FIFTEEN
“IF WE DO THE UNTHINKABLE WILL IT MAKE US GO CRAZY…” ALICIA KEYS
“It’s one weekend, I don’t understand why you gotta pack like we going to Europe for the summer,” Jio told her over the phone.
Nina rolled her eyes, although he couldn’t see her, she made sure he heard the irritation in her voice. “Funny, I don’t recall asking for your help.”
“No, but you been packing since yesterday. We going for the weekend and coming right back.”
“Bye babe, see you when you get home!” She rushed him off the phone and ended the call.
It was hilarious to her that he, all of a sudden, was so concerned about what was in HER suitcase when he was going to be the main one asking her if she brought toothpaste, lotion, dental floss, and an extra phone charger.
She knew that she had to bring everything that they needed because he surely wasn’t.
Nina went from three outfits, one for every day, to two outfits a day, switching for the occasion.
She couldn’t decide if she was going to wear an ivory linen two-piece set for the reception or a gold dress that she’d been itching to step out in.
When Jio told her they had to slide towards the Hamptons for the weekend because someone in his family was getting married, she just said okay.
At the time, she didn’t think much of it because she was knee-deep in depositions due to an employee attempting to sue the company.
Her degree came in handy this week and she was thankful.
She stared at the seven pairs of sandals that she was about to place inside her suitcase. “Okay, this is a lot,” she shook her head, while tossing some to the floor.
She zipped the suitcase closed before immediately opening it again.
Sunscreen.
“I can’t leave that.” Back in the day, her mama didn’t play about her and her siblings applying sunscreen before they went to the beach. To this day, it was one habit that stuck with her long after she moved out of her house.
Her phone buzzed against the marble countertop, it was a text message from Jio.
Jio: Don’t overpack.
Nina laughed.
Nina: Mind your business sir.
Another message appeared.
Jio: You ready?
Nina: Almost.
Jio: You said that almost forty minutes ago liar.
He wasn’t wrong but he would be okay. She technically could hit the road right now if he was home and ready to leave out the door. But he was still handling his business, which gave Nina another hour to do as she pleased. She’d just gotten back in town yesterday from Toronto.
She’d traveled there for a strategy meeting with a marketing firm that had reached out requesting just thirty minutes of her time.
They promised not to waste it, and to her surprise, they didn’t.
The meeting exceeded every expectation she’d walked in with.
Nina firmly believed that longevity alone wasn’t enough to earn her business.
Just because a company had been around for a hundred years didn’t automatically make them better than one that had opened its doors six months ago.
Experience mattered, but passion mattered more.
She paid attention to the people sitting across from her; their preparation, their vision, the way their eyes lit up when they spoke about what they could build.
Those were the people who earned her trust, and more often than not, they were the ones who earned her business.
Ephrem’s bookstore wasn’t far from her condo, it was close enough that she left her suitcases with the concierge and decided to walk.
If she’d timed everything right, Jio would be pulling into her building just as she was leaving the bookstore.
Whenever she traveled and found herself with free time in between meeting, she always searched for an independent bookstore to support.
It’d become a new ritual for her since she stepped into her role.
Being at the head of the table gave her a front-row seat to the realities of retail and shit was tough.
She had a better understanding of overhead, payroll, shrinking margins and how difficult it had become for brick-and-mortar businesses to survive in a new world where people are now expecting everything to arrive on their doorstep with the blink of an eye.
Online shopping was slowly making noise and independent bookstores were feeling the pressure.
If it weren’t for Jio quietly funneling dirty money through the business to keep the books balanced, Nina wasn’t too sure if Ephrem would’ve been able to survive without Jio.
Supporting independent bookstores wasn’t charity to her, it was preservation because she believed that they deserved to exist.
She wandered through the aisles until a rare first edition tucked away on the highest shelf caught her eye. She carefully slid it into her hands. Her first instinct was to call Ephrem and ask whether he already owned a copy for his personal collection.
Surprising Ephrem was damn near impossible, so she decided to take her chances anyway.
The bell above the front door chimed as she stepped inside the bookstore. She wanted another cup of coffee after the smell drifted to her nose but she’d reached her caffeine limit for the day.
