Page 65 of Brazen
Tonight I sat outside on the patio of my parents' beach mansion. I’d spent countless summers and weekends here listening to the surf.
The dojo I’d loved to practice karate in was walkable, but I wasn’t a kid in love with all action movies anymore. Starting a business with my brother was now the first adulting decision in which I took a chance and stopped playing business safe. I needed to do more of that.
Besides, I was the opposite of every one of those heroes in my favorite shows. My bank account was flush, and I was always working to increase it.
To be fair, launching an airline took more time than I realized. We were fully funded despite how our venture opened almost two years later and most of my time was these days was spent soothing investors or sitting on boards. Then when I wasn’t doing that, I was in my chair, running every math scenario I could for all our planned flights.
Sleeping was for other people. We’d hire more staff when the planes were actually closer to the purchase date instead of a year off.
Inside I heard Maman, my mother, mentioning dinner was ready, so I stood. She sounded so happy surrounded by my new sisters-in-law.
And it was clear she and Pedar, my father, hoped the rest of us married and settled down.
Pedar always said, "A man cannot truly manifest greatness until he is married and has children." He’d also repeat, "The more children he has the more blessed he is," and set up trust funds for all of us that my billionaire friends envied.
Yet I still never stopped.
As I walked inside, I thought of work. My brother, Charlie, had worked for a year as a pilot and was now my partner creating this company. I was good at the paperwork.
I sat, and the staff set down my salad when Hope—who was our other partner in work and my brother’s new fiancée—Charlie, and Maman all left their seats and joined me at the other end of the banquet table. Hope spoke first and said, “We need you to take a vacation.”
I blinked. “I’m sorry?”
Hope folded her hands and gazed directly at me. “We waited till we were together at dinner with your parents to spring this on you, but Charlie and I will be taking six weeks off in ten months for our wedding, and we officially launch the year after that…"
“Congrats.”
She nodded and then finished, “You sleep and eat and work. We all want you to take a few weeks for yourself.”
My eyes widened. “I’m fine.”
I was focused on ensuring success, since I expected perfection in myself. As I gazed at both of them, I took a deep breath. The two of them made sense together as they seemed balanced.
She raised her eyebrow, and I took a deep breath, since I’d not answered her question. So I repeated, “I will take time when I feel I need it or plan something.”
Charlie frowned and said, “Kir, no one wants you to hide away. You need to figure out what you love to do besides work to make money.”
And he read my mind. Over the holiday when my cousins had been here and Ralph proposed to his girlfriend, Gina, I’d avoided celebrating anything. I shook my head and said, “I will end up day trading in my briefcase for another relaxing day on a beach again.”
Damn. No. Will just came out of my mouth like it was set in place. I sucked in my breath.
It was time to change.
Maman patted my back. “You can do more than that.”
Charlie and Hope both wished I’d call up Hope’s pretty blond friend, Avril Lawson. But she deserved what she wanted, a man capable of falling in love.
I wasn’t that, but I pressed my hands on the table and said, “Okay, challenge accepted.”
Charlie asked, “What challenge?”
Time for me to change. I needed new hobbies besides my portfolio and karate. I gazed around at the three of them and said, “I will prove to everyone the intervention isn’t necessary and that I’m capable of taking care of myself.”
Maman squeezed my arm. “We just want you to be happy.”
“And I appreciate the concern,” I said with a nod.
I’d been on the fence about what to do with my life next. Now I had a plan. I’d try something new every day for the next month. This wasn’t what they’d wanted for me, but if I shook my life up, I hoped whatever was weighing me down would wash away.
Thank you for reading this far. Continue for a peek into the next Nourizi brother’s book Bold.
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