I wake with a jolt when Sadie jumps off and rushes to the door. Still foggy, I follow after her as I hear keys in the door.
“Hey boss!” he exclaims when our eyes meet.
“I told you not to call me that,” I proclaim with a little uneasiness.
“Seriously? It’s been how many years now that I’ve been working for you and you still can’t stand it?” he queries me playfully, wraps me in a bear hug which is a little longer than usual. He kisses me on the top of the head.
He’s right. I know he’s right, but I still haven’t gotten used to it.
After a long comforting embrace, Jared bends down to his knees to give Sadie some love and attention. “What time did you get up today?” he asks.
“Just before four,” I respond, trying to brush it off.
“Thanks for not texting then,” he chuckles.
“I knew you’d threaten to quit if I did,” I reply playfully.
“Please…you’d never let me quit. You’d kill me before I had the chance to utter the words.”
“True,” I agree slyly.
I can tell that Jared’s happy to see that my recovery from mornings like this is occurring much quicker than it had when we first met. It would take most of the day for the first year. As time passed by, it would only take a few hours for the foreboding feeling to fade. Now, an extra bout of physical activity works followed by borderline obsessive compulsion like today.
“Well, Kitten, you know I do love my job,” he declares as his smile stretches from ear to ear. “And, I’d hate to disappoint my fans.”
“You aren’t one to disappoint.”
Jared follows me to the second bedroom of my apartment which has been my office since I moved in a few years ago. Glancing at the clock, I’m surprised to see what time it is. When Jared said he was on his way, I didn’t expect him to be here this early.
I abruptly turn around to him and sheepishly announce, “I’m so sorry Jared. I didn’t realize what time it was. When you said you would be here soon, I didn’t think you would be here this early!”
I know my eyes weren’t playing tricks as I checked the clock a second time to confirm that it was seven thirty-two.
“Anything for my, Sex Kitten,” he declares.
“Seriously—”
“Kitten, it’s no big deal. You’re my girl…but, don’t tell that to Maggie,” Jared replies. “Besides, you should have seen how dead the streets were from WeHo all the way here. I’ve never seen LA like this. It’s creepy."
Everyone in and out of California complains about the traffic only because they drive during the busiest times. Not many people know when the roads are as still as the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse.
Before I can muffle my laughter, Jared continues, “I just might have to start getting up earlier to travel like I’m King of the Road.”
“Please,” I balk. “You will never come to the dark side.”
“But, one can dream.”
Our snickers tapper off as we sit on the white leather couch that’s up against the wall across from my desk.
Getting into business mode, I profess, “I know we have next quarter’s schedule already laid out and you’ve got the team ahead of schedule for development and production.” I pause for a second, “Which I’m loving since it’s almost midway through this quarter—”
“But?” Jared chimes in seeing where I’m going with this, “You’ve already started the third quarter’s ideas.” He smiles, though I can see by the look in his eyes that his worry for me has returned.
“Actually, I have it finished,” I admit with certainty but nervous about his reaction.
“Wow. Really.” He takes a breath to process my confession. “How the hell do you do it? I mean, I know how you do it, but….” His eyes soften more as his voice trails off.
I desperately want to ease his concern and move forward. “Years of practice,” I state begrudgingly as I try to brush it off like a joke, but to no avail.
I haven’t slept for more than five hours straight a night since the accident. My body shivers at the thought.
“Besides, you know I get phenomenal, intense focus following….” I bite my tongue.
“So what did you come up with?” Jared inquires as the ever-positive person that he is.
Jared is such a loving friend above everything. He hates to see me in pain. I’ve gotten really good at fooling him and Maggie over the years, not that I want to lie to them, I just don’t want them to worry too much. I know what he’s hinting towards when he tries to praise me for my uncanny attention and ability while leading me back to the distraction at hand. My extreme ability to give my absolute focus to anything I decide is my way of coping. I won’t admit it to anyone, not even Jared or Maggie, only myself on some occasions. I just avoid it or put up more walls.
I remember very vividly the first time I meet Jared. I was just getting off the train from Newark, New Jersey to Union Square in downtown Los Angeles, California. I was exhausted, frightened, and confused. I was so tired from restless sleep from the just over four-day journey. Not knowing where to go or what to do, I followed the mass of people getting off the train. In the tunnel of the station, I looked around perplexed as to which direction to go. That’s when we meet.
Honestly, he scared the crap out of me when he said “Hello. I’m Jared. You look like you need some help.”
I grabbed my bike and tried to put some distance between us. He was too close to me, not for being a stranger but for my recent fear of men.
“Don’t worry Kitten,” he said comfortingly. “I’m gay. I’m not going to hurt you.”
