The November project 2020, part 13

   - Vera, are you kidding me right now. This can’t be real?    I had had to read it both once and twice to really understand. Not that it was extremely difficult to interpret with lots of complicated words, but because it was too good to be true. There it said, black on white, that we could choose between moving the café to a municipally owned facility and continue to run it there, or get $10 000 to spend as we wished. This just couldn’t be true? How could they be so generous?    - No seriously, there’s gotta be a catch to this. 10 000 dollars just like that?    I felt both enormous skepticism and excitement at the same time. This was so much money! At least to me. Vera, on her hand, rather looked preoccupied.    - It’s insurance money. The water damage can’t be traced negligence from our side, this was rather a problem with the pipes that had been going on for a long time, something that the owner of the facility should have had checked out. And who is that owner? Well, it’s the municipality!    - Wait, really? I thought you were the owner?    - No, since the facility is part of Raspberry hills recreation area, in other words the forest, and the forest is municipal property, so is the hut. I only rent it. And regarding the sum we could get… you have to put it in its context. $10 000 is only like one-two months’ salary for all of us together. It would be better for the business to move it to another facility, but the rent there is higher, the serving hall is smaller, and it’s downtown, far from nature…    - Okay, now you’re just being negative. This is a golden opportunity for us to start anew! Rebrand the hut you know? Become more like an inner city café. Just look at Spinn! With some investments in more machines, more options on the menu… hey, we could have Belgian waffles on there! Or churros!    - Churros? Out of the questions, they’re not even waffles.    - Well we offer sandwiches today, so who says we can only have waffles? Oh my god, we need to get an espresso machine as well…!    - Alright, you need to calm down. In the end, this is a decision that is to be made by us owners, and you are unfortunately only an employee… I can agree to move the business, it’s the best option in my opinion, as long as it can be done in a good way. But I’m not the only owner, Peter has his share as well. I need to hear what he prefers. And if I know him right, he’ll rather take the money and invest them in his start-up…    Vera muttered while pouring up more batter and closing the lid with a bang. At once, I felt my mood shift like a hailstorm on a sunny day.    - I’m sorry? Do you honestly mean I don’t have a say in this, just because I’m not an owner?    - I’m just saying that because it’s me and Peter who are the owners, we are the ones responsible for what happens with the business. So yes.    - But you’re not gonna give me any influence at all? Not even listen to me?    - Now calm down…    - No I’m not gonna calm down! This is absurd! Up until just recently we were only three people working in the hut, and I’ve been there “part time” even though you often call me in on overtime because you “have a lot to do”. And I have agreed to that, because I’ve thought it’s no problem since I don’t have any lectures then anyway, and I enjoy the job, I need the money, and I’ve always felt like part of the family. But now? Now when shit suddenly got real, you don’t let me have a say at all. Hell, I support you in moving the business, you’re just doing yourself a disservice my locking me out of this. How are you supposed to convince Peter without me backing you up? You’ll just end up with word against word.    It had been a long time since I was this angry. I could be upset, and people sometimes described me as hot-headed, but this was something else. This was betrayal. Or at least, something that could become that unless she changed her mind.    I had become so loud that Amir and his friends stopped chatting and instead focused all their attention on us. When I quieted down it was completely silent in the room, you could have heard a needle fall to the floor if it had happened. I awaited Vera’s answer, but she didn’t seem to know what to say. Finally, Amir became the one to say something.    - What’s going on?    - I got a letter from the city office, about that inspection if you recall. We can’t stay in the hut at Raspberry hills, they have to demolish it. We can either move to a new location downtown, or get the insurance money straight up and use them for whatever.    - I see… but is it a lot of money?    - It’s 10 000.    - 10 000! Do you know what that money could do to this shelter? You have always helped us out with so much, and there’s so much here that needs to be done…    - No hold it right there, I said, if I can’t have a say in this neither can he. He’s only worked with us for three days, for Christ’s sake.     - But he does have a point…     - Okay, now I know you just want to provoke me. Cut it out, damnit! If you don’t want my opinion, fine. But you’re making a great mistake. I know what potential the café has. I see what this town needs. But if you don’t want to listen, I’ll shut up.