2030_ The Real Story of What Happens to America - Albert Brooks [109]
“Who?”
“There. Mueller. I’m going to say something.”
Max walked quickly over to the lobby entrance. He waited until the woman sounded as if she was finished. “Dr. Mueller? I wonder if I might have a word with you? My name is Max Leonard and I’m here for the stockholders’ meeting.” Before Mueller could answer his son spoke up.
“Weren’t you at my dad’s speech?”
“Yes.”
“Which speech?” his father asked.
“He was in Chicago.”
“Are you from Chicago?” Sam Mueller wanted to know.
“No,” Max said. And then realized he should have lied and just told him he was.
“What made you go to the speech in Chicago and also come here? Are you from Dallas?”
Max wanted to blurt out everything he was thinking but he knew this was not the right moment; he needed to get Mueller alone.
“Yes, I’m from here. I was visiting Chicago and happened to see you speak. I am a fan of your work and also a shareholder of your company. I was planning on seeing you at the stockholders’ meeting tomorrow, but I wanted to speak with you beforehand.”
Dr. Mueller was tired. He didn’t want to talk business with an individual shareholder and thought that was what Max was getting at.
“Listen, what is your name?”
“Max.”
“Max, I’ve had a long day and my son and I are going to get some dinner in our suite and hit the hay. If you want to ask questions at the meeting, I will look for your raised hand and call on you. It was nice to meet you.” And before Max could say anything else, Sam Mueller disappeared into the hotel with his son in tow.
“Goddamn it! That was stupid,” Max mumbled to himself.
“Why did you tell him you were from Dallas?”
“What difference does it make? He obviously doesn’t want to engage anyone in conversation if he doesn’t have to. I’ll be right back.”
Max walked into the hotel just as the Muellers were getting on the elevator. As the elevator door closed, he could see that they were the only ones in there, so when the pointer stopped at ten, the highest floor, he knew that was where they were staying. He nodded to the security guard, showed him his floor pass, and grabbed the next car. Max was smart to have stayed in the hotel. If he wasn’t a guest, the elevator would have gone nowhere.
Max got out on ten and heard a noise at the end of the hall. He walked down and stood before a double door that said RONALD REAGAN SUITE. From the lack of other doors anywhere nearby, it was obvious this suite occupied half the floor, and that this was where they must be staying. He was about to ring the bell, but stopped at the last second. He had waited a long time for this moment, but now he had to think through exactly what he would say. He needed to prepare. He went back downstairs to get Kathy, who was in one of the gift shops, looking at what was very likely the most expensive watch in Dallas.
“What did he say?”
“I’m going to talk to him later.”
“He told you to come back?”
“Sort of. I’m going to go to the room and jot down some thoughts. I want this to be perfect.”
“Great. I’m going to window-shop down here. Look at this watch, isn’t it beautiful?”
Max wasn’t thinking about anything but his impending confrontation. “Yes,” he said. “Buy it if you want.”
“It’s three hundred thousand dollars.”
He didn’t even hear her; he was out the door. Max’s heart was racing. He finally had the chance to convince the one person in the world who could make a difference. The interesting thing about Max was that mixed in with his cynicism and bitterness, there was a naïveté. He still thought that if he could get someone to really understand, they would change. And now, finally, he could make Sam Mueller really understand.
When he got back to his suite he paced around the room, talking out loud, as if Mueller were sitting in front of him, listening rapturously. Max had made these speeches in the group meetings before to great response. He knew this stuff in his sleep, but now he was going to talk to the man himself. When Sam Mueller saw