Page 18 of Oz Wisdom

"What do you do to need such an office?"

"I have rental properties around town. Have to have somewhere to keep my records and files.”

"Sounds like a lot of work."

"Not too bad."

Taylor eased around the space before settling back into one end of the couch. "My father always said that your home reflects your value. The more money you make, the larger the house. By his standards, you do very well to have an office so large that you need furniture for clients.”

"But the size of my house contradicts that fact,” Oz cut in. He leaned back in his chair and cocked his head studying her. "Is that what you believe?"

Taylor lifted her shoulders. Most of the things she grew up believing had become blurred or irrelevant lately. "We moved a few times when I was young. I recall hearing my parents discussing their finances and announcing that it was time to upgrade. We always had a large home. That was great as a kid. I could do pretty much as I pleased without them hovering over me. And I could swim anytime I wanted. As a teenager I had the privacy most kids dreamed of.”

"Are you telling me that you were a spoiled princess who got everything she wanted?"

Spoiled? She never considered herself that. She sorted through memories searching for the evidence. "No. there were plenty of times I didn't get what I wanted. Granted, they were most likely things I didn't need.”

"Such as?"

"I remember once my friends were talking about video games they got for Christmas. I asked for one and was told I should be happy with what I had. That parents bought kids toys to make up for the lack of prominence they possessed.”

"What did you get that Christmas?"

"Clothes as usual. And a pair of earrings."

"Necessities. Much like my gifts were,” Oz told her.

Taylor smiled. Maybe she was a bit spoiled to expect more if others received necessities as gifts.

"Times were tough for my parents, though. I didn't know any difference,” Oz said.

"Was there anything you ever really wanted?" Taylor asked.

"I wanted a computer. I knew they couldn't afford one, so I did odd jobs for the neighbors and saved up. My Dad added what he could to it, and we found a used one. I thought that was the greatest thing ever. My mom began babysitting at times and baking for others. I didn't realize it at the time, but it was her way of contributing to Dad's odd jobs and installing internet so I could use that computer.”

Oz threw his hands behind his head, his smile softened, and he appeared to enjoy the memory. Once again, she searched her thoughts, nothing so special came to mind.

"See that antique of a desktop in the corner?" He gave a nod behind her.

She twisted to look. A beige boxy monitor sat atop a small stand with a large computer base underneath it. "You still have it? "

"It was the beginning of all this.” Oz spread his arms indicating his home. Or maybe his livelihood. He must have noticed her confusion when he continued.

"I learned to use that for everything. It was my best friend. I searched and researched everything. Discovered my first real job on that. Saved money. Learned to invest. My first major purchase was a house in a sheriff’s auction. My Dad and I repaired what needed to be and added a fresh coat of paint and flipped it. Used that money and did it again. Then found a nice one for the times, nothing extravagant, but comfortable. Purchased it and gave it to my parents.”

"That's how you got into real estate?"

Oz nodded. "It is.”

Taylor smiled at Oz. A memory of something so amazing must be wonderful. It was inspiring for her to know someone with next to nothing who worked so hard to come out on top. She could learn from that, from him. That's where she was right now, sitting next to nothing.

“That’s it,” Oz announced. “Ready to hit the road?”

“That didn’t take long.”

“Not at all. Just needed to be done before we left. Got your books and your bags. I’ll grab mine and we’ll be on our way. Tomorrow morning you’ll be back with your family.”

Chapter 10

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