While Saatchi & Saatchi Simko was growing like crazy and my professional life was providing me with incredible satisfaction, my relationship with Josée went from bad to worse. We had been drifting apart for several years, and the merger with Saatchi had done nothing to improve things. She had left the agency in 2002 and after a short stint studying psychology, had started consulting and teaching activities. We saw less and less of each other, and the atmosphere between us got worse and worse. Towards the end of 2005 we were hardly on speaking terms.

And then, my darling, on January 23, 2006, I received an email from you, a message that would forever change my life. It was titled ‘Invitation to Heaven’ and it started with the words: ‘Dear Pedro, In the name of Saatchi & Saatchi Romania, we would like to invite you to our unpredictable country, where you never know what to expect’. Your email then explained that I was invited, a few months later, to give the keynote speech at a conference in Bucharest. I was incredibly busy at the time and with no appetite to go to Bucharest, but something intrigued me about your invitation. After a few back & forths, we agreed that I would come to Bucharest on June 7^th, 2006.

In May, I spent almost two weeks in the US. Kevin Roberts had appointed me to Saatchi & Saatchi’s Worldwide Executive Board and we had a meeting in New York. This was followed by a second meeting, ten days later, also in New York, with Maurice Lévy, the mythical CEO of Publicis Group, the parent company of Saatchi & Saatchi. My fame had spread fast within the Group, and Maurice had come several times to Geneva to see me. He also started to involve me in think tanks, one of which was taking place in New York.

It didn’t make sense for me to travel twice to the New York office within a timeframe of only ten days, so I decided to stay with Paul and Sylvia in Florida, where they were now residing permanently, and do my work from there. It was the first time that I had been away from Geneva for such a long time. It also gave me an occasion to spend time with my father, who I was seeing regularly, but only over very short timespans and always surrounded by others.

After a few days, I realised that I was missing my boys terribly, but that being far away from Josée was making me feel good and more relaxed. I also noticed that I was able to run the business very effectively from a distance, and that there were even advantages to not being involved in the agency’s issues on a day-to-day basis.

On a day when Paul and I were playing golf, I began to speak to him about my unhappiness with Josée. After a while, Paul stopped the golf cart, signalled to the players behind us to overtake us, and said: ‘For years, every time I see you, you complain about your relationship with Josée. You are my son and the last thing I want is for you to get divorced. Even in the most favourable circumstances, like the one of Lisl and myself, a divorce is still painful. But sometimes, it’s just inevitable. I think that you cannot continue just talking. You either find a solution with Josée or you separate from her, but you can’t continue this way.’

Just like in Amsterdam, over 30 years before, my father had found the right words for me. He had said the right thing at the right time. He had spoken kindly, but firmly and clearly. And just like in Amsterdam, I didn’t say anything on the spot, but his words kept ringing in my mind. When I returned to Geneva, the situation with Josée continued to get worse and by the end of May, I had decided that it was only a matter of time before I would say to her that, after 22 years, our marriage was over.

So, on June 7^th 2006, the day when we first met, I was open and curious. Since your initial message to me in January, you and I had corresponded a few times via email. Through your writing, I had gained the impression that you were cheeky and had quite an original style, but our first hours together were not good. You thought that I was arrogant and I was perplexed at the distance that you put between us. But then, in the afternoon, we went for an hour-long run together, and that was the moment when my life really took a turn.

We ran very slowly and you spoke to me about your life and your love for literature. You told me about the places you had visited and the people you admired. I loved your soft voice, and your enthusiasm for many of the same things that I also enjoyed. You were earnest, authentic and I just loved your style. It was then and there that I decided that I wanted to see you again. And I was fortunate enough that you accepted my invitation for a few weeks later.