AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Extras? You mean the televisions that are already worth nothing, because the technology has changed so much?” I countered.
Defeat washed over him. “I’m trying to find a solution here, Indy.”
I shook my head. “There is no solution, Travis. There is no money. I begged you. I pleaded with you. And you refused to listen to me. You continued to spend, and you did it on everything that was unnecessary. I’d go to the grocery store to buy food, and a week later I’d wind up throwing things out, because you decided to eat out instead, using money we didn’t have.”
“Jesus, it’s not all my fault,” he fired back. “It’s not like you didn’t eat the food I bought when I did.”
“What? And let more go to waste? This is a mess, and I don’t see a way out of it.”
“I don’t understand what happened.”
Shooting him an incredulous look, I asked, “Are you joking me? You were trying to live a lifestyle we couldn’t afford.”
“But we could,” he argued. “If we couldn’t, why did I get approved for all the loans? Furthermore, we were doing just fine when the money was coming in. When I said I don’t understand what happened, I was asking why our sales dwindled the way they did, and why it happened so quickly.”
Travis was pretending to be confused, because I knew he already knew the answer. The reason he knew was because when I saw the change happening, I tried to get to the bottom of it. I wanted to know why there was such a drastic drop, hoping there was something we’d be able to do to turn things around.
Much to my dismay, there wasn’t anything I could do to fix what had caused our sales to level off and ultimately slow down to nearly a complete stop.
Growth.
Growth in the industry had changed the landscape.
For a long time, we were the only ones around for a wide area. People were willing to travel to us, because we were the closest to them.
But as more and more individuals learned about the business and got involved, more dispensaries popped up in the towns surrounding us. We were a bit off the beaten path, and when we were the only ones, it didn’t matter.
Now, with more options, especially closer to the bigger towns, our sales hadn’t just slumped. They’d come to a grinding halt.
With more options available to consumers, all of the excitement and upward trend we were seeing at the beginning of this venture was gone. Most days, we were barely making any profit, and I thought that was bad. But it paled in comparison to the worst days we had, the ones when we didn’t make anything.
Between the operational costs at the business and the monthly bills we needed to pay in our personal lives, it was safe to say Travis and I weren’t just struggling. We’d reached the end.
“There are too many options out there,” I told him, sharing information he already knew.
“But what about loyalty? Why would people leave a place that has been here from the start, one that’s proven itself?” he questioned me.
“Convenience? Costs? It’s not just the price they’re paying for what they’re getting. People are looking at what other things are costing them. Gas, food. I mean, I can’t say I don’t understand that now. We’re struggling to put food on the table, a table we might not have much longer.”
Travis shoved his chair back from the table and shouted, “Fuck!”
“The landlord called me again today,” I told him.
“What did you tell him?”
I shook my head. “I didn’t answer. But I can’t keep avoiding him.”
He paced the room. “I’ll figure something out. We’ll make it work.”
My eyes on him, I sent a sympathetic look his way. “It’s over, Travis. It’s done.”
I hated saying it as much as I knew he hated hearing it, but it was the truth. And we couldn’t continue to ignore it any longer. We couldn’t continue trying to fool ourselves into believing there was a reason to be optimistic. There was no chance this business was going to survive, and sadly, we’d held out hope for far too long.
Or, Travis did.
I had a feeling months ago. Unfortunately, I foolishly did nothing about it.
Of course, it wasn’t as though I could have done much. I did my best to pay what I could, but we’d spent nearly every last dime we had, and we’d accumulated some substantial debt.