Bookstores always felt like home to her but Ephrem’s had a special place in her heart.
He’d successfully managed to build something much bigger than a bookstore.
What he had was known as a third place; a space where people gathered simply because they wanted to exist around other people with shared interests.
Nina smiled at the students studying at the tables.
There were a few writers scattered in corners with their notebooks.
She heard a couple debating on what they should read next and some of the regulars doing what they do best, sipping tea and talking about what was currently happening in the World.
Seeing it busy on a Friday morning warmed her heart. Back in the day, she’d spend entire afternoons behind the register talking Ephrem’s ear off while only two or three customers wandered in before closing. Some days they’d celebrate making enough money to cover payroll.
A young couple flipped through cookbooks near the back wall while an older gentleman sat beside the window with a mug of tea balanced next to his open novel.
The store felt alive and she loved that for him.
Nina scanned the room, expecting Ephrem to greet her with one of his dramatic hugs, but he was nowhere in sight. Instead, a customer stood patiently at the register waiting to check out.
Without thinking twice, Nina set her purse and the gift bag on the counter before slipping behind the register.
She’d practically become an honorary employee years ago.
“Hi,” she greeted with an easy smile. “Did you find everything you were looking for today?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The young Black woman handed over her books before suddenly freezing.
Her eyes widened.
“Oh... my God.”
Nina knew that look.
“Wait.” The woman’s hand flew over her mouth. “Are you...?”
Nina offered the same awkward smile she’d been wearing more and more lately.
“Yep. It’s me.”
The woman let out a tiny squeal. “I knew it! Wow!”
It still caught Nina off guard whenever someone reacted like that. She wasn’t an actress or singer. She wasn’t even trying to be famous either.
She simply designed watches, ran a company, and occasionally found herself plastered across business magazines. You know, nothing too major.
She still hadn’t figured out the appropriate response whenever someone recognized her in public, so she smiled for now.
“Are you paying with cash or card?” she asked, sounding almost robotic.
The woman laughed. “Cash is fine.” She leaned against the counter. “So... you know the owner?”
“I do, I’ve been coming here for years.” Nina scanned the books. “Best bookstore in New York.”
“I didn't know you read.”
Nina looked up. “I didn't know people thought I didn’t.”
“I just mean...” the lady laughed nervously. “You’re always working. When do you even have time?”
“Before bed. Between meetings. On flights.” Nina shrugged. “Reading is therapy for me.”
“I love that.”
The woman hesitated before saying, “You should post what you’re reading sometime. Or start an online book club because those are huge now.”
Nina considered it.
It wasn’t the worst idea she’d ever heard.
"I’ll keep that in mind.”
She bagged the books before handing them across the counter.
“Thank you for supporting independent bookstores,” Nina said sincerely. “Have a wonderful day.”
“You too, it was nice meeting you.”
After the customer left, Nina stepped out from behind the register.
Where the hell was Ephrem?
He never abandoned the floor when customers were inside.
She looked toward the reading lounge.
Nothing.
The café area was empty.
She started down the Cooking and Nonfiction aisle, preparing to call his name when she saw that the office door slightly ajar.
She waited for Ephrem to walk out but instead the door opened wider and to her surprise Cairo, Jio’s little cousin walked out of his office.
What the hell is he doing here? she questioned.
The bookstore served as their meet-up spot a few times if they were headed to dinner or a fashion show, but she wasn’t aware that he’d become friends with Ephrem, and if so, why hadn’t anyone said anything to her about it?
Nina didn’t want to jump to any conclusions.
Ephrem followed him out and said, “Call me when it’s over… good luck.”
Cairo was dressed up today in a very nice suit. She assumed he was headed to an interview.
“I will.”
“You better.”
Cairo laughed before slipping his sunglasses onto his face. In the corner of his eye, he saw Nina coming out of the shadow which caused his smile to fade.
“What you doing here girl?” he asked her as if this was his best friend’s shit and not the other way around.
She looked toward Ephrem before answering. “I bought my best friend a gift.”
“What did you get me?” His entire face lit up.
Nina cocked her head. The look she gave him was full of bewilderment.
“It’s up there.”