My phone is ringing. I pick it up grimacing and bracing myself for what I know will be a bad conversation. It was a returned call. I had received an email a few minutes beforehand asserting that I was condescending and that we might need a mediator to work with us on our separation.

I placed the call, which went to voicemail. I wasn’t sure if it would be returned, but there it was. So far, no mediator.

I launched directly into my piece. “I’m so sorry that you thought I was being condescending. I didn’t mean to be. I just didn’t understand what IP meant in this context. We don’t have IP except some mockups and specs.”

“Can’t you just wait for the agreement from the lawyer? I don’t have it yet.” The tone was ramping upwards.

“Sure, I can do that, but I was just trying to help resolve things quickly so we can move on, and I had questions about the content. What is in the agreement?”

“Can’t you just wait for the agreement?” That went on repeat until it turned into a scream. I hadn’t had anyone yell at me or talk to me in this way for…certainly years. I was disturbed but also sickly curious about what was going on. Was she completely losing it?

“But can you explain what’s in it? I just don’t understand why we need an Invention Agreement and an Advisor Agreement. I was thinking that it would be cleaner to draw up a separation agreement that contains all the details.”

“I told you what was in it!”

Sigh. So this is how business relationships end. By the end of the conversation, things had calmed down. I had talked her down from the ledge.

“Can we please put all of this behind us and turn a new page? Let’s assume good intentions on both sides and proceed with wrapping this up. I will wait for the contract to make any edits and will hold my questions until then. I won’t write you anymore long emails. I can see that our communication styles are different, and we’re going to have to adjust.”

Let go. Make space for something new. What life chapter is this now? Keep trying. I will eventually find what I’m seeking.