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Of course it’s snowing.
The weather isn’t bad enough to keep me put—it just means the drive will take three hours rather than two. If I’m lucky. It doesn’t help that I’m leaving at the worst possible time of day. Unfortunately, there’s no help for it—I finally finished rescheduling the last of my meetings, and I couldn’t bring myself to wait.
I flip open my laptop as the car moves slowly out of the city.
Another few hours and that’s it for an entire week. My driver has strict orders to take this bad boy back to my apartment. I’ll be honest: I struggle with the thought of being without my laptop for so long.
Which only tells me that I’ve let this—not the laptop, necessarily, but what it represents—take over my life for too long. Others are addicted to things far worse. But some, like me, are addicted to their jobs.
And just like those other kinds of addictions, this one has cost me more than I’m willing to pay. Certainly it has damaged other relationships in my life. Thankfully, my family doesn’t have the luxury of breaking up with my ass. They’re stuck with me. Chari, not so much.
My phone lights up.
Lusanne.
“Hey,” I say, answering.
“Are you seriously coming home? For a whole week?”
So Lus talked to my mom. I wondered how long it would take her to call.
The fact that she sounds genuinely excited is one of the many reasons I know I’m doing the right thing. After talking to Hayden on Thursday and then Devon last night, I’m feeling pretty good about this. So good, in fact, that I can’t help but kick myself for not having done it sooner. This is the first full week I’ve taken off since we started the company.
“Yes. I’m even sending my laptop back to the city.”
Silence.
Then, “Um, couldn’t you have just left it there in the first place?”
“Pfft. Crazy talk. I’m stuck in this car for at least a few hours. An extended vacation might be necessary, but I’m not about to willfully waste time.”
I look out the window. “Is it snowing there too?”
“A little. But, oh my God, Enzo, this is so cool.”
A lump forms in my throat. I have so much to say to her, to my parents. To my brothers. I plan to start making amends this week, tonight actually. I plan on working alongside Lusanne at the restaurant, but she doesn’t know about that yet.
“What do you see?” I ask instead. There are plenty of important things to say, but I’d rather say them in person.
Including the fact that I’ve been a total schmuck.
If losing Chari hadn’t slapped some sense into me, how long would I have gone on this way? Pushing away the people who care about me.
“I see Tris kicking my ass if I don’t get a move on. I’m working at two tonight.”
My family now calls the pizza shop “one” and the restaurant “two.”
“I’m surprised you’re not there already.”
When Lusanne’s ready to move on to a venture of her own, I suspect Tris is going to have to search high and low for a replacement who will do half what she does. He’s more chef than restaurant owner. He’s talked about asking Mom to manage the place, but we all know she has her hands full with the pizza shop.
“Mom’s at two tonight.”
Ah, that makes sense. Our mother runs a tight ship, so Lus wouldn’t feel the need to hurry.
“All right, I’ll talk to you later.”
I’m about to hang up when Lusanne stops me.
