22 Slow Going (1/2)

A week passed quickly, too quickly.

Alan stared dismally at his checkbook.

If things kept on going at this rate he wouldn't be able to pay the interest on his loan this month, let alone all of his other bills.

He'd had customers come in still.Claire, the woman who had showed up the first day, had come every day since then.She always ordered a cappuccino and sat and drank it while reading documents.He'd asked a couple of questions and learned she was a lawyer.

Tom also came in.However, despite his best efforts, his rich friends didn't come in.The rules kept them away.

A few random people had come in as well, and they had all seemed to enjoy the coffee, but it also seemed like they couldn't afford to drink such expensive coffee often, as they had yet to come back.

Alan sighed, contemplating what he could do.

”Host, these things have a sort of momentum to them.Once word gets out, more and more customers will come in, and you will have more and more regulars.Please endeavor to stay strong.”

Even the system's unusually encouraging words couldn't shake Alan out of his depression.

While Alan moped in the cafe, Tom was in a tense meeting.

He and the man across were staring at each other, not blinking, and the tension in the room was suffocating for the assistants, lawyers, and consultants present.

Finally, the man across from Tom stuck out his hand.Tom gripped it and they shook hands.

”We have a deal.” The man said.

Tom smiled.He had finally wrapped up the real estate deal he'd been working on.Truth be told, the boost that Alan's coffee gave him had gone into making this deal happen.

He looked at the man across from him.The man's name was Gerald Acadian.Gerald was the CEO and owner of a successful retail business that sold everything: clothes, food, toys, cleaning supplies, housing products, everything you could think of all in one store.He had been looking at opening a large store in City A, but had very strict requirements for the location.When he finally found a property he approved of, it turned out to be owned by Tom which led to the current situation.

”Now that business is concluded shall we go for a drink?”Tom asked.