Page 42 of Corporate Escapades

“You read my mind,” replied Paris. “I’ve been craving a greasy burger and fries.”

Vic plopped himself down on the loveseat while Chase took his place on the overstuffed chair. The group ate in silence, and as soon as the last crumb had been consumed, Chase grabbed all of the meal’s refuse and whisked it away to the kitchen garbage.Returning promptly, he said, “Okay, now that everyone has a full tummy, it’s time to get down to business. First up on the agenda is Vic and Paris’s longstanding distaste for one another.”

“Great,” groaned Vic. “Is this a necessary discussion?”

Mya stood and joined Chase in front of the coffee table. “We feel that you two need to swallow your pride and behave as though you actually care about, and even like, one another,” she said.

Chase nodded. “I don’t care if you have to put on an act every single time you leave this apartment. You’re now best friends, and you care about everything the other person says or does.”

“Why?” asked Vic. “What does this prove?”

Mya arched an eyebrow at his question. “It shows partnership. It provides closure to anyone watching, that you can get along and possibly run a business together.”

“Besides,” added Chase, “your parents are best friends. Everyone sees you as an extension of that friendship. They want to believe the off-spring of the partners are also best friends. You can hate each other in private if that’s what you really want, but in the public eye, you should appear as if you’re close and you have each other’s backs.”

“I know I can do that,” replied Paris, “but Vic doesn’t exactly exude friendliness.”

“What do you believe will happen if we don’t agree to do this?” asked Vic.

“We already know your parents have decided you must succeed together or not at all. Not working together means they cannot leave you in charge of their company. Do you want to lose the company?” asked Chase.

“Absolutely not,” replied Vic. “You know I want this company more than anything else.”

Chase looked to Paris. “What about you?”

Shaking her head, she said, “I don’t know what I want.”

“Let me ask you this,” said Chase, “do you want to fail at proving yourself capable of working as a team with Vic?”

“No, of course not,” she said. “I want our parents to trust and believe in us.

Vic looked at Paris. “Do you want to give this a shot?”

“More than anything,” she replied. “I’m ready to start living again.”

Vic nodded, “Okay, bestie. Let’s show ‘em what we’re made of.”

“Great!” said Mya. “That’s what I wanted to hear.”

“Now that we’ve agreed upon committing to each other in this situation, let’s discuss your income. Paris, you can’t make any more ‘wild hair’ purchases. You don’t have the money for it,” said Chase. “Vic, you’re going to be in charge of the money for the time being.”

“Living on such a fixed budget is more stressful than I could have anticipated,” said Paris.

Vic nodded in agreement. “That’s because you’ve had everything handed to you.”

“You aren’t any different,” said Paris.

“I’m not saying I am,” replied Vic.

“Hold up,” said Chase, “you both need to make changes. No more expensive specialty beers, Vic, and no random shopping sprees, Paris. You’ll start cooking meals rather than eating out every night. Cooking at home can save a lot of money. Not to mention, Vic, you have mad culinary skills. There are tons of small ways in which you can change your routine and spend more thriftily. You don’t need to buy every food staple as a name brand. The store brands are often from bigger name brands you love, anyway. You can continue to share an apartment, which clearly helps.”

“I think those are valid points,” said Mya. “What do you think? Is that something you can try?”

Paris let out a sigh. “Yeah, I guess so.”

“What the heck, sure,” said Vic. He knew he didn’t want their situation to decline further, so he was willing to do any number of things in an attempt to improve, even if it meant he had to watch Paris’s back.

The next morning, Chase and Mya retrieved Paris and Vic from their apartment and escorted them to the boardroom. For once, the news was positive. Paris and Vic were promoted back to the mailroom. Paris was thankful. She didn’t know if she could handle any more accidents due to her lack of prowess in the field of Building Maintenance.

---