Page 69 of Only After We Met
I don’t want to bore you. I probably am though…
I think I avoided thinking about it until now because what’s the point? I always knew what I was going to do when I graduate… I knew it even before I started college. Don’t get mewrong; I’m not dying from excitement, but I’m grateful. Not everyone has a family business. I’m lucky.
I guess I can dream though, right?
From: Rhys Baker
To: Ginger Davies
Subject: RE: Okay, let’s ramble then…
You can always dream, okay? Before and after leaving college. Who knows? It’s impossible to predict what we’ll be doing in ten years. Or are you really so sure?
I think I get the idea behind the project…
I wish you’d tell me how you imagine it. Your publisher, I mean, if it existed. What would it be like? The décor, the mood, going in every morning.
Come on, take a walk on the moon once in a while. It’s not so bad up here.
From: Ginger Davies
To: Rhys Baker
Subject: Ten years
Okay, look, however tempted I am to take a mental trip to the moon and let my fantasies of outer space carry me away, in another, parallel life, if I did decide to start an independent publisher, I couldn’t afford an office in a good area of downtown, not even a little one, so I’d locate my offices somewhere in West London, for example. Somewhere calm but easy to get to.
I imagine a small but nice office. With light and plants (even if we both know finding light is almost impossible in this city). The walls: white or some warm color, soft ocher maybe. The furnishings should be in different styles and different colors, I don’t want the place to look like a hospital. And shelves, obviously. Lots of white shelves lining the (wide) hallways and the meeting room.
The working environment should be optimal, of course. I’d be a flexible boss and really nice; every morning I’d bring in coffee and cakes. My employees would never criticize me. The only things they’d ever say behind my back would be stuff like,Did you see what a cute blouse Ginger’s wearing? She looks amazing in that color.In the midst of all that positive energy, we’d publish one or two books a month, maybe less. I like the idea of carefully choosing each project, taking good care of it, giving it space, making it shine as much as possible.
Maybe I’m getting ahead of myself…
As far as your question, yes, Rhys, I do pretty much know what my life will be like in ten years. I’ll be working at my family’s company, I’ll be happy when I take the reins and make improvements, I’ll be married, maybe, or be close to getting married. I’ll be living in a two-story home with an attic, and I’ll have a dog. Or a cat. I haven’t decided, but I’ve got time to figure it out.
How do you see yourself in ten years?
From: Rhys Baker
To: Ginger Davies
Subject: RE: Ten years
For someone who supposedly doesn’t want to walk around all the time on the moon, I’d say you’ve spent a lot of time up there lately. I like that, Ginger. I like that little fantasy of yours, and I can almost imagine you between the shelves, listening to your employees’ murmurs as they compliment that T-shirt that fits you so well. (Is it low-cut? I need details.)
For right now, your biggest question then is whether you’ll have a cat or a dog. I don’t know if it makes sense, but I haven’t stopped laughing since I read that. It’s no surprise that I’m aimless by comparison. And you know what? You were right, I don’t know where I’ll be in ten years. It scares me to think about it. I’ll be thirty-seven. What are people that age supposed to do?
From: Ginger Davies
To: Rhys Baker
Subject: I’m going to kill you!
Oh God. Oh God. OH GOD.
I’m going to kill you, Rhys. How could you? Today is exactly one year since we met. It’s our friendiversary. AND I JUST REALIZED YOU HAD A BIRTHDAY AND YOU NEVER TOLD ME. SO OBVIOUS. I don’t know how I never realized it. Oh wait, yes, I do. BECAUSE YOU NEVER TOLD ME.
When was your birthday, Rhys?