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I pull out some papers and start taking notes of what is being asked. "Yes, we can definitely help you with that," I say, talking to the client on the phone, "If you like, we can have you come in for a meeting to discuss what kind of services you are looking for. I can switch you over to my secretary and we can pick a date that works for you." I say politely.
I'm usually as charming as possible with the customers, especially on business calls, and this is no exception. Though I'm focused on work right now, a part of me is thinking about the auction. I can't believe I accepted his invitation. Well, hopefully he's right and things will be different this time, though I highly doubt it.
It always seems to be the same crowd of people at these events, and that gets old really fast. It will be nice to have some guy time though. He's right, I have been working a lot lately. But that's the way I’ve always been.
After I transfer the client over to my secretary, I hang up the phone and lean back in my chair with a sigh.
I let myself think about my hopes for the auction a little bit longer, realizing that I’m not even sure what I’m looking for anymore. Maybe that’s why they feel so stale to me now. But I don’t have time to worry about it now. I tuck the thoughts aside, then get back to work. Compartmentalization is something I excel at.
I think about the type of software this client is asking us to create. It's going to take a lot of work and planning. I start coming up with the team of people I'd like to be involved with on this project, jotting down notes and thinking about who I’ll assign as a project manager.
I'll make more final decisions after I meet with the client and learn more about what they want, but I’ve already got a crew in mind. I check through my company emails, I find one from a previous client thanking us for our services. I don't smile, but I do feel a sense of pride that my company was able to do a satisfactory job. I send a standard company reply to them before closing my computer.
I turn my attention back to the new project and start coming up with ways that it can be done. It's nice to never stop working and to always be needed, I suppose. The more jobs we get, the more money will roll in, and the happier my people will be.
And by the time my day is over, the auction is long forgotten, tucked neatly in the back of my mind. It’s a bridge I’ll cross when I get to it.
Chapter 4 - Juliette
I open the door to the shop and take a step inside. I flip the switch to turn on the lights and set my purse down behind the register.
Everything is as I left it, pristine and untouched, and all I need to do is flip the sign to open. I do that before taking my usual spot by the register. Everything is as it should be, but it feels dimmer somehow.
I can’t stand the silence, so I hasten to find something to put on the record player. I could really use the pick-me-up right now. I'm opening a little later than usual today, but I had a good reason.
I just came from the bank. I spent all morning there trying to get a loan, and while the woman who helped me was kind and apologetic, I was unsuccessful. A lump forms in my throat and I fight back tears as the disappointing news crashes into me all over again.
That was the last thing I could think of to try and save the store. Now…Now I have no idea what I'm going to do. I'm right back where I started, just without the hope. I try to think of happier times, anything to keep me from just dissolving into a puddle on the floor.
All that comes to mind is the grand opening, the day when Florian and I first opened the shop. That day was one of the best of my life, we’d both been so full of hope and excitement, and the joy in the air was palpable. It had been packed that day, and it had set the bar for a great start.
When we worked together, this place was home, both to us, and to the customers, and that atmosphere kept people coming back. It was why the shop was always filled with customers. As I look around at it now, I can feel the sadness building up again. I don't want to cry. I can't give into my emotions right now or I might not be strong enough to get back up.
