to pay for it. Thanks, God!

I walked out of Bob’s office with a saunter in my step and an enormous grin as I passed Milo in the hallway.

“What are you grinnin’ about, Dalton?” asked Milo.

“Get used to hearing the name Green Wave. It’s about to make enormous waves around here,” I answered as I walked down the hall, not stopping to talk to Milo.

From Bob’s office, I heard him say, “Milo, is that you? Please step into my office.”

I called Eileen and told her I was bringing home takeout for dinner. “I’ve got some exciting news to share with y’all.” I grinned into the phone.