She's My Ride Home

“The girl knows how to chop and change…”

I watched carefully as Brian balanced on a ladder, trying to screw tiny light bulbs into the fixture that had just been installed to the foyer of the new store. The glam rock couture that now embodied the once empty space was a thrilling sight for anyone who was first setting their sights on it. I was proud of what I had accomplished, and I knew that the fact that I had done it all at home, with a stable and supportive group of family and friends behind me made the task that much more fun and fulfilling in the end.
“Babe, do me a favor and turn that switch off before I electrocute myself,” Brian laughed dryly, pointing to a switch on the wall farthest from him. “I asked Jim to do it but everything goes in one ear and out the other with that clown.”
I quietly laughed to myself as I crossed the room, flipping the switch in the off position so as to avoid my boyfriend frying himself to death while helping me put together the perfect store.
“Thank you!” I heard him shout in his goofy voice.
“You’re welcome honey!” Zack yelled back, in a sad attempt to imitate me, before I could answer. I swiftly let the palm of my hand connect with the back of his purple dyed hair, smiling triumphantly when he let out an audible ‘oof’ noise.
“You always were the violent type.” Matt chuckled from somewhere.
“And you always were the mysterious one,” I laughed, turning to look for him. “Where the hell are you anyway?”
“In the shadows my dear.” He laughed.
“Asshole.”

“Jackie?”
I turned and shook my head, finding Brian on my right and a real estate sales woman on my left. The sales woman was holding a folder full of potential paperwork while Brian was staring at me like I had grown a second head.
“Sorry,” I chuckled. “Just looking around so intently, there’s so much I could do with a space like this; it’s incredible!”
Both Brian and the sales woman laughed light heartedly, and I felt Brian grab my hand and give it a reassuring squeeze. I think he knew before I had even opened my mouth that after walking in and out of almost ten different spaces, that this was the one I wanted to create fashion magic with even if I was the only one who knew I couldn’t afford it.
“I want this one,” I said, staring up at him. “I’m in love with everything about this space, but Brian I can’t afford it.”
“What do you mean you can’t afford it?” He whispered, leaning down so his lips were closer to my ear.
Before I responding I turned to the real estate woman, and politely excused us from her presence so we could discuss the matter in a more private setting.
“Brian,” I sighed, leaning back against one of the bare cement walls and taking his hands in mine. “I can’t afford a space that’s twice the size of what my budget allows; it’s just not possible for me at the moment.”
“Babe, if you’re worried about money what did I tell you when you came out here last month?”
“I’m not going to sponge off my boyfriend,” I said stubbornly, taking my hands and folding my arms across my chest in an effort to seem more solid in my decision. “I refuse to use your hard earned money so that I can get this place up and running.”
“Well what if I didn’t just give you the money.”
“You need to stop speaking in tongues,” I sighed, shaking my head and laughing slightly as he rolled his eyes. “There’s no way you could give me money without really giving me money.”
“Could I be an investor?” He asked, giving me the biggest set of puppy dog eyes on god’s green earth.
“You want to invest in my shop?” I asked, completely in disbelief at what he was getting at.
“Well the way I see it, you can sell the shop in New York and make the company a sole west coast empire, or you can continue to have your cousin run the shop on the east coast, and let me invest in the west coast goldmine you’re going to create.” He smiled.
“You’re too sneaky for your own good, do you know that Haner?”
“I’ve been told,” He laughed, pulling me flush against him and securing his hands on my lower back. “So what do you say?”
I sighed, resting my head against his chest and running my hands up and down his arms in an attempt to process all of the thoughts running through my mind at the moment.
“You’re never going to believe this but I want to sell the shop in Manhattan.” I chuckled.
He leaned back and looked at me, again, like I had grown a second head before he started laughing hysterically.
“And I’m the sneaky one,” He laughed. “You let me go on and on about investing, and you want to sell!”
“Yes, I want to sell!” I smiled, leaning up to kiss his cheek gently. “I want to sell the place that’s made my life a nightmare for the last six months and completely start everything brand new out here.”
“Well then you do what you have to do,” He smiled, walking back over to the real estate woman with me. “I’m going to support you all the way through this.”
“Thank you,” I smiled, before turning my attention to the woman from the real estate company and saying three words that would change my life and the course it was on. “I’ll take it!”

I spent the drive home mulling over all that had happened in the last hour. I bought a retail space, was selling my current one, and going to have to let go of all of the current employees I had working at the space in Manhattan. I think the notion of letting my workers go was what made me the most upset; I had never fired anyone before and when I first started my fashion experiment I promised myself I would never be the boss who fired people ‘just because.’ But then, if you really think about it, I wasn’t letting them go just for the sake of letting them go; I was expanding, moving on, and had officially decided that anyone willing to relocate would be welcome to work on the new west coast branch of the shop. Decision made, and I wasn’t going back on that; I would welcome any of my employees with open arms.
“What’s got you so quiet over there?” Brian asked, suddenly pulling me from my thoughts as I felt his fingers brush against my shoulder.
“Oh you know the usual,” I laughed. “Buying, selling, having to figure out how to tell people that they no longer have a job.”
“I figured as much.” He said.
“I think I’m gonna extend the invitation though, so if anyone’s willing to relocate they can work out here.” I smiled.
“Well that’s generous!”
“I try to be,” I laughed. “At least that way I won’t feel like the absolute scum of the earth.”
“Well you’re very generous, not an ounce of scum in ya!”
I couldn’t help but laugh at the way he sounded like a six year old, trying his hardest to win my approval.
I relaxed the rest of the ride home, and couldn’t help the smile when we pulled into the driveway of what I still called Brian’s house. He always reprimanded me when I said that, and was quick to remind me of how it’s now our house, and that I live here too. I now had two of the most important things I had ever wanted in my entire life; my own business and a home to share with the man I loved. I wasn’t sure how things could go up from here, but knowing Brian he would find a way to make it happen because that’s just the way he was.