The I.P.O. Read Online Free PDF Page A

a screen featuring the scowling face of Bloomberg’s Britt Herndon started its slow descent from the top of the set between Prescott’s seat and Blake’s.  Prescott’s smooth smile belied his irritation at the site of the unexpected guest, who happened to be one of his most outspoken critics.  The questions were about to get significantly more pointed.
     
    ~~~
     
    Sara Ewing couldn’t contain her smile as she fought the urge to stare.  This was the first time she’d seen him.  His frazzled dark wet hair fell boyishly down almost into his fawn-like brown eyes.  A few faint freckles dotted his nose, and ran down his cheeks toward a hesitant smile that was conspicuously missing two teeth, one on top and one on the bottom.  (Sara briefly wondered if the tooth fairy visited places like this.)  His faded blue T-shirt was a couple sizes too large, which accentuated his childish appearance and almost fully concealed his shorts.  On the surface he was everyboy, but Sara knew the extraordinary potential that lay behind those bright eyes. 
    She was a bona fide child-whisperer by profession, but all of her training was currently locked far away in her superego; in this moment she simply couldn’t contain her joy.  She finally had a child.
    Despite every means known to 21st century medicine she would never be able to experience the magic of being handed a newborn baby in the delivery room, but it couldn’t have exceeded what she was currently feeling.
    Her husband Thomas, less expressive, couldn’t quite hold back a single tear which he hastily erased with his knuckle.  Then he firmed up his expression and gave Ryan a confident man-to-man nod, which Ryan seemed to appreciate.
    “I’m Ryan,” he said, feeling the need to say something to break the silence, yet knowing full well that they already knew his name.
    Giggling and sniffling and smiling, Sara attempted to compose herself.  “How would you like to get out of here?” she said, stooping to his height, taking no shame in the joyful tears that remained on her cheeks.
    “Where?” Ryan asked guardedly, not sharing her enthusiasm.
    “C’mon.  We’ll show you,” she said, offering him her hand.
    Ryan looked up at the headmistress, on her way back from the lobby, who smiled and nodded as if to tell him it was okay.  Then he looked down at his bed and his trunk before taking a long last look around the barracks. 
    Hesitantly, he extended his hand to hers and followed the two complete strangers out of the orphanage, unsure if he’d ever return.
    He didn’t know what to feel at the sight of his departing bus, as he continued to follow his new caretakers through the pick-up area and on toward their shiny silver Lexus SUV, with the entirety of his former life packed neatly into his backpack.  This was really happening.
    Ryan leaned his forehead against the rear passenger-side window and stared out at the houses going by, which seemed to grow progressively larger as they traveled.  After about twenty minutes, the car came to a stop on a short stretch of red brick road. 
    Thomas and Sara gave a familiar wave to a uniformed guard, who nodded respectfully and triggered the slow opening of a heavy wrought iron gate .   Ryan lifted his head off the window for the first time, craning his neck toward the middle of the car to get a better view as they passed through.  He didn’t know places like this existed.  And he couldn’t help but be impressed. 
    A spotless white bike path snaked through the lush emerald-green grass, so perfect he had to squint as they drove by to convince himself it was real.  Islands of deep black mulch, outlined by brilliant red, white and purple pansies surrounded Bradford pear, Japanese maple, and flowering weeping cherry trees in each yard.  Even the sky seemed bluer inside these gates.  And set in the back of each lot at the end of a long driveway was a colossal custom house, each more impressive than the next.
    But halfway