Page 67 of Derivation

“We’ve always done things this way, but it doesn’t mean we should keep doing things this way.”

“Meaning?” Violet asked as she crossed her arms over her chest, which was the first sign of the impending meeting apocalypse.

“Just that Sarai is in marketing. She’s not in product design or engineering. We’ve always had meetings with all four of us here, but sometimes, someone isn’t actually involved in the project, or at least, not at that time.”

“Sarai has to market the hardware,” Violet insisted.

“Yes, in, like, five years,” Sarai said.

“So, you don’t want to be in the meeting today? That’s what I’m gathering?”

“I’m only saying that we look at who actually needs to be in these meetings from now on, like Enya is suggesting. Odds are, Enya doesn’t even need to be here anymore. She already handed her notes around the user experience that she wants over to Gabi and Arlowe, and she can’t code or build things. Neither can I. Hell, Vi, you don’t really even need to be here. So, if Arlowe and Gabi want to work on something on a Sunday, they can, but maybe they would prefer to have a meeting at, like, five, Monday through Friday, or on a day Gabi is working from home. You wouldn’t have to give up your Sunday, and neither would Stella, who I actually forgot was here.” Sarai looked over at Stella. “Sorry.”

“No, don’t be. I agree with you. I’d love to have a weekend with my girlfriend that doesn’t involve driving over here for something work-related,” Stella replied.

“You’re a consultant,” Violet said, looking slightly betrayed.

“Oh, is this when it starts?” Gabi whispered. “The foreplay?”

Arlowe laughed and replied, “Yeah, this meeting will be over in, like, five minutes if we let them get going.”

“Should we?” Gabi asked Arlowe.

“Yes. That way, you and I can actually get some work done, and everyone else can go.”

Sarai looked down at her feet.

“I am a consultant, but that doesn’t mean that I need to consult on the weekend, babe. I can come over on a day I’m working from home and work on something with you during lunch.”

“No, you can’t,” Arlowe said loudly.

“Why not?” Violet asked, her arms still crossed over her chest.

“Because Violet doesn’t have a bedroom here anymore, and if you two argue about something, I’m not walking in on you out here or in the living room.”

“We don’t always fight and then have sex,” Violet said.

“Um… I think Stella’s face would disagree,” Gabi replied.

Sarai glanced over at Stella, who was looking around the room, meeting no one’s eye.

“We have self-control,” Violet asserted.

“Sure, you do,” Arlowe said.

Gabi laughed. Enya laughed. Sarai wished she weren’t here.

“Let’s spend five minutes talking about the watch idea, and then, we can end the meeting and Sarai’s apparent suffering.”

“Don’t make it dramatic, Violet,” Sarai said.

“I don’t think a watch is the right idea,” Gabi replied. “I spent some time yesterday working on a few mock-ups, and based on what Enya said would be the best user experience, I think glasses are the way to go. The trick is going to be making them look good. Most smart glasses and goggles don’t because they have to be big and heavy, and even the ones that look okay still aren’t the most stylish. Since ours don’t need all the other features, we won’t need as many components, which means we can make lighter glasses. I’d like to work on a few different versions, and I was thinking about how there’s that glasses company that makes the magnetic clip-ons for frames. The frames themselves are the same, but they could clip on different-colored accessories or something. Those are easily made, and it would give us something to entice people to get them.”

“I love that idea, but I’m still worried about only having the translation feature,” Violet shared.

“We could also have gamification,” Enya said. “Right, Arlowe?”

“We could put the gamification inside the glasses, yes. It will mean more work, but it could be cool for the students who would use the glasses. Sarai was thinking about a school volume discount to entice schools to buy and use our app for their language classes. If we add gamification into the glasses and tie it to the game in the app, the students would be able to earn points through using the glasses, not just the app.”