{"id":1055,"date":"2012-08-21T10:35:19","date_gmt":"2012-08-21T17:35:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/?p=1055"},"modified":"2012-08-21T10:35:19","modified_gmt":"2012-08-21T17:35:19","slug":"season-7-episode-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/?p=1055","title":{"rendered":"Season 7, Episode 5"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>
\nThere was a knock at the front door. \u201cI\u2019ll see you guys in a few hours,\u201d Willow called to the others, receiving a chorus of “goodbyes” and “goodlucks” from towards the back of the house.<\/p>\n

She\u00a0 hummed to herself as she ambled towards the front door, glancing in the mirror on the way through, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear and smoothing her silk blouse. It was a big day today and she wanted to look groomed. Professional. Ana had lent Willow a gorgeous navy light woollen suit and had done her hair and makeup. To complete the outfit, Willow had put on a pair of heels for the first time in\u2026 she didn\u2019t even know how long. She felt a bit like a little kid playing grown-up – after all, what did she know about the big wide world of commerce? – but she held her head up high as she pulled the door open, a bright smile on her face.<\/p>\n

\u201cWow, you look great,\u201d Fred said. \u201cI should have made more of an effort, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n

Willow glanced down at his loose fitting jeans and too-big sweatshirt. Seriously? That<\/em> was what he was going to wear to a meeting with the bank?<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s fine,\u201d she said, trying not to let the disappointment show on her face. She wondered momentarily if he actually owned any other clothes. \u201cI\u2019m probably a bit overdressed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve never been very good at clothes and fashion and stuff,\u201d he said, as Willow closed the door behind her and they walked to his car.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a bit nervous,\u201d Willow laughed as she did her seat belt up.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t be,\u201d Fred said with confidence. \u201cThe numbers are totally solid. I think we\u2019re in with a really good chance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Willow nodded. Fred was right. In fact, he\u2019d been right about a lot of things. Ever since they had met a couple of weeks ago, it had been all systems go for the new business partners. Thanks to Fred\u2019s many years experience working in the hospitality industry, they had drawn up an exceptional budget and business plan. The numbers were good. Even if they did the minimum amount of business that they had anticipated, they would still be able to pay off the loan in a couple of years at the most. And that was worst case scenario.<\/p>\n

Willow glanced sideways at Fred’s profile as he drove, wondering again why she hadn\u2019t told him about her inheritance from Robert. If nothing else, it might have saved her mounting stress about their meeting with the bank. Initially, Willow had assumed she would use it to start the business, but then Fred started talking about loans and all kinds of other financial mumbo-jumbo, and Willow realised that she might not need to touch Robert\u2019s money after all. Well, not much of it anyway. She\u2019d need a small amount – about two hundred thousand – to match Fred\u2019s initial startup costs, but the the bank would finance the rest and they\u2019d pay it off over time. It solved the visa issue too, as Fred could sponsor Willow through the business.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s far less risky than investing all the money ourselves,\u201d he said. \u201cBesides, it\u2019s not like either of us have half a million dollars just floating around, is it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Willow had laughed, but hadn\u2019t said anything.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

A woman in about her mid-forties walked into the bank\u2019s customer waiting area.<\/p>\n

\u201cWillow? Frederick? I\u2019m Marjorie,\u201d she said, holding out her manicured hand in a limp handshake. Her eyes flickered over Fred\u2019s outfit, her lips pinching slightly in distaste. \u201cIf you\u2019d like to come into my office?\u201d<\/p>\n

Willow and Fred followed her without a word into the small, airless glass cubicle. She closed the door behind them and offered them a seat.<\/p>\n

\u201cLets have a look at what you\u2019ve got,\u201d she said, holding out a hand for the file Willow was clutching.<\/p>\n

She flicked through the spreadsheets, spending no longer than a couple of seconds on each of the pages that Willow and Fred had spent hours and hours preparing. Willow sat in tense silence barely even daring to breathe.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d Marjorie said. \u201cBut I can\u2019t offer you a loan at this time.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was a few seconds of silence.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy not?\u201d Willow said eventually.<\/p>\n

Marjorie shrugged. \u201cIt\u2019s too much of a risk.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA risk?\u201d said Willow. \u201cBut, the numbers are solid! Just take another look at the\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve seen enough.\u201d Marjorie said, cutting her off. She folded her hands over each other and rested them on the desk, her eyes not wavering from Willow\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\u201cIsn\u2019t there someone else we could talk to?\u201d Willow said.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy decision is final.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut what about\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Fred put his had on Willow\u2019s arm. \u201cLet\u2019s go,\u201d he said gently.<\/p>\n