Though he didn’t have any glaringly obvious gay traits that are overly embellished in the movies and TV, I honestly believed him. I wouldn’t know from first-hand experience since I hadn’t known anyone who was gay or openly gay prior to meeting him. There was a look on his face that I couldn’t explain—a look of understanding. I swore I saw myself staring back at me.
He must have seen my express ease, so he started to coax me, gesturing with his hands as he took a few steps backward away from me through the tunnel to the right. “Come on. Looks like you could use some food. Maybe even some coffee. Do you like coffee?” He paused as his genuine smile grew bigger.
Calmer, I took a step towards him with my bike in tow while shaking my head in response to wanting coffee.
“Coffee’s overrated anyhow.” He professed. “How about some tea instead, then?”
I hesitantly nodded as I slowly stepped towards him.
“Great. Follow me.” He said as he turned his back to me and started walking. Every few steps he would glance over his right shoulder to make sure I was still with him and hadn’t run off.
I was at a place in my life where I needed a friend, and for some reason, it was meant to be him. At the time I didn’t know why, but I was grateful and still am. Since the accident and the loss of my parents almost three months prior, I had no one until Jared.
Jared was almost nineteen when we found each other. He had been living on his own in a small rundown studio apartment on the edges of Chinatown. The only time he would leave his apartment before he met me was to go to work. His demons still haunted him too. We were both lost, but we were both found that day in the tunnel.
Completing my review of what I had written down for the third quarter’s schedule, I look at Jared for his thoughts and suggestions. He seems seriously impressed and it takes him a little longer to verbally respond than I’m used to. It must be the early morning hours that are causing his brain to not fully catch up.
Glancing at me he says, “Damn. I think this is terrific!” Still with a little bit of shock on his face, “Man, Emma. You’ve surprised me yet again.”
Humbly I replied with a smile, “Thanks.”
Jared put in some other pointers to add to the LGBT section of the website from some recent comments and questions he collected from our social media and his friends.
Sadie gnawing on her bone catches our attention, and Jared became perky again. “I have an idea.”
“What?” I ask.
“It might sound a little silly. At first, that is,” he says.
“Just say it. You know I like ideas.”
“You’ve done a lot already this morning. I don’t want to add to—”
“Just spit it out,” I politely demand, smiling as I cut him off.
“Ok…” he begins, seeming to be more confident now in his decision to bring it up. “We should create a whole section for pets. Mostly dogs to start because of Sadie, but I think we could increase the follower base even more. Sadie could be the face and we write everything from her perspective. Well, our assumption of her perspective that is…What do you think?”
My business is a health and wellness blog that focuses on organic and natural products, recipes, and the like. When I started it about six years ago, it was to suffice my interest, fascination, and experimentation with female health, beauty and food products, and anything other related topics. It all stemmed from me changing my daily habits after some rocky moments as I tried to figure out my life during the first two years in California. Jared was a very loving and patient friend from the start once he found out about my demons.
Naturally, I was already a computer wiz thanks to being homeschooled and my mother encouraging my learning to be around whatever topics interested me at the time. I was proficient in HTML, coding and graphic design by the time I was fifteen among other things. I was technically a high school graduate at the age of fourteen. Mom wanted me to have my high school diploma regardless of her thoughts of the ill-effectiveness of the public school system, so she scheduled the testing. The district had me take the test a second time. Not because I didn’t pass, but because my scores were close to perfect and they wanted to make sure I wasn’t cheating. Mom was pleased with her teaching ability after the second test results came back practically the same as the first. Not wanting to thrust me into college at my young age, Mom began introducing me to a variety of college-based courses until—well, let’s not get back into that.
The blog took a little time to get going, but after the first two years, it started to pick up enough that I was making almost twice as much as I was working with Jared at Jensen’s Florist. By the third year, I was making more—almost four times as much money. Not long after the start of the blog’s third year, Jared gave me some inspiration about topics to address on the blog from hearing him recount or discuss certain subject matters with me and his other friends. Knowing that I wasn’t quite legal yet to get into bars and see everything firsthand, I asked Jared to do some recognizance for me. Not understanding why I was so curious, two weeks later he shows up with a fake ID for me. Not willing to use the ID right away, I explained to Jared how I wanted to expand the blog. He instantly loved the idea.
Not long after Jared’s insatiable desire to see what he could find, he and I were quickly overwhelmed by the sheer volume of talking points we could add to the blog. From then on, Jared spent all his free time helping me establish the LGBT division of the blog, with him as the face. Proudly, I was able to match his monthly income from Jensen’s in just four months.
Currently, the blog offers its readers health and beauty tips, tricks, product reviews, product referrals, homemade recipes along with a section dedicated to cuisine, home decorating, contests and giveaways, and an exclusive LGBT section. The thought of another expansion is mind-blowing, but real.
Naturally Me expanded its reach by the end of its fourth year with the use of internet video sharing that allowed the company to instantly start making additional income which grew faster than I believed possible. Now, not only is Jared the face of Naturally Me, he manages all communication and task completion between me, Naturally Me, and the Naturally Me's independent contractors who handle our research, graphic design, video and editing, general inquiries, and social media.
“Holy crap, Jared!”
“Yeah?!” he replies.
“No. Seriously! You’re a genius.”
“Oh, stop it!” he counters trying to seem bashfully innocent and humble.
I glared at him with a devilish smile to his response, suggesting that I know what he’s doing, but pleased with his brilliance. “We can incorporate the pet section into the third quarter easily. We can hire a few more people to handle it under your direction.”
“Sweet!” he replies with enthusiasm. “Looks like I should be getting a bonus at the end of the year.”
“I’ll through in a night at your favorite strip club if it goes the way I’m seeing happen in my head,” toying with him with a sense of half-truth.
“Mmmm. You sure know how to please a man,” he says as he winks at me with a dirty grin.
We both snicker like school girls for a moment before turning back to the mission at hand.
Happy with our success and my true love and gratitude for my friend, I tell him, “I love you, Jared.”
He looks at me quizzically for a second. Not sure where I’m going with this serious and deep tone, he tries to brush it off lightly joking around, “Yeah, yeah. I know. I love you too, Sex Kitten.”
“I’m serious.”
He rarely sees this openly emotional side of me, let alone the fact that I don’t say those three words loosely to just anyone or in just any context.
Appreciatively and affectionately, I smile and repeat myself, “I love you.”
Respectfully, he pauses to take in this still unaccustomed moment. Jared smiles and replies back, “I love you too, Emma.” He leans over to hug me.
We sit, reassuring each other for several minutes. We start cracking up when Sadie decides to wedge herself between our arms and onto our laps. Sadie never misses a beat.
We continue to hash out the details for the third quarter’s targets to include the pet division while sipping on tea and coffee. I leave Jared to his now coherent and animated concentration to fix him some breakfast. Surprisingly, I can hear his stomach grumble in protest to his second cup of coffee in demand for more sustenance.
A few hours later, content with our goals and objectives, we resolve to conclude our business meeting.
“I need to check the PO Box for deliveries,” Jared admits. “I completely forgot to before coming here.”
“That’s fine. You were here much earlier. How about we check after going out for some lunch?”
His eyes gleam with elation at my suggestion. “You sure know the way to a man’s heart?”
Before we head out the door, I turned off the music that’s been streaming from the classical music playlist on my computer.
If I was musically inclined, I would have learned cello or violin, but alas I was not blessed with the ability to play. I can dance and follow any beat, but my creative gifts and abilities are the visual arts. Though I couldn’t play an instrument, I have always been able to pick up tones and notes, which help greatly with the variety of languages I speak other than English.
My parents wanted the best for me. They never forced their views, religious beliefs, or their particularly desired topics to study. They made learning a game, and I loved it. Though we were never able to travel internationally, we wanted to learn as many languages as possible. Before the accident, I spoke fluent English, Spanish and French, and had four months into learning Mandarin. Each day of the week we would speak only in one dialect regardless if we stayed home all day or went out. It was funny to see people’s faces when we spoke in a different language. We got the most looks when we spoke Spanish or Mandarin but we didn’t care.
“Where do you want to eat?” Jared asks as I pick up my purse, keys and hook Sadie’s leash onto her collar.
“What are you in the mood for?” I answer.
“Well…” He pauses for a second to decide.
Jared knows not to go back and forth with me on asking each other, it could take an hour before he caves in and chooses a place. I always win. As much as I like control, I know I’d be content with whichever restaurant he chooses.
“I want to go to Stinky Pete’s.”
Seeing his devilish smile that is trying to get a deliberate response from me, I simply smile and nod in response.
“You sure?” he inquires, trying to get me to break.
“Sure. If that’s where you want to eat.”
“Your no fun,” he jokingly whines and sticks his tongue at me. “Besides, you know I can’t stand their food either.”
I smirk as he surrenders easily in defeat.
“Let’s have Indian today. What was the place we went to last time?”
“Akbar?” I question.
“Yep. That’s the one. I loved that place. I think it’s my favorite Indian restaurant in town.” He closes the door behind Sadie and me.
As we eat, our conversation bounces around a myriad of topics, mostly memories of glorious excursions we’ve had together and many of them that included Maggie. Recounting our clubbing days in WeHo and all the weird and eclectic types of people that would hit on all three of us. Jared would be hit on by every gay man, whereas Maggie and I would get hit on by the women. Maggie and I never minded being hit on by other women. We felt safe around them compared to men, especially me.