Willow stood up and took the folder of papers from Marjorie\u2019s outstretched hand.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was a total bitch!\u201d Willow said angrily as soon as they were outside.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was just doing her job,\u201d Fred said gently. He steered Willow into a cafe that was next to the bank.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe didn\u2019t even look at the work that we did,\u201d Willow exclaimed in disgust. \u201cShe didn\u2019t read any of this.\u201d She dumped the folder containing the precious paperwork on a table and collapsed into the chair, folding her arms across her chest.<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess she knows what she\u2019s looking for,\u201d Fred said. \u201cAnd we weren\u2019t it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI just can\u2019t believe there was no one else we could speak to about it,\u201d said Willow.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the way the banks work over here, I\u2019m afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n

Willow exhaled loudly. \u201cWe could have fought for it a bit more.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t want to burn our bridges though. What if we need them further down the track?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCouldn\u2019t we try another bank?\u201d said Willow suddenly.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ll all say the same thing,\u201d Frank said. \u201cEveryone is being cautious. What with the way the economy has been, the sub-prime crisis, unemployment. No one wants to back a losing horse.\u201d<\/p>\n

Willow sighed. He was probably right. She\u2019d read similar things in the paper. \u201cBut we\u2019re a winning horse,\u201d she mumbled, crossly.<\/p>\n

Fred smiled sadly. \u201cThat we are. Now, can I get you a cup of tea?\u201d<\/p>\n

Willow watched Fred as he stood at the counter, shoulders hunched. She felt so sorry for the guy. This was the last thing he needed, after his wife leaving him for his best friend. Like Willow, he’d come to San Francisco for a fresh start, but he’d seemed to have setback after setback. Perhaps it’s time I came clean, Willow thought. Do us both a favour<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess it\u2019s back to the drawing board,\u201d Fred said sadly when he reappeared with the tea. \u201cWe\u2019ll have to start looking at private investors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Willow took a deep breath. \u201cNot necessarily,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh?\u201d Fred looked puzzled.<\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t been exactly forthcoming with you,\u201d Willow said. She took a deep breath. \u201cThe thing is Fred, I have money.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fred still looked puzzled. \u201cI know. We discussed this. We both have the initial startup investment. But we are going to need close to a million dollars to really get this thing rolling.\u201d<\/p>\n

Willow shook her head. \u201cNo, I mean, I have enough money to finance the whole thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fred\u2019s eyes opened wide in surprise. \u201cTo finance the whole thing?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry I didn\u2019t tell you,\u201d Willow said. \u201cI\u2019m not sure why I didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou didn\u2019t know me at all,\u201d Fred said. \u201cYou didn\u2019t know if you could trust me, I suppose.\u201d<\/p>\n

Willow nodded slowly. She tried to gauge Fred\u2019s response, to see if he was angry or upset, but he didn\u2019t seem to be at all.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know I can trust you now,\u201d she said. \u201cSo I\u2019d like to invest the full amount of money to get us going.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, hang on,\u201d Fred said, looking slightly panicked. \u201cI mean, don\u2019t you want to think about this? This isn\u2019t a decision you just\u2026 rush into. There are still other options we haven\u2019t tried.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI have thought about it,\u201d Willow said. \u201cAnd like you said, people are being very cautious about what they invest in. It might be months before we get an investor interested.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShouldn\u2019t you talk to your friends about it? I wouldn\u2019t want them thinking that I was taking you for a ride, or something,\u201d he said anxiously.<\/p>\n

Willow laughed. \u201cI\u2019m the one who suggested it. Besides, no one could think that about you, Fred.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fred shrugged. \u201cStill, it would make me feel better about it.\u201d He picked up his mug and blew across the top before he took a sip of tea. \u201cBut I still think we should exhaust our other options. This is a business. Fifty-fifty is what we agreed on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Willow nodded, amused. \u201cIf it would make you more comfortable I\u2019ll sleep on it and talk to my friends.\u201d<\/p>\n

A look of relief crossed his face. Willow shook her head and smiled as she watched him take another sip of his tea, lost in thought. He was such a funny man. Earnest,\u00a0 hardworking and honest; the type of guy that you\u2019d call on if you ever needed help. She liked him a lot – not in a romantic way; she just knew that he was one of the good people.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan I ask you something?\u201d he said tentatively, looking up from his tea.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t mean to pry, but \u2026\u201d he paused. \u201cHow do you have that much money?\u201d<\/p>\n

Willow smiled slightly. It was time to tell him. She leaned forward and recounted the whole story, managing to hold back the tears. She knew deep down that Robert would have liked this funny man. She knew that Robert would have supported her decision unequivocally. Like her, he would have trusted Fred with everything.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There was a knock at the front door. \u201cI\u2019ll see you guys in a few hours,\u201d Willow called to the others, receiving a chorus of “goodbyes” and “goodlucks” from towards the back of the house. She\u00a0 hummed to herself as she ambled towards the front door, glancing in the mirror on the way through, tucking […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"yes"},"categories":[224],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1055"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1055"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1055\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1058,"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1055\/revisions\/1058"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1055"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1055"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1055"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